OKCupid Email

First, I want you to see the actual email I was sent. (No, you are not allowed to know my username on there. ) I also learned not to forward this email as my login information is embedded in the email (not great). A coworker had access to my account very quickly, and he was nice enough not to poke around my profile. Oops.

Please note that this email was not sent to everyone. I confirmed it with my roommate and her single mother. My roommate said “Oh yeah, I got that a month after joining.” (Yes, I lovingly hate how pretty she is). And her mom had never seen it before. Nor does this just show after a period of inactivity. I went active/inactive/active/inactive plenty of times in my four year membership and only got this email once.

This might have been a ploy to get attention but it seems to be turning on them.

Email Breakdown and Rewrites

The first thought was  ”Really? Awww, thanks.” I mean when someone calls you pretty, beautiful, attractive, handsome, etc. you say “Thank you.” It is awesome to think that the online dating service is complimenting you by saying that other’s actions mean they think you are attractive. Who doesn’t want to hear that? The mistake was not in the compliment of a better performing account, but in the resulting actions and comments. 

Here is how they might have changed a few key points in the email.

The scales recently tipped in your favor.

My Reaction: Just recently? So was I ugly before. Thanks guys.

Better Copy: Did you change your hair? We’ve noticed an increase in positive reactions to your profile and wanted to let you know that whatever you are doing, it is working!

Why: We all know people that might not have changed their apperance, but just generally feel better and so they almost glow. Let them know that there is an increase, but don’t compare them to others on the site. Dating is a personal thing and it should not be seen as a competition.

You will now see more attractive people in your match results … the people we recommend will be more attractive … Also! You’ll be shown to more attractive people in their match results.

My Reaction: So I was being shown the dogs before? Thanks again.

Better Copy: Just leave this out.

Why: Just like Google doesn’t let sites know when they are increasing in rank, OKCupid should not mention this, if it is even true. This has more negative connotations than positive ones. With the dating pool changing constantly, it leaves some wondering when they might leave the now “infamous” Top 50%.

And, no, we didn’t just send this email to everyone on OkCupid. Go ask an ugly friend and see.

My Reaction: This was the last straw. You don’t really WANT to ask others if they got this email, because what if they didn’t? Thinking about it, I was “ugly” for 4 years.

Better Copy: We don’t send this to everyone, we just wanted to let you know that your glow is shining through. Now go email that [guy/girl] you’ve been eying the past few weeks. Now is the time!

Why: This has a call to action, reinforces their confidence boost, and pushes them to visit the site and message someone new. It leaves the user empowered and feeling good about using the site.

Possible Full Revision

Did you change your hair? We’ve noticed an increase in positive reactions to your profile and wanted to let you know that whatever you are doing, it is working! That glow or je ne sais quoi.

How can we say this with confidence? We’ve tracked click-thrus on your photo and analyzed other people’s reactions to you in QuickMatch and Quiver.

Suddenly, the world is your oyster.We don’t send this to everyone, we just wanted to let you know that your glow is shining through. Now go email that [guy/girl] you’ve been eying the past few weeks. Now is the time!

Lessons

1. Testing is Imperative

   In my opinion, this email should never have been sent. Had this copy been tested in focus groups, or even throughout the company, I think at least a handful of people would have reacted just like the online world is now.

   Always test any communication internally at least.

2. Don’t Segment on Relative Measures or Generalizations

   You can and should change your message based on who you are talking to at the time. Segmenting based on perceived attractiveness and then publicly telling people you are doing so is not smart. Not all Mustang lovers are male. And beauty is in the eye of beholder, not in the click through rate of a profile.

3. Repeat After Me: I Will Not Mock My User’s Friends

   There is little way to sugar coat this. Never reference your user’s social circle in any negative light. In social media, their friends are the ones you are trying to influence through the user. Any communication with a user is social media based because anything can and will be shared socially between friends. Always keep that in mind with every communication sent out from your company to the world.

Bonus: Geek Overload

We’ve tracked click-thrus on your photo and analyzed other people’s reactions to you in QuickMatch and Quiver.

This statement brings out the geek in me. I want to know:

• What is the algorithm like?
• What happens when someone more attractive joins in 2 hours?
• What happens when someone pauses their accounts versus deleting them? Are they included in this 50%?
• Do people get an email every time the enter or exit the 50%?

Just curious now …

Ask Your Ugly Friends: OkCupid’s Email Faux Pas is a post from: Kate Morris

Raven Team

A few weeks before PubCon, Jon Henshaw sent me the coolest shirt ever. I had the honor of getting a limited edition PubCon shirt before everyone else. I was stoked. Raven shirts are awesome. This one was much more so. They are always really comfortable and well designed.

Raven PubCon Design

Note the name of the designer. None other than Jon’s wife, Kathryn (awesome name spelling btw).

The issue with these shirts is that Raven didn’t make many. They ran out fast once they started giving them away, but I have a surprise. I have an extra one.

How to Win a Limited Edition Raven Tools PubCon Shirt

So it’s the guys shirt (read: Green) in XL. Sorry you don’t get to choose the size. This was a bonus shirt that was magically left over.

So to win the shirt, you need to comment on this post or write a blog post about what about Raven Tools is your favorite. Anything. My favorite comment or blog post will win. Don’t have a favorite because you aren’t using Raven? Umm, free 30 day trial much?

I’ll mail you the shirt and if you send me a pic, I’ll post it here. You have until Thanksgiving, November 26, 2009.

Raven PubCon Shirt Giveaway is a post from: Kate Morris

So I get emails a lot about new programs. Some of them get deleted (I’m not the target market simply) and some read. I enjoy them for the most part. Well I get one today that is titled “Engage Your Travel Brain! Earn Bonus Miles And A Chance To Win A Vacation!” Dude, I’m there.

I skim some more (no one READS these emails) and see “Now through February 27, 2009, we invite you to engage 100% of your travel brain by visiting our American Airlines Travel Brain promotion. ” Awesome. I am thinking some hokey quiz that would be fun to take about flying. So I click through.

Title of the landing page: Test Your American Airlines® Travel Brain from AA.com, AAdvantage®, and AAVacations® Yes, a quiz, I’m excited.

Nope. This is kinda what I see …

only the original one told me that I was only using half my Travel Brain. I needed to subscribe to their other 2 emails to use it all. No quiz, no questions. Now, I do get a bonus 1000 miles (500 per subscription) if I keep them for 3 months. Now, given, I like their emails. I do. But dude, that’s what all this was? FAIL.

I was genuinely looking for fun. Looking for something to challenge and teach me something as well as entering a contest. I am happy I got my miles, don’t get me wrong. But they missed something that could have gotten people talking. They missed the social media, the excitement, the VIRAL.

So American Airlines, I hope you’re listening. You won’t lose me because of this (far from it), you might get business for it, but you lost a lot of good WOM marketing by putting out a very good looking but half baked marketing campaign.

An Email Marketing Fail by American Airlines is a post from: Kate Morris

If linkbait is done the right way, it is just an extension of your regular marketing. It is an interesting article, list, or application that directly connects with your product. People know what they are using and reading is related to you and it makes them more interested in your product. If they like your marketing, your writing, and they then sign up for more information on their own, that is permission marketing.

But what some linkbait and viral marketing has become isn’t permission marketing. What you wrote, designed, or released is funny, fun to read, etc. But is it related to your product? If it’s not, and you get people’s info from it, or push your unrelated product in any way, it really isn’t permission marketing.

So I get his original point, but I’m not sure it applies in all terms of viral marketing.

Is Viral Marketing Permission Marketing? is a post from: Kate Morris