Open Message to E-mail Marketers

32 replies
I would like to start with the fact that I appreciate the amount of work that goes into a high quality e-mail marketing campaign. I am a strong believer in what you do and I hope you keep it up.

That said, if you send me an e-mail that is a marketing message that looks like a response to support ticket, I will mark you as spam and I encourage everyone else to do the same.

I am all for creative ways to get people to open e-mails, but flat out lying to people is unacceptable to me. Add value or at least be interesting/interested and I will happily open and click the link.
#email #marketers #message #open
  • Profile picture of the author wcmylife
    Over ninety percent of all e-mail is spam and a bunch of people call themselves IM'ers but are actually spammers - do not see any let up for you mate
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4353813].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Amod Oke
    Just got 2 Emails with these subject lines today from so-called 'marketers'...

    1) Clickbank Millionaire DEAD!
    2) WARNING [Adult Content Inside]

    Seriously, no relation/care about your subscribers = SLOW LIST DEATH
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4353843].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ZachWaldman
    I'm with you on this. I hate the ones that tell me I made a sale. They get mixed in with my real sales.

    Instead of trickery, these people should learn to write clever, powerful, benefit oriented headlines that make you interested in what they're offering.

    Like the OP, I unsubscribe from marketers using tactics made to deceive me.
    Signature
    Zach Waldman - Los Angeles Magician
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4353946].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author VaultBoss
      The ART of copywriting and most importantly the ART of writing powerful headlines comes more naturally to some people than many others.

      However, there is no reason why any email marketer (or whomever considers themselves to be such) would not LEARN how to do it properly - maybe they won't write ADs and headlines like Joe Sugarman and the like, but at least they could come up with something compelling and inciting, while still being honest.

      Unfortunately, many are too lazy to even try to become creative, or
      (sorry for being so blunt) either too stupid to be able to do it or misleaded into thinking that is the right way to do it...

      Nothing can be more destructive to one's list than a misleading subject line.
      Indeed, they may have better open rates at first sight ... BUT they would also have HUGE negative response (unsubscribes, spam button hitting clicks, etc...)

      Then, next time the subscriber will see a similar message, they will be sent to the spam folder at once.

      Is it worth it to sacrifice a long term business for such a short term gain?
      Personally, I think NOT!

      There are MUCH BETTER WAYS to increase open rates and clickthroughs than being deceitful...
      Signature
      Sexy eMail Marketing Secrets «« Pimp YOUR eMails Into Sexiness ...
      Double Opens & CTR - Instantly!

      Steve Lorenzo's eMail Tips Daily «« Strange, Controversial, Crazy Stuff even, BUT - The Bleeding Edge 'Unfair' Advantage Over Your eMail Marketing Competition
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4354224].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author magnates
      Originally Posted by ZachWaldman View Post

      I'm with you on this. I hate the ones that tell me I made a sale. They get mixed in with my real sales.

      Instead of trickery, these people should learn to write clever, powerful, benefit oriented headlines that make you interested in what they're offering.

      Like the OP, I unsubscribe from marketers using tactics made to deceive me.
      I couldn't agree more . they get on ****ing nerve . I hate when people lie to get my attention . I hate opening an email to find out the headline had nothing to do with the email . And like i , i immediately unsubscribe

      It is agood idea to remember why they subscribe to your list and offer content or services that helps them get the result they are looking for
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4354258].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Harper
      Originally Posted by ZachWaldman View Post

      Instead of trickery, these people should learn to write clever, powerful, benefit oriented headlines that make you interested in what they're offering.
      Yup.

      And then deliver with your content.

      Treating your list disrespectfully is the quickest way to have no list.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4358647].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Austin Rose
        I have to agree with you on this one, I have noticed a lot of the "re:in response" or the "you made a sale", or "order complete" ones coming through my email and they are irritating as heck and I don't open them.

