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A trend I notice in email marketing

by timpears
39 replies
Almost never a day passes when I don't get at least one to three or more email from the lists I am on that has a subject line that seems to try to imply that it is a reply to an email. You know, the subject starts off 're:'. But this is a dead give away as a reply to an email has a subject line that starts 'Re:'.

If this isn't what they are trying to do, then I am sorry, because it comes over like that to me.

Anyway, the point to this is that I have decided that anyone that sends me such an email is going to get a unsubscribe. I have been thinking about doing this for a while, and today I decided that I was going to do it starting today.
#email #marketing #notice #trend
  • Profile picture of the author KathyK
    Good for you! I've been doing that for ages.

    (Unless, of course, I actually DID send them an email - but then I can tell from the title.)

    Spammers do that too. I'd rather not be on any list that uses spammer tactics.
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    Kathy

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  • Profile picture of the author simonlcroft
    I think I will start doing that, I am on far too many lists anyway.

    A pet hate is also the one's suggesting that you have made a sale etc, I find them very unethical and annoying.

    Regards

    Simon
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  • Profile picture of the author Anna Johnson
    I subscribe to a lot of lists to keep track of what people in the IM niche are doing. Here's one that I thought was particularly disingenuous.

    Subject line:

    does [my email address] really work
    Body:

    Hey

    what's up Anna?

    I was trying to reach you at [my email address] because I
    was wondering what time it is in [my city, country]...

    But leave it, I already figured it out myself ==>

    It's TIME to check this site RIGHT NOW,

    =>> Check this site, you wont regret it!

    because your time is really running out now!!!

    kind regards

    [Name of marketer]
    Like, I'm on your list so of course this is my email address! How about quit being cute with the merge fields in your email system and send me something meaningful? Sheesh!
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    • Profile picture of the author greenowl123
      I get a lot of those RE: mails also. I have learned to just ignore them for the most part. I can smell spam a mile away by now.

      One that really ticks me off lately, is when they ask for my paypal address saying I have made a sale or something similar. Those are going to be blocked or unsubscribed asap.
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      • Profile picture of the author David Walker
        I think the popularity in ad swaps has contributed to this.

        Subscribers are now on multiple lists and there is increased competition to get the emails opened.

        Even "respected" marketers are resorting to dirty tactics - here are a few beauties in my Hotmail inbox this morning:

        "ACCOUNT CREDITED..."
        "CONFIRMED David, Your First Clickbank Sale..."
        Your Download is CONFIRMED"
        "RE: Your Download is Ready Now!"

        And so on...

        David
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        • Profile picture of the author niffybranco
          Originally Posted by David Walker View Post

          I think the popularity in ad swaps has contributed to this.

          Subscribers are now on multiple lists and there is increased competition to get the emails opened.

          Even "respected" marketers are resorting to dirty tactics - here are a few beauties in my Hotmail inbox this morning:

          "ACCOUNT CREDITED..."
          "CONFIRMED David, Your First Clickbank Sale..."
          Your Download is CONFIRMED"
          "RE: Your Download is Ready Now!"

          And so on...

          David
          Got the same "CONFIRMED David, Your First Clickbank Sale..." and i unsubscribed.

          Was sooooo annoying
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          • Profile picture of the author Yvonne L-M
            The other thing they are resorting to is removing you from one list instantly and putting you on another list so even if you unsubscribe to the first list you may already have been put on another one of their lists through the use of triggers - very sneaky
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            • Profile picture of the author Laura B
              Originally Posted by timpears View Post

              Almost never a day passes when I don't get at least one to three or more email from the lists I am on that has a subject line that seems to try to imply that it is a reply to an email. You know, the subject starts off 're:'. But this is a dead give away as a reply to an email has a subject line that starts 'Re:'.
              I don't like these either. If you have to resort to trickery to get me to read your e-mails, then you must not be providing enough value for me to want to open them on my own.

              Originally Posted by Premium Wordpress View Post

              What I can't stand is when I get the "sorry broken link" type second emails so they have an excuse to email me twice in the same day. I know that sometimes mistakes can happen but I seem to get these "oops" second emails far too often.
              This one has bugged me for a long, long time. Those smarmy, oh-so-sincere apologies for sending the wrong link or the server crashing are incredibly condescending, as if I'm too stupid to recognize it's just a tactic to e-mail me twice or even three times a day with the same message.
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  • Profile picture of the author Premium Wordpress
    What I can't stand is when I get the "sorry broken link" type second emails so they have an excuse to email me twice in the same day. I know that sometimes mistakes can happen but I seem to get these "oops" second emails far too often.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I really hate the "Item #169 - Notification of Payment Received" ones because that's what I get when it's a real sale.
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    • Profile picture of the author KathyK
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      I really hate the "Item #169 - Notification of Payment Received" ones because that's what I get when it's a real sale.
      Be careful with anything like those - some of them are phishes.

