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weecb1983 · 5 years

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Such a parcel of rogues in a nation…

O would, or I had seen the day

That treason thus could sell us,

My auld gray head had lien in clay,

Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace!

But pith and power, till my last hour,

I'll mak' this declaration;

We're bought and sold for English gold -

Such a parcel of rogues in a nation.

Interpretation of poetry has never been my strong point, but I’d hazard a guess that The Bard was pretty pissed off when he wrote these words. More than 200 years later, I have to wonder – are we still a “parcel of rogues in a nation”?

I started off 2019 with two resolutions:

1. Don’t worry about things until they happen

2. Stop tweeting

I lasted until the 2nd of January before I came across a tweet from the Scotsman…”End indyref2 talk in 2019, campaigners TELL @NicolaSturgeon” and felt compelled to retweet with a sarcastic comment and a bemused emoji. Fast forward a few hours and I’m awake at 3am, anxious about the state of the country and a Brexit that hasn’t happened yet.

Earlier in the year, to relieve my anxiety, the “other half” begrudgingly agreed to me stockpiling food. So I set about compiling a “Brexit Cupboard” filled with pasta, rice and other staples from the continent such as olive oil and sundried tomatoes that may be hard to come by in the even a no-deal Brexit scenario. I received a lot of stick for this from friends and family, who suggested that I was catastrophising and perhaps I had too much time on my hands, being on maternity leave at the time. It was time I went back to work.

Brexit cupboard ready to go, I still find myself awake at stupid o’clock in the morning, so in another attempt to get a decent night’s sleep I thought I’d try to take the thoughts that are troubling me and put them down on paper….

Back in 2014 when Scotland voted No, I was heartbroken but I understood and accepted the result. I don’t blame my friends and family who voted No (openly). Initially, my gut reaction was No. It was a risk, but I decided that since it was such a serious decision, I should partake in some research. I had never been interested in politics before and, prior to 2013, wasn’t even registered to vote. Coming from a predominantly socialist family, I was conscious that my vote should be an informed decision and not based on what those around me thought. The more I read, the more convinced I was that Scotland should be independent, and the more incensed I became that we weren’t already.

I joined Twitter, entered into discussion with “Unionists”, asking questions and looking for a reason as to why Scotland should remain as part of the UK. I am still looking. For one single reason. Instead I have received nothing but condescending replies, questioning my intelligence and level of education, or lack thereof. One lovely chap asking, “not very bright are you?”. Regarding the ever divisive topic of Scottish Independence, polite discourse quickly descends into “sharing and pooling” and “fiscal transfer” and “go away, you don’t understand”. I’ve tried with GERS. I really have, and I don’t think it’s that GERS figures are beyond the comprehension of the average “cybernat”. Just that they are far too dull to hold the attention of all but the most dogged “Britnat”, who would rather see Scotland burn to the ground than be independent (they might get their wish come April). They wait eagerly for “GERS-figures day” every year and, like a dog with a bone, rip them to shreds and shout “See! They are your own government’s figures and they show that Scotland is too wee, too poor! Get back in your box”. From what I can understand, these figures are based on Scotland being part of the so-called “United” Kingdom and can’t be used to predict what an independent Scotland would look like so I really don’t see what all the hoo-hah is about to be honest.

Sometimes I think, in an alternative universe, where Scotland voted Yes four years ago, what would my unionist friends and family think if the country was in the state that it is now? I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be biting their tongue, going by the continuous loop of “SNP-bad” rhetoric that still prevails, despite none of this current shit-show being of their doing.

Looking at the state of affairs, it is extremely disturbing to see what people will accept nowadays. If you had told me four years ago that the UK would be stockpiling food and medicine, preparing the army for civil unrest and that Schrödinger’s drones would cause Gatwick airport to grind to a halt, I would have said, no one in their right mind would vote for that….but then again, they didn’t put that on the big red bus.

Credit where it’s due to the Westminster establishment, they have been extremely clever in this respect. Of course it would never have worked to put “Vote for martial law” on the bus! Instead, over two years they have, little by little, gone from “£350 million for the NHS!” to “a no-deal scenario wouldn’t be the end of the world” with Westminster’s very own resident hobbit Michael Gove kindly suggesting that we allow people to scavenge on rubbish heaps. Even better, it will give us a chance to go back to the good old days of the Blitz when everyone pulled together. To anyone who says that, I say, get yourself down a trench during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. I visited the WW1 battlefields in 2015 after 97 years of peace, and it was traumatising enough.

