A dumb pun in a tour press release subject line — “Sax and the City, one night only” — pulled a 41% open rate for a NYC show last March, and two morning shows quoted it on air, which lined up perfectly with the artist’s playful brand. What’s the cheekiest line you’ve used in a release or pitch that made media bite without undercutting the artist’s positioning?
NYC + morning shows checks out. Mine: ‘No encore? No problem — one-night stand-up set.’ Localize the gag; did you A/B timing?
Pulled 38% last March with “No sax before coffee: [Artist] plays NYC at dawn,” and I used the preheader for the straight details so the pun didn’t cheapen it; two morning shows lifted it verbatim. Tiny hack: put the hard info in parentheses in the subject — “no sax before coffee (Mar 14, 7am, Bowery)” — so producers clock time/place without opening. @mmartinez did your A/B show preheader or from-name did more?
Used “Strings Attached: one night only” — 43% in March after NYC segmentation; kept body copy straight. Test preview text?