The Ultimate List of Power Words to Try in Your Blog Post Titles

Whenever you perform a search, browse through links on a news page, or scroll through your social media feed, you’re faced with a choice. Which of those links do you click on? All you have to go on, typically, is a headline, perhaps a thumbnail, and maybe a brief blurb describing the contents of the page. You need to choose.

This decision point is critical for marketers. Our goal is to get you to click on our pages over the pages of others. There are a lot of different ways to do this, but the most common one is using power words in your blog post or page titles.

What are power words? Simply put, they’re words that convey some kind of emotional meaning, add impact, or modify the title in some way to make it more compelling. Power words can make you think a post is greater than similar posts or that it’s more relevant, more timely, or generally better. They can also strike on fears, anger, anxiety, or other emotions as well. Nearly any adjective or adverb can be a power word, for example. So, it’s all about how you use them in a way that is both reasonable and compelling.

It’s hard to use power words without knowing what they are, though, so I’ve put together an excellent list of power words you can try.

How Power Words are Categorized

How can you sort out power words? Truthfully, there are many different ways to organize them because words can have many different meanings, connotations, and associations. I’ve seen people organize them by whether they’re sensory, emotional, or enticing. I’ve seen people organize them by goal, like stimulating FOMO, attracting attention, or spurring an emotional reaction. I’ve broken my list down into categories of rough associations, but one thing you’ll notice as you read them is that many of the words on the list can fit into numerous categories.

If you want to be more granular, you can break them down into an association with a human need. For example, Eric Whitman developed a system of desires, 17 in total, that drive human behavior. Eight of them are innate to all people:

• Survival and the extension and enjoyment of life.
• Enjoyment of food and beverage.
• Freedom from danger, fear, and pain.
• Sexual companionship.
• Comfort in living.
• Superiority, or at least parity with those around you.
• Care and protection of loved ones.
• Social approval and recognition.

The remaining nine are learned, things you develop over time through living:

• Curiosity
• To be informed
• Cleanliness
• Efficiency
• Convenience
• Dependability
• Expression of style
• Economy
• Bargains

You could then break down your power words into associations with these categories.

What method of breaking down power words is the best? Frankly, I prefer the method of associating them with your goals. Power words to inspire link clicks, power words to inspire email openings, power words to drive conversions. Unfortunately, these categories tend to be broad and less helpful unless you’re generally quite familiar with the terms on your list, so that’s not the categorization method I’ve used below.

How to Use Power Words Properly

It’s one thing to be aware of power words, and it’s another thing entirely to know how to use them. Fortunately, it’s almost – but not quite – as easy as just putting them in a title. It’s basically a three-step process.

Step One: Identify the Goal of Your Content

The first thing you need to do is identify the goal of the content you’re producing. Since power words can be used in headlines of all sorts, those headlines come in many forms and show up in many places. Are you trying to get people to open your emails when you put power words in the subject line? Are you trying to get people to click your link over others in the Google results feed? Are you trying to get people to click through a link on your page to another page, to keep reading, or to make a purchase? All of these can be similar but have subtly different goals.

Moreover, you need to identify the overarching resonance of your piece. Are you trying to be informative? Persuasive? Are you trying to satisfy someone’s curiosity, point out an injustice you want them to help solve, or just remind them of a daily aggravation that a purchase of your product can solve?

Step Two: Pick and Use Relevant Power Words

The second step is to identify an appropriate list of power words, pick a couple of them, and use them in your headline.

Say, for example, you have a blog post about five marketing techniques. Here are three different ways to write a headline with different sets of power words.

• Five Effortless Marketing Techniques to Dominate the SERPS

This first option uses power words from lists meant to evoke feelings of ease, simplicity, and success.

The implication is that these techniques are easy to perform but have excellent results, such that they bring you a superlative position.