To anyone who is (even now!) unsure about whether Brexit is all bad, I simply say, look at who supports it…for the love of God! Imagine, stumbling across a party and looking around to see Boris Johnson, Hobbit Gove, Nigel Farage, Andrea Leadsom, Dominic Raab, Priti Patel, John Redwood, Vladimir Putin and last but by no means least, the smiling assassin, Jacob Rees-Mogg and his fellow Dickensian panto-villain Julia Hartley-Brewer (never trust anyone with a double-barrelled surname). I would be turning on my heel and getting out of that place before they started burning £50 notes (or as it will be known post-brexit…$5,000,000).

I happen to think Theresa May herself would also be at that party. I am not for a minute buying that she was ever a Remainer. I reckon her husband (senior executive at an investment fund that profits from tax-avoiding companies) would stand to lose a pretty penny from the EU’s Anti Tax Avoidance Directive which was presented on 28th January 2016 (!) and requires its member states to apply these measures as of 1st January 2019…3 months before the Brexit deadline. Coincidence? No deal has always been the end goal and who better to run down the clock than the cringe-worthy curtseying Theresa May who campaigned so emphatically for Remain? Theresa May, who is trying to broker a deal that is best for the WHOLE country and one that supports the democratic vote…the last democratic vote you’ll ever have, by the way. Because now democracy means that when you voted once, based on an illegal campaign that no-one has been held accountable for, you are no longer entitled to change your mind because that is what democracy means now. Is Theresa May the Keyser Söze of Westminster? Albeit her daft walk at the end is to the tune of Abba? Is she that clever and forward-thinking to have orchestrated this whole clusterbourach?

No, she is merely a puppet and her strings are being pulled by disaster capitalists who know exactly what they are doing. They will have prepared for every eventuality.

Panto villain Mogg has been popping his polite, well-spoken, over-privileged and under-achieving head up recently to air his views whenever he can on the main-stream media. I noted that he voiced his support of the late Margaret Thatcher featuring on the new £50 note. Margaret Thatcher, who was a known admirer of General Pinochet.

This is a quote from Naomi Klein’s book, The Shock Doctrine:

“The British prime minister was well acquainted with what she called “the remarkable success of the Chilean economy”, describing it as a “striking example of economic reform from which we can learn many lessons”. Yet despite her admiration for Pinochet, when Hayek first suggested that she emulate his shock therapy policies, Thatcher was far from convinced. In February 1982, the prime minister bluntly explained the problem in a private letter to her intellectual guru. “I am sure you will agree that, in Britain with our democratic institutions and the need for a high degree of consent, some of the measures adopted in Chile are quite unacceptable. Our reform must be in line with our traditions and our Constitution. At times the process may seem painfully slow.”

I wonder if 30 odd years is slow enough and I think by “quite unacceptable”, she means this…

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-pinochet-affair-i-saw-them-herded-to-their-death-i-heard-the-gunfire-as-they-died-1179543.html

Make no mistake, this is a right-wing coup. It’s just that it’s being carried out in an orderly fashion – the British way.

No one wants to talk about Brexit anymore. The majority of the people in my life are completely ignorant about the consequences of a no-deal scenario, blissfully so, and encourage me to join them. The apathy shown towards the biggest political disaster to happen to this country in living memory is beyond my comprehension. So half the country is sleepwalking and half have just about reached Brexit saturation point and all the time we are being nudged, slowly towards the edge of the cliff. ….and when we’re pushed over the edge, there will be Sajid Javid waiting on an armed boat shouting “CRISIS! - NO MIGRANTS ALLOWED!”. The neoliberals stand to make a tidy profit while the country is reeling from the chaos that would inevitably ensue from a No-deal. We can look forward to the swift privatisation of our Health Service, abolition of the welfare state, chlorinated chicken, etc.

In 2014, Scottish independence was about hope and the ability to control our own affairs. Now, it’s about the survival of our democracy. If Scotland is not independent come March 29th 2019, I predict that, freed from the burden of EU laws, Westminster will adopt Henry VIII powers to abolish the devolved parliaments. It has already shown what it is capable of, and its contempt of the Scottish parliament, by taking them to court over the Continuity Bill. Scotland has barely been mentioned throughout the Brexit “negotiations” and has been disregarded and disrespected at every turn. We are absolutely not, as was promised, “Better Together”. Independence is the only option now and I, for one, hope to begin 2020 as part of an independent Scotland with my human rights still intact.

However, if anyone is reading this in a post-Brexit version of “The Handmaid’s Tale”….nothing to see here! All left-wing views out the window. God save the Queen.

