Emotion sells. And sometimes, it saves lives.
There’s no “add to cart” button more powerful than a well-placed emotion. Let me show you a few examples that prove it.
They’ve lied to us.
For years, they made us believe consumers are rational. That what matters is price, specs, technical details.
Yeah… no.
Emotion is what sticks.
It’s what moves us to act.
What makes us remember—and buy.
The great creators—of ads, of stories, of products—they know this.
They don’t sell things. They sell emotions wrapped in things.
And in ecommerce, even without someone staring you in the eyes, emotion still works.
Actually, it has to work. Because emotion is the anchor that turns curiosity into desire… and desire into sales.
Let me tell you something that happened to me.
Well, more like something that hit me so hard, I still feel it:
The Story of Rick Shearman
One of my guilty Sunday pleasures is watching emotional YouTube videos. The kind that mess with your insides.
One day, I stumbled on a video based on a true story.
And trust me, if you watch it, you’ll get chills too.
Here’s how it goes:
Rick Shearman, a 49-year-old Aussie, was enjoying a sunny morning at Byron Bay beach. Nothing unusual. He’s a seasoned surfer, super comfortable in the water.
But that day, something went wrong.
He got caught in the impact zone. Waves crashing, one after another. He tried to stay afloat, follow protocol, ride the current until he could swim parallel to the shore.
But the ocean had other plans.
Cramps started.
Exhaustion.
The distance.
Half a mile offshore. Alone. No land in sight.
And then he remembered he was wearing his Apple Watch Ultra.
In the middle of the waves and wind, he managed to trigger the emergency feature.
For an hour, he stayed connected with rescue services, holding the watch to his ear, fighting not to swallow water.
And finally, a helicopter spotted him.
Pulled him out.
Alive. Safe. Because of the tech on his wrist.
“If I hadn’t been able to call from the watch, I’d still be floating somewhere in international waters,” Rick said.
I watched that video. Felt a lump in my throat.
And I thought, “I’m buying that Apple Watch right now.”
Spoiler: I already had it on my wrist. Bought it the day it came out. Because I do dangerous stuff, too. Often.
And because, even though I try to be rational when I buy, I also get swept up in emotion when something connects to what really matters.
What about you?
How to add emotion to your content
What does this have to do with you and your brand?
Everything.
If you want to sell (and keep people coming back), you need to trigger emotion.
And no, I don’t mean slapping epic music on your videos. I mean creating content that connects with what actually matters to your audience.
Here are 5 practical ideas—and real examples—to inspire you:
1. Start by feeling it yourself
You can’t move anyone emotionally if you’re in robot mode.
Before you write, record, or create… ask yourself what emotion you want to spark. If you don’t feel it, don’t publish it.
Example:
Simon Sinek isn’t powerful because his ideas are revolutionary. It’s because he believes them. His “Start With Why” talk (12M+ views) hits home because it clearly matters to him. And that comes through.
Are you writing a boring landing page—or are you sharing something that actually matters to you?
2. Tell real stories
Stories connect more deeply than any technical feature ever will.
They lower our defenses. That’s where magic happens.
Example:
Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign didn’t sell soap. It told a story: of real women, with real bodies, learning to see themselves as beautiful.
It was an emotional punch that doubled sales and redefined the brand.
Got a real story to tell? A customer experience? Something that happened to you that connects to your product?
▶︎ Check out Dove’s latest video on beauty and generative AI. Powerful stuff.
3. Don’t sell products—sell what they do for people
People don’t want a camera. They want to capture moments.
They don’t want a blender. They want unforgettable breakfasts.
They don’t want a COSORI air fryer. They want their family eating healthy with zero effort.
Example:
GoPro doesn’t sell cameras. It sells adrenaline, freedom, and wild memories.
Every user video is a celebration of what life looks like when you’ve got a GoPro on.
So… what does your product do for people?
How does it improve, simplify, or move them?
4. Pick one emotion—own it
Does your brand inspire trust? Adventure? Pride? Gratitude?
Don’t try to trigger every emotion. Pick one. Build from there.
Example:
Volvo has spent decades building on a single emotion: safety.
Every ad, every crash test, every feature points there.
That’s why they’re believable. That’s why it works. They’re not trying to be sexy or fast. Just safe. And that resonates.
What about you? If your brand were an emotion, what would it be?
And now… does your content really convey that?
5. Use visuals, sounds, and words that spark something
Emotion comes from stimuli: images, sounds, words.
The right word beats ten adjectives.
The right visual beats a full feature list.
Example:
Nike doesn’t talk about soles. It talks about Just Do It.
And it backs that up with images that make you want to jump off your couch.
Honestly, I could post Nike videos all day. They’re masters of emotional storytelling.
Final advice: Sell with emotion—if you can
You watched the Rick Shearman rescue video, right?
Of course you did.
Now you know what a well-told story can do: tension, emotion, and a memorable ending.
Apple didn’t sell you a watch.
They sold you the chance to stay alive.
The feeling that if everything goes to hell, you’ll still have one more shot.
Rick Shearman is alive.
Not because of luck.
But because someone decided product design should prioritize people’s lives.
Because someone thought about feelings before profits.
You can do the same with your brand.
Not just sell more.
Move more.
Because in the end, what people remember isn’t the price.
It’s how what they bought made them feel.
Nice!