3-2-1 Blast Off!

If you read many email marketing blogs, you've probably noticed their authors tend to hate the word "blast." Scott Cohen is no exception, and—in a post called "The Naughtiest Word in Email Marketing"—he discusses "its general evilness and lack of thought about the recipients."

Here's why he believes the word should be banished:

• It dehumanizes your message
• It devalues your customer

"Let's face it," he says. "There's nothing in my mind that's positive about saying you're going to send an email blast. There's nothing personal about it, either. So why does the word still have relevance?"

Fair enough. But how does it matter to the subscriber—you might ask—if a marketer refers to an email offer as a blast instead of using a preferred term like campaign? After all, it's not as if she knows which word you use.

Cohen anticipates that logic with a quote from Justin Premick, who wrote this at the AWeber blog:

Terms like "blast" are dangerous, not only because they make you sound like a spammer, but also because their repeated use can influence how you view your subscribers and campaigns. Words like "email blast" to describe campaigns suggest the sender doesn't see subscribers as people, but rather as targets to shoot offers at until they score a hit.

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