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View Full Version : Using Sell Words in Your Descriptions and Ads



Harold Mansfield
02-07-2009, 08:22 PM
There is always a lot of rules about words that you shouldn't use when writing your headlines and descriptions online.
Reasons range from wasting space to words that SE's consider spam triggers (I don't really buy that one, but I do stay way from the word "free").

Recently I awoke to the fact that some of my copy is boring. :o Not really news, I knew I was challenged in that area.

Many of us use Bum Marketing to get as much free traffic as we can before shelling out the bucks, but those efforts are wasted if we don't capture peoples attention. I frequently use the online Thesaurus for alternative words, but I have a hard time being creative off the top of my head.

I have a list of "excitement" words that I fall back on frequently to jazz up my articles, and descriptions.
They are:

Absolutely..
Amazing..
Approved..
Attractive..
Authentic..
Bargain...
Beautiful..
Better..
Big..
Colorful..
Colossal..
Complete..
Confidential..
Crammed..
Delivered..
Direct..
Discount..
Easily..
Endorsed..
Enormous..
Excellent..
Exciting..
Exclusive..
Expert..
Famous..
Fascinating..
Fortune..
Free..
Full..
Genuine..
Gift..
Gigantic..
Greatest..
Guaranteed..
Helpful..
Highest..
Huge..
Immediately..
Improved..
Informative..
Instructive..
Interesting..
Largest..
Latest..
Lavishly..
Liberal..
Lifetime..
Limited..
Lowest..
Magic..
Mammoth..
Miracle..
Noted..
Odd..
Outstanding..
Personalized..
Popular..
Powerful..
Practical..
Professional..
Profitable..
Profusely..
Proven..
Quality..
Quickly..
Rare..
Reduced..
Refundable..
Remarkable..
Reliable..
Revealing..
Revolutionary..
Scarce..
Secrets..
Security..
Selected..
Sensational..
Simplified..
Sizable..
Special..
Startling..
Strange..
Strong..
Sturdy..
Successful..
Superior..
Surprise..
Terrific..
Tested..
Tremendous..
Unconditional..
Unique..
Unlimited..
Unparalleled..
Unsurpassed..
Unusual..
Useful..
Valuable..
Wealth..
Weird..
Wonderful.

The past week or so, I have seen a definite performance improvement in my ads by adding some of these "zingers".

Looking to add to this list.

Do you guys have any others that put a little more zing in your copy ?

vangogh
02-09-2009, 10:33 AM
Nice list. Thanks for sharing. I can't say I have a list ready to grab from when I need to punch up a headline, but I'm usually thinking about those kind of words while writing the title. Maybe creating a list like this would make sense for me.

jem
02-09-2009, 10:46 AM
I have a book (not at hand right now - I'm out of the office) called "Words That Sell"

I HIGHLY recommend it. It basically has lists of phrases/words by category e.g. budget words, luxurious words, safety words etc etc

Every time I am writing copy I reach for it - I always find just the right word or phrase.

Here is the link on Amazon (not an aff link) Amazon.com: Words that Sell, Revised and Expanded Edition: Richard Bayan: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Words-that-Sell-Revised-Expanded/dp/0071467858/)

Simon

KristineS
02-09-2009, 12:36 PM
The only problem with using these sorts of words is that everyone uses these sorts of words and after a while the words start to lose their effectiveness. When everyone's offer is "amazing" or "exciting" or whatever, than after a while the words don't trigger the same response.

I agree that calls to action are important, and using descriptive language is important. I guess I would just maintain it's not so much the words you use as how you use them.

Harold Mansfield
02-09-2009, 01:57 PM
Kristine I definitely agree with that.
My problem is, that when I am actually writing the copy, I all of a sudden draw a blank and can't think of one expressive or exiting word.
As I said, I use a thesaurus a lot, but it's hard to find a word, when you don't have an idea in the first place.
That's what the list does for me.

Other phrases that I use for articles are:
"Do it yourself" or "DIY", "How To", and lists....

"Top 3 things", "5 most popular...", "10 Things you didn't know..." "6 things you need to know..." and so forth seem to work as well.

KristineS
02-09-2009, 03:21 PM
A lot of copywriting sites do recommend the "Three Tips" or "10 things" idea. I've used it a time or two myself. If nothing else it does help with organizing your piece.