[thelist] RE: sending mail to someone you've never met before

[ANDREA STREIGHT]

I explain this in my article on "Power Emails: how to write them" at:

http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/2004/09/power-emails-how-to-write-them.html

Never use "free" or "hi" or lots of exclamation points!!!!!

Or any weird symbols*****trying to attract attention.

If you have the time and patience, if this is a high ticket item, worth the 
trouble, look at each person's email message, if that's available to you, 
and determine how to individually compose messages that are targeted.

FOR EXAMPLE--Time Travel device: what period of time does Mary Johnson 
probably wish to visit? Bob Smith? Tina Sheener?

Or, the from address could be FROM: Friend of Vaspers the Grate [if it was 
this site that they left their email at].

The SUBJECT: line must be relevant, specific, non-hype, friendly, short 
(shorter than what you used for this thread), and sincere.

SUBJECT: Time Travel Device now available
SUBJECT: Prune roses in half the time
SUBJECT: Help us fire Dan Rather

You see? SUBJECT lines should be much like direct response marketing 
headlines.

Check my article for more information. Jakob Nielsen, you quote: great 
stuff, as always. Nick Usborne is good. More names and links to email 
marketing gurus found in my article. Start there, at my article.

Good luck to you.

Steven Streight
STREIGHT SITE SYSTEMS
Web Usability Analysis
Web Content Writing
Online & Direct Marketing

astreight at msn.com

www.vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com  *Web Usability*

www.streightsite.blogspot.com  *Mentally Correct Marketing*

www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/0408-user-observation.html  *latest 
published online article*