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7 Types of Power Words That Pack a Punch

And how you can use them to attract your audience


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Kristina Segarra

3 years ago | 5 min read

Photo by Evelyn Chong from Pexels

Power words are words that trigger a particular emotion — positive or negative. Power words connect with the emotions of your readers.

Power words help drive traffic and engagement. And, last but not least, they compel people to take action.

If you are a content writer, copywriter, or content marketer, having power words in your arsenal will help you make your writing persuasive and effective.

You can use them in many ways, from helping you sell a product or service, sell an ebook or a course, or build an email list.

Power words pack a punch and, if used correctly, can significantly elevate your story and the message you’re trying to convey through your words. Just as you can spice up any bland dish with seasoning, you can elevate your writing by spicing it up with power words.

Let’s Look at Seven Types of Power Words

1. Fear power words

Examples of fear words can be plummet, catastrophe, cripple, crisis, scary, warning, danger, etc.

Here are examples of headlines with a fear word: “7 Warning Signs That You’re at Risk of a Heart Attack” or “The Shocking Truth About TV News”.

2. Encouragement power words

Examples of encouragement words: life-changing, breathtaking, stunning, mind-blowing, master, power.

Examples of headlines using one of these words: “3 Life-changing hacks to boost your business” or “How to power up your productivity”.

3. Lust power words

Examples of lust words are captivating, charming, passionate, adorable, mouthwatering.

Here are examples of headlines: “5 Mouth-watering Dishes That Will Please Your Tastebuds” or “10 Charming Vacation Spots”.

4. Anger power words

Examples are annoying, rude, brutal, nasty, ravage, punish, rude.

Examples of headlines could be “7 Rude Comments to Say to Your Co-workers” or “The Anger of the Population Provoked By the Pandemic”.

5. Greed power words

Examples of greed words can be money, money-saving, massive, dollar, rich, cheap.

Examples of headlines could be “5 Money-Saving tips That Will Help You Save More Money” or “3 Costly Mistakes You Need to Avoid When Running a Business.”

6. Safety power words

When marketing yourself, you want your potential buyers to trust you and feel safe. And the way to guarantee that you deliver what you promise is by using safety power words.

Examples of these words are results-driven, proven, guaranteed, money-back, risk-free, foolproof.

Examples of headlines using these words: “5 Proven Strategies To Increase Reader Engagement” or “How You Can Start Any Side Hustle Risk-Free.”

7. Forbidden power words

As human beings, we’re naturally curious, so when we see a forbidden word we’re prompted to unlock something that’s hidden from us. That’s why using forbidden words in headlines will make people want to click on it even more.

Examples could be secret, revelation, shocking, thought-provoking, confessions, or private.

Examples of headlines would be: “The Secret to Getting Massive Traffic on Your Website” or “3 Countries That Banned TikTok.”

How and Where To Use Power Words

1. Use power words in your titles and subtitles

One of the great ways to use power words, which you’re probably already familiar with, is in your headlines. Your headline can include a power word, but that doesn’t mean it will be clickbait.

Headlines are the heart of your article, so they must be captivating and lure the reader in. The presence of power words in your headline can make a huge difference.

It can mean the difference between the reader staying on the page and reading your story or leaving.

A clever and captivating headline will draw the reader in. If your headline is bland, no one will click and read your article, no matter how good it is. All you need is to sprinkle one or two power words in your headline to make it work.

2. Use power words in the email subject line

If you’re building an email list, power words can help your email stand out from the crowd. A typical email user these days gets tons of e-mail every day. How do you make sure yours gets read and not lost in the sea of emails?

A great way to do that is by using power words in your email subject lines.

Let’s look at two examples:

  1. The three principles of content creation
  2. The three underrated principles of content creation

Which one sounds more appealing? The second one is definitely the winner as the use of the word “underrated” punches it up.

OR

  1. How to use the power of creative writing
  2. How to unleash the power of creativity

The second one is stronger, as the word “unleash” taps into the reader’s emotion and makes them feel there’s something hidden inside that they need to reveal.

So before you send out another email to your list, don’t forget to add a power word to your subject line.

3. Use Power words in Opt-In boxes

How do you convert readers into subscribers? By using the Opt-in feature, which you can put on your homepage, your posts, or in a pop-up window.

And what words you put into your opt-in message matters a lot.

Your goal is to make people click on it and sign up. To do this, what you put in must catch their attention so they jump into action.

Again, using power words will work like magic.

4. Use power words on your website

Every website has a homepage. The homepage is the first page visitors see when visiting your website. If you want to make a good first impression, make this page stand out.

Using power words on your homepage will help you do just that. This is what will make your visitors stay on your page and explore it further.

5. Use power words in business and blog names

Whether you start your own blog or a website, the first thing you’ll need to do is come up with an unforgettable name. This will ensure the name you pick will stick in people’s brains for easy recall.

And how do you make it punchy? By using a power word in your name. The word you pick can make all the difference.

Here’re examples of blog names that have power words: Real-life Lifestyle, Free Lifestyle, Luxurious Living, The Frugal Livelihood.

6. Use power words in product descriptions

Power words aren’t just for business and blog names. You can use them for product descriptions too. If you look around you’ll see power words in every product description that’s out there.

And they are there for a reason — to add a punch. To knock the potential buyers off their feet and make them want to buy a product.

Power words are a driving factor behind all successful sales. And that’s the reason businesses hire seasoned copywriters to write the alluring product descriptions to entice customers.

7. Use power words on sales pages

As the name suggests, the purpose of the sales page is to convince a person to buy whatever you’re offering — a product or a service.

The more convincing your sales copy is the higher the chances that the buyer will sell on your offer.

A highly effective sales page will help convert readers into subscribers. Using power words in your sales pages is what will make your sales page persuasive.

This will help you grab readers’ attention and spark a genuine interest in your product or service.

The Bottom Line

Power words are an essential tool you can use in any business. They help connect people’s emotions, trigger a reaction, and take action. Whether you’re trying to sell a product or a service, power words will help you succeed and achieve your goals.

You can effectively use power words in:

  • Titles and subtitles
  • Email subject lines
  • Opt-in boxes
  • Websites
  • Business and blog names
  • Product descriptions
  • Sales pages

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Kristina Segarra

I'm a freelance writer, musician and a mom of two kids. I love writing on health-related, self-improvement, and writing topics as well as world events.


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