Hi folks,

Unsolicited email can be a pain in the A$$.

But before tossing spam into the trash can, reroute it into
the "Spam Can" ;-)

You see, all good marketers know the value of creating swipe
files. A swipe file is a collection of salesletters and ads
or other marketing materials that you refer to when writing
your own salesletters.

You basically analyze them and mine out the techniques the
copywriter used to get attention and sell the product or
service being promoted.

What psychological triggers did the copywriter use?

Is that a great headling or subject line?

How are the bonuses and special offers constructed?

These are just a few of the things to ask yourself
when looking over your swipe files.

What does this have to do with spam?

Well, most of the unsolicited email you recieve on a daily
basis is trying desperately to sell you something. Your
inbox fills up with tons of junk mail - but to the savvy
marketer - spam isn't junk. Each and every one of those
emails is a mini copywriting course in and of itself.

Some of the companies sending spam have spent thousands on
hiring top copywriters to write this stuff.

Here's how to create your own "Spam Can/Spam Swipe File":

Your email program probably has it's own spam filter set up
to toss out emails deemed to be offensive. This is done by
flagging and automatically deleting messages with certain
words, characters, from certain senders, etc.

Now, most email programs also allow you to set up, change,
or enable/disable the spam filter. Hence, you should also
be able to determine what happens to the flagged messages.

Go into your email program's settings feature and set up a
new message folder. Name it something like "Spam Swiper"
or whatever you prefer. Then find the filtering rule that
automatically deletes or bounces the spam messages. Change
that rule so the messages are rerouted into the "Spam Swiper"
folder.

Refer to your email program's help file for
more information on how to do this.

Now, this folder will fill up quickly. (an understatement)
So every few days, open the folder and delete duplicate
messages or whatever you find offensive. You'll be left
with a ton of salesletters that you can refer to whenever
you need something to help with your next salesletter or
classified ad.

So what will it be, spam or caviar?

And if you're interested, Viagra is on sale for $10.99 if you
order before midnight tonight!

Just thinking out loud,

Paul Short
Editor: The EbizEdge Ezine
http://www.ebizedge.com

PS - If you're wondering what happened to the PowerThinkers
Newsletter, it's still out there. It was homeless for a while
but then all of a sudden it had a lucky streak. In about a
week or two, it'll be master of it's own domain over at
SuccessThink.com


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