| A few months ago I started getting a bunch of | | | | in a two-day time period that was riddled with |
| junk Spam messages. All the messages had the | | | | errors. |
| same subject line. Thinking that the emails were | | | | I don't know if "Whoops!" is the greatest way to |
| hocking cheap Ritalin, I left them in my Spam filter | | | | admit you made an error. How many people even |
| and continued with my daily tasks. Besides, my | | | | have "Whoops!" in their active vocabulary? I |
| ADHD was under control with my five Starbucks | | | | wonder what else might be a more effective |
| lattes-a-day personal remedy. Within seconds, I | | | | email newsletter subject line when a mistake has |
| totally forgot about the Spam messages. | | | | been made? |
| When I was doing my up my Christmas list a few | | | | - "Whoopsy daisy" -- No, too, childish. |
| weeks later, I got to my Dad's name and | | | | - "My parents are cousins, I can't help it!" -- No, |
| thought, "Dad is pushing eighty, I wonder if he | | | | too personal. |
| might like some Viagra as a stocking stuffer?" I | | | | - "Gall darn it, dagnamit, another error!" -- No, your |
| suddenly remembered all those Ritalin emails. | | | | subscribers will think you need a few sessions of |
| Maybe the online drug shops had a whole variety | | | | anger therapy. |
| of pharmaceuticals other than Ritalin, and I could | | | | - "Sorry, I am too cheap to get an editor" -- No, |
| get a great deal on my Dad's Viagra. | | | | that is what your subscribers will think, but it |
| I went back to my Spam filter and searched for | | | | probably isn't the greatest option for your subject |
| all the messages with that same subject line. | | | | line. |
| They weren't hard to find, the subject was only | | | | Maybe: |
| one word - | | | | *Sincerest apologies, URL error in [insert |
| "Whoops!" | | | | newsletter name here] |
| But there was no Viagra to be found. No Ritalin | | | | *Sorry to have wasted your time, telephone |
| for that matter either. What a rip! Now what | | | | number error |
| would I get my Dad for Christmas? | | | | *We will try harder next time, pricing error in |
| To make matters even worse, I realized all those | | | | [insert newsletter name here] |
| Spam emails with the "Whoops!" subject line | | | | I asked a few business associates what they |
| weren't Spam at all. They were a whack of | | | | thought of the "Whoops!" subject line. They all |
| messages from a whole bunch of email lists I | | | | agreed it sounded like someone attempting to be |
| actually subscribe to. It seems a "Whoops!" | | | | 'down home' and trying to appear like a bumbling |
| message is a legitimate message that really | | | | friend instead of a business who is having some |
| means, | | | | difficulty with the e-newsletter editing process. |
| "I made a mistake, check within for details." | | | | I guess the lesson here is to just admit you made |
| All my 'Whoops!" email messages detailed URLs | | | | an error and not try to cover it up with a "Gee |
| that had been mistyped, web addresses that had | | | | wilickers, I think I just might be a moron" type |
| been moved, wrong dates, wrong product prices, | | | | subject line. |
| incorrect phone numbers and a whole variety of | | | | None of this gets me my Dad's Viagra, but it has |
| other issues all covered under the subject line -- | | | | lessened the load on my over-worked Spam |
| "Whoops!" | | | | software. I have set the software to rescue all |
| I even had one message that had "Double | | | | "Whoops!" email marketing messages and put |
| Whoops!" as a subject line since this was the | | | | them in the Deleted box where they belong. |
| second email message from the same company | | | | |