        However, the ones that come through that have either a unique subject, a descriptive subject, or even just one that says "Please read now" are the ones that I do open
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4358676].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mark Jordan
      Originally Posted by ZachWaldman View Post


      Instead of trickery, these people should learn to write clever, powerful, benefit oriented headlines that make you interested in what they're offering.
      Hoping for this too.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4358690].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author quicklinkbuilder
    Hahah speaking of this i just received a email saying "Received click bank sale notification"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4354282].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by quicklinkbuilder View Post

      speaking of this i just received a email saying "Received click bank sale notification"
      These things are so idiotic. It's almost breathtaking, sometimes, how bad the "standard" can be, with which one's competing. I suppose we shouldn't complain about that, in one sense ... but in another way we should, because it impacts on all of us, regarding our collective reputation as online marketers.

      Those things are surely not FTC or Can-Spam compliant, anyway, with clearly deceptive subject-lines? However you look at it, they're from people who are unlikely still to be in business this time next year ...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357488].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author rts2271
        Deceptive or misleading subject line - mark as spam and report.
        Deceptive or misleading email - mark as spam and report.
        Obnoxious overmailing - mark as spam

        In some of the email trainings I provide I really try to discourage this behavior. It's just absolutely insane cause if these guys pulled this via snail mail I think some of them would be charged with mail fraud.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357549].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author joshcoffy
    I think I agreed with almost every single person on here! lol False email titles are LAME.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4354372].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author keyuria
    I got somebody sending me with the headline " Your Paypal Banking Transaction"

    I was so pissed off. The content they send also are irrelevant. They are just looking for open rate for their emails.But I do not know what will that help them. May be JV!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4354393].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Intermission
    I have been unsubscribing to a lot of lists this week for all the above reasons. You'd think they would know better by now.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4356002].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author CC
      I have received several emails that have the heading "You are a Jerk",
      so I'm happily unsubscribing from these and others.

      I don't get why some one would want to p*** off their list by doing that.

      Oh well I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go around.

      Constance
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4356074].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author drumguru69
    I get the "UPS shipment error" email headline once in a while... Not cool, because I have stuff shipped quite a bit!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4356066].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author spennyc
    Some marketers go over the top with trickery in email subjects. I don't mind a little bit of attention grabbing tact - but I agree that it's annoying when they REALLY try to fake you out.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4356091].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author digitalmoolah
    I agree. I won't even look inside an email unless there is a non spam subject line.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357444].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author fitz10
    Not only that this tactic is in violation of the CAN-SPAM act. Messages like that 100% should be reported as spam because that's exactly what they are.
    Signature



    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357472].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jonasgr
    What I find most irritaring is the emails that starts with "I just read your ad..." and then they start there own sales pitch.

    No I do not want to join your program as I am already having success in the program I am in.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357514].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author successfulgeek
    Wow I leave for a day and a ton of awesome responses. I forgot about the "You have made a sale" ones. Thankfully I haven't gotten many of those lately because I always report as spam. The good thing is, if enough people report them their accounts can get blacklisted.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357520].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    I try to use wordplay of some kind in my subject lines for my Rock And Roll Decades list. Granted, I'm not really selling anything, but creative subject lines are part of the fun, in my opinion.

    My guess is that few people could guess what the e-mail was about based on the subject line, BUT they would also be curious.

    Just for the sake of example, here are 10 of the subject lines I have used...
    • 42 minutes of joy
    • But she was born in Septembre
    • Broken Sandwich
    • Hear the Laridae?
    • Love that smell
    • Wonder why he didn't do those?
    • Perhaps an iron lung would help.
    • "...but my ears ignore ya"
    • Ham...beef...chicken...
    • The Gloved Ones
    No subterfuge, but plenty of curiosity.

    All the best,
    Michael
    Signature

    "Ich bin en fuego!"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357584].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rob Actis
    I am not surprised to see this thread. I was going to write the same thing today. I do not understand how they think that I will be motivated to trust them when they lie in their emails. It is really offensive. BTW, Who do you report them too, when you say that they are Spam.

