Last week an “Email Players” subscriber sent me an email with a\u00a0subject line that said:<\/p>\n
“We don’t need you anymore”<\/em><\/p>\n He thought that a pretty cool subject line.<\/p>\n And, I likey it too.<\/p>\n But then, I read the email and think it would probably work against\u00a0someone using it in the context it was used. It was too much of a\u00a0disconnect — kind of like when space ads use a headline that says\u00a0“Sex!” and then tries to sell you some mundane service or product\u00a0that has nothing to do with sex, or talks about sex in a way that\u00a0has nothing to do with what you were hoping it would.<\/p>\n (i.e. they just wanted your attention).<\/p>\n And so it was with the email I read.<\/p>\n They weren’t really saying they didn’t need them anymore.<\/p>\n What they were saying was, wouldn’t it suck if your employer told\u00a0you they didn’t need you anymore, etc.<\/p>\n Meh.<\/p>\n Dirty pool.<\/p>\n And so it is with subject lines.<\/strong><\/p>\n (Or ad headlines.)<\/p>\n Frankly, I think it’d be a perfect subject line if someone was\u00a0doing an email using my repulsion marketing strategy.<\/p>\n Like, for example, if I was writing to freebie seekers.<\/p>\n That subject line would fit like a glove.<\/p>\n (Come to think of it, I might use it for that some day…)<\/p>\n Because then I really would be telling someone I didn’t need them\u00a0anymore — and proceed to tell them exactly why (i.e. they waste\u00a0time, whine about being sold to, aren’t really serious about\u00a0bettering themselves, the list goes on).<\/p>\n The point of all this?<\/p>\n Context, baby.<\/p>\n It’s all about context.<\/p>\n Even a great subject line falls flat out of context.<\/p>\n It’s almost like “de-balling” them.<\/p>\n Speaking of which…<\/p>\n The August “Email Players” issue contains a subject line someone\u00a0sent me recently that anyone can use and I would bet someone else’s\u00a0kidney would get extremely high readership.<\/p>\n (And, even more importantly, generate lots of sales.)<\/p>\n It’s an absolutely brilliant subject line.<\/p>\n One of those “gotta open!” subject lines.<\/p>\n In other words:<\/p>\n If I HAD to get an email opened, I’d use this one.<\/p>\n It’s all ‘splained in the August issue.<\/p>\n She goes to the printer next week.<\/p>\n Subscriber here:<\/p>\n