      Never never click to anyplace you normally login to from an email. Always go to the site directly in your browser to check. Confirmation e-mails from forums and things that you are expecting and waiting for are an exception - but even those I check the link on (and cut and paste, to be sure the link goes to (for example) warriorforum.com and not something like wariorforum.com (ie - close but misspelled link).

      I get to be a broken record on this subject - but that one little thing greatly decreases your chances of getting your password(s) stolen.
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      Cheers,
      Kathy

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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by KathyK View Post

        Be careful with anything like those - some of them are phishes.

        Never never click to anyplace you normally login to from an email. Always go to the site directly in your browser to check. Confirmation e-mails from forums and things that you are expecting and waiting for are an exception - but even those I check the link on (and cut and paste, to be sure the link goes to (for example) warriorforum.com and not something like wariorforum.com (ie - close but misspelled link).

        I get to be a broken record on this subject - but that one little thing greatly decreases your chances of getting your password(s) stolen.
        Yeah ... good advice. As soon as I see that they aren't really a payment, I delete them. Actually, they don't even try to look like a real payment except for the subject. The body is pure spam.
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        • Profile picture of the author affhelper
          LMAO check out this email I got today from some spammer.


          ------------------------------------------------

          From: Clickbank" <contact@clckbank.com>

          Subject Line: "Re: Your Clickbank Account"

          Hi Pawel

          Are you struggling to earn a consistent
          living using Clickbank?

          Well, today's email is all about helping
          you get to the desired income you wish to
          earn using Clickbank.

          One of the best ways to make money with
          Clickbank is to actually sell your product
          through Clickbank.

          Think about it... Clickbank has thousands
          of affiliates with the hungry, server-crushing
          traffic that can make you hundreds of sales
          in a day!

          The problem is how do you get these affiliates
          to promote your product?

          Well, it's easy. In fact, 2 guys discovered
          the secret to it and as a result, pull in $100k
          per month on Clickbank alone.

          Would you like to know how?

          ==> Link was here (from aweber by the way??!?!)

          Thanks for reading,

          Clickbank

          125 E. Merritt Island Cswy. Suite 209 #330
          Merritt Island, FL 32952

          ---------------------------------------------------------


          Now here is the kicker, it came from aweber account cause it had the
          aweber tracking link and unsubscribe link as well.

          Seems like someone figured out how to use aweber for some major
          spamming.




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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Theriot
    You know, there's a rule in the CAN-SPAM compliance laws that reads:

    "Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message."

    The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business

    Saying "Re:" at the beginning of the subject line can be a grey area, because that notation existed before email did afaik.

    But using fake payment notices or things like that are seemingly a clear violation, so if they really make you mad, you don't just have to unsubscribe. It would be one of the rare, ACTUAL legitimate times you could make a true "spam" complaint.

    "Spam" as in the crime, not the "I don't like this email I got" kind.
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    • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
      Originally Posted by Colin Theriot View Post

      You know, there's a rule in the CAN-SPAM compliance laws that reads:

      "Don't use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message."

      Saying "Re:" at the beginning of the subject line can be a grey area, because that notation existed before email did afaik.
      I don't think it is a gray area at all. Who has the final say on what "re" means? Most people think of it as short for "response" or "reply", but in the business world, "re" has always stood for "regarding". It is at the top of just about every letter from an attorney.

      I'm not endorsing the practice or saying that this is an ethical method, but I don't think that it is a violation of the CAN-SPAM act.
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      • Profile picture of the author dljmktg1
        Personally, I like it.

        It tells me what emails can be deleted without even opening them.


        Dan
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      • Profile picture of the author Colin Theriot
        Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

        I don't think it is a gray area at all. Who has the final say on what "re" means? Most people think of it as short for "response" or "reply", but in the business world, "re" has always stood for "regarding". It is at the top of just about every letter from an attorney.

        I'm not endorsing the practice or saying that this is an ethical method, but I don't think that it is a violation of the CAN-SPAM act.
        Right, but you only get those letters from attorneys with which you have ongoing business with, correct? "re" doesn't belong on the beginning of a communication chain - even when you mean "regarding" you mean "regarding the thing we were previously talking about." Right?