• Five Marketing Techniques to Thrive in a Hostile Market

This option is meant to inspire some level of anxiety and fear and turn it around into hope. The use of “hostile” makes you feel like your competitors are out to get you, that you’re under attack from all corners, and that you need to defend yourself. Meanwhile, “thrive” makes you feel like using these techniques will defend you and that, despite this assault, you can come out on top.

• Five Timeless Marketing Techniques to Empower Your Site

This one is a more light-hearted and enduring title. It’s meant to convey a sense that these techniques are old but valuable and have stood the test of time. They’re proven and can deliver excellent results or at least “empower” you to succeed where you might not have had the wherewithal to do so before.

The actual content of the post can be more or less the same for all three of these variations, though more dedicated marketers will adjust the intro and some of the language throughout the post to best align with the overall emotional goal of the title.

Step Three: Monitor Results and Iterate

As with every marketing technique, the final step is the process of learning and growth. When you use power words in a title, you can track which words, what the emotional or social resonance you were going for was, where the title was used, and what its results were.

Over time, you can start to look for trends. Maybe you find that empowering power words perform better than anxiety power words. Maybe you find that FOMO is excellent or that it doesn’t work for certain kinds of marketing. Whatever the case is, you can narrow down what works and iterate on that rather than flailing in the dark.

If you’re particularly interested in experimentation, you can perform audience segmentation and split testing for a single post. Change the title after a few weeks, give the new title a run of promotion through your usual promotion engine, and see which variation works better.

Can Power Words Get Your Site in Trouble?

One concern you may have is that using power words can somehow backfire or get your site in trouble. Is that possible?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes, though it’s not as dangerous as you might think.

There are three major stumbling blocks to avoid.

The first is clickbait. Clickbait in its purest form was that era where every other post you saw was a listicle with some tag on the end like “Number 4 will blow your mind!” This was generally so egregious that even Facebook decided to penalize the use of overtly clickbait titles.

The second is similar, and it’s ragebait. It’s still depressingly effective, with pretty much every news site using it these days. When your headlines are designed to get people to click because they know the contents will make them mad, that spurs engagement, even if it doesn’t have long-term benefits.

The third is a repercussion of both of the above, which is over-promising and under-delivering value in your title. Power words are all about positioning your title as engaging, resonant, and better than the competition. But if you attach these powerful titles to mediocre content, you’re not going to live up to the hype. People will bounce.

Over time, if you fall into a rut and overuse power words in the wrong ways, you’ll end up looking very templated and one-trick. If every post you write is an Ultimate Guide, none of them are truly ultimate. You have to live up to what you promise and don’t start to feel like it’s always the same thing so people don’t give up trying to read your content.

What are the penalties for getting in trouble with power words? How bad is it to overdo it?

I already mentioned Facebook demoting content that is too clickbaity. I’m honestly not even sure if they still do. They’ve changed a lot over the years, but I wouldn’t put it past an algorithm to still look for certain power words and title formats and demote them.

I also already mentioned your audience deciding that you’re not living up to your hype and starting to ignore you, whether it’s email subject lines or blog results in Google’s search.

The third is that Google could, in very extreme circumstances, penalize you for it. They don’t issue manual penalties for bad titles, though. All they do is monitor things like how often you show up in searches versus how often people click through and how often they bounce and use behavior metrics like that to adjust your position. If your titles promise the moon and your audience is disappointed, those metrics plummet, and you’re left falling in the SERPS.

My Lists of Power Words

Now, I promised an ultimate list of power words, but here I am, over-promising and under-delivering. Don’t worry, though; there are a few bonuses at the end. Here are a few example lists of power words in their categories.

