I'd Visit the Special Offers Forum More If it Wasn't...

35 replies
So hard to read. I used to like visiting the special offers forum. And I think I may have bought a thing or two in the past.

But now, I can't even read the headlines. Bloated and fat like some 70's disco queen, this panoply of gibberish makes no sense whatsoever.

Hint: People should only be allowed to write their headllines using what most of us call "letters." Ban the symbols and you might make more sales. That, or come up with more compelling headlines.

What about you? Are you finding it hard to read as well?

-- Edward
#forum #offers #special #visit
  • Profile picture of the author Clyde Dennis
    Originally Posted by quiescen View Post

    So hard to read. I used to like visiting the special offers forum. And I think I may have bought a thing or two in the past.

    But now, I can't even read the headlines. Bloated and fat like some 70's disco queen, this panoply of gibberish makes no sense whatsoever.

    Hint: People should only be allowed to write their headllines using what most of us call "letters." Ban the symbols and you might make more sales. That, or come up with more compelling headlines.

    What about you? Are you finding it hard to read as well?

    -- Edward
    Yeah! What he just said.
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  • Profile picture of the author nick1123
    Yah, I agree. I am finding it hard to read.
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  • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
    There was a small movement a few months ago to start reporting any thread that used excessive (or was it all?) *$#|! in their thread titles. I personally thought reporting the thread would've been a bit extreme, but I think ignoring them would be fine. Sometimes I open them anyway just because they have good headlines, but most of the time I try to avoid them.
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayo
      Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

      There was a small movement a few months ago to start reporting any thread that used excessive (or was it all?) *$#|! in their thread titles. I personally thought reporting the thread would've been a bit extreme, but I think ignoring them would be fine. Sometimes I open them anyway just because they have good headlines, but most of the time I try to avoid them.
      Hi Curtis,

      The thread you're referencing was started by Warrior member Paul Myers
      and it was directed at the Main Discussion Forum posts not at WSO posts.

      I'll admit that I don't care for the characters in the Titles either but when
      some one spends money to get their so called word out, who am I to tell
      them how to market their product?

      Have a Great Day!
      Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author chanvh
    I think the best way is to just ignore those kind of threads.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    I admit I was using them for a while, but only the small dots and arrow. However, after reading a thread on this exact topic some time ago, it didn't take long for me to switch to "letters" and "numbers".

    That being said, I don't think they should be banned. If people are paying to list there, then why not let them use the symbols? After all, the $20 doesn't guarantee they won't look like toddlers trying to get the attention of their parents.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      I admit I was using them for a while, but only the small dots and arrow. However, after reading a thread on this exact topic some time ago, it didn't take long for me to switch to "letters" and "numbers".
      Michael, you truly are "The Ethical Marketer"!

      Personally I agree with Edward, they make the WSO page hard to read. I find they distract from the actual headline as opposed to calling attention to it. Count me in as a vote against them.

      Has anyone ever come to a conclusion as to how effective this technique is? Obviously the consensus on this thread is that we should just ignore them, but has anyone actually tried a split test to see what the sales results are with or without them?

      Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author mmurtha
    Edward,

    This isn't to say I disagree with you, but this matter has been discussed several times in this forum and people are not going to change to suit what we would like to see.

    There's no point in B-ing or complaining about it here.
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  • Profile picture of the author dave830
    I gotta think there's an evolution to this... people will stop doing these if they're not working. And unfortunately, sometimes annoying is exactly what sells.

    ****--->>>> KNOW WHAT I'm $AYING?? ###.+.+.+.!!!!!!
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    I don't have anything to offer, but have a great day anyway!

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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      That being said, I don't think they should be banned. If people are paying to list there, then why not let them use the symbols?

      You can spend TONS more then that with google, and they won't let you use symbols.

      I think they should be banned.. or limited to a certain number - like 2 per headline or something
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      -Jason

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  • Profile picture of the author ExtremeIM
    If you don't like them... don't look!

