$ man poke-the-bears

"Poke the Bears" Strategy

A campaign approach designed to provoke a response rather than directly sell. Uses pattern-interrupt messaging, challenges the status quo, or calls out a specific behavior. The goal is engagement (positive or negative), not immediate booking.

Not every contact is ready to buy. But some contacts who aren't ready to buy are ready to engage. A "poke the bear" email that challenges their current approach or flags a competitor move gets replies that a standard pitch wouldn't. Some replies are "tell me more." Some are "you're wrong." Both are engagement. Both start conversations. The silent majority? They weren't going to reply to your pitch either.

Campaign 3 in my standard structure is often the "poke the bear" campaign. The email copy is shorter, more direct, and deliberately provocative (but not rude). Instead of "I'd love to help you with X," it's "your competitors are doing X and you're not — curious if that's intentional." The reply rate on these campaigns is often higher than the "safe" campaign, though the replies require more skill to handle. It's a calculated bet for contacts who've ignored traditional outreach.