As it is, it appeared as someone who is totally disconnected from his audience, and full of himself. Even if he does make a course correction in the email itself, it ranks as one of my all time worst subject lines I’ve ever seen– hell, even spammers know enough to hit the audience hot buttons, and not their own egos!

Great post as always. I’m a little late to the party, but am amazed by what you describe. The writers could ask themselves one question, and throw that crap away.

The worst email subject line I can remember is from John Reese.. I rarely read a lot of the stuff I get from lists anyway, but this guaranteed that I’d never pay attention to anything he might say–even if did turn out worthwhile (and yes, “traffic secrets” has value).

What do people think about this email subject beauty sent by Reese on 10/09/07?

“Help fill my swimming pool with 100 dollar bills…”

It’s one of the few headlines I’ve remembered (good), and hated with a passion (bad). I have yet to read the email or anything from him since.

Curious what everyone thinks!

-Tim

Steven – I agree. Reading copy like this is encouraging for anybody who wants to succeed as a copywriter.

If someone got paid for writing that, then I should be able to make it (if I wanted) as a copywriter too!

I am laughing so hard… :)

It goes to show that the skill we develop as copywriters is in fact a very in-demand profession.

Joseph Ratliff

1. Radiohead already had a fan base eagerly awaiting their new release.

2. Their offer included a critical phrase that is missing from Inc’s offer. They said (and I’m paraphrasing), Pay whatever you want for the album, or pay nothing at all. It’s your choice.

In other words, Radiohead was “legalizing theft.” In most cases, you can’t get MP3s for free. That’s illegal. But Radiohead made it legal. They were letting people do something that is normally “forbidden.”

I believe Inc’s offer would have been more effective if they had added a similar twist at the end of their copy: “…you will send me an invoice that I can return with the payment amount that I decide, even as little as $1.”

I’m glad you like my blog, Bonnie. Thanks for being a reader!

/x/ YES! Please send me my FREE issue of Inc. to preview. I understand that after I have received my preview copy, you will send me an invoice that I can return with the PAYMENT AMOUNT THAT I DECIDE.

I agree with you that such an open choice probably made people freeze. I also agree that there may not have been enough of a sense of credibility to the offer. Either way, it was a good lesson for me. :)

Anyway, keep up the good work! As a young writer, I really enjoy learning from you.

1. “Name your own price” is an offer that sounds too good to be true. Prospects are unlikely to believe it.

2. If the prospect believes the offer, it will then cause him anxiety. It’s similar to walking onto a car lot and not knowing what the “right” price is for the car you want. The lack of certainty is unsettling. “Did I pay too much?” the buyer is likely to wonder.

3. Asking the prospect to name his own price gives him way too much freedom. He will probably be paralyzed by indecision. He won’t know how much to pay. For more information about this, see my post, Improve Sales by Taking Away Their Freedom.