Some words have great power over us.
They forcefully draw us in, like a moth to a flame, and if used well, have a dramatic effect on our copy.
But what are power words, and how can we use them to take our copy from mediocre to amazing?
I’ll explain.
Power words are eye-catching words that capture a reader’s attention or elicit a response. You’ll see them all over the place once you start looking, that is.
Now you may not be planning to write a children's book (so bear with me here), but we can learn a huge amount from one of the masters of writing, IMO, Roald Dahl.
He wrote magical children's books sold in their millions, like James and The Giant Peach, The Enormous Crocodile and George’s Marvellous Medicine.
If he’d written books like James and the Average Peach, The Crocodile and George’s Medicine, I think his success would have been quite different.
The words giant, enormous and marvellous are powerful words, which make his books exciting and draw his readers in!
They take the peach, crocodile and medicine from ordinary to the extraordinary.
You may be thinking, but these are only children's storybooks. However, if you have tried to hold the attention of a small person for 10 minutes or more, you’ll understand what Roald Dahl was up against.
So, when looking at your titles and the copy you write, get in touch with your inner Dahl and think about adding some excitement with powerful words.
Words that will appeal to your ideal clients, grab their attention and help them to understand what is in it for them if they commit to reading the rest of your copy (it’s what we all want to know, after all!).
Here are 12 power words to make your headlines more effective:
Astounding
Awesome
Bonus
Best-selling
Certified
Exclusive
Huge
Limited
New
Guaranteed
Risk-free
Simple
Here's how to use them:
‘How To Double Your Income In 90 Days
becomes...
'How To Simply Double Your Income In 90 Days, Risk-Free’
Both sentences say something similar, but the second one is more attractive.
It's ‘simple’ (most people don't like hard stuff) and ‘risk-free’, which makes it feel safe.
‘5 Ways to Write Headlines’
Becomes...
‘5 Ways to Write Phenomenal Headlines Fast.’
‘Phenomenal’ and ‘fast’ make the headline stand out. You’ll learn something amazing, and it won’t take ages. This is hugely important in a world where we are all short of time!
Power words will only work if they appeal to your ideal clients, so if you run yoga retreats, ‘fast’ is probably not a good one for you.
Quick Tip!
Keep a lookout for power words which grab your ideal client's attention. Make a note of them, and you will have them for whenever you need them.
So that’s it from me.
I hope you’ve found this useful. If I’ve whetted your appetite for amazing words, a brilliant book is ‘Words That Sell by Richard Bryan’. It has over 6,000 words and phrases to keep you busy!
Do you have any questions, thoughts or comments? Then leaving a comment.