Erwan (VP Growth @lemlist) just received this DM.

And this is how desperation looks in 2026.

Shock-baiting a prospect to get attention is amateur behavior.

You’re not standing out, but signaling that you don’t trust your own offer.

The moment you admit:
“I just needed something bold to get your attention.”

You’ve said:
“My offer isn’t strong enough on its own.”

Because now your prospect knows: You had nothing stronger to say.

In B2B:
→ People filter/decide in seconds.
→ Anything that smells like manipulation gets deleted.
→ Deleted messages never turn into a pipeline.

So, you've got 2 ways to go:

1. Keep using cheap tactics and “hope” for a response.

2. Or build your outreach around real intent signals using lemlist and “earn” a response.

Because in 2026, to win deals: be relevant > outrageous.

If your opener needs clickbait, your positioning needs work.

Either fix it or don’t bother outreaching at all.