Do people really read emails that start with...

... personal stories like: My wife has me out looking for a birthday gift for my little girl... or .... I just got back from a fishing trip with my brother.

These types of emails are becoming quite popular and I can't help but wonder if people do actually read them, especially if the sender is not that well known to the recipient.

The idea is to be friendly, put the recipient at ease and make them feel like a friend having a chat over coffee/beer. I get that.

But does it really work?

Personally, I receive a lot of junk in my inbox just like millions of other marketers. I'm not interested in hearing about some episode in your life that at first glance does not seem to be anything helpful to me. I zap those emails without getting past the first paragraph. In many cases, it's just the first sentence or part thereof.

My impression is that emails that start this way waste people's time.

Do people not want the meat right off the top?

While this method probably works in some cases, I'm beginning to wonder just how well it works. I've received some emails that chat on about their personal lives for about half-3/4 of the message before getting to the actual helpful stuff. And in many cases, it has nothing to do with the personal part, despite how hard some marketers try to make it relevant.

Of all the messages I've received like this, I think I've only read through about 5. Mostly, I read them because the story sounded interesting and I was just looking for a reason not to work - it came as a welcome diversion from the heavy stuff. But that is very rare.

Any thoughts?

Has anyone really tested this approach? Has it been tested by non-guru marketers (ie: people who do not yet have the recognition of people like Joe Vitale and others)? Has it been tested with new lists - subscribers who really don't know you?

Thanks.

Sylvia