    The scary part is...do they actually get people to buy their offers using these tactics????

    Cheers,

    Rob
    Signature

    SFX, Music and Pro Voiceover for under $30? ? ?- Audio Assassin Toolbox
    Audio Assassin Toolbox

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357589].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author rts2271
      Originally Posted by Rob Actis View Post

      I am not surprised to see this thread. I was going to write the same thing today. I do not understand how they think that I will be motivated to trust them when they lie in their emails. It is really offensive. BTW, Who do you report them too, when you say that they are Spam.

      The scary part is...do they actually get people to buy their offers using these tactics????

      Cheers,

      Rob
      They wouldn't do it if they weren't making money
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357706].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ephame
    It's sad but often the most outrageous subject lines are the ones likely to get opened and that's all the spammer cares about, no one will change for you but good on everyone for keeping their inboxes filtered and reporting as spam as often as spotted. No one enjoys spam in any shape or form.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357664].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author successfulgeek
    @Rob - I mark as spam in Gmail which helps google learn to filter things to my spam box. Plus apparently many e-mail providers keep track of people marking something as spam and will block the sending server and if that server is someone like Mailchimp or Aweber, etc... the knock the sender completely off the service to maintain deliverability.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357730].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Jimmy Mancini
      Hi,

      From my point of view there are 3 kind of email marketers:

      1. The lazy one, that's the one that things that tricking people with any subject line will increase his/her open rates and make more sales ... that's not right! it does not work that way!

      2. The Average one, the one that kind of get it but is too lazy to put some effort so he just copy and paste what the network give him and push send...

      3. The Good one, this is the one that does some research and know exactly what is going on on every single step of the process of sending an email, he understand the market, the list, the campaigns and what really works... it takes years to become Good... or you can get proper email marketing training and apply what you learn from it!

      Your views?

      Regards,

      Jimmy Mancini
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357789].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author ephame
        Originally Posted by Jimmy Mancini View Post

        Hi,

        From my point of view there are 3 kind of email marketers:

        1. The lazy one, that's the one that things that tricking people with any subject line will increase his/her open rates and make more sales ... that's not right! it does not work that way!

        2. The Average one, the one that kind of get it but is too lazy to put some effort so he just copy and paste what the network give him and push send...

        3. The Good one, this is the one that does some research and know exactly what is going on on every single step of the process of sending an email, he understand the market, the list, the campaigns and what really works... it takes years to become Good... or you can get proper email marketing training and apply what you learn from it!

        Your views?

        Regards,

        Jimmy Mancini
        Excellent advice, if only there were more "good" ones around
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357832].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Matt Barrington
    Personally, I LOVE getting those emails. I love to wave goodbye to them as I hit the spam button, clearing them out of my inbox and my mind.

    Seriously, though, Do these guys really think that's okay? Ridiculous!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4357827].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jay White
    This one always cracked me up as well. Sure, it might bump up the open rate a bit. But when they start reading and see that the message has NOTHING to do with the subject, what do they think is going to happen? "Wow, I was angry a second ago. But NOW I'm totally stoked because I can get 5 million backlinks in just 2 minutes!" Not gonna happen. Idiocy.

    Wanna know my secret for getting more emails opened? Write the email first. Typically what happens is, you'll come up with a phrase, sentence, or maybe just a word or two that sort of "pops" off the page (you'll know it when you read it--especially if you read it out loud). Take that and craft your subject line from it. Because if it pops to you, it should pop to your reader.

    Too many times we start off writing the subject line first. But what does that do? It puts us in a box. Now we have to stay within the parameters of what our title says. But if we leave it until later and just start WRITING the darn thing, it's amazing how many places your copy will go--places you never even realized were there earlier. And that's when the good subject lines appear.
    Signature
    Copywriters! Want to Get More Clients and Make More Money? FREE Webinar: www.GetCopywritingClients.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4361524].message }}

Trending Topics