I can’t remember exactly if this was a 10+ year control or a 20+ year control… either way, it belongs in every copywriter’s swipe file because it ran for a really long time.
Drinking eight glasses of water is a medical myth that just won’t die (the book Made to Stick is recommended reading if you want to understand why such ideas prevail)…
But the truth doesn’t matter. It’s what people believe that matters.
With that in mind, the headline is controversial and shocking (even today!), especially coming from a medical doctor: “I HAVEN’T HAD A GLASS OF WATER IN 20 YEARS…”
It’s like a six-packed personal trainer claiming “I NEVER DO SITUPS, PLANKS OR CRUNCHES AND EAT PIZZA EVERY DAY!”
Moving onto the deck copy, Dr. Douglass’ copywriter gives you more of what already grabbed your attention, by saying drinking too much water can actually be dangerous…
“Sure, drinking tons of water is great
if you want to raise your stroke risk, bring on kidney failure,
and encourage early Alzheimer’s.”
Remember, if you’re not sure what comes after your headline, simply give the reader more of the same. Expand on the idea, add a little twist. If I’m still reading after the headline, it’s because I want to know why this doctor doesn’t drink water.
The bullets move away from water, but keep the counter-intuitive theme, cultivating more curiosity.
- IS YOUR CHOLESTEROL HIGH ENOUGH?
- ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SUN?
- ARE YOU EATING ENOUGH EGGS AND BACON?
The copy then stokes the readers ego.
GUESS WHAT? YOU’RE RIGHT and they’re full of tofu…
It’s worth noting that this line is pretty funny, too. In Scientific Advertising Claude Hopkins writes “Don’t try to be amusing. Money spending is a serious matter”. You think that might be especially true when talking about early Alzheimer’s and heart attacks, but the copywriter nails it here, keeping things conversational and light-hearted…
It makes reading the sales letter a breeze.
See for yourself…
>>> Click here to add “I HAVEN’T HAD A GLASS OF WATER IN 20 YEARS…” to your swipe file. <<<
I briefly worked as an in-house copywriter for Dr. Douglass’ publisher in 2012. I remember the publisher saying that he was still surfing in his eighties, and they were terrified he’d have a fatal accident–and kill the company’s biggest cash cow. I believe he eventually died of natural causes in his nineties (but can’t find an obituary to confirm).
It’s one thing to have a medical degree (which anyone can get!), it’s another level of credibility to be living proof of your claims.
P.S. The great Lawrence Bernstein of InfoMarketingBlog.com has a scan of the print magalog of “I HAVEN’T HAD A GLASS OF WATER…” and you can download it here.