#Brexit IndyRef2 StopBrexit

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uchihasavior · 6 years

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Massacre was out of Itachi's control? You pro-itachis go far to justify genocide. Sarutobi was alive, wasn't he? And killing entire clan is sort of... not smth Danzo would be able to do and then hide it? it's Itachi who made it possible. And the worst isn't even that he betrayed his family. The worst is that he went and brutally slaughtered them at night without giving them any chance to defend themselves. He's a coward. There's hundreds of things that he could've done, but he chose mass murder

[[ LOL

Alright, let’s destroy you and any future people who still think it’s ok to be anti-Itachi as if he alone caused the massacre. I’m tired of y’all clogging the Itachi tag with your nonsense opinions.

First things first: The massacre was out of Itachi’s control =/= the massacre was okay and a good thing.

You don’t even have basic reading comprehension. I hate the massacre, it’s awful, but I’m not so much of an idiot I think it’s entirely Itachi’s fault. You’re blaming a thirteen year old who had his fears used against him and was used as a scapegoat so the village could get away with murdering one of its founding clans. Itachi is not at fault for the massacre, he was a pawn. Just as much a victim of Danzo and Hiruzen.

Sarutobi was alive, wasn’t he?

You poor, poor soul. You think he would’ve helped? Do you really trust Hiruzen that much? Let’s go over a list of things Hiruzen has done that are canon.

Your Precious Angel Sarutobi Hiruzen…

Agreed to Danzo’s idea of sequestering the clan into its own district, despite there being no existing evidence that the Uchiha clan were responsible for the Kyuubi Attack, other than an old tale about Madara.

Owns and Maintains the ANBU squad that checks the surveillance cameras inside the Uchiha District 24/7. These cameras have been in place since the district was built.

Approved a 30% budget cut to the Police Force despite knowing full well Danzo was using the cut as a method to piss the Uchiha off and ‘prove’ they were dangerous and needed to be eradicated.

Allows Danzo to run free and without any check. The worst Hiruzen does is verbally scold him twice before the massacre.

Knows full well that Danzo absolutely hates the Uchiha clan, yet again…takes no actual action to prevent him from messing with them.

Refuses to meet with the Uchiha for a full year after Shisui’s death. This is despite claiming that he doesn’t want them to die and they are friends from the previous war. He refutes any actual attempt at negotiation.

Is aware of the fact Danzo wants to kill them. This is in a direct manga flashback. Hiruzen ended up okaying the massacre.

Only demotes Dnazo and disbands ROOT, but knows, and verbally admits, that Danzo will find a way to continue his work even if not officially, and he is going to do nothing else about it, despite being acting Hokage.

Depends on Itachi and Shisui alone to “fix” the Uchiha and make them complacent in their position and the rights they are not allowed, so that he does not have to lift a finger and actually work. He trusted teenagers…. to do the negotiations and hard work he as an adult, and as a leader of a village, to do.

And killing entire clan is sort of… not smth Danzo would be able to do and then hide it?

Do you honestly think Danzo was even attempting to hide it? It works in Danzo’s favor if the entire village thinks the Uchiha are dangerous. He already has a lot of the public believing that the Uchiha are at fault. Itachi is bullied in school because he’s an Uchiha. He’s discriminated when he works in ANBU because one of them lost his sister to the Kyuubi, and somehow it’s Itachi’s– and the entire Uchiha clan’s fault. Danzo wants this kind of outcry to be public, he wants to be lauded as a hero for exterminating the Uchiha. He got the best he could, the clan is gone and no-one in the public thinks negatively of him. Danzo is the same man who let out the secret that Naruto was the Jinchuuriki, purely so people would hate and fear him and he could be considered a savior for killing Naruto in the future.

And the worst isn’t even that he betrayed his family. The worst is that he went and brutally slaughtered them at night without giving them any chance to defend themselves. He’s a coward.

You really are, just…missing the whole point, aren’t you? The massacre was scheduled and orchestrated. If it wasn’t Itachi who started it, it would’ve been the ANBU under Hiruzen and Danzo’s command.

There’s hundreds of things that he could’ve done, but he chose mass murder

See, this is what I hate about you anti Itachi people. You always act as if Itachi acted completely on his own, independent of other people’s pressure and manipulation. As if he just up and one day said “yeah, i’ll kill them that’s the only option lol” and planned the whole thing himself.

Danzo has been manipulating Itachi Uchiha since he was seven years old.

Itachi has had an Aburame stalking him since he graduated the Academy and met Danzo. Danzo wanted Itachi specifically. An Uchiha, a clan he hates, but Itachi showed so much skill and promise that Danzo would much rather have that skill be working under his name.

