How One Simple Statement can Transform Sales Copy from Good to Great

The other day, I watched a video sales letter that took me by surprise. Within the first 30 seconds, one brief statement caught my immediate attention and hooked me in right away. This one sentence is a prime example of the difference between average, or good copy, and great copy.

Let Me Explain…

To preface this, the video sales letter by Dr. Gundry addresses the issues of toxic plant protein. The copy begins in a pretty standard format, until Dr. Gundry says: “plants don’t like us”.

To the average person who isn’t well-versed or experienced in copywriting, this sentence is easy to overlook. For copywriters, we recognize this as a great and highly effective piece of A-level copy.

What’s the Big Deal?

This seemingly simple sentence is a powerful contrarian statement that interrupts the pattern and adds strong emotional impact for the consumers. The copywriter sets the stage for the unique mechanism of the problem (toxic plant protein).

Most of us consider plants to be one of the healthiest things that we could possibly consume and put in our bodies. When the average consumer hears “plants don’t like us,” it is reason to pause and ask follow up questions like “why” or “what do you mean?”

Not Your Average Copy

What makes this statement so remarkable is that the average copywriter would not think to communicate this idea in such a way.

Most copywriters go into description mode. Instead, they’ll say something along the lines of “when you eat plants, they don’t react well inside our bodies. There is actually this protein that penetrates the walls of our intestines and can cause a lot of harm…”

They’ll throw facts, details, and descriptions to explain how toxic plant protein can harm us. In fact, this isn’t bad copy at all. They are explaining in a clear way the negative side effects of eating plants.

However, it doesn’t carry the same emotional punch as saying something as simple as “plants don’t like us.”

“Plants Don’t Like Us”

The statement “plants don’t like us” humanizes an inanimate object and brings it to life. It goes a step further by producing a strong emotional reaction. It’s almost equivalent to someone saying, “Bob doesn’t like you.”

Why doesn’t Bob like me? Did I do something wrong?

Wait…what? Why don’t plants like us? I thought they’re supposed to be healthy for us!

See how such a simple statement grabs attention and forces an immediate inner monologue?

Pack an Emotional Punch

This simple sentence is the difference between good sales copy and great sales copy. In so few words, the copywriter was able to hook the consumer in, trigger an emotional response, and convey the idea that consuming plants may not always be the best for us. This is a great example of a hard-hitting contrarian statement.

Keep it Simple and Effective

Some of the most effective sales copy keeps it simple while packing an emotional punch. For more tips on how you can amplify the emotional impact of your sales copy, check out these 4 simple tricks.

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