{"id":34902,"date":"2010-09-17T12:19:08","date_gmt":"2010-09-17T11:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/blog\/?p=34902"},"modified":"2010-09-17T12:19:08","modified_gmt":"2010-09-17T11:19:08","slug":"this-is-a-post-about-skydiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/this-is-a-post-about-skydiving\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is a Post about Skydiving"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Skydiver<\/a><\/div>\n

Actually, it\u2019s a post about the idea of skydiving\u2014and why the word \u201cskydiving\u201d grabs attention so effectively.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking about this topic because the following subject line appeared in one of my inboxes:<\/p>\n

What skydiving can teach you about attracting clients<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

I was intrigued!\u00a0 Maybe (I thought) something about conquering fear would create a new level of self-confidence.\u00a0 And that would be attractive to potential clients.\u00a0 Or the exhilaration of the experience would enhance charisma, and that<\/em> would be attractive to potential clients.<\/p>\n

Either of those things might possibly happen, but as it turned out, the email wasn\u2019t actually about lessons from skydiving as applied to client attraction.\u00a0 The point of the email was:\u00a0 by relying on expert guidance from the instructor and on the rigorous safety system provided for the event, the author was able to do something (i.e., jump out of an airplane) she couldn\u2019t have done alone.\u00a0 The email was really an invitation to purchase expert guidance and learn a system for attracting clients.<\/p>\n

However!\u00a0 This is not a post about deceptive or disappointing emails.\u00a0 I get dozens of emails daily, all from sources (including the skydiver) that I\u2019ve opted into; many of the emails are mildly deceptive\/disappointing, but I keep their sources in the mix in case they bring something interesting to my attention.\u00a0 Most of each day\u2019s mail I don\u2019t even open because I\u2019m pretty sure the content won\u2019t be interesting or informative.\u00a0 I opened this<\/em> one because it had a persuasive gimmick:\u00a0 a \u201chook\u201d that grabbed my attention.<\/p>\n

One way to create a hook is to suggest an unexpected relationship\u2014for example, skydiving + clients.\u00a0 Another way is to reference one of the topics that appeal to our reptile brains\u2014something about security, sex, power, et cetera.\u00a0 And now that I notice, the word \u201cattracting\u201d in the skydiving email is actually one of the things that makes the subject line work so well.\u00a0 (\u201cWhat skydiving can teach you about getting<\/em> clients\u201d just isn\u2019t as effective.)<\/p>\n

A third component of the irresistible subject line is a buzzword of some kind.\u00a0 Which brings us back to the allure of skydiving, and why it catches attention.\u00a0 At a very basic level,\u00a0 skydiving seems like something that takes courage, but it\u2019s also something that anyone could do if they decided to.\u00a0 We even hear about centenarians who celebrate by taking a dive–so in some ways it seems like the ultimate rite of passage.\u00a0 Plus there’s the romance of floating through clouds and the lure of the adrenalin rush . . .<\/p>\n

Believe it or not\u2014we’re just halfway through this topic.\u00a0 So come back for Skydiving Part 2:\u00a0 Adventures in Employer Branding with the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Thanks to joebaz<\/a> for the great skydiver shot!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actually, it\u2019s a post about the idea of skydiving\u2014and why the word \u201cskydiving\u201d grabs attention so effectively.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking about this topic because the following subject line appeared in one of my inboxes: What skydiving can teach you about attracting clients I was intrigued!\u00a0 Maybe (I thought) something about conquering fear would create a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":34905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,25],"tags":[6321,1285,6544],"class_list":{"0":"post-34902","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-best-practices","8":"category-careers","9":"tag-effective-email","10":"tag-recruiting","11":"tag-skydiving","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nSkydiving and Persuasive Hooks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Skydiving - 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