Start using these 120 power words if you want more clients

Today I want to discuss your marketing vocabulary list, specifically positive power words and power words for sales. Words are powerful. The perfect word used at the right time can incite revolutions, destroy reputations, and attract your dream clients. The words you choose matter.

This is especially true when it comes to your business. Specific words will attract or repel your ideal client, and since you probably want to attract them, knowing what those power words for sales are is important.

“Power words” have different effects on your audience. In a nutshell, they activate intention and action, guiding people on a specific journey (for more about the journey, click here). Power words build trust and persuade people to act.

I love them! And now I want to share them with you because when you use these words with intention, you will notice more engagement and, well, passion among your audience.

BECAUSE

If you want someone to take a specific action, you need to explain why. It’s that simple. The word because is that bridge between what you are offering and what they lose if they don’t buy it (consequences) or what they gain if they do (benefits and transformation).

Notice how I did this in the paragraph above the subhead: … I want to share them with YOU BECAUSE when YOU use these words with intention, YOU will notice more engagement and, well, passion among your audience (gain; showing the benefit of using them).

Pretty cool, right?

Okay, let’s get into the other power words.

Words that tap into pain points

I prefer using positive power words that talk about gain and benefits, but consequences can be a more powerful motivator. Think: If you don’t lose 100 pounds you will be dead in a month (ouch, harsh… but that’s pretty motivating). Tapping into the fears and pain your clients have is a good way to lead them into the solution. That’s why these are good power words for sales. Caution though: I advise using these words sparingly. If all of your content is based on fear and pain, it will ultimately turn people off. So add them to your marketing vocabulary list, but use them with caution (especially the ones that can be triggering). Here are some of the proven power words for sales:

FOMO: Words that feel urgent

People do not like to miss out. FOMO is real, and it’s the reason shopping carts close, bonuses disappear, and space is limited. That’s why these are great power words for sales (and attracting your people in general).

While the consequences or benefits of buying (or downloading, or whatever the action you want is) are the driving force, it’s really the fear of missing out that compels people to actually go through with it.

Studies show that FOMO is more powerful than the benefit of gain. It’s strange, but that’s just how humans are wired. Words that create the FOMO feeling and create a sense of urgency include:

Exclusivity: Words that feel elite

People want what they can’t have… it’s like FOMO on steroids, but more positive. The more exclusive the prize, the more people will do crazy things to get it—like standing in a line for 2 days to get a brand new mobile device. 

People want to feel like they’re members of a special, elite club. So adding an element of exclusivity to your content increases the perceived value. The words to use? Check them out and note if they tend to get your attention.

Words that say “I’ve got your back”

Trust is huge. If you’re using the scarcity tactics all listed above, you really need to make sure you’re also building trust and using plenty of positive power words. Your people are hearing messages from a variety of sources, many of them contradicting each other. It’s frustrating and confusing. The more you can demonstrate trustworthiness, the more they’ll, um, trust you.

The best ways to build trust are with customer testimonials, reviews, and providing honest value to your people. However, there are also words you can use that make your people feel more secure, like you’ll be there for the long-haul. These words alone won’t create trust, but they’ll help. They are prominent on my own marketing vocabulay list!

Words that make a promise

Promises that you intend to keep sell. Sometimes these postive power words are also called guarantees. Basically, it’s the reassurance that you are the real deal and you have the confidence to back that up with a promise. 

Words that inspire or motivate

People often need a nudge of inspiration or motivation to act. Using words that make them feel powerful does the trick. Like with fear-based words, use these sparingly. Otherwise, they start losing their impact.

Consider my curiosity piqued…

How do you grab the attention of someone who has hundreds of choices about what to stop and focus their attention on? By piquing their curiosity. These words will stop them for those few seconds you need to grab attention. For that reason, these are particularly good words to use in headlines and subject lines.

And, of course, your own list of marketing power words

Like many things in marketing, you’ll need to experiment a bit to see what resonates most with you and with your clients. If any of these words feel really sleazy or gross to you, don’t use them. It’s okay. I would never use most of the words I’ve included here because they don’t work for me. No biggie. Perhaps pull out the thesaurus and see if there are other options that feel better to you.

Another great trick is to keep a list of words that catch your attention when you’re looking at ads, sales pages, emails, or blogs. If the words resonate with you, they’ll likely resonate with your ideal clients.

If you come across some great ones that I didn’t include (and trust me, I DID NOT include every power word in the dictionary), drop it in the comments. Let’s see if we can get a new list going.