    Honestly, do you think it'll make any kind of difference if you don't like the symbols people use? This is an internet marketer's forum! Let them market!
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    • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayo
      Why does it seem that many of the newer people that have signed up
      during March and April seem to have attitudes?

      I remember when I first joined a forum and I didn't sprut out such
      comments with attitude.

      Something just doesn't feel right with what I've seen posted here lately.

      My Shields are Now Up!
      Have a Great Day!
      Michael
      Originally Posted by ExtremeIM View Post

      If you don't like them... don't look!

      Honestly, do you think it'll make any kind of difference if you don't like the symbols people use? This is an internet marketer's forum! Let them market!
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by ExtremeIM View Post

      If you don't like them... don't look!

      Honestly, do you think it'll make any kind of difference if you don't like the symbols people use? This is an internet marketer's forum! Let them market!
      Actually, since this is a member moderated forum, it does somewhat matter what the members think.
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      -Jason

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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      The last time I bought a WSO, I think it was from a link in someone's sig.

      I don't venture into that section as often as I used to. For one thing, I'm just not looking to buy a lot of things; just trying to focus on finishing an eBook I'm working on. And, for the other thing, it is too hard to find anything in there. It really is too hard to even read or skim through headers in there, so it's not easy to spot things you might be interested in. Too many ALL CAPS, special characters and dollar amounts drawing your eye away from spotting anything meaningful.

      As ExtremeIM said, you can always ignore them. Which I do. Saves me a bundle.

      It seems to me that I've read threads with people saying that WSOs don't sell like they used to. I don't have any firsthand experience with that but, if that's true, maybe this is a reason for it?
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
    Why does it seem that many of the newer people that have signed up
    during March and April seem to have attitudes?
    i think we're getting spillover from some of the garbage forums.
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    -Jason

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  • Profile picture of the author sevenish
    I like the cheap, loud, gaudy symbols in the WSO headlines. It makes them look every bit as bad, shoddy and misleading as they are.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
    From a sellers standpoint...The dumb symbols that you guys are talking about make a big difference in the amount of views that your actual offer gets.

    I don't particularly care for the colors Yellow or Red on sales pages...maybe we can have those colors banned from sales pages...that would be awesome!
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

      From a sellers standpoint...The dumb symbols that you guys are talking about make a big difference in the amount of views that your actual offer gets.

      I don't particularly care for the colors Yellow or Red on sales pages...maybe we can have those colors banned from sales pages...that would be awesome!
      I would think that they lose their effectiveness when the entire page is a jumbled wasteland full of glyphs. When everything stands out, nothing stands out.

      I went back and forth a few times over the first 3 pages of wso's looking for one I had recently seen that I was interested in, and I never found it. I tried again later in the day and finaly found it - I had passed it over at least 5 times earlier that day.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
        Hey Jason,

        Originally Posted by jasonl70 View Post

        I would think that they lose their effectiveness when the entire page is a jumbled wasteland full of glyphs. When everything stands out, nothing stands out.

        I went back and forth a few times over the first 3 pages of wso's looking for one I had recently seen that I was interested in, and I never found it. I tried again later in the day and finaly found it - I had passed it over at least 5 times earlier that day.

        I'll be the first to agree...they are ugly as hell. But, they do give you the opportunity to have your headline stand out from the guy that is all caps and 2 lines long. In addition, it does bring extra views...whether the extra views equate to more sales, I have not actually tested it that far.

        I understand that some people might not like it, but I don't think that other people should be able to tell me how I format the title to my post....unless that word comes from Allen

        Hopefully, people will understand that this isn't me saying "go to hell", but me saying "I've tested both ways and I get more eyes on my offer this way".

        Jeremy
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Kaplan
    Personally I don't use symbols and I am not drawn to them. If I am looking at WSOs I am looking for something specific that I need.

