Power Words

The Secrets of Power Words – How to use them to boost your Conversions

We all know the old saying that the pen is more powerful than the sword. It turns out that it is true. A power word, also known as a trigger word, is a word that elicits emotion and prompts a response. It makes people feel the need or desire to respond to what you are presenting to them. This is great news for marketers and entrepreneurs. Your business will be healthier if you use power words to increase conversions and build your audience.

What is a power word? How can you effectively use these words?

We’ve compiled a list of 200 powerful words that will increase conversions and persuade customers. We’ll explain how and where to use them, if they are best used in headlines, landing pages, or to inspire vanity. Let’s get into the details of power words and their function. Power words are a common theme in advertisements. Marketers use power terms to get people to respond to calls to action.

Any word could be powerful. So how do you identify them (and how can you use them)? Most power words possess at least one of the five qualities. They are:

  • Unique
  • Action-Driven
  • Descriptive
  • Inflammatory
  • Surprising

Take a look at these two words:

  1. Event
  2. Scam

The first word is quite mundane. This could be used to refer to anything from a four-car pileup along the highway to a concert with your favorite musician. However, the second word immediately triggers a response.

Although you don’t know the details of the scam or the victims, you can feel the emotion just by looking at it.

Let’s now put it in context by using a headline.

“Investment Scam Obtains Millions of Dollars from Retirees”

Although it’s not a news headline, you get the idea. We now have a clickable headline, because we used multiple power words in context. You’re most likely looking at a powerful word if your word matches one of the five characteristics we mentioned.

To evoke the most emotion, you need to be able to identify where and how to use those words. This is not always easy, becazse we are constantly exposed to a lot of words as consumers, whether we are reading emails, social media feeds and so on.

By evoking emotion, power words can help you bring about action. They make readers feel something viscerally so that they are compelled to act.

However, there are many emotions. Marketing copy that is well written should make readers feel certain emotions, which will motivate them to take immediate action.

The most powerful words can trigger emotions such as curiosity, anxiety and excitement. So, which words are the most effective? Below are 200 examples that we will use to illustrate the meaning of power words in relation to specific emotions or situations.

Note that the use of power words dependa on the situation. For example, if you are targeting consumers that are already brand-aware you will want to instill excitement and urgency. They should be able to purchase immediately.

If you are targeting existing consumers, however, your power words must trigger emotions such as curiosity, greed and anger. Although it’s not necessary for the consumer to purchase, you want them to click.

Remember that “power word” can sometimes be misunderstood. It can be used to refer to a phrase rather than a single word, just like “keyword”. A popular power word is “Right Away”, which implies urgency.

Capture Greed

Everybody is greedy. This doesn’t sound nice, and some of you might think of the old 80ies movie Wallstreet (“greed is good”). However, being greedy can make you a better marketer. You might be able capture the greed of your audience by offering a bargain or helping people achieve what they desire.

Here are some of the most powerful words for greed:

1. Save Money

2. Bargain

3. No cost

4. Earn More

5. Learn More

6. Bonus

7. Profit

8. Lucrative

9. Cash

10. It’s affordable

11. Additional

12. Reasonable

13. Budget

14. Marked down

15. Reduction

16. Sale

17. Slashed

You may notice that we have substituted some complex words for simpler ones. For example, “expensive” is more appealing than “cheap.” Because “cheap” implies poor quality.

Inspire Curiosity

Children are curios be default and they keep asking you costantly why things work a certain way. It is something grown ups also share and we all desire to satisfy it. Did you ever wonder why Google’s search engine was such a success? Because among other things it helped to satisfy curiosity.

For a second, think about curiosity. This is what motivated you to start your own business, expand your knowledge, and learn new skills. You might have read this article because of it. We humans are wired to investigate anything we read or hear about. We want to learn more.

That instinct can be used to increase your conversions by using power words. Here’s a list of curiosity power words:

18. Secret

19. Unveil

20. Explore

21. Learn

22. Harness

23. Uncover

24. Join

25 Confidential

26. Hidden

27. Insider

28. Private

29. Private

30. Covert

31. Under-The-Radar

32 Clandestine

33. Exclusive

34. Different

All of these words are designed to make people click on what you reveal or share. You must be able to back up what you say.

