It’s happened to me. And it may have happened to you.
You’re crafting messaging for your next big thing. And it doesn’t just have too be good. It has to be spectacular.
Unfortunately … everything you’ve come up with feels like a bad parody from Saturday Night Live.
A while back I was in this exact same fix.
As a last resort, I turned to a source that I never thought would come through for me.
Its name is Claude. No, Claude isn’t French.
Claude is an AI.
And what Claude dreamed up for me was not merely what I needed. It was better than what I could have come up with myself.
That’s the dream, right? AI that actually puts forth the best parts of you, on command, when you need it most.
There are three small but crucial adjustments that made it happen. And I want to show you exactly what they are.
Why are you using Claude?
The answer is simple:
Claude seems to have a creative heart and a real flair for fun, fresh and (sometimes) downright surprising marketing copy.
Yeah, it’s a machine that runs on capacitors and microchips.
But by the time this little demo is done, you might agree they’ve found a way to infuse it with real talent.
STEP
The Basic Prompt
For starters, we’re laying out a basic prompt with the deets on the subject lines I need. But instead of trying to get Claude to hit home runs from the get go, I want to see what it gives me first.
Because instead of trying to get this 100% dialed in from the start, I have 3 additional tricks up my sleeve to do the trick:
INITIAL PROMPT:
(Of course you’re going to modify this with your own specifics).
Act as a messaging expert who writes superb copy for online entrepreneurs.
I am writing an email about the many problems entrepreneurs have finding high-end clients, who have the money to invest in their top tier offers. So they struggle with objections, excuses and complaints from their prospects because they can’t connect with enough of them that can pay what they’re worth.
This email links to a blog post with 4 specific ideas on:
How to get clear on who your ideal high end clients are, so you can get in front of more of them.
And create on-target offers that make them want to open their wallets.
Can you please create 12 email subject lines that are attention grabbing and create curiosity so they result in a very high open rate.”
CLAUDE RESPONDED:
Here are 12 attention-grabbing email subject lines to get high open rates for your email promoting the blog post on connecting with high-end clients:
1. The Secret to Attracting Clients Who Pay Premium Fees
2. How to Banish Objections from Qualified Prospects
3. High-End Clients Flocking to You? Read This
4. Premium Pricing Woes? This Is Your Solution
5. Struggling with Tire-Kickers? End the Hassle Now
6. Where Have All the High-Paying Clients Gone?
7. Create Irresistible Offers for Your Dream Clients
8. Tired of Discount Demands? Attract Clients Who Value You
9. Land High-End Clients Without the Constant Objections
10. Identify Your Ideal $10K Client (And Get Them Saying “Yes!”)
11. Top Mistakes Repelling Your Perfect High-Paying Client
12. Open Now: How to Command Premium Fees
Not bad. But not the zingers I was looking for.
But now I know what the problem is: They’re too literal. They’re accurate, but not magnetic. So we’re going to redirect it, and use a specific number / percentage to tell it just how spicey I want it to get.
STEP
What I want more of
PROMPT UPDATE 1:
Thank you for those. Could you come up 9 more that are a bit more clever? These are very good but they sound literal. Would love it if you could make them 40% more “hooky”. Does that make sense?
(And of course I could have substituted inspirational, direct, emphatic, emotional or other descriptor for “hooky” if that’s what I was looking for).
CLAUDE RESPONDED:
Absolutely, I understand. I’ll aim to make the next 9 subject lines about 40% more clever and “hooky” while still conveying the core message of attracting high-paying clients. Here goes:
1. The Pied Piper’s Secret to Attracting High-Roller Clients
2. ABC: Always Be Closing Your Dream Clients (Here’s How)
3. Money Objections? What Money Objections?
4. Chumming the Waters for Whales: How to Attract Big-Spenders
6. “You Can’t Afford Me” (And Other Profit-Boosting Phrases)
7. Objection Jackpot: What to Do When They Say “Too Expensive!”
8. Unmask Your Ideal High-Roller (So They Can Find You)
9. The “Enough Already” Code for Ditching Penny Pinchers
How’s that? I tried to inject more clever wordplay, visuals, and hooks while staying focused on the core premise. Let me know if you need any refinements.
These are MUCH better! But I really want to push the envelope. So I identify the one result that really embodied the spirit of what I’m going for. And ask it for more just like that.
STEP
This is the one!
PROMPT UPDATE 2:
I really liked the one you did previously that read: The “Enough Already” Code for Ditching Penny Pinchers”. Could I get more like that?
CLAUDE RESPONDED:
Got it, thanks for that great example! Here are a few more clever, “hooky” subject lines in that vein:
1. The “Caviar Dreams” Code for Attracting Ballers
2. Decode the Millionaire Mindset (In 60 Seconds)
3. The “Anti-Cheapskate” Mantra for Raising Your Rates
4. When They Say “It Costs Too Much!” (Do This Instead)
5. For Those With Champagne Tastes (On a Beer Budget)
6. Don’t Open This Email (Unless You Want High-End Clients)
7. “Excuse Me, How Much?!” and Other High-Ticket Sales Wins
Let me know if you need any other clever, attention-grabbing subject line ideas along these lines!
Now we’ve nailed it!
So I ask for 7 more just like them. I could have asked for 20 more. Or 30 more. But I was liking what I was seeing so much I didn’t think I needed to.
these were really good
PROMPT UPDATE 3:
Yes! I’d love 7 more like those, please.
CLAUDE RESPONDED:
You got it! Here are 7 more clever, highly “hooky” subject lines to attract high-paying clients:
1. The “Billionaire Bait” for Reeling In Whales
2. Luxury Clients Only: The Password Is…
3. $10K Engagement Ring or .99 Cent Bauble? You Decide
4. For Entrepreneurs Who Want Out of Bargain Bin Hell
5. Money Objections? What Money Objections? (Jedi Mind Trick Inside)
6. Calling All Bentley Drivers: Open If You Dare
7. When They Squawk “Too Much $$$” (Simple Reply Hack)
I really leaned into creative visuals, patterns disruption, and tapping into luxury/ affluence to get maximum attention. Let me know if you need any other “hooky” high-ticket subject lines!
I LOVED that last set!
But by now you’ve noticed: Some of these are pretty cheecky ….
But here’s what I’ve found:
It’s BETTER to go a bit overboard on what I’m looking for. And then dial it back a bit if I need to.
It preserves the original energy and wit I want, which is crucial to grab the attention and move people to open.
It’s a lot harder (and less effective) to start with something bland, and then try to fire it up.
The best part is: This doesn’t take long.
While it might take you hours to come up with a bunch of catchy subject lines, it doesn’t take AI much longer to generate 50 than it does for 5.
The key is to avoid trying to nail it with the first prompt. And take several passes, using these techniques to get exactly what you want.
Want more like this? Got a trove of ’em
coming down the pipe!
