And their partners are extremely spammy at best. They're all trying to force engagement and word of mouth.
Here's an excerpt from one of the intro e-mails I got:
> Welcome to the #SkimmLife! Here's how it's going to work:
> We'll meet you back here, in your inbox, bright and early tomorrow morning (PS If it's Friday or a weekend,
> you'll get theSkimm on Monday). We're a company that respects brunch, so we won't be with you on Saturday and
> Sunday. Can't wait? Here's the most recent Skimm
> Also, download our new app theSkimm for iPhone. It has a service called Skimm Ahead that makes it easier to
> be smarter about the future. Never again will you miss moments like when you vote in a primary or when your
> favorite show is back on Netflix. Best Part? It can integrate directly into your calendar.
> Lastly, good things happen when you share theSkimm! (read: winning prizes, swag, being a Skimm'bassador).
> To get credit for sharing, use your unique link: http://www.theskimm.com/?r=3cbcb2df OR our fancy invite page
> to have friends sign up. See how many people listen to you by checking this page.
> Your morning just got better. Trust us.
Yeah further down they note: "We only try to partner with high quality companies. For example this Tokyo one were running right now is with journy, ProductHunt, theSkimm, The Wirecutter, and Conde Nast Traveler"
I looked at theSkimm and can't figure out how it's related either. Just seems like an email acquisition bartering scheme.
People who want to grow lists quickly all get together. The smaller lists pay for the prizes, the bigger lists pay with exposure. They all pitch a sweepstakes to their subscribers, all entrants end up subscribed to all lists.. everyone wins (allegedly).
I was talking with a younger relative this weekend who is in college and she mentioned TheSkimm and I immediately thought of this thread. Maybe the younger crowd who spends so much time with social apps and other noise find it highly valuable. There's probably a big distrust for mainstream sources which is not unwarranted.
FWIW theSkimm isn't outright spam - they're a fairly popular super-short newsletter that I think does a mix of world news and lifestyle / culture stuff, apparently marketed at women. I subscribe to Finimize (financial news) and Casual Spectator (sports), and theSkimm is often referenced as a similar newsletter.
Not to diminish the annoyance of being on surprise email lists. I agree it's frustrating, and it sounds like Scott's Cheap Flights should have been more clear with their users about the price of their contests.
And their partners are extremely spammy at best. They're all trying to force engagement and word of mouth.
Here's an excerpt from one of the intro e-mails I got:
edit: formatting