You might think this is a fake apology email… but it isn’t.
Earlier today, you might have seen something I didn’t want you to see.
Namely, this in your inbox:
“Why I take my wedding ring off when I’m swimming in p***“
ARRRRRRGGGHHHH!
Let me explain…
One of the barriers to sending an email to your “email club” is the innocent-looking “subject line” box.
I mean, it’s hard enough writing a damn email, but asking me to come up with an attention-grabbing subject line BEFORE writing the damn thing?
That’s a big old momentum killer.
Why mail programs ask you for the subject line first is beyond me.
One of the ideas I talk about in “Sent.” is that you should always write the subject line LAST.
I did that with the “swimming in p***” email. Well… almost.
When I was drafting the email, I had the idea for the subject line you saw today, so when I was in my email program, I copied it in there, knowing – as an email marketing professional – I’d totally remember to come back and tidy it up later…
FORESHADOWING ALERT!
Unfortunately, today was also the day I decided to test out the “send by different timezone feature” in my software.
“Huh… pretty neat. I’ll try that. It’s not like it’s going to cause any major problems…”
(You DID see the “FORESHADOWING ALERT”, right?)
I wrote the email and came back to the subject line.
I liked the general idea, but not the final word.
After thinking about it a while (and Googling weird synonyms), I finally settled on:
“Why I take my wedding ring off when I’m swimming in whizz!”
So I edited it and hit “SAVE”.
Everything went swimmingly… until I saw my inbox this morning.
“What the heck???”
I genuinely had no idea how it happened. I rushed to my software to check. I looked at my screen and was still none the wiser. The words on the screen were clear as day:
“Why I take my wedding ring off when I’m swimming in WHIZZ“
It’s right there… “whizz”. I can see it, right there in the subj…
“Oh god…”
I hadn’t seen it at the time, but the template for “Sent by time zone” is slightly different from my usual one.
Long story short: I’d changed the campaign name, NOT the subject line…
Long story shorter: I’m a tool.
I’d like to blame tech, but this is totally on me. And I’m sorry you had to see it.
Sending an email to your list can feel like you’re walking a tightrope. One wrong slip and you’re dead.
You hit “SEND” only to spot an errant comma, a split infinitive, or…
“OH MY GOD – is that participle dangling???? EVERYONE’S GONNA UNSUBSCRIBE!”
Doesn’t happen.
Don’t get me wrong, I WILL get unsubscribes because I put a naughty word in my email, but…
I’m OK with it.
When you put yourself out there, you’re going to make mistakes.
In fact, I’d heartily recommend making a deliberate mistake in your next email, just to remind yourself the world won’t end.
(You probably won’t even make the news)
When you start emailing your list, your subscribers get a better picture of you.
Slowly, email by imperfect, error-ridden email, the connection with your audience grows stronger.
They get a feel for you… a sense of what you’re really about. Until…
You reach a point when they’ll forgive you for making a COLOSSAL BALLS UP teeny-weeny boo boo.
If you’re looking for an easy way to write defective, broken, flawed emails to your list, I know just the thing…
“He wouldn’t dare pitch his email writing cour…”
My email writing course “Sent.”…
“Oh my goodness, he IS gonna pitch it…”
Is available for a discount until midnight on Sunday.
You can find out more about it, including lots of screenshots of happy students raving about it, by clicking the link below:
Please let me remember to put the right link in here… I don’t want to have to apologise again!
(Don’t forget to use your “email-club” exclusive discount code COUPONCODE)
Any questions, hit reply and ask.
John