I can guarantee you that this article will be absolutely eye-opening.
It will provide actionable, research-backed insight that's proven to take your marketing copy from mind-numbing to mind-blowing.
I know what you're thinking — “Wow! The language you just used was absolutely electric! I'm totally engaged and emotionally invested! I need to read this article and learn more about whatever it's discussing! Wow!”
Well, the words I used there — the ones that have you totally spellbound and intrigued — are designed to trigger emotional responses and capture attention. They're known as power words, and they're strong resources for getting more out of your marketing copy.
Here, we'll explore the concept of power words a bit further and see a list of 150 of the most effective ones.
Power words are evocative — that's the key to their appeal and efficacy. They subconsciously urge readers to take action. Words like “amazing”, “definitive”, and “jaw-dropping” give some extra oomph to your copywriting.
They're over-the-top enough to play on strong feelings and trigger high-arousal emotions. Taken together, those factors can put a certain urgency behind your copy — one that consumers have been known to respond to.
It's also worth noting that power words' utility extends beyond traditional marketing copy. These words can be used in sales or marketing emails, to urge consumers to read blog posts, or to flesh out successful CTAs. In all those cases — among several others — power words have been known to prompt action and increase conversion.
Power words tend to play on emotions related to fear, encouragement, anger, lust, greed, safety, and taboos. For the sake of our list, we've condensed those components into three categories that are immediately relevant to business — urgency words, affirmation words, and security words.
Without further ado, here's our list of the most effective business power words.
Urgency Words
Urgency words are meant to create the impression of an immediate, pressing need behind an offering. They're used to push concepts like scarcity and value — to lead consumers to believe they only have so much time to capitalize on an excellent deal.
1. Bargain
2. Before
3. Big
4. Big Deal
5. Big Time
6. Billion
7. Bonus
8. Cash
9. Cheap
10. Deadline
11. Dollar
12. Double
13. Exclusive
14. Expiring
15. Extra
16. Fast
17. Final
18. First
20. Giveaway
21. Huge
22. Hurry
23. Immediate
24. Instant
25. Jackpot
26. Limited
27. Luxurious
28. Massive
29. More
30. New
31. Now
32. Premiere
33. Prize
34. Profit
35. Quick
36. Reduced
37. Rich
38. Running low
39. Running out
40. Save
41. Savings
42. Scarce
43. Special
44. Surge
45. Ultimate
46. Value
Affirmation Words
Affirmation words can be used in two main contexts — highlighting a product or service's high esteem or boosting consumers' self-perception. They can show that an offering goes above and beyond its competition or lead prospects to believe that a product or service will improve how they're perceived by the world around them.
47. Amazing
48. A-Plus
49. Astonishing
50. Astounding
51. Awesome
52. Beautiful
53. Blissful
54. Breathtaking
55. Brilliant
56. Celebrate
57. Celebrated
58. Colossal
60. Daring
61. Delight
62. Effortless
63. Empower
64. Epic
65. Excellent
66. Excited
67. Extraordinary
68. Eye-Opening
69. Fabulous
70. Fantastic
71. Fearless
72. Fierce
73. Flawless
74. Glorious
75. Greatest
76. Grit
77. Happy
78. Heart
79. Hero
80. Hope
81. Incredible
82. Jaw-Dropping
83. Life-Changing
84. Lovable
85. Magic
86. Mind-blowing
87. Miraculous
88. Next-Level
89. Perfect
90. Phenomenal
91. Remarkable
92. Sensational
93. Spectacular
94. Splendid
95. Staggering
96. Striking
97. Stunning
98. Terrific
99. Thrive
100. Unbeatable
101. Unbelievable
Security Words
These words are generally used to put consumers at ease. They show that a product or service is well-tested, trusted, and safe. Security words are designed to show, first and foremost, that several other consumers reliably use the product or service in question.
102. Above and beyond
103. Accredited
104. Anonymous
105. Approved
106. Authentic
107. Automatic
108. Authoritative
109. Authority
110. Best
111. Best-selling
112. Better
113. Bonafide
114. Cancel anytime
115. Certified
116. Definitive
117. Dependable
118. Detailed
119. Endorsed
120. Ensured
121. Expert
122. Fail-proof
123. Foolproof
124. Genuine
125. Guaranteed
126. Guilt-free
127. Legit
128. Legitimate
129. Obvious
130. Patented
131. Professional
132. Protected
133. Proven
134. Refund
135. Reliable
136. Research-Backed
137. Results
138. Risk-Free
139. Scientific
140. Secure
141. Sensible
142. Surefire
143. Tested
144. Thorough
145. Trustworthy
146. Unconditional
147. Verified
148. Well-beyond
149. World Class
150. Worry-Free
If you want your copy to have some extra gusto and impact, consider referencing this list when writing it. Because now that you have an unequivocal, bonafide, authoritative understanding of power words, you can use them to elevate your copy to phenomenal, jaw-dropping, awesome, astounding heights.