    Banning them is a bit extreme. Just exercise your right to look at them or not. If we start really censoring the symbols, then next might be the colors, then the adjectives, then the verbs and then....LOL

    But I am thinking maybe of posting my WSOs in a foreign language of some sort and see how that works...
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
      Sid,

      Originally Posted by Sid Kaplan View Post

      Personally I don't use symbols and I am not drawn to them. If I am looking at WSOs I am looking for something specific that I need.

      Banning them is a bit extreme. Just exercise your right to look at them or not. If we start really censoring the symbols, then next might be the colors, then the adjectives, then the verbs and then....LOL

      But I am thinking maybe of posting my WSOs in a foreign language of some sort and see how that works...
      I was watching the WSO forum one weekend just looking at titles and different strategies to see who was getting all the love...you know what title had the absolute most views for the weekend?

      It was:

      11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1

      I don't remember the posters name, but the amount of views he got in the first couple of hours was absolutely ridiculous lol
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      • Profile picture of the author Sid Kaplan
        Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

        Sid,



        I was watching the WSO forum one weekend just looking at titles and different strategies to see who was getting all the love...you know what title had the absolute most views for the weekend?

        It was:

        11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1

        I don't remember the posters name, but the amount of views he got in the first couple of hours was absolutely ridiculous lol
        Hey Jeremy

        Well - lot to be said for curiosity but I am time challenged so I would not go there. I want to see in a few words what I am being offered.

        I don't dispute that he got a lot of views but what was he selling and how many of the views were buying. I think PayPal takes only cash and not view counts...LOL

        But it is whatever works I guess...

        Sid
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayo
        Lol... Jeremy,

        I remember it and the poster was Warrior edlewis.

        It was definitely an Intriguing Headline.

        Have a Great Day!
        Michael
        Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

        Sid,



        I was watching the WSO forum one weekend just looking at titles and different strategies to see who was getting all the love...you know what title had the absolute most views for the weekend?

        It was:

        11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1

        I don't remember the posters name, but the amount of views he got in the first couple of hours was absolutely ridiculous lol
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      • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
        jeremy-
        i guess this is just another example of not knowing until you actually test If I ever do a wso, I guess i'll have to remember this
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        -Jason

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        • Profile picture of the author Matt Hoey
          They should be moderated.
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      • Profile picture of the author edlewis
        Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

        Sid,



        I was watching the WSO forum one weekend just looking at titles and different strategies to see who was getting all the love...you know what title had the absolute most views for the weekend?

        It was:

        11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1

        I don't remember the posters name, but the amount of views he got in the first couple of hours was absolutely ridiculous lol
        Yeah....LOL....that was me.

        I don't run as many WSO's as I used to and one day I was browsing the WSO Forum, had the idea, and wanted to see if it would work...

        Didn't do too bad....plus the repeating 11111 actually DID have something to do with my offer, so it wasn't just to grab attention....I was testing something else as well.

        I'm not a huge fan of the symbols, but it's not my place to make a decision on them.

        With the WSO headlines it really is all about standing out, for many people the symbols and signs are an easy way out. Most people think that they can make up for the lack of a good headline, maybe they can...

        I still think a good headline kicks the symbols square in the butt...but maybe I'm wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author Patrick Pallesen
    I normally don't think the headlines are hard to read. All the symbols for the most part destroy the chance of a real attention grabbing and appealing headline
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  • Profile picture of the author nipit007
    Has anyone ever come to a conclusion as to how effective this technique is?

    I belong to a private forum and the main man says they actually get about 20% more hits by having symbols etc. Have not tested it yet. That may well be where it all started. Would like to hear other views.
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by Sid Kaplan View Post

      Hey Jeremy

      Well - lot to be said for curiosity but I am time challenged so I would not go there. I want to see in a few words what I am being offered.

      I don't dispute that he got a lot of views but what was he selling and how many of the views were buying. I think PayPal takes only cash and not view counts...LOL

      But it is whatever works I guess...

