I keep finding it amazing how mere words, strung together in certain orders, can entertain, excite, persuade, and elicit strong reactions across the board. I've been a fan of Woot's copywriting for awhile: they continue to be unique and over-the-top on a persistent basis, and while I haven't bought anything from them (yet), I visit them daily.

With their eclectic blend of references to Internet memes, occasional poems, and often-risque humor atop tech specs, it's no surprise Woot carries a "literary point of view" disclaimer at the bottom of their main page. (Does that mean, like Stephen Colbert, that the writers are publicly portraying characters?)

Woot regularly goes far beyond what other online stores are willing to do to promote their products: besides the usual "one item for sale a day", they also occasionally offer Bags of Crap which I'm hoping to get my very own of someday, and they're not shy to point fingers at Larry Craig either.

Lessons from Woot:

• Being bold increases your magnetism to passionate customers - If you read the Woot forums, they're saturated with glowing fanaticism. If you show you care in bizarre and crazy ways, you'll definitely piss off some folks, and more importantly, attract more of the right people who're attuned to what you're doing.

• Humor is human - Some people shrink from being humorous because "it might get misinterpreted". C'mon now: everything gets misinterpreted. Rather than become a soulless robot (not dissing all 'bots here), it's far better to let your personality shine. I'd venture to say a lot buy stuff from Woot not because of the actual products themselves, but the humorous marketing and how it makes people feel.
   
• When you can't type it in text, sing a song - The Wootcast is Woot's very own podcast. In addition to advertising what they're selling, it features humorous songs, social commentary, and responses to readers/listeners. Even though it takes extra time and energy, leveraging multimedia to get the word out — especially in this growing age of broadband — is far better than limiting yourself to text alone. (That being said, I'm surprised I haven't seen a Woot videoblog.)
   
• Reaching out is what it's about - As I've alluded to earlier, Woot is excellent at acknowledging their community and providing them with additional fodder they'll enjoy: unusual for a company blog, they tackle related topics like (and this is just in the last week) crime-avoidance literature, the recent Stevenote, and their very own Photoshop contests. Some of these things are hardly related to the main focus of the site, but they add flavor, memorability, and strange sorts of value you just can't get anywhere else — so you keep coming back for more.
   
• Embrace traditional novelty - While that sounds like an oxymoron, consider that Woot's been around since 2004 and they've continued to churn out the twisted hits. Keeping things fresh surprises and continually innovating over several years (a lifetime in the dot-com age) is tough, but Woot's staying strong. Building a trusted brand while being bold helps distinguish you in the end.