Conversions are vital for any business, particularly if they impact ROI (return on investment).  

So, how can you increase your conversion rate, turning your website visitors into customers? How can you improve your CTR (click-through rate)? How can you capture your desired audience’s attention and persuade them to respond to your CTA (call to action)? 

In other words, what convinces people to click ‘Buy Now‘, ‘Download‘, or ‘Subscribe‘?

A combination of strategic SEO (search engine optimisation) and compelling content creation is only part of what’s necessary to attract your target audience to your website. Once there, they will need that extra nudge to convert. 

Ultimately, their emotions will drive them to click your CTA, i.e. how they feel about your brand and what you’re offering when they wonder whether to press the button.

The emotions they experience will heavily depend on the words you planted on the signposted route you created to lead them to your CTA.

Words have power. They have the power to convert.

Some words can trigger an emotional response from the reader, evoking a reaction. 

These words are known as power words.

So, supercharge your marketing campaigns and website copy using power words.  

We have collated 100 words that are proven to elicit emotional reactions, enabling you to turn more visitors into customers.

Before you explore our power words list, find out what makes a word powerful and why the right ones can work so effectively in marketing.

What are power words? 

Power words, or trigger words, are emotionally charged, often playing on feelings related to fear, greed, curiosity, anxiety, safety, lust, and excitement.

These words trigger emotions from individuals due to their experiences, beliefs, needs, or dreams.

Strong power words typically exaggerate a statement, turning an otherwise simple sentence into something persuasive, thus prompting readers to scroll through content and, ultimately, take action.

Why are power words important in copy?

Overall, the copy on a website or marketing campaign paints a picture of how a business can help a reader – this means that the words used matter!

Power words elevate copy, empowering marketing campaigns and the message a brand is trying to put across.

By using trigger words, businesses can maximise touchpoints at every stage of a customer’s journey. 

For example, emotions drive purchasing decisions, boosting conversion rates, and customers’ emotional connections with a business will help keep them loyal, turning them into repeat customers.

As mentioned, trigger words are effective in copywriting because of a reader’s past experiences, wants, needs, and so on, making audience research essential for any business wishing to advance its marketing strategy. 

The key emotions that businesses aim to trigger from readers are as follows:

• A sense of urgency – fear.
• A sense of longing – desire.
• A sense of security – trust.

Since the above emotions are proven to turn website visitors into customers, we’ve focused on 100 words that trigger these emotions.

A list of powerful words to trigger emotions 

Discover the power words you can implement in your content to elicit emotional responses from your target audience. This will help to boost the overall percentage of people who complete a desired action on your website or other online content, a practice known as conversion rate optimisation.

Words that create urgency

Fear is a powerful motivator; therefore, research your target audience and find out their fears so that you can use power words to play on their pain points.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is a common feeling experienced by millennials and Gen Zs. This knowledge should empower you to use words that create a sense of urgency around your marketing campaigns, a tactic often used in scarcity marketing. 

Find out more about scarcity marketing and how the marketing team at Mattel effectively used it to promote the Barbie movie. 

Whether creating short or long-form content, detail the problem to your target audience before explaining why your product/service is the solution.

The following words will help to persuade your audience that immediate action is required.

1. Bargain.
2. Bonus.
3. Cheap.
4. Deadline.
5. Exclusive.
6. Expiring.
7. Extra.
8. Fast.
9. Final.
10. Hurry.
11. Immediate.
12. Imperative.
13. Instant.
14. Insurance.
15. Lifetime.
16. Limited.
17. Now.
18. Paramount.
19. Prompt.
20. Quick.
21. Rare.
22. Reduced.
23. Safe.
24. Savings.
25. Swift.
26. Temporary.
27. Today.
28. Ultimate.
29. Value.
30. Vital.

Words that affirm or trigger desire

Affirmation and desire go hand in hand when businesses want to promote their products/services, which is why our following list of power words includes ones that trigger longing as well as those that help people feel good about themselves.

For example, businesses may aim for readers to believe that they NEED their product or service to improve their life, looks, and so on – words that trigger desire can help them achieve this.

Using powerful adjectives to describe the quality of your product or service, will help you to emphasise its features and benefits effectively. 

You can also use affirmative words to describe how the reader will feel/look once they acquire the product/service. 

1. Amazing.
2. Astonishing.
3. Astounding.
4. Blissful.
5. Breathtaking.
6. Celebrated.
7. Colossal.
8. Craving.
9. Daring.
10. Decadent.
11. Deluxe.
12. Effortless.
13. Extraordinary.
14. Eye-opening.
15. Fabulous.
16. Fearless.
17. Fierce.
18. Flawless.
19. Hero.
20. Hope.
21. Irresistible.
22. Lavish.
23. Lust.
24. Mesmerising.
25. Phenomenal.
26. Prestige.
27. Provocative.
28. Remarkable.
29. Seductive.
30. Staggering.
31. Striking.
32. Stunning.
33. Supercharge.
34. Unbelievable.
35. Unique.

Words that build trust

Now, more than ever, with so many businesses fighting to be noticed online, consumers seek out brands they can trust, making using security words an essential part of any marketing campaign.

