The Typo Ad Method™ That Drove $216K in Sales for Our Shopify Store (Part 1)
A classic direct mail trick, rebooted for today’s ad platforms.
It all started with one misspelled word in my Facebook ad.
Just one.
But that typo was deliberate, strategic—and it doubled our ROAS from 1.9x to 3.82x practically overnight.
Same product.
Same image.
Same targeting.
The only change was the typo.
It was engineered to trigger attention and action—and ended up generating over $216,000 in sales for our DTC brand, GearHanks™—selling a $25 product.
And now—I’m going to show you exactly how to apply the same stealthy persuasion tactic in your own ads.
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Hey, I’m James Grandstaff…
I started running Facebook ads in 2010.
Since then, I’ve managed millions in ad spend for clients across dozens of industries—and launched and sold more than $1.5 million worth of my own digital and physical products.
And after all that?
One of the best-performing ads I’ve ever run wasn’t the result of some “guru” ad framework.
It was the typo ad.
Strategic, subtle, and sneaky.
It hooked their brain.
Interrupted the scroll.
And made them play along.
The idea came from one of my favorite Joe Sugarman tactics—something he called an involvement device.
It’s any element in your ad that pulls the reader deeper into the message—something they have to interact with mentally or physically. It turns the act of reading into a mini-game.
And when that happens?
Your prospect isn’t skimming anymore… they’re fully immersed in your ad.
Joe used to run direct mail ads where he’d intentionally include misspelled words—forcing readers to slow down, spot the error, and interact with the ad.
He even found ways to reward people for playing along—turning passive readers into active participants—and paying customers!
That little trick stuck with me.
So I started thinking…
‘How could I use that same trick on today’s ad platforms like Facebook—in a way that grabs attention, boosts interaction, and helps the algorithm find the right buyers?’
At the time I was deep into building our DTC brand, GearHanks™—a premium line of sueded microfiber handkerchiefs made for tech lovers, everyday carry folks, and clean freaks.
My partner and I were sewing and shipping daily—sales were steady, but the ROAS wasn’t where it needed to be.
Like a lot of small business owners, we needed a magic-bullet. Something that would drop our CPA fast. A switch we could flip to flood in orders, then pause while we fulfilled them.
We didn’t have time—or money—to wait around for the algorithm to “learn” while it burned through our budget.
We needed a button we could press for on-demand sales.
That’s when I tested (what I now call) the Typo Ad Method™.
I misspelled one word in the body copy and added a subtle challenge.
I wasn’t sure if it would work—but it crushed!
People stopped scrolling.
They clicked.
And bought.
And best of all?
We now have a campaign we can turn on anytime we need a cash injection.
Want proof?
I just dropped $543 on a fresh A/B test to show it’s repeatable—because I’m that confident this works.
Here’s a screenshot of what just happened:
Typo Ad vs. Control Ad
This means…
The typo ad cut cost per acquisition (CPA) by 38%
It increased conversion volume by 50%
And it boosted total revenue by 64%—all while spending slightly less than the control.
Overall, that one ad has pulled in over $216,000 for GearHanks™— not too shabby for a $24.99 impulse buy.
We’ve even used the same approach to drive conversions on our collectible coins—different product, same tactic, same results.
In Part 2 I’ll breakdown the entire ad in detail so you can see the psychological elements that made it work. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
To Higher ROAS,
- James Grandstaff
P.S. Need help with your Meta ads?
If you’re running a business and want help testing or improving your Facebook ads, I’d be happy to jump on a call.
We’ll map out a plan, look at what’s working (or not), and see if there’s a way I can help.
If it makes sense to work together, cool. If not, no worries — you’ll still leave with a solid next step.
I only do a few of these each month, so if you’re interested, just hit the button below to apply.
What others are saying:
“We hired James to run our Facebook ads and increased all our metrics. One tweak to our order form improved conversions by 80%.”
— Chas Smith, PaleoValley.com
👉🏻 Click here to read more client success stories
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