In which the question was asked:
Why do you choose not to use a greeting at the top of your emails?
You go right into it.
I thought personalization helps connect with the audience. Did you once greet the subscriber by their name? Why did you stop?
I stopped doing salutations probably around 2008 or 2009.
And here are a few reasons why:
1. They don’t matter to the audience I’ve built, and if they did matter to someone that person is in the wrong saloon anyway
2. Less info for someone to screw up on inputting in the opt in form — as it is, the number of people who reply with “I agree” to the confirmation email telling them to click the button to confirm (instead of clicking the button they’re told they need to click to confirm) is astounding… and I legit wonder how some of those types dress and feed themselves
3. A lot of blue flame specials desperate for attention or who want to look like edge lords put in some dumb word for a first name on those forms for fun or to try to troll or whatever, and I figure why encourage ‘em?
4. The subject line is far more important than the salutation
5. The from line is far more important than the subject line
6. In my experience if you get those two right then salutations not only don’t help or matter one way or the other as far a sales go… but might even hurt depending on the market/list/people on that list
7. People I want to sell to or do business with already know it’s not me really writing them one on one
8. If the people you want to sell to legit think your salutation means you are writing to them personally, then maybe you should use one — and if by some miracle they are good buyers all the power to you
9. I don’t believe a single word anyone who claims to have tested salutations in emails to the sale (lots of people claim “clicks” and “opens” – neither of which I care about) says for a whole laundry list of reasons I won’t bother going into here
10. All that said, I have never said people “shouldn’t” use them, I simply don’t
11. I say that for the little peabodies who will now run around saying I am telling everyone not to use salutations in emails when I am not saying that at all
Lots of people put words in my mouth I have noticed.
And, in some cases, even give me credit for saying things I have never said.
So it goes on the internet.
To learn my full email methodology go here next:
Ben Settle
