Words Matter — How A Single Word Makes All The Difference

You likely know that specific words matter. You click on a headline because a single word strikes you.

What you may not know is, you click a call-to-action link or a signup button solely because a word creates relevance & emotion.

So really, how much do words matter?

The research behind this power of words is incredibly deep. Researchers have found that the word you use to describe a car accident (“contacted” vs. “smashed”) paints the way eyewitnesses view the event. Another study found that simple stock names that are easier to pronounce lead to quicker gains post-IPO.

Perhaps my favorite study is one shared by  Brian Clark of Copyblogger. Social psychologist Ellen Langer tested the power of a single word in an experiment where she asked to cut in line at a copy machine. She tried three different ways of asking:

“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” – 60% said OK

“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?” – 94% said OK

“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?” – 93% said OK

I don’t know about you, but I thought Langer’s third request was rather elementary. Yet it didn’t matter. The trigger word “because” was all she needed. 

The takeaway: As single words matter, when you want people to take action, always give a reason using an influential word or phrase! 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get “The 12 Most Influential Words In The English Language” — put together to help you chose the right words for your marketing copy — proven and guaranteed to get you better results!

---