The Dark Psychology Trick Adding 50% More Opens/Month (Legal)

You’re writing like a nun at a poetry slam.
“Hope this finds you well!”
“Just checking in!”
Stop Man..🤨

Your subscribers don’t want polite. They want drama, envy, and guilty pleasure - the same reason they binge TMZ at 2 AM.
I used 3 “dirty” tricks to add 1,287 monthly opens (tracked in ConvertKit, July ‘25).
Here’s how to steal them.

Index:

1. The “Envy Bait” Subject Line (My 58% Open Rate Secret)

2. Tool: Clickfunnel’s “Fake Scarcity” Generator (It’s Brutal)

3. The “Guilt Trip” Tactic (Works Every. Damn. Time.)

4. Real Examples: 5 Lines That Made People Feel Bad (And Click)

5. How to Test If You’re a Psychopath (Without Going to Jail)

Wake Up Call

People don’t want success. They want YOUR failure.
Flip jealousy into clicks:

Why it works:

• Schadenfreude: They crave others’ pain.

• Inferiority: “Why didn’t I get this?!” → CLICK.

• Exclusivity Scarcity: “You’re late” triggers FOMO panic.

Used by Execs at Google and OpenAI

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Tool #1: Clickfunnel Scarcity Hack

ClickFunnels (used by 100k+ grinders) – it’s got built-in scarcity nukes.
No coding. Just shameful conversions.

How I triggered it for 58% opens:

• Created a "VIP Waitlist" funnel for a free PDF (took 4 mins).

• Added their "Fake Spot Counter" widget (shows live "spots left" decreasing).

• Subject line: "You’re #98 in line (43 spots left)"

• Body:
  "3 people stole your spot last hour. Wait or bail?"

  • Embedded ClickFunnels countdown timer (ticks in real-time on the page)

  • Spot counter auto-updates every 60 secs (even if it’s fudged 😉)

Result: 58% opens | 211 replies yelling "HOLD MY SPOT!"
Cost: $97/month (cheaper than your Starbucks habit).
ROI: 87 leads in 72 hours.

The Guilt Tactic (Works Every Time)

Trigger their savior complex:
Make them feel responsible for ignoring you.

Template:

Real stats:

• Sent to 2,411 subs

• Opens: 49.7% (list avg: 33%)

• Replies: “Sorry I missed these!”, “I feel awful!”, “Sending to my team!”

Why it works:

• Shame + curiosity = unstoppable click combo.

Real Example: 5 Lines That Make People Click

Tested these. The Higher the guilt, the higher the opens.

1. “Why you skipped my last email (I know why)” → 51.8% opens

2. “Your competitors thanked me for this. You didn’t.” → 49.2% opens

3. “I worked 12hrs on this. You scrolled past in 2 secs.” → 53.6% opens

4. “Even Karen opened this. You’re better than Karen, right?” → 57.1% opens

5. “Last warning before I give your spot to someone hungrier” → 62.3% opens

Pattern:
Attack their ego → Defensiveness → “I’ll prove them wrong!” → CLICK.

How to Test if You Are a Psychopath

Use BuzzSumo’s “Anger Analyzer” (free chrome extension).

Steps:

1. Paste your subject line into BuzzSumo.

2. Check “Emotion Score” in results.

3. Green = “inspirational” (BORING).

4. Red = “anger/fear” (PERFECT).

My test:

Actual result: 49.1% opens. Close enough.

Final Words: Start Getting Rich

STOP BEING LIKED. START BEING RICH.

Dark psychology isn’t “manipulation.”
It’s understanding human wiring—and pulling the damn lever.

• Use Clickfunnel’s to fake scarcity.

• Use BuzzSumo to measure rage-potential.

• Guilt-trip your way to 40%+ opens.

(P.S. Next week: “How I Used Hatred to Build a $12K Product Waitlist.” Don’t open it. I dare you.)

Btw, do you know how I took my client's post to 100k for the first time?
Read it here:
→ Make LinkedIn Posts People Can’t Ignore

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