Verb Forward Grammar: A Lesson from MECLABS
When it comes to marketing education, MECLABS is one of the best resources on the Internet. I’m a huge fan of their content. Specifically, they teach quantitative marketing based on real experimentation.
Why I Love MECLABS
What sets MECLABS apart is its approach1. There’s no abstract philosophy here. Instead, they publish a constant stream of case studies. You get three options, you see the experiment results, and the winner is almost never what you’d expect. In the words of Joy’s Law: “the answer is outside of the building.”
A Quick Sidebar on Joy’s Law
That phrase comes from Sun Microsystems. Bill Joy was the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer. He coined it to mean you needed to get out of the building and talk to customers. Customers and users are the ultimate arbiter of product features. Ironically, Sun rarely followed that law. As a result, they missed the rise of Windows and were ultimately absorbed into Oracle.
The focus of MECLAB’s work is to show you what works in real examples using real data. Not who wears the nicest black turtleneck and skinny jeans.
The Takeaway: Verb Forward Grammar
One principle from my MECLABS training has stuck with me ever since. It’s called Verb Forward Grammar. This applies specifically to writing headlines and subject lines.
The goal of marketing is to get people to take action. Frankly, that’s also the goal of all political communications. MECLABS research showed that headlines and subject lines leading with action verbs outperform generic declarative statements. This is especially important for email subject lines. If the subject line doesn’t compel you to act, nobody reads the email.
Examples of Verb Forward Grammar
Phrases like “Read Now,” “Download Today,” and “Learn More” are classic examples. There are plenty of others, too. I encourage you to explore MECLABS and consider how verb forward grammar can sharpen your marketing copy.
If you have questions, feel free to contact me.
- The other thing that sets MECLABS apart is its founder, Flint McGlaughlin. His stentorian speaking style makes it sound like he’s giving you crucial information about the fate of the world, democracy, or saving lives. In fact, he’s teaching you how to write subject lines and headlines, and it’s riveting. ↩︎
