Someone has found the best email subject line of all time – and it involves a sloth
While the novel gets all the plaudits as the greatest literary art form, there’s no doubt that shorter works bring challenges not relevant to more epic works. Writer, David Paris identifies one particular challenge and gives an example of how that challenge can be met.
Some communications professionals maintain that shorter pieces of writing are harder to do well. Email subject lines are hardest of all. Attracting attention and arousing curiosity without divulging too much is *difficult*.
Well, not anymore. pic.twitter.com/WU5XXkzCfq— Paris from on line (@DavidParis) September 3, 2018
Of course, this raised many, many questions – almost entirely about the sloth.
so…..are you gonna tell us what you traded in for the dead sloth, or what?
— Laura Yamasaki (@by_rx_only) September 4, 2018
I can neither confirm nor deny that sloth tastes like chicken.
— Paris from on line (@DavidParis) September 4, 2018
how are you benefiting!!!
— A.H. Cayley (@ahcayley) September 3, 2018
We should all have been suspicious when you took that life insurance policy out on that sloth
— Stevie McFly (@steviexmcfly) September 4, 2018
Punctuation is ambiguous. Do they mean: ‘David – a sloth – has died…’ or ‘David! A sloth has died…’
— Dan Nahum (@Dan_Nahum) September 4, 2018
Did the sloth leave something in its will?
— Michael Walker (@Boyintheband) September 4, 2018
Damnit, now I have to find a new subject line for my next newsletter. I killed that sloth for nothing!
— Izmar 🔥 (@Izmarvelous) September 5, 2018
It also seems that sloths aren’t the only useful animal in the clickbait world.
My favorite ever spam subject was from 2017:
“Porcupines… do you know how to influence them?”
I never read the email because it could only have spoiled that perfect subject line.— Clifton (@clifton_r) September 5, 2018
Reminds me of an email i got from MIT college scouters with the headline “Emily, do these mouse lungs look familiar to you?”
— Emily (@emilyisanapple) September 4, 2018
Not only was this title a work of genius in its own right, it was also inspirational, leading to this:
Part of me wants to write a short text adventure that starts with a cast of characters being summoned to the reading of the will of an elderly, wealthy sloth. https://t.co/GpZjXbqdp8
— Bench (Ben Kaestner-Frenchman) (@benchkf) September 4, 2018
And this:
“For sale: baby sloth shoes, never worn.”
— Rohan Pearce (@rohan_p) September 4, 2018
Such tragedy.