        The reason it's a grey area is because the guidelines are specifically broad to allow for determination of intent.

        We both know that the people using this as an email subject are using it in order to trick you into starting a communication that's not actually one you were already participating in. To me, that seems misleading.

        But even so, "grey area" just means that it's a case by case basis. But for the fact I presented above, it's arguable. Which means it's not black or white.
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        • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
          Originally Posted by Colin Theriot View Post

          Right, but you only get those letters from attorneys with which you have ongoing business with, correct? "re" doesn't belong on the beginning of a communication chain - even when you mean "regarding" you mean "regarding the thing we were previously talking about." Right?

          No, that's not right. "Re" (short for regarding) is used in business letters even if it is a first communication.
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          • Profile picture of the author Colin Theriot
            Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

            No, that's not right. "Re" (short for regarding) is used in business letters even if it is a first communication.
            Okay, well if you want to be semantic about it, I agree. But the laws for CAN-SPAM are about email, and the standard and assumed usage of "re:" in email is for a reply. So it's arguable that it's being used specifically to confuse people. I'd say 99 out of 100 times you see it, it's attempting to do this.

            Which could be fine, could be deceptive, depending on the circumstance and intent. Hence why I said it was a "grey area" - if you use it properly, it's fine.

            Are you arguing that it's always used appropriately, and never in subject lines that are deliberately meant to deceive?
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  • Profile picture of the author jbode
    I agree, I've talked with a handful of IMers with large list about this... even though they may be getting more people to open their emails, in the very near future they will loose a lot of subscribers, trust...

    One of the main benefits of building a list is to build trust, unfortunately a lot of people are forgetting that or dismissing it altogether

    As an email list owner it's your job to provide value and honesty, as a subscriber that's what you ultimately want
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    • Profile picture of the author timpears
      Originally Posted by jbode View Post

      As an email list owner it's your job to provide value and honesty, as a subscriber that's what you ultimately want
      In a perfect world, yes. But bottom line, I think it is really only about the money to most email marketers.
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      Tim Pears

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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    Originally Posted by timpears View Post

    Almost never a day passes when I don't get at least one to three or more email from the lists I am on that has a subject line that seems to try to imply that it is a reply to an email. You know, the subject starts off 're:'. But this is a dead give away as a reply to an email has a subject line that starts 'Re:'.

    If this isn't what they are trying to do, then I am sorry, because it comes over like that to me.

    Anyway, the point to this is that I have decided that anyone that sends me such an email is going to get a unsubscribe. I have been thinking about doing this for a while, and today I decided that I was going to do it starting today.
    Yeah I agree 100% The subject lines should be good but not misleading or full of hype. If people would just write good subject lines I think it would work better. Trying all of the spammy gimmicks to get people to open their email is pretty much fruitless. If they already have you as a subscriber, why in the world do they feel they have to use these kind of crap in their subject lines? It's beyond me.
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    • Profile picture of the author affhelper
      Originally Posted by scrofford View Post

      why in the world do they feel they have to use these kind of crap in their subject lines? It's beyond me.
      Because they sold so much stuff to them already that the trust is gone out
      the window long time ago. Now it's just a matter of making them believe
      it's the real deal this time .... I am guessing
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  • Profile picture of the author dani0157
    I dont really care if they do like i had written them an email before. I think that this trend started so that the readers feel closer to the sender
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  • Profile picture of the author ivanadee
    yeaaa...
    it maybe done by someone who has no idea anymore to attract u.
    well..then u can unsubscribe if u think that being their subscriber has no benefits
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  • Profile picture of the author ileneg
    For the most part I have unsubscribed to most lists. Also, I don't even see the "Re:" in subject lines, guess my brain blocks it out. Lastly, sometimes I still think people use RE as "regarding [subject]" as opposed to "reply".

    ileneg
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  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Michal
    I love finding out that I have a long lost relative in a foreign country who is a prince and wants to give me $6,583,774.42...
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  • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
    Stuff like that is one reason the big Clickbank gurus have to keep launching new products--to keep fresh names on their lists from op-in forms on their sales pages. Many of them hit you with 2-3 emails a day. No value in what they send. Their "open rates" are so low and their unsubscribe rates are to high--and they do so many adswaps--their lists turn sour. --Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
    Banned
    Originally Posted by timpears View Post

    Almost never a day passes when I don't get at least one to three or more email from the lists I am on that has a subject line that seems to try to imply that it is a reply to an email. You know, the subject starts off 're:'. But this is a dead give away as a reply to an email has a subject line that starts 'Re:'.

