100 of the most powerful marketing words.

Written by Cole Schafer

May 14, 2018

Raise your hand if you’ve ever read an advertisement and have then felt compelled to buy what that advertisement was selling?

You can put your hand down now. No need to freak out your coworkers.

Marketers and advertisers have been harnessing the power of words to sell you things like car insurance, sugary cereal, lambskin condoms and Air Jordans for centuries.

This is an art and a science called copywriting, which basically means to sell products and services through powerful marketing words.

While traditionally, copywriting has been used in things like newspapers, magazine advertisements, billboards and direct sales letters… today copywriting has crept its way into every nook and cranny of the digital world. It’s on websites. It’s in emails. It’s on landing pages. It’s in podcasts. It’s everywhere.

Now, while in this article I can’t teach you how to become a killer copywriter (I can only do that if you buy my copywriting guide)… I can give you a few words to think about when writing your next product description, headline, slogan or what have you.

While you might be skeptical, the words we use matter… a lot.

In an article I published last week, I brought up a number of online brands that spend a considerable amount of time and energy on writing their blog headlines. Why? Because in some cases they have seen a 500% improvement in share-ability.

I have even noticed this myself when writing anything from articles to my Sticky Notes emails. For example, to get you to click this post, I used the word “powerful”… which is actually somewhere on our list today.

Anyways, below, you will find 100 of the most powerful marketing words –– each of which has been placed into various categories. The words that have an “*” next to them are what the late David Ogilvy considered to be the most persuasive words in advertising.

Never heard of this Ogilvy character? He is widely considered to be the greatest advertiser of all time. So, while I believe all these marketing words are powerful, pay extra attention to Ogilvy’s.

Let’s begin.

Powerful marketing words that make a promise.

Promising something to your prospective customer sells. One way to get your readers to turn into buyers is to make them a promise that’s worth buying. Below you will find a handful of powerful marketing words that can help you make this promise.

1. Guarantee

2. Sale

3. Unconditional

4. Promise

5. Risk-free

6. Pledge

Powerful marketing words that create a sense of urgency.

In marketing and advertising, time is your friend. Use it. If your customer only has 3-weeks to accept your offer, remind them that time is running out.

7. Now *

8. Expires

9. Quick *

10. Instantaneously

11. Immediately

12. Soon

13. Hurry *

14. Instantly

15. Suddenly *

16. Going-fast

17. Minute

18. Second

19. Last

Powerful marketing words that help your customers feel at ease.

If you’re jumping off the high-dive at the public pool, you like to know how deep it is. 12 feet makes you feel more at ease than say 3 feet. Your customer is trading her hard-earned money for your product or service, this can be as scary as jumping off the high-dive –– make sure she is at ease. Here are a few powerful marketing words that can help.

20. Bargain *

21. Easy *

22. Best-seller

23. Satisfaction

24. Simple

25. Smooth

26. Painless

27. Light

28. no-fuss

29. Cinch

30. Straight-forward

31. Success

32. Ironclad

33. Safe

34. money-back

35. Protected

36. Privacy

37. Tested

Powerful marketing words that give your product a premium feel.

If you’re buying bottled water, you probably don’t give a rip whether or not it is premium –– unless you’re a big fan of Fiji. Now… cars, houses, denim jeans, designer kicks and sunglasses are different. If you’re selling a luxury versus a commodity, make your customer aware of the luxury they’re buying by utilizing these powerful marketing words.

38. State-of-the-art

39. Invite-only

40. Fresh

41. Hand-crafted

42. Small-batches

43. Pristine

44. Spick-and-span

45. Brand-new

46. Premium

47. luxurious

48. Wealthy

Powerful marketing words that create a feeling of exclusivity.

Exclusivity is simple. If you and I were to walk into a gas station to buy a candy bar and the clerk were to say –– you can have any candy bar in this place but this particular one isn’t for sale –– you and I would look twice at the candy bar that wasn’t for sale. People want what they can’t have and they want what other people can’t have –– this is called exclusivity. The words we use can help high-quality products and services be more highly sought-after than others.

49. Secret

50. Limited

51. Rare

52. Few

53. Edition

54. Unique

55. Exotic

56. Select

57. Authentic

58. Model

Powerful marketing words that inspire or motivate.

The late Zig Ziglar was famous for saying, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” You, myself and our customers don’t wake up motivated or inspired –– the feeling comes and goes. Our job as marketers and advertisers is to help our customers get inspired and motivated to buy whatever we’re selling. This doesn’t magically happen. Igniting the feeling requires well-placed powerful marketing words that start a fire.

59. Revolutionary *

60. Extraordinary

61. Amazing *

62. Remarkable *

63. Startling *

64. Sensational *

65. Magic *

66. Miracle *

67. You

68. Improvement *

69. Results

Powerful marketing words that tickle your customer’s curiosity.

Today, selling is about getting your prospect to stop scrolling. When writing copy, this needs to be in the back of your mind at all times –– how can I get Bob to stop scrolling at 100 mph? The powerful marketing words you’ll find below can help you freeze your customer's thumbs.

70. Announcing *

71. Start

72. Stop

73. Running

74. Deal

75. Introducing *

76. Offer *

77. Compare *

78. Challenge *

79. Wanted *

80. Discover

81. Release

82. Soon

Powerful marketing words that are lesser-known and perhaps a bit eccentric (a.k.a my personal favorites).

I tend to get a little bit flashy when it comes to writing copy. This can be either a strength or a weakness depending on the circumstance. While I think all marketers and advertisers should write with the goal to sell simply and powerfully… sometimes you just have to spice things up. Here are a few of my personal favorites when it comes to powerful marketing terminology.

83. Dazzling

84. Ravishing

85. Brilliant

86. Honeyed

87. Compelling

88. Ultra

89. Plethora

90. Unicorn

91. Zesty

92. Cosmic

93. Supernova

94. Killjoy