Say it’s bad.
Sebastian did this in his Indeed job ad.
Check my email from yesterday so you know which ad I’m talking about. (hint: it was about second-hand goods)
Here’s a breakdown of his clever job ad:
Awesome Headline:
"Awesome crappy job in the evening hours approx. 17.00-21.00"
Right away, it grabs you. It’s honest and says, "Yeah, the hours sort of suck." But you want to read more because it’s bold.
He says this job is bad.
He’s not hiding that 5 pm to 9 pm is far from great.
And he got my attention, which is the point of a headline.
Inviting Personal Touch:
"... in Sebi’s Little World!"
It doesn’t hide behind corporate fluff, like, "We are W, help X do Y so they can achieve Z."
It makes you feel welcome in Sebi’s world. It’s personal and approachable.
(Sebi is short for Sebastian Schulz and his "second-hand goods" company, btw.)
Clever Humor and Belief Shifting:
"Might just be a chill, well-paid gig. Cruise around Berlin, Brandenburg evenings, jamming to my quirky voice messages."
He flips your expectations by painting a picture of a job that’s actually relaxing and well-compensated, combined with the freedom to cruise around Berlin at night.
We know it’s going to be a bad job.
People usually won't want to work evenings or nights.
So that’s the established baseline.
We can’t go any deeper. It can’t get worse.
He uses this baseline to then create a different image in our head:
He uses humor by talking about the opportunity to listen to his voice messages, which is a way of saying he’ll probably call you frequently when giving you directions. Clever and funny!
Direct and Honest Details:
"Work from 5 to 9 or 10 pm, Monday to Saturday.
You don’t need muscles, but don’t be a couch potato either."
Clearly sets the expectation—yeah, it’s a six-day week in the evening but doesn’t pretend it’s for everyone.
Friendly Closure:
"If you’re reliable, punctual, friendly, and a safe driver, get in touch. Join my scatterbrained but adorable team.
Cheers from, Sebi"
He caps it off with an invitation to be part of a quirky yet lovable team, which feels like you’d be joining a little family, not just a company.
What you learned?
He’s a great copywriter.
Second, the job ad does what any good marketing should do:
which makes you actually consider applying for the job.
Next time you write, try these:
Whether it’s for marketing or even just an email home.
Talk to you tomorrow,
Alexander "eats crappy job ads for lunch" Kluge
P.S. Wanna learn more quirky marketing tactics? Hit reply, let’s chat!