    If this isn't what they are trying to do, then I am sorry, because it comes over like that to me.

    Anyway, the point to this is that I have decided that anyone that sends me such an email is going to get a unsubscribe. I have been thinking about doing this for a while, and today I decided that I was going to do it starting today.
    If that's causing you to unsubscribe, you weren't all that interested in reading their emails to begin with.
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  • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
    I've never used that myself and subject lines that purport to be a sale are definitely annoying. Lazy marketing really.

    That said, marketing that doesn't grab attention isn't marketing at all.

    "They" (whoever "they" are) say that if your marketing doesn't irritate at least some of your audience then it's less effective than it could otherwise be.

    Why? Because marketing is a numbers game and you're never going to be able to make everyone happy all of the time.

    Cheers,

    Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author mr2monster
    Keep in mind that RE: stands for EITHER REply or REgarding...


    I use it in the "regarding" sense all the time. Even in common writing, text messaging, emails, etc.


    It's not uncommon for me to send a text that says something to the effect of "Oh and re: your party tomorrow, I'll be there."

    So, I see no problem sending an email that says "RE: your online subscription" or whatever. I use it in my niche businesses when I actually send out emails. And for the most part, it increases my open rates although it hasn't done much for my clicks really.



    Original thread: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ally-work.html
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  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    I personally don't judge whether to stay on a mailing list or not based on such silly stuff like using "RE:" or not. If it's a valuable mailing list, I stay - if not, I'm out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Yvonne L-M
    Ive notice an increase in "please confirm your email address" when you haven't requested anythiong from them ever
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Giannetti
    I know some big name marketers with subject lines like...your check is ready......You've made a sale ...and so on......shows despration....really....anything to make a buck.....bordering on spam....

    No wait, the one I like the best is the link in the email I sent you yesterday doesn't work...here's the correct link.....
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  • Profile picture of the author John Cornetta
    However! Sometimes subscribers do reply to emails you send out so they start with an Re:... And sometimes they reply days later so????
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  • Profile picture of the author excoder01
    A lot of these are a result of the "adswaps" trend...

    Stop buying from all these people with deceptive email headlines and perhaps they might try out new tactics.

    "My friend is giving this away FREE! Worth $9,642"

    "RE: CANCELED"

    "Re: Your $3K download is ready..."

    "OMG, it's FREE for 24 hours!"

    And it turns out, I have to opt-in another mailing list to download some outdated PLR rehash ebook giving vague messages. Then after that, I will receive more spammy email headlines from these folks to opt-in to download more free rehashed PLR ebooks....and then receive crap emails...

    There's a few marketers whose email body always consists of...

    "My friend is doing this...", "My friend is doing that..."

    and he/she has a new friend every day -- cool, but are they really his friend or adswap partners?

    There are some marketers who starting from day one, always say "This make you $1000+ a day!" in his/her email, and constantly send sales pitches everyday. Not once, have I ever receive anything consider valuable "content" If you're making that kind of money, why buy so many products every?

    What email list courses/systems out there are teaching these methods? From PLR ebooks you got for FREE?
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  • Profile picture of the author CharlesDenney
    Originally Posted by timpears View Post

    Almost never a day passes when I don't get at least one to three or more email from the lists I am on that has a subject line that seems to try to imply that it is a reply to an email. You know, the subject starts off 're:'. But this is a dead give away as a reply to an email has a subject line that starts 'Re:'.

    If this isn't what they are trying to do, then I am sorry, because it comes over like that to me.

    Anyway, the point to this is that I have decided that anyone that sends me such an email is going to get a unsubscribe. I have been thinking about doing this for a while, and today I decided that I was going to do it starting today.
    It's your choice to be offended by the "RE" email tactic. It doesn't offend me in the least. These are marketers and I'm always watching what they do to get new ideas. Be careful, you just might deprive yourself of some good ideas, even though you think the "Re" tactic is a bad one. That's my 2 cents worth.
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  • Profile picture of the author KatyaSenina
    It's a marketing tactic to draw you in and make you open the email. They do it to increase their open rates. Kind of sad if you ask me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gemini9
      Personally, I just don't bother with those re: messages because more times then not, it's about stuff I'm not interested in. Just delete them without opening them.
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