So, put your audience at ease by creating content that builds trust. 

For example, demonstrate that other consumers use your product/service. Include testimonials on your landing pages and emphasise the proven benefits of your product/service. 

Also, words that build trust eliminate typical customer concerns, reducing their anxieties and enabling them to find it easier to click ‘Buy Now!‘.  

1. Accredited.
2. Approved.
3. Authentic.
4. Authoritative.
5. Bestselling.
6. Cancel anytime.
7. Certified.
8. Complete.
9. Definitive.
10. Endorsed.
11. Expert.
12. Fail-proof.
13. Genuine.
14. Guaranteed.
15. Honest.
16. Influence.
17. Official.
18. Patented.
19. Powerful.
20. Professional.
21. Protected.
22. Proven.
23. Refund.
24. Reliable.
25. Research-backed.
26. Results.
27. Scientific.
28. Secure.
29. Solution.
30. Strategy.
31. Tested.
32. Thorough.
33. Validate.
34. Verified.
35. Worry-free.

How to use power words in your marketing 

Now you understand the power words you can use to elevate your copy; however, you may wonder how to implement them successfully within your marketing campaigns or on your website and social media platforms.

Below are just a few tips on using strong words to trigger an emotional response from your target audience.

• Don’t be hyperbolic; be specific. If you use words that are too exaggerated to describe your products or services, your readers will likely think that you are overstating the truth or, worse, lying, which will diminish their trust in your brand.

Furthermore, too many inflated words can cause your readers to become confused or lose interest, missing the purpose of your copy completely.

To avoid the above, use power words that accurately and succinctly define what you offer, honing in on how your brand can benefit your audience.

The next point will help you to do this!

• Be intentional about the emotion you wish to achieve from your readers. 

Identify your target audience’s pain points and needs. This understanding will enable you to implement the right power words to evoke a specific emotion from the reader, effectively nudging them further down the sales funnel.

• Make your copy read easily. When implementing keywords to boost SEO, you must ensure that it doesn’t affect the readability of your content. The same applies when using power words.

Power words should elevate your copy, not drag it down. Readers will quickly leave your website if they don’t understand what you’re trying to say, so ensure your message is clear, with powerful words that direct readers the way you want them to go, i.e. to your CTA. 

• Aim to be interesting, not impressive. Whenever you write copy, you should keep sight of why you’re creating it, whether to inspire, educate, or entertain your audience. Readers will not be dazzled by a bunch of power words if there’s nothing there to support them.

So, ensure you write high-quality content that has value to your target audience. Do your research and bring something new to the table. There will be a thousand ads and blogs like the one you’re creating, so make yours stand out by doing something different. Then, and only then, have a play with power words.

Where to use power words

You can implement power words anywhere on your website and in your marketing campaigns; however, they may lose their “power” if overused, particularly if you add them to areas where an emotional response is not necessarily required. 

If you do overuse power words, by the time your reader comes to the critical point of your copy, i.e. the CTA (if they even get there!), they’ll have become immune to them, and the only emotion they’ll experience is boredom.

So, be frugal with your power words, implementing them in the areas that matter the most, such as the following:

• Headings – Trigger curiosity.
• Subheadings – Allow for scanning.
• Landing pages – Effectively direct visitors to a specific product/service.
• CTAs – Attract your audience at the top of the funnel (TOFU). 
• Emails – Give value to your audience in the middle of the funnel (MOFU).
• Product pages and contact page – Convert your audience at the bottom of the funnel (BOFU).
• Social media ads – Enable you to maximise short (often character-limited) posts.

Use words sparingly and wisely

The power of words is not to be underestimated, nor the emotions they can trigger from readers.

But it is worth noting that not every ad needs words. 

Many people, particularly when perusing the internet on their phones, don’t want to stop to read a post or blog. They want to understand the benefit of a product or service by making as little effort as possible. 

Sometimes, an image is enough to help them establish this in these circumstances.

However, you can (and should!) use words to optimise images for SEO purposes. For example, use powerful words to create an alt tag that accurately describes the image. This will help Google identify what the picture is, and it will also enable access to visually impaired people. 

Furthermore, great brands don’t use power words to sell products/services; they use them to sell stories.

For example, Nike tells a compelling and empowering story with just a few short words; their slogan, ‘Just Do It’, was coined in 1988 and has become a beacon of perseverance, motivating people from all over the globe to reach their dreams.

So, if you are wondering how to increase your business’s sales online, think about the story you’re trying to tell.

On the subject of empowerment and motivation, below are 5 bonus words to inspire action from your target audience:

1. Buy.
2. Free.
3. Join.
4. Subscribe.
5. Submit.

Used alongside valuable content that triggers desire, builds trust, or creates urgency, these words can transform your copy into an effective CTA, turning readers into subscribers and visitors into customers.

You now know how to improve your copywriting to increase online sales and conversion rates. However, if you still need help, contact Fly High Media.

We offer several digital marketing services, such as content marketing and social media marketing, to elevate a business’s online profile.

Our digital marketing agency is trustworthy, and our approach is client-focused, so you can be confident that we’ll create a strategic and bespoke solution that suits your business, enabling you to achieve your desired results.