Over the years I've discovered that many email marketers perform email marketing as their job, yet they don't use many of the basic principles of marketing that other channels, both online and offline, use. It seems many email marketers are not actually focused on marketing at all, but instead simply emphasize creating and sending

OK, so I took some liberties with the line "All I wanted was a Pepsi" from the song "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies (one of my all-time favorite songs). But after trying to change my email address across 25 email subscriptions, I felt about as frustrated as the teenager in this song whose mom accused him of being on drugs -- but all he wanted was a Pepsi. Why? Because almost nobody makes this process easy to do. Sorry to say, email marketers, but most of you get an "F" for the effort it takes to change an email address.

Attend any email marketing conference that has a session on subject lines, and I can guarantee it will be filled. Our fascination with them isn't a mystery, as in essence we're all on the search for the silver bullet: a subject line that will always work. Sadly, that silver bullet doesn't exist.