10 buzz words to attract the reader’s attention and when to use them

As long as people have wanted to sell stuff to other people, they have used words to persuade, entice and close the deal. They know that some words were more compelling and engaging than others. These are power words – they connect with some of our basest instincts and responses … and that’s why they work.

So when you are putting together tweets, Facebook updates, emails or words for your advertising, what words could you be using to get more attention, and how should you be using them?

FREE  – let’s start with an obvious one. Free is universally appealing, but don’t be afraid of it. Try promoting something as being free, even if you never usually charged for it anyway. ‘Free initial 30 minute consultation’ ‘Free IT Healthcheck’ ‘Free delivery’

PROVEN – this can be very powerful in an online world full of ‘unproven’ things. If you have stats to back this up, then it adds even more power to the word

SAVE – again an old favourite, but it doesn’t just have to be in relation to money. Save can be ‘save time’ ‘save hassle’

YOU / YOUR – everyone cares about themselves. Try moving away from the third person and make direct contact with you audience. ‘This widget saves you hours of housework every week’ is far more powerful than ‘Saves hours of housework ever week’

NOW – you can’t beat a bit of urgency and now is a word we all react to. So ‘call now’, ‘visit our website now’, ‘find out more now’

BECAUSE – people are more likely to do something if you give then a reason, so because is a very powerful word. L’Oreal have it right in their strapline ‘Because you’re worth it’

THE – such a common word which isn’t particularly powerful in its own right but when used at the beginning of headlines it has authority and sounds like the definitive answer to a question. ‘The solution to the age old problem of ….’

VALUE – value is a good concept and the word is powerful, although there is a caveat here because it can be seen flogged to death in many marketing messages and content. Value needs to be justified not merely claimed.

MORE – who doesn’t want more? So what ‘more’ can you give your audience

LOVE – don’t be afraid of using this word, it injects passion into your words and shows you aren’t a faceless business.

So when you are next pulling together some conetnt for a leaflet, web page, email or even social media page, think about what power words you coul ue that will really get a response fomr your target audience.