It's fascinating to see how psychology comes into play in copywriting and content marketing. You just read the phrase "most persuasive words in the English language" and it rang a bell.
Within a fraction of a second, you click through and open this article
This is why I believe that psychology has a huge role not just in marketing, but also in blogging. Smart bloggers know about this; they saw writing on the wall. Therefore, you'd see them cashing in on every opportunity they could get their hands on. I'd give you some examples of how these pro-bloggers are already using the most persuasive words in blogging.
The interesting thing is that SEOs, webmasters, and bloggers use these catchy words everywhere they could possibly inject them to make the copy enticing.
Guess what, we often click on them because they're tempting and we want to see what's behind them.
They often use curiosity and urgency factors to increase the click-through rate.
You're about to discover a whole lot about these persuasive writing techniques that will boost your organic reach as well as social media attention.
The 5 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language
Let's dive deep into five most commonly used persuasive words that you should know and use to push your audience one step further:
#1: You
"You" is a second-person personal pronoun -- that's how grammar police would see it.
It's a widely used word in copywriting. "You" is an essential word in response posts' titles -- that's how we SEOs look at this word.
The good news is that it all adds up to this: if you're trying to stand out from the crowd, you got to come up with the right words. It doesn't matter whether you're creating blog post titles or YouTube video topics or Quora questions. The right words get you the attention you want.
"You" is such a strong word that works in every niche or industry. Advertising and marketing agencies know how to utilize words like this.
There are multiple reasons why a word like "you" matters in write-ups.
- Brands can connect with prospective audiences when they use such words because they could tap on the problems that their product can solve.
- It helps writers personalize their voice. It makes readers feel that they're talking to them.
- "You" is a word that gets the eyeballs. Since it allows the writer or advertiser to address the audience. So it creates an impact on the audience.
Example: Namecheap's Email Newsletter
Take a look at Namecheap's recent renewal email:
Take a look at Namecheap's recent renewal email:
They're good at using persuasive words. Hence, they started off the opening statement with the word "you."
The perk of using such words is that they don't seem difficult to interpret, but still carry weight to send the message across.
The above-mentioned statement is written in a bold and bigger font, which is intended to make the receiver realize that the clock is ticking.
So try capitalizing on such words to win the attention of the audience.
#2: Because
The next up is "because" which is commonly used in copywriting and blogging. This, however, is a conversational word, which means you'd hardly see someone using "because" in the headlines. But it doesn't necessarily mean it's not an important word.
Perhaps, it's a word that has an explanatory connotation attached to it. We use the word "because" when you're doing the following things:
- Giving a reasoning
- Sharing the analysis
- Describing a phenomenon
- Convincing someone
It's one of those persuasive words that show the speaker or writer's conviction and confidence.
For instance, let's compare the two sentences:
- I didn't go to John's party.
- I didn't go to John's party because I wasn't feeling very well.
Can you notice that sentence #2 explains a little better than the #1? The science behind that is the reasoning and descriptiveness of the argument. The word "because" often comes into play and connects the two sections of the sentences that make the point clearer.
Example: Spenser Haws' Newsletter
Take a look at this email newsletter:
Take a look at this email newsletter:
The email newsletter sender used the word “because” twice in the first four lines of the email newsletter.
He clearly seems to be convincing the reader early on in the email so that people could stick to it for a while.
The power of persuasive words is often seen best in emails, SEO content, and website copy. Perhaps, that's something that differentiates professionals from rookies.
#3: Free
There is hardly any glittery word than "free" in the English language. Not only is it understandable, but it also sends out a clear message. Sellers use this word to bring attraction to their offering. On the other hand, customers look out for products that are available for free.
You may find the buzzword "free" in the brick-and-mortar business model quite often. The next time you're walking through a supermarket, look at the shelves and find the products with discounts and offers. You may come across offers such as buy 1 and get 1 free or buy this and get that for free.
On the other hand, in the digital marketing space, the word "free" is probably overused, but most of the time, it works very well for the marketers.
Example: Search Engine Journal
Look at the email from Search Engine Journal:
They've used the word "free" not just in the email copy, but also in the call-to-action button.
Plus, you should also note that they've written the word free in capital letters, which is also a sign that they want readers to pay attention to the free offer.
It showcases that "free" is one of the persuasive words that companies, entrepreneurs, and marketers capitalize on wherever they can.
#4: New
It's a human nature that newness attracts us. We always wanted to know what's new in fashion, news, technology, politics, and almost in every area. Therefore, we look at the new thing to differentiate from the older one.
If you're into technology, have you not looked up the latest phone or the laptop on the internet? We all at some point get attracted to the newness.
Smart marketers understand how powerful the keyword "new" is for the copy as well as headlines. The reason this word convinces people to pay attention is that it tells about the updated version or the new collection or latest products.
Bloggers and marketers try to use this word in the blog post titles and social media content for the same reason.
Example: Neil Patel
Neil Patel is a well-known content marketer, blogger, and entrepreneur. He knows how to use the persuasive words in blog content and website copy.
Neil Patel is a well-known content marketer, blogger, and entrepreneur. He knows how to use the persuasive words in blog content and website copy.
Take a look at his email's subject:
The example uncovers how important such words are to send the message across.
Had he written "Google Algorithm Update", my response would have been a lot different.
I might not be very interested in that email because it won't have a solid reason to sell.
So don't neglect using such persuasive words that make your message more polished and attractive.
#5: Instantly
Have you ever seen a product's discount offer? It could be on a landing page or a popup box or in an email newsletter.
It is common among almost all offers you come across: the urgency factor
The urgency factor means there is always a clock ticking and telling you that this offer is going to go away after a certain period.
"Instantly" is one of those words in the English language that bloggers and marketers use to portray the timeline of an offer. Therefore, it has significance in copywriting.
Example: Pat Flynn
Take a look at Pat's email newsletter; he used the word "instantly" in the email subject:
One of the success secrets you should know is that always look at what the experts and influencers of your niche are doing and try to do similar things.
Tony Robbins talked about eliciting someone's strategy in his book called "Unlimited Power." According to this concept, one should study why a successful person has succeeded. Then, implement the secret sauce of that person and win.
What's the takeaway?
Writing well for the web is not just using Grammarly Free to correct your grammatical errors.
No, it’s much more than that.
I shared 5 most persuasive words that you can use in your blogging, copywriting, and content marketing to get attention, generate leads, and win customers.
However, it doesn't guarantee that once you use them, it will quickly turn the table around. The reason is that there are hundreds of other factors involved in making a website or a blog post successful.
Being an SEO geek, I keep an eye on the ups and downs of the SEO tactics as well as Google ranking factors.
Those five words won't fail you if you know where and how to use them.
For instance, if you got nothing to offer, but you send out an email to the subscribers with a subject like "Free Software." It'd certainly backfire and hurt your brand in the long term. Your subscribers might not trust your email the next time you reach out to them in their inbox.
The point is that if you use such persuasive words in your copy, then you better fulfill the promise you're making. Once you figure this out, this strategy is worth using it.
Do you know any persuasive words that I should keep an eye on?
Let me know in the comments or via Twitter.