Copywriting lessons from the fascinating world of spam

Spam artists have a pressing need - for you to open their email. Spam subject fields provide a palette for the purest form of copywriting - where they have one line of text to elicit a response - here everything depends on the words.

By Sid Piemer

20 Sep 2004

Even if you have no intention of shoplifting, when you're scanning the shelves in a store, the sign 'Smile - you're on camera' still elicits an emotional response.
Although Carl Jung's hypothesis of the inflated ego (projecting your own dark thoughts onto others, identifying them as evil) would be interesting, this article circumvents the 'why', focusing on the 'how'. And spammers are showing us how.

These are some of my 'favourites':

Subject: We cannot cancel your payment N90526352
My response: I freaked out - I have enough money issues - this is the last thing I needed. I clicked on it, only to discover (to my relief): All-Time Best Software Products at Rock Bottom Prices!

Subject: Hi sid.peimer
My response: Nice try, but I have an email address sid.peimer@mweb.co.za, so they were using the username (everything before the @ sign) to make a personal connection. But I opened it for one simple reason: it contained the sweetest word in the English language - my name.

Subject: Can't go to the beach Carlo?
My response: Why can't Carlo go to the beach? I opened it, only to find:
Buy medication at very low prices - America's most trusted Pharmacy.

Subject: Business Proposal
My response: At last - a bit of excitement in my day - someone wants to tap into my extensive resources. Not.
I opened it to find: We are a manufacturer of sportswear garments ...

Subject: Interesting...
My response: If the message says interesting, I guess it must be. So I opened it to find: More nylon than the chorus line of Robin Hood at www.nylonworld.com
Hmmm, I guess that is interesting.

A lady on a world cruise to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary, when asked if she had ever considered divorce, replied: "Divorce? No. Murder once or twice, but never divorce." When you tell that to long-suffering married couples, the response it elicits is a laugh. But they nod at the same time. It connects.