Evoke Laziness

Sometimes it’s OK to be lazy. Laziness can actually lead to better ways to achieve specific goals. For example, let’s say you are creating a spreadsheet. Do you prefer to input the numbers manually, or do you prefer using shortcut keys to make it quick? Do you prefer to calculate equations or use formulae?

Everyone wins when efficiency meets laziness. People can use power words to help them embrace their laziness, and find better ways to achieve what they want.

There are many power words to describe laziness.

35 Get it done quickly

36. Shortcut

37. Guilt-Free

38. Hack

39. It’s easy

40 Without [Negative Conequences, such as Pain, Time, and Effort]

41 Instantly

42 Reduction

43. You can save time

44 Results

45 Quick

46 Rapid

47. Swift

48 Pronto

49 Snap

50 Accelerated

Consumers’ Lust

Although we often think of lust in terms of romantic love, Merriam-Webster defines it as “an intense yearning” for any kind of desire or craving. A television commercial featuring a handsome man or a beautiful woman helped many people make purchase decisions. A product that promises to increase one’s desireability is also a good choice. Say, for example you want to create an online course for men looking to improve their dating skills. To convince them, you could use lust words.

Some of the most powerful lust words are:

51. Craving

52. Desire

53. Sinful

54. Sexy

55. Covet

56. Yearn

57. Forbidden

58. Sensual

59. Wanton

60. Ache

Appeal to Vanity

No matter how humble or not, everyone has a few flaws when it comes vanity. We all want to be more beautiful, regardless of whether it’s getting fitter, losing weight, changing our hair color, dressing better or any other aspect of improving our physical appearance. This knowledge can be used to your advantage.

Power words that relate to vanity have been used by many successful marketers to sell more products, and this is not limited to the beauty and fitness industry. For instance,
A photographer may want to know how to make self-portraits that are more attractive.

A public speaker may want to appear better when speaking in front of an audience. It is a natural instinct.

Here are some powerful words to appeal to vanity.

61 Beautiful

62 Attractive

63. Legendary

64 Cute

65 Youthful

66 Aglow

67 Alluring

68 Graceful

69 Amazing

70 Exquisite

71. Refined

72. Fair

73. Enticing

74.

75 Amazing

Empower people

You gain trust when you make another person feel powerful. Marketing is well-aware of this. This means that you need to appeal to the self-esteem and power of your target customer. People who feel weak are more likely to avoid buying products.

These are powerful words that can make others feel powerful:

76 Forcing

77. Elevated

78 Supreme

79 Paramount

80 Potent

81 Mighty

82. Able

83 Command

84 Influence

85 Control

86 Prevail

87 Achieved

88 Be the one to conquer

89 Clever

90 Omnipotent

91 Potential

92. Ascend

93 Prestige

94 Upper Hand

Simplify Consumer Life

Everyone wants to be able to achieve the goals they set and obtain what they want. We know it’s not always possible but we are on the hunt for a solution. People will be more likely to buy your product if you suggest that it offers an easier and simpler way of accomplishing a goal. It’s important to use power words that simplify the lives of consumers.

The following are some of the most powerful words that convey simplicity:

95. Simple

96. One-Time

97. Never

98. Ease

99. Accomplish

100. Reduce

101. Cut Down

102. Clarify

103. Save Time

104. Speedy

105. No-Frills

106. Shorten

107. Decipher

108. Decode

109. Unravel

110. Beat

111. Break Down

112. Free Up

113. Relieve

114. Assist

115. Aid

116. Eliminate

117. Control

118. Expedite

Authority

You don’t want your audience to feel inferior but you want to earn their trust in your company and products. When you create marketing materials, it is important to project authority.

You can use power words to refer to third-party statements, as authority often comes from outside sources. You might use power words to introduce a testimonial given by an expert.

Power words add gravitas to statistical data, which immediately increases your authority.

Use power words such as these to make your audience see you business as an authority.

119 Dominate

120 Unparalleled

121 Ideal

122. Proven

123. Scientifically Supported

124 Data

125 Percent

126 Agree

127 There is no doubt

128 Foolproof

129 Guarantee

130 Promise

131 Accurate

132 Definitive

133 True

134 Legit

135. Confirmed

136 Take Action

137 It is unquestionable

138 Actual

139 Absolute

140 Flawless

Sugest Safety

Everybody wants to feel safe, no matter if we’re sleeping at night or trying new sports.

