Many of us take words for granted, using them purely as a basic means of communication. But they’re a lot more than that, especially if we use them correctly. When used well, words can trigger a whole range of additional emotions rather than leaving readers with something bland and rather forgettable. The range of emotions that can be elicited from some word choices is absolutely astounding. What could have been a mundane piece of text can be transformed into that ‘wow’ moment we’ve all been after.
And with a fast-paced online world, it’s important to grab the reader’s attention and to do it quickly. With that in mind, you need to make sure that you’re talking about the emotion that underlies any action you want readers to take, rather than just the desired action. Think of it this way; if you want someone to click on an article, you need to evoke a sense of curiosity in that person to make them want to click. That’s where these target words come in.
Make them curious
So here’s the secret. If you want someone to click on your link, read your article or even head to your page at all, you need to put in some great emotional words that will arouse a desire in readers to find out that little bit more. Words such as controversial, banned, insider and confidential can all trigger the emotion that something is a little bit forbidden and makes even the best of us highly curious to know what is going on.
That unshakable desire to know will cause the reader to click on that article to find out more. And voila! You’ve succeeded in drawing them in. Curiosity is a powerful emotion, and this can be harnessed to your benefit. Make sure to include one of these types of words in the header so that this grabs the reader’s attention from the get-go. Having a few keywords in a subheading, or the opening sentence, won’t hurt you either.
Do you need anything quickly?
Sometimes the emotion you want to elicit is that sense of urgency. Maybe the issue is something to do with an action that needs to be done promptly. For example, this could cover things such as a sale – items are selling out – or that some item will offer great results but is in short supply. Whatever the situation, you need to get this across quickly to your readers so that they can act accordingly. There’s nothing better than urgency for spurring on an action!
Some of the keywords you can use to elicit this speedy reaction include missing out, important, quick, discount, sensational or remarkable. There are a lot of great words in this category that you can use, and all will spur on a fast response rate. No matter what you’re writing about, these will help you to seize your readers’ interest. Again, placing these in a prominent place within the title will help you to elicit this emotion from them.
Don’t be confused
In this day and age, you may have noticed that there are often articles or blogs that elicit confused or angry emotions. But how do they achieve this? Confusion is a great emotion to bring to the fore when you’re questioning the status quo or trying to make readers feel like they are missing out on something.
Doubtful, uncertain, awkward, inferior, incompetent
These are often words you will see in newspaper articles, especially when the piece is trying to push a point of view and get the reader to engage with it.
This method can subsequently lead to angry emotions that can elicit further actions down the line. This high level of arousal can help to drive support for a cause, opinion or even to share content. Words that are perfect in these high-intensity situations include repulsive, shameful, shocking, damaging, powerless, violent and many more. This category has one of the largest collection of options. But given that anger is effective when it comes provoking a reaction, it’s hardly surprising.
Satisfied customers
Finally, we come to those words that bring happiness and satisfaction to the reader. We don’t always want readers to be in high gear. Sometimes words like joy, fun-loving, playful, wonderful, funny and vibrant will work well when promoting something. This is particularly useful when it comes to selling products. Positive motivation is also a great emotion, with words such as daring, upbeat and hopeful promoting a positive attitude and gaining the desired responses to your words. Sometimes, positivity is just better!
Final words
Emotional words can push your writing to a higher level. However, it’s important not to put them in for the sake of it simply. Think about the emotion you want the reader to have and how it would help your goals and the required actions.
At Topcontent, we are always eager to help you. If you need motivation, you can always drop by our blog for some tips about writing. So, what are you waiting for? Head out there, get writing and infuse your work with some exciting words to bring out those emotions!
