How to sell products even when people think they won’t work

Last night I went to a yoga class for the first time in probably three years.

The class was called “flow and restore.”

And let me tell ya …

I flowed. And I restored. 🤌

It was a great way to end my climbing sesh as well as the hectic work week I had, filled with back-to-back-to-back copy optimizations.

Though I suppose if I just wanted to relax, I could’ve just popped a CBD gummy and chilled on the couch all night.

The problem is, CBD and I have an odd relationship.

Not in the sense that it makes me feel odd, since there aren’t any psychoactive properties to CBD.

Moreso in the sense that it has about a 50% success rate for helping me relax.

Which is why, later that night, I was fascinated by a perfectly-executed ad that I saw for a CBD supplement. (Also targeting can be super creepy these days.)

The headline:

“Why most CBD doesn’t work, and how to find one that does”

And the lead:

“Full-spectrum is the bare minimum of what to require. Flower rosin is beautifully simple and a highly effective option for those looking to experience the benefits of CBD.”

Now, I don’t know who the copywriter is behind this ad.

But in every sense of the word, they did something brilliant.

Why?

Because not only does this ad address a very aware market (a market who has already tested lots of CBD products) … it also offers the solution to their problem in the form of the way their product works.

This is called a problem mechanism.

And I first learned of the idea from copywriter John Bejakovic in his book, 10 Commandments Of A-List Copywriters: Control-Beating Breakthroughs From Gary Bencivenga, Gene Schwartz, Jim Rutz & More.

Essentially, it calls out the specific problem the reader has — in this case, CBD not working — and then it tells them the root cause of that problem.

For this product, it’s that all other CBD products are made in an inferior way, and thus, lack the “full spectrum” of the compounds that make CBD so healing.

(That’s why CBD doesn’t work for you all the time, David!)

This is one way — a great way, in fact — to write a problem mechanism, so long as you can support the argument.

Alternatively, it could also be that you’re doing the wrong thing to solve your problem … you’re doing it in the wrong way … or you’re solving the wrong problem altogether.

Very good for hyper-aware markets. And there are a lot of those now.

Anyways, if you want to read the entire ad, I linked it down below.

It’s worth a study and it’s actually very short:

stealthiscopy.com/cbd-problem

David Patrick