Found a weird trick for getting vendors to actually reply to emails

So I was planning a small tech meetup in Denver last month, like 50 people max, and I kept hitting this wall where vendors would just ignore my emails or give me the runaround for weeks. I tried follow-ups, calls, even LinkedIn messages, nothing worked. Then on a whim I changed my subject line to include the exact date and a weird emoji, like a rocket ship or a pizza slice, and suddenly my reply rate shot up to almost 80 percent. I think they just got tired of the same boring "networking opportunity" stuff and the emoji made them curious enough to click. Has anyone else tried something offbeat like this, or do you have a better system for cutting through the noise?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_murphy391mo ago

I once added a gif of a dancing taco to a vendor email and got a reply in 3 minutes. Might be my greatest professional achievement or my lowest moment.

ellis.mia1mo agoTop Commenter

The dancing taco thing just proves gifs work.

josephbutler1mo ago

Sam_murphy39 you might be onto something, the taco gif unlocked a hidden universal law where dumb humor bypasses all the professional walls. Its like when I use a silly meme in a group chat and suddenly everyone actually reads the thing, not just skims it. Makes you wonder if we all just need more dancing food in serious situations.