Super Verbs Really Move Your Copy
By Karon Thackston |
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.
About the Author
By Karon Thackston © 2004 http://www.learn-copywriting.com Karon is a
professional copywriter with over 20 years of success. If you're tired of
endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting
techniques, or if you need an up-to-date directory filled with the best ways to
learn copywriting, then visit Karon's directory at
http://www.learn-copywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most
popular copywriting resources available.
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