“Super Verbs” Really Move Your Copy
By Karon Thackston © 2004 http://www.learn-copywriting.com
Run or hustle? Eat or devour? Move or scurry? You can boost the
power of your copy by boosting the quality of verbs you use.
Verbs show action, and the way you describe that action can have
a dramatic bearing on your readers. Why would you want to fill
your copy with complacent words when you can conjure emotions
and visual imagery in the hearts and minds of your readers?
Sure, “run” and “hustle” both indicate that someone is moving
fast. But “run” is a dull, ordinary verb while “hustle” evokes
definite images in your reader’s mind.
Hadn’t really thought about it? You should! You can choose
commonplace verbs like “talk,” “make,” and “like,” or you can
electrify your copy instead with verbs like “chatter,”
“discover,” and “adore.”
Look at these examples to see what I mean:
Before
Down Comforters Let You Get Warm
When it’s cold outside, get into bed and warm up with our
genuine goose down comforters. There’s no reason to be cold when
you can heat things up instead!
After
Down Comforters Let You Snuggle
When it’s cold outside, leap into bed and burrow down with our
genuine goose down comforters. There’s no reason to shiver when
you can snuggle instead!
See the difference? The latter paints a more vivid picture of
the comforter than the former.
Review this one…
Before
Whether you’re doing aerobics, Pilates, or any other workout,
Ziox sneakers will give you the support you need. Specifically
made for indoor low- and high-impact exercise, Ziox is created
to keep you on the path to meeting your fitness goals.
After
Whether you’re performing an aerobic, Pilates, or other workout,
Ziox sneakers will offer you the support you need. Specifically
engineered for indoor low- and high-impact exercise, Ziox is
designed to keep you on the path to accomplishing your fitness
goals.
What’s the difference? Why are the “afters” so much more
powerful than the “befores”? Because compelling verbs were used.
Verbs bring the action to your copy. They give the reader (or at
least they should give the reader) something to envision. You
need Super Verbs to entice your readers. For example, instead of
just “get into bed,” we say, “leap into bed.” Instead of “being
cold” and “heat things up” we say, “shivering” and “snuggle.”
When you read that, you begin to envision what action is taking
place in a very specific way.
Where do you find these Super Verbs? Everywhere you look! Here’s
a short list. You can also visit free sites like
http://www.thesaurus.com for more.
Verbs vs. Super Verbs
Accent - emphasize, underscore Break - smash, crush, demolish
Eat - consume, devour, feast Forgive - pardon, excuse,
overlook Hate - detest, loathe, despise Imagine - envision,
conjure, conceptualize Improve - enhance, refine, perfect Jump
- leap, lunge, bound Learn - discover, grasp, comprehend Like
- admire, adore, cherish, delight in Make - create, engineer,
design Promise - vow, swear Reveal - manifest, unveil, disclose
Take some time to go beyond the ordinary. Find a few Super Verbs
to use in your copy in order to boost excitement and interest in
the products/services you write about. That added attention,
which Super Verbs bring, can easily correlate to additional
sales.
