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