When Superman came out of nowhere and leapt tall skyscrapers to fascinate America’s youth like nothing before him…
It was an almost instant hit:
New comic books were being sold every week… he appeared on syndicated radio programs…newspaper strips… countless toys, lunch boxes and Halloween costumes…
And even served as the endorser/spokesperson not only for breakfast cereal brands.
…but none other than U.S. Army recruitment itself.
He soared to the status of a universally known cultural icon.
But more impressively?
He has endured for almost 90 years – since his first appearance as a heroic champion in Action Comics #1…
…till present day.
As expected, Superman was a victim of what anybody who becomes hot & successful is…
Copycatting.
You can fill a library of Superman clones over the past 88 years – some coming even so close as to border on copyright infringement.
But it didn’t help them – most lasted just weeks.
Except for two:
Homelander & Omni-man.
They successfully created a direct challenger to the positioning and popularity of Superman.
How?
By still staying in the same realm of Superman:
- They’re both the strongest “heroes” on planet Earth…
- They both wear a caped suit…
- They both share some of the same powers Supes has…
But at the same time…
Also being radically different.
Homelander is the sadistic, psychopathic corruption of Supes…
While Omni-Man is Superman as a ruthless imperial conqueror from a genocidal, might-makes-right warrior race.
And thus?
They’re instantly familiar to the superhero audience…
…but not so familiar to put it in the “another Superman clone” category.
In other words:
They’re authentic.
Abundant consumer research – and simple anecdotal examples – tell us that customers are hungry for authenticity.
(Increasingly more so in the era of ChatGPTanese.)
Inside my book, I have a screenshot of 6 marketing emails sitting next to each other – everything except the Subject Line is censored…
The goal was to test which email, based on the Subject Line, feels the most authentic – which one stands out the most in the inbox:
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🚚 33% off: ends midnight -> Last Chance!
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Up to 35$ OFF EVL––Time to Lock In!
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Final Call: Up to 80% off
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The most DISGUSTING way to use protein powder…
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Your Favourite Brands are 20% Off 💥
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🔥20% OFF MuscleMeds––Feed the Beast!
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Which sound like generic Superman knock-offs…
…and which sound like a Homelander/Omni-man?
Don’t get me wrong:
Your standard 🔥XYZ % OFF🚀 email will still bring in the dough…
(Even the generic Superman clones made sales…)
But don’t expect any lasting presence in the customer’s mind – as soon as a newer, cheaper Superman clone comes up…
You’ll get tossed aside like scrap.
The sharper knife in the drawer is to be a Homelander/Omni-man – like I do with my Email Storyselling method.
- Most of the supplement industry uses promotional Subject Lines… I use curiosity-loaded tabloid-esque headlines…
- Most of the supplement industry uses pretty-poster HTML graphics in emails… I use plain-text emails…
- Most of the supplement industry pitches multiple supplements at once… I pitch only one per email…
- Most of the supplement industry sends 3-4x emails per month… I send them daily.
And so on and so forth – you can find the rest inside my book.
(Not to mention that you can find that “The most DISGUSTING way to use protein powder…” email from above inside the Appendix section – in its full glory.)
Just like with Homelander/Omni-man:
They’re instantly familiar to the average fitness/gym-goer audience…
But not so familiar to put it in the “Oh, it’s just another promo email” category.
Do with all this info what you will at the end of the day.
[Part of this email’s content has been removed from this Email Echoes version of it.]
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