<em><strong>You're invited</strong> </em>

That was the subject line for an email I got recently from Boston University. Naturally, I assumed that I was been invited to attend an event. But no, I was being invited to donate money to the annual pledge drive.

<strong>This was a classic bait-and-switch. </strong>

The following week I got an email from BU that said something about women (fewer/more women getting degrees, I can't recall). Again, I opened it since I thought it would be an article about gender disparity. It wasn't. It was another bait-and-switch. Again, BU wanted me to be among the women who donate to the university.

<strong>Bait-and-switch headlines/subject lines are trust-killers.</strong>

I understand there's clutter and that you need to work hard to entice readers. Using a bait-and-switch can guarantee people will open your email or read you article, but at a cost. When you fool people this way (and that is what you are doing),  you ensure they will no longer trust your content.

<span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>"You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time,  but you cannot fool all the people all the time." Abraham Lincoln
</strong></em></span>

What's going to happen when BU really wants to invite me to an event? What type of subject line will they use? I am not going to believe "you're invited" again.

Writing a subject line/headline is not easy. You want to entice readers to open your email or read your article. You are much better off describing what you are offering inside than using a false premise.

What is your experience with bait-and-switch headlines or subject lines? If you use them, how well do they work for you?

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