Another Stupid Marketing Trick (Don’t Do This)

I’m steamed.


Now I’m gonna vent…


…all about the latest stupid marketing trick.


It works like this:


Step 1: Set up an online event (webinar, workshop, whatever) on Zoom.


Step 2: Set Zoom to automatically send registrants a “thanks for registering” email and an invitation that lands in their calendar software as a scheduled booking.


Step 3: Get a list of cold leads (people who don’t know you and have never opted in to hear from you).


Step 4: Add each of those leads as registrants to your Zoom event (even though none of them actually registered).


Step 5: Sit back while Zoom sends emails and calendar invitations to all of those people who didn’t register.


Emails like this:


“Tom Ruwitch, Thank you for registering for [FREE WEBINAR] How to Deploy AI Sales Agents That Run End-to-End Sales Campaigns…”


…or this…

“Hi Tom Ruwitch, Thank you for registering for [WEBINAR] The Reddit Client Machine: How To Find Hidden Buyer Conversations, Automate Engagement, And Turn Reddit Into A 24/7 Traffic, Lead & Sales Channel — Without Ads…”


Now I have to sort through these garbage emails AND delete the events from my calendar.


I don’t know who signed me up for this junk without my consent because they use garbage addresses for the “organizer email” in Zoom.


Instead of standing out in the open, proud of what they offer, and happy to welcome actual registrants, they cower in anonymity.


They don’t want “registrants” to email them. They’re not looking for a relationship.


They’re looking for suckers who think, “Gosh, I don’t remember registering for that, but it looks interesting. I think I’ll attend,” or forgiving souls who think, “I did NOT register for this, but I don’t mind doing business with people who use rotten marketing tricks. I want to see what you’ve got.”


Me? I’m neither a sucker, nor forgiving — at least in cases like this where marketers invade my inbox with lies (I did not register for your event, you liar!) AND my calendar (I don’t want garbage events cluttering up my calendar).


You don’t need to pull B.S. like this to grow your business.


As I say in the Story Power Profit Pack: “Ditch the tricks. You don’t have to trick people into consuming your content. When you mislead a prospect to engage, it often burns you in the end. You eventually end up with an angry ex-prospect who has discovered the truth or a customer who’s a bad fit and will be more trouble than they’re worth. Play it straight.”


Tomorrow, I’ll share with you a great, no-BS way I’ve boosted attendance at my webinars. Tune in tomorrow. Same bat-time. Same bat-channel.



p.s. The Story Power Profit Pack (my most popular product) 52 strategies, tips, and tactics to help you transform your content from ignored to adored — so you sell more without resorting to stupid tricks that annoy prospects. You can get it here at its lowest price ever.


p.p.s. Let me know if you’ve received similar event “confirmations” from cowardly, anonymous hosts who register you for their events without your knowledge or consent.