A few years ago, on Valentine’s Day, I received an email message which annoyed me. To me, there was nothing about the message that was in the spirit of Valentine’s Day (i.e., love).
However, the positive side of receiving the message is that it inspired this blog post, which I think is worth repeating again today. The story about it goes like this (and maybe it happened to you too). . .
Here’s the email message I received that Valentine’s Day:
Subject Line: Hey you (with a heart emoji)
Message:
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d reach out and ask how business is?
Do you still need help getting the word out and bringing in cash?
xoxo
Where is the heart in that message?
This email certainly did not resonate with me. And, from the responses I received when I sought the feedback from colleagues on LinkedIn and Facebook, I was not alone. Here are some of the sentiments colleagues shared:
- “The ‘Hey You’ really got me. Very romantic!”
- “I guess it depends on whether or not your first love is making money to serve your own needs or serving people by helping them to accomplish their goals.”
- “It’s terrible. Not even a “hope all is well with you”.”
- “Sounds like a scammer to me.” (Several folks responded with “scam.”)
- “Not at all [in the spirit of Valentine’s Day]. No heart in it (pun intended).”
- “The spirit of Valentine’s Day? I think not.”
- “Yuck, I’d rather have chocolates.”
- “That’s not particularly loving.”
- “Lame approach, and disrespectful in its intent.”
- “Someone with no imagination.”
What I didn’t post above were all the comments saying “delete” or “unsubscribe.” I’m sure that’s not the response the sender was seeking.
If you don’t want to have this affect on your subscribers, pay close attention to your messaging.
Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or any other holiday, if you’re going to send out a message “in the spirit” of the season, then show the spirit in an appropriate meaningful way.
Next time you send out an email “in the spirit” of a holiday, consider these 5 copywriting tips:
1. Express a sincere connection between the sender and yourself. Something other than “Hey you” would have been nice.
2. Talk to me, not at me. A heart emoji in the subject line isn’t heartwarming if you don’t even call me by name in the salutation of your message. Even though we know it’s an email blast, with Aweber, MailChimp, etc. the email can be personalized. Check out “Talk to me, not at me.”
3. Be sure your message comes from the heart – not a pitch about “bringing in cash.” Check out “Six Tips to Keep the Heart of Your Copy Beating”.
4. Share some emotion and show you care about your connections. Relate to the recipients in a way that resonates with them.
5. Stay consistent with your brand.
Have you ever received an email that said one thing, but your gut said the sender meant something else? Sadly, I’m guessing your answer would be a resounding ‘yes.’