Your customers shouldn’t feel that they are taking a chance by purchasing from you, or trying out your strategies and tips. You should make them feel like you are protecting them by giving them safe and actionable information.

These are some powerful words that can be used to promote safety.

141. Safe

142. Secure

143. Sound

144. Free of Danger

145. Preserve

146. Guard

147. Protect

148. Healthy

148. Smart

150. Cautious

151. No Risk

152. Absolute

153. Sure Thing

154. Unmistakable

155. Genuine

156. Clear

157. Trusted

158. Freedom

159. Haven

160. Retreat

161. Protection

Build Trust

Although it sounds like safety and authority, trust is a completely different concept. Trust is built over time with customers. Therefore, trust-related words should be consistent in your marketing copy and informational products. This is a way to show that people can trust you to keep your promises.

These power words are related to trust:

162. Complete

163. Ultimate

164. Best

165. Super

166. Truly

167. Results

168. Should

169. Superior

170. Worthwhile

171. Advantage

172. Delightful

174. Effective

174. Supported

Ignite Anger

Rage and anger can spark passion and drive action. This is something you might already know if you have ever been angry and taken immediate action.

Although anger can be a negative emotion, the ability to express anger persuasively is not. If you tell someone that someone is exploiting them, for example, they will want to find out who they are and how they can stop it.

Here, trust is built when you offer the solution.

These power words can be used to evoke anger:

175. Rebel

176. Despicable

177. Spiteful

178. Agonizing

179. Hate or Hated

180. Furious

181. Deplorable

182. Untrustworthy

183. Steal

184. Scam

185. Jealous

186. Desperate

187. Vengeful

Engender Fear

It might seem counterintuitive to think that fear can cause anxiety in your audience. You might think that scaring people is a bad thing. But there are many levels of fear. While you don’t want customers to fear for the safety of their lives, a little anxiety can help increase your conversion rates.

Say you you offer online courses on photography. Potential customers may be concerned that their customers and family members might not like your images. Fear-based power words can help you get to that pain point. You can let them know you are sensitive to their anxiety and that you have a solution.

These fear-related power phrases can be used in your marketing copy:

188. Danger

189. Take Advantage

190. Miss Out

191. Lost Opportunity

192. Embarrassing

193. Mistake

194. Panic

195. Threat

196. Abuse

197. Disappointment

198. Cowardly

199. Distressed

200. Inferior

Power words in headlines

You want to grab prospects’ attention quickly when it comes to headlines. This is best done by making the promise upfront.

A boring headline can be spiced up with powerful words. Powerful verbs and adjectives can create momentum and get people clicking. These headlines can be combined with powerful CTAs for an even higher conversion rate.

Let’s look at some examples now that you have 200 power words. These words can be used to increase conversions. Let’s assume that you offer online courses in public speaking. Here are some examples of how power words can be used in headlines, product names and landing pages.

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Beautiful Words
Use powerful words in product names

Use power words when naming products to indicate what the product will do once customers convert. What will you do to enhance the customer’s lives?

A boring product name can be transformed into something that stirs emotions and demands attention with the power words.

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How to give powerful, painless public speeches
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The Power of Words in Landing Pages

You can use power words in your landing page headlines or body copy. You want landing pages to convert. Don’t miss the chance to sell or gain new subscribers.

You shouldn’t be afraid of A/B testing your selections. Sometimes landing pages don’t work the way you expected them to. You can mix them all and compare the results to see which words work well and which ones don’t.

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The Power of Words: Calls to Action

If you want to grab the click, your call to action (CTA), must be strong. Power words can attract attention and encourage prospects click through, rather than clicking away.

A CTA is shorter than a headline, or similar piece of copy. It is possible to make it longer, but it’s easier to shorten it using quick power words. You can also add commas to power words for a stronger punch.

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Conclusion

Power words are a proven way of increasing conversions for products. We’ve provided 200 power words for you to use in your headlines and product names. You can mix and match as much as you like. Be aware that certain power words can evoke particular emotions and that  these emotions may overlap.

Some may work well in subheads and headlines, while others might be more effective in product names or calls to action. To find the best product name or headline, you can A/B-test your options to see which one resonates with your customers.

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Your online business won’t skyrocket. Nope. But there is hope.

Photo by Leon Ardho from Pexels

Sources:

Kajabi

ScribPress

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