Agora Publishing - Exposing Its “Secrets?”

I’ve been one of - I am certain - thousands of subscribers to various Agora, Inc. investment newsletters for many years. I think my fascination with the company stems from the copy it writes - it is very good, if not a bit misleading. Today is a classic example. I received two emails, both from Taipan LLC (a division or DBA entity of Agora). It wasn’t the stock, or in one case a commentary on the Indian Stock Exchange, that spurred this missive. It was the “call to actions” that were the TRUE premise of the emails in the first place. And before I go further, I should point out that both emails were sent to its free or former customer lists, since I have only subscribed from time to time to keep my freebies flowing.

Call it morbid curiosity, if you will.

Anyway, what got my attention was the common thread of uncovering “secrets” that could make me or any other reader rich, according to its newsletters. The first one was a postscript on a very short email.

P.S. I’ve recently discovered an Ancient Greek “secret” that could turn $5,000 into $482,776… in less than 3 1/2 years. I’m so confident we can help you achieve similar or better results - we’re making you two incredible offers.

Woo hoo! Look at all dat money I can make! The second one was also a postscript… in fact, that is a very typical method Agora uses to entice readers.

“P.S. I just received a note from my colleague, S.R. Nunnally, editor of Material Profits, that baby boomers should take a look at. In fact, it’s not just for baby boomers… everyone should look at this new “Secret Commodities Blueprint” that could save your retirement years. It’s an exclusive “Secret Blueprint” of gold and oil - long hidden from the public eye - but it’s finally been revealed. And now you can be among the small group of investors who learn how to use its clockwork timing to haul in gains as high as 427%. This could be the best opportunity you’ll ever have to use the power of the world’s two most sought-after commodities to save your retirement dreams from collapse.

Oooooh, it has the secret that will save my retirement dreams. Go figure.

What the guys who write these newsletters are doing is playing on their readers’ emotions. Offering “secrets” that either will make them rich (return 16 times your money in 3 and 1/2 years) or play on their retirement fears (…save your retirement dreams from collapse) is typical copywriting technique selling the sizzle. Secrets from Ancient Greeks? Riiight! Check out some of the other lines that have been used in previous newsletters:

Joseph Kennedy Sr. Used a “Secret” Investing Technique That Secured His Family a $500 Million-Dollar Fortune… Discover how this “secret” technique is making savvy investors substantial gains and could do the same for you.

I can tell you that with a bit of sleuthing you can usually find out what the company name is if it promotes a particular company, like the following message:

P.S. In November, a tiny $1.50 company from California joined the ranks of IBM, Apple, Sony, and Toyota by winning the 2005 World Technology Award. Its stock is about to soar when its products hit the market this April. But there’s still a chance for you to capitalize on this rare opportunity before the general public even knows about it - and rack up 1,566% in the next three months.

By the way, if you are interested, you can read this “free report” here.

There is no doubt in my mind that this little company was XSunX. So, how did this rocketship stock perform? The stock had just hit a high of $2.91 on March 16th of this year, the day before this promo came across my inbox. The stock now sits at 46.5 cents per share. Since I didn’t “get in” on this stock that was set to earn 11 times my investment in the next three months, I wasn’t privy to any investment advice that may have been given to customers who bought into the stock, but I’ve seen enough of these to recognize the warning signs. As you can imagine by the current stock price, investors not only didn’t rack up gains of 1,566%, they likely lost money.

I don’t consider the people at this company pump-n-dumpers, but I do question their marketing tactics. First, the stock was no longer at $1.50. It had just closed near $3. So somewhere along the line they weren’t even bothering to edit their promos. This seems a bit foolish to me. Understand that I had seen this promo several times before deciding to see if I could figure out who the company was. It certainly provided enough information for me to sleuth it out.

And, while I do consider it a legitimate company, I also think it is a bit scummy the way it plays on reader emotions. No sooner do you subscribe to one newsletter than it is sharing “secrets of the Kennedys” along with the “Ancient Greek” secrets… in fact, it seems that everything it pitches is tied to one secret or another.

Frankly, it just gets old.

[tags]money, stocks, investments, investing[/tags]