Danzo does everything in his power to speed up the process to get Itachi into his clutches. Itachi’s sensei won’t allow him to enter the Chuunin exams? Go to Hiruzen and speak harshly about the sensei, and convince Hiruzen to not only let Itachi take the exams– but to take them alone.

Uchiha not allowed in ANBU? Well, strike that for this one particular Uchiha. Danzo wants him badly.

Age restriction to join ANBU? Come on Hiruzen please just lower it by one year I really need this Uchiha to be working under me.

Danzo knew about Itachi’s fear of mass fighting and bloodshed. He used it to his advantage, told Itachi the safer option was for himself to murder the clan as opposed to a fight breaking out. The fighting would break outside the clan, spill into the streets…enemy nations would see this and seize the opportunity to attack the Leaf…and Itachi would bear witness to the bloody scene he saw when he was four years old.

Itachi wants more than anything to prevent mass fighting, so to him, scared as he is, it sounds better to be known as the rogue Uchiha who killed his clan, rather than the rest of the village being scared that they’re next. Is it logical? No! But if you actually cared for one second and stepped into his shoes and thought about it from his point of view, you could see how he would come to that conclusion.

So, let’s recap.

Danzo has been having one of his ROOT members tail Itachi since he was seven.

Danzo has pushed for Itachi to take the Chuunin exams….alone.

Danzo has pushed for Itachi to be made an exception into the ANBU role, and for the age restriction to be pulled down a year.Danzo has pressed Itachi for information from the clan meetings. When Itachi refuses, he murders an Uchiha and has two ROOT members take turn impersonating him and attending meetings.

Danzo has Shisui murdered, because Shisui’s plan of using KotoAmatsukami would have actually worked.

Danzo preys upon Itachi’s fear of a war that involves the whole of the village and other villages, to convince Itachi that the only viable solution is for Itachi to kill them so the other clans do not grow suspicious or weary.

Itachi did not choose mass murder. Itachi was manipulated into the ‘choice’ because he was a child who had fears and vulnerabilities that were preyed on. There are people with more power and influence than Itachi and he was merely a victim of them.

Even if he chose to stand with his clan, he simply would’ve been killed along with the rest of them. The massacre would have happened one way or another, Itachi’s cooperation be damned.

So again….the massacre was out of Itachi’s control.

**And a helpful edit by my friend Tai, the village got away with the Uchiha Clan Genocide because publicly, it’s considered it’s Itachi’s fault. A person killing their own family is a massacre, another system enacting a family wipe is a genocide. ]]

#itachi #itachi uchiha #uchiha itachi #meta #Anonymous #ask #ooc

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moffixxey · 6 years

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595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN Bank Above and beyond Ancient Bargain Anonymous Backdoor Best Authentic Banned Billion Automatic Behind the scenes Bonanza Backed Black Market Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted Cash Best-selling Bootleg Cheap Cancel anytime Censored Costly Certified Classified Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger Dollar Endorsed Concealed Double Foolproof Confessions Explode Guaranteed Confidential Extra Ironclad Controversial Feast Lifetime Covert Fortune Money-back Cover-up Free No Obligation Exotic Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden Frenzy No risk Forgotten Frugal No strings attached From the vault Gift No-fail Hidden Golden Official Hush-hush Greatest Permanent Illegal High-paying Privacy Insider Inexpensive Professional Little-known Jackpot Protected Lost Lowest price Proven Never seen before Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record Marked down Refund Off-limits Massive Reliable Outlawed Money Research Private Money-draining Results Restricted Money-saving Risk-free Sealed Nest egg Rock-solid Secret Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled Prize Scientific Strange Profit Secure Tried to hide Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized Reduced Survive Uncensored Rich Tested Under wraps Savings That never fails Undercover Six-figure Thorough Underground Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed Surge Unconditional Unexpected Treasure Verify Unlock Triple World-class Unreachable Waste Unspoken Wealth Unveiled Whopping Withheld

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂 → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible: → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued: → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

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Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding), you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.

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Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

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ronaldsmcrae86 · 6 years

Text

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

0 notes

sandranelsonuk · 6 years

Text

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

0 notes

janesnodgrass · 6 years

Text

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

0 notes

cherylxsmith · 6 years

Text

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

0 notes

laurendcameron · 6 years

Text

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Lauren Cameron Updates https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

0 notes

alanajacksontx · 6 years

Text

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of. That’s why I created this list.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again: → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started: → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires: → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

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Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

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Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Internet Marketing Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

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