      Sid
      Well, if you agree that entire point of a headline is to get the reader to read further, then I would venture a guess that this in fact worked as was intended This is assuming that someone looking through the WSO forum is 'targeted' enough for your offer.

      Originally Posted by nipit007 View Post

      Has anyone ever come to a conclusion as to how effective this technique is?

      I belong to a private forum and the main man says they actually get about 20% more hits by having symbols etc. Have not tested it yet. That may well be where it all started. Would like to hear other views.
      Jeremy has tested this, and says it still works. I've read enough of his posts to respect his opinions, so I believe him. I would still test this myself, but that's because I always test everything

      I do know that when no one else is using glyphs, you can certainly get more clicks by having them (in general - I have not run a wso before, but I have used them elsewhere). I just would have thought they would have lost their effectiveness when everyone was using them.
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      -Jason

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      • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
        Originally Posted by jasonl70 View Post

        Jeremy has tested this, and says it still works. I've read enough of his posts to respect his opinions, so I believe him. I would still test this myself, but that's because I always test everything
        He didn't give an indication of how extensively it was tested, though.

        To me, when I looked at the WSO forum, the headlines that jump out at me are the ones that are different.

        For example, if a bunch of headlines have special characters and such vying for your attention, the headline that uses normal text is the one that jumps out. If a bunch of headlines are lower case, the one that jumps out is the one in ALL CAPS. If a bunch of headlines are ALL CAPS, the one that jumps out is the one in lower case. And, if a bunch of headlines are normal text, the one that jumps out is the one with special characters.

        So, I wonder how much positioning and timing play, in that how well your headline will work may depend upon how the headlines surrounding yours appear.

        Maybe a future strategy will be bumping WSOs when WSOs with headlines different from your own are at the top, so that your headline will stand out when yours gets up there.

        Maybe someone who does a lot of WSOs can do some extensive testing. Then again, they probably don't have time for that.

        As it is though, I still think all those headlines with special characters just make it hard to read.
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        • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
          Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

          He didn't give an indication of how extensively it was tested, though.
          I have tested the crap out of my offers. Since being a warrior, I have had 4 WSO's I think and they have all been tested and tweeked to the point where I pretty much know what does well and what doesn't. In addition to my own stuff, I pay pretty close attention to what others post and what kind of response they get as well.

          Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

          To me, when I looked at the WSO forum, the headlines that jump out at me are the ones that are different.
          The ones that are different jump out to me as well. However, recently, I changed my title to just a regular title and I lost my own thread in the mix of everything else lol. So, being different in that case made it so I could not even find my own offer

          Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

          For example, if a bunch of headlines have special characters and such vying for your attention, the headline that uses normal text is the one that jumps out. If a bunch of headlines are lower case, the one that jumps out is the one in ALL CAPS. If a bunch of headlines are ALL CAPS, the one that jumps out is the one in lower case. And, if a bunch of headlines are normal text, the one that jumps out is the one with special characters.
          This is true. But if a majority of the titles have special characters and your don't or a majority are all caps and yours are all lower case, your's can seriously be hard to find even by yourself if you are inbetween 2 of them.

          Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

          So, I wonder how much positioning and timing play, in that how well your headline will work may depend upon how the headlines surrounding yours appear.
          Positioning and Timing play a HUGE part in the amount of traffic that a particular WSO gets. The "timing" used to be a hell of a lot easier, but it is still possible if you pay attention
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Ayres
    I hate all the symbols in titles as well and would like to see them gone
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    • Profile picture of the author Blase
      Maybe there is a marketing lesson here.

      If visitors finds it hard to read the sellers may want to think
      about how they post.

      However, to publish a WSO you need to pay for it.
      So why can't a paid advertiser do what ever they want?

      Why do others feel the need to control what someone
      else does and pays for?

      Let the market decide.

      Just a thought,
      Blase
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      "Nothing Happens Until Something Is Sold"
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  • Profile picture of the author mysteryleaves
    I agree l hate all that type easy to read is best and will always get more sales :-)
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