FREE (in caps) - gift, report, video; reveals; discover; tips or tricks or strategies (include a number); "they don't want you to know"; WARNING; ATTENTION

"Who Else Wants..." is also a popular one, but I've never used it.

Also, give a time frame. "Burn 10 pounds of fat in 14 days"

Give a challenge. "Burn 10 pounds of fat in 14 days even if your metabolism sucks"

If a headline, cap the first letter in each word (unlike how I've done), and put it in quotes.

I've focused on headlines, since that is one of the most important components of an ad.

When you think about it - Both Shadow and Rezbi are right.

Now I hate to be overly pedantic but Ted's book is called -

"Magic Words That Bring You Riches"

I bought it well over 20 plus years ago. It's a great book.

The delicious irony is - and the most valuable thing I learned from it was... Nicholas said...

Take out the word "That" as many times as possible in your copy.


Steve

I believe another word that was mentioned in the book is the word "you".

People always want to read about themselves.

And also - "There is"... just remove those 2 words and everything gets a little tighter.

This is something I've been doing recently - and I think every copywriter should do it too.

It basically takes ordinary wimpy sentences - and turns them into marketing forces of nature.

I'm sure you've heard of power words, or action words before.

Words that give ordinary sentences a power-boost.

But instead of finding some list on the internet, here's what I suggest you do instead.

Read good marketing material, with a pen and paper in hand (or whatever you use). Start reading, and start taking notes.

Take a look at this Carlton ad.
Ghetto Counter Attacks with Diallo Fraizer

Notice how many of the yellow highlights plants a very vivid picture in your mind.

For example...

-more brutal and lethal than just about anything else I've seen

-South Chicago was a mean, gritty, unforgiving place.

-rip holes clean through his cheek

-gripping his skull like a bowling ball.

-literally tear off his bottom lip away

-he'll be a heap of unconscious flesh

-land a huge man on his ass

That piece is filled with words and phrases that tears through mental noise, and practically punches your prospects right in the center of their mind.

As you copy them down - take note of how they were used, and your emotional reaction. (I'd list them in alphabetical order - otherwise finding words will require you to untangle chaos.)

Don't be too picky with the words you decide to catalog.

You're looking for anything that causes any form of reaction.

As your list gets longer, start putting it into action.

When you write a line of copy - go through it and fine-tune it.

Find words that will give the sentence more punch.

Even though I think you should always be on the hunt for more words. And that copying a list and saying "that's a wrap" should be avoided.

Don't be afraid to comb lists of power words and add them to yours.

Here's some of my list in alphabetical order (probably badly alphabetized)

Accomplished

Accuracy (Pinpoint Accuracy)

Adrenaline

Advantages

Amazing

Ambush

Arouses

Astonish

A hundred thousand times

Benefit

Blow

Blunder

Botch

Bottle

Big (Big Winner)

Brag

Breathe

Bring Your Point Home

Bucks

Burglars

Burning

Case

Catch

Cheat

Clear

Close

Clone (It's like cloning yourself a hundred thousand times)

Concrete

Crazed

Cruise

Darned

Dead (Dead-Solid)

Death (Scares to death)

Deliver

Desperate

Disaster

Drags

Easy

Eliminate

Exhaustes

Explodes

Exquisitely

Eye popping


Feast

Flash

Flat

Flip

Fought

Frame of mind

Frustration

Full


Game (think of it as a little game of...)

Gamble

Godzilla

Gold



Hot

humiliates



Impact

Interesting

Insight

Install

Jab

Juicy

King

King Kong


Legendary


Limited

Lined up

literally

Little (Each simple little step...)

Loading (Loaded) (Load)

Locked

Key

Master

Mark

Meal

Multiply


Over The Top



Painless

painting pictures in your prospect's mind.

Pinpoint (Pinpoint Accuracy)

Pissed off

Possess

Power

Professional

Profitably

Proof (Burglar Proof - Bounce Proof)

Promised (It's as painless and easy as I promised)

Punching Bag

Punctured Baloon

Pumping

Rage

Rare

Raw

Respected

Riches

Ring

Savvy

Scares

Sensational

Severely

Short (Look at what you've just accomplised in only a few short hours.)

Sick

Sizzling

Slash

Smart

Smooth

Snap

Soften

Solid (Solid Gold)

Split (Split Second)

Startling

Stumbled


Tidbit

Trick

Tumbling

Twist

Useable

Uppercut

vicious

Wallop

Whacked

Winner (Big Winner)

-Andy