subject line sorcery

Flash back to 2017:

One of my first real gigs as a freelance copywriter was writing emails for a supplement company.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I got incredibly lucky.

One of the co-founders was an extremely seasoned direct response marketer... and the guy who wrote all their copy.

And so despite me being a total junior with relatively little experience...

He took the time to pour into me.

What a blessing that was.

He went on to become one of my most influential marketing mentors.

In fact, I often still hear his words coming out of my mouth when I'm talking with clients lol

Anyway, one of the first things he did with me was run a subject line competition.

We both wrote subject lines for a new email promoting their collagen supplement.

Then we split-tested them to see which one performed better.

And guess what?

Mine got a bunch more clicks than his.

I was sooooo hyped up.

Until I saw the sales numbers…

He absolutely SMOKED me lol 😭

Then he asked me why I thought that happened.

I had no idea.

To which he said:

"The subject line plants the first seed in their mind, and as you can see, that first impression makes all the difference."

This was the first of many moneymaking lessons he taught me.

Yet here's the neat part…

This principle doesn't just apply to email subject lines.

It also applies to the headline on a sales page.

The first line of an ad.

The hook of a video script.

The way you frame something determines how people receive everything that follows.

It's not just about grabbing attention…

It's about planting the RIGHT seed in their mind... so they're actually receptive to your message.

For example:

I'm working on a new training for my private community called:

"Subject Line Sorcery: How to Write Hypnotic Subject Lines That 'Bewitch' Your Subscribers Into Reading and Buying."

I chose the spellcasting analogy because that's exactly how great subject lines work.

They temporarily put you in a different state of mind.

They force you to see things differently.

And that shift in perception can have a dramatic impact on downstream sales.

To get meta for a sec…

Imagine I'd just called it "How to Write Better Subject Lines" or "High-Converting Subject Lines” instead.

B-O-R-I-N-G.

Lol.

I could share the exact same content inside the training...

But you'd receive it in a totally different way.

Right?

The framing changes everything.

Something to chew on ;)

Jim Hamilton