Posted by Ray White on February 16, 2010 Comments (1)

Warning: This is a rant

I came across a cool copywriting blog on Twitter yesterday. They were giving away an ebook on copywriting for signing up for their newsletter. I liked what I read on the blog, so I entered my name and best email address on the opt-in form. I get sent to a new page where I am thanked for signing up, and given a second offer. I can get a companion “cheat sheet” for the ebook that I will be able to download as soon as I confirm the opt-in, and all I have to do is fill in their “tell a friend” form with a few names and email addresses. Of course, those email addresses will NOT be saved anywhere. I thought of one person and filled in her first name and one of her email addresses. Next page says great, thank you.

I go merrily off to my email inbox and confirm the opt-in. I get the obligatory welcome email message immediately thereafter, complete with download link for the ebook. I am promised another email with the link for the “cheat sheet” that I was promised for telling a friend about the ebook. So far, so good. A couple of hours later I get an email from a name that I do not recognize pitching me some product that I have absolutely no interest in. Worse yet, there’s an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the message, and I am so sure that I have never heard of this person. So I click the unsubscribe link, and lo and behold, it’s the list I joined from the copywriting blog. Okay, I do remember joining this list. I joined for a “newsletter.” Maybe I joined at an odd time and the next message in the autoresponder was the pitch. I’m upset, but I’ll forgive this message. I mean, I did join. I know people are online to make money. I expect to get a few ads along with a newsletter. I decide not to unsubscribe from the list.

This morning, I get another message from that same list. It’s another pitch for that same product. Just for kicks, I click the link to check out the price on this puppy … it’s $1997. That’s one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven dollars. I didn’t miss a decimal.

I have yet to receive any “newsletter.” Heck, I still haven’t got the download link for the “cheat sheet.” But it’s only my second day on the list. Maybe I should be patient.  How many more messages should I accept about $2000 products before I give up on getting the free newsletter that I signed up for? Or is the “newsletter” those email pitches? Hmmmm.

Well, I got an ebook. THAT promise was kept at least.