Power Words for Happiness and Calm

Power words for happiness and calm include:

• Alive
• Amazing
• Astounding
• Awe-Inspiring
• Blissful
• Bravery
• Brilliant
• Celebrate
• Cheer
• Effortless
• Empower
• Extraordinary
• Healthy
• Heartwarming
• Inspiring
• Jubilant
• Legendary
• Light
• Profound
• Thrive
• Victory
• Wonderful
• Zen

Power Words for Energy and Humor

Power words for energy and humor include:

• Absurd
• Amusement
• Blast
• Bolt
• Boost
• Comical
• Contest
• Dash
• Electrify
• Farce
• Fun
• Funniest
• Hilarious
• Hilarity
• Ignite
• Jokes
• Jumpstart
• Laugh
• Launch
• Ludicrous
• Outlandish
• Playful
• Ridiculous
• Silly
• Speed
• Supercharge
• Whimsical
• Wild

Power Words for Luxury and Prestige

Power words for luxury and prestige include:

• Allure
• Appealing
• Beautiful
• Bewitching
• Breathtaking
• Captivating
• Charismatic
• Classy
• Crave
• Cultivated
• Dazzling
• Desire
• Distinguished
• Elite
• Embrace
• Enchanting
• Enthralling
• Exclusive
• Expensive
• Glamorous
• Gorgeous
• Graceful
• Grand
• Handsome
• Heavenly
• Hidden
• Intoxicating
• Lovely
• Luxurious
• Magnetic
• Marvelous
• Members-Only
• Pleasing
• Private
• Radiant
• Refined
• Sophisticated
• Spell-Binding
• Stunning
• Suave
• Swoon-Worthy
• Tantalizing
• Thrilling
• Unique
• Urbane
• Worldly

Memorable and Timeless Power Words

Some memorable and timeless power words include:

• Ageless
• Enduring
• Eternal
• Eventful
• Everlasting
• Forever
• Historic
• Illustrious
• Lasting
• Memorable
• Monumental
• Remarkable
• Significant
• Timeless
• Unforgettable

Superlative Power Words

Some superlative power words include:

• Cataclysmic
• Dominate
• Extraordinary
• Fearless
• Freedom
• Miracle
• Revolutionary
• Sublime
• Triumph
• Ultimate
• Undeniable
• Victory

Power Words for Curiosity and Wonder

Power words for curiosity and wonder include:

• Adventure
• Announcing
• Beyond
• Change
• Convert
• Defy
• Discover
• Hurry
• Inexplicable
• Insider
• Introducing
• Journey
• Latest
• Life-Changing
• Magic
• Odd
• Overcome
• Renew
• Revive
• Sensational
• Shocking
• Success
• Suddenly
• Tenacious
• Unusual
• Wanted
• Weird
• Win

Power Words for Trust and Validation

Power words for trust and validation include:

• Authentic
• Best-Selling
• Certified
• Endorsed
• Ensured
• Expert
• Fool-Proof
• Guaranteed
• Honesty
• Legitimate
• Official
• Privacy and Security
• Professional
• Protected
• Proven
• Recognized
• Refund
• Reliable
• Respected
• Results
• Risk-Free
• Sample
• Scientific
• Secure
• Studies
• Tested
• Trial
• Unconditional
• Verified
• Worldwide

Power Words for Value and Efficiency

Power words for value and efficiency include:

• Accessible
• Cheat-Sheet
• Cinch
• Easy
• Effortless
• Hacks
• Hassle-Free
• Minimal
• Painless
• Simple
• Step-by-Step
• Straightforward
• Stress-Free
• Tips
• Tricks

Power Words for Anger and Fear

Power words for anger and fear include:

• Abuse
• Annoy
• Arrogant
• Assault
• Blinded
• Bloody
• Broke
• Brutal
• Bully
• Caution
• Collapse
• Corrupt
• Crooked
• Dangerous
• Devastating
• Diminish
• Disastrous
• Dumb
• Embarrassing
• Epidemic
• Exploit
• Foul
• Greedy
• Hostile
• Invasion
• Lies
• Loser
• No Good
• Panic
• Plague
• Plummet
• Punish
• Rant
• Revolting
• Scream
• Shatter
• Snob
• Terror
• Underhanded
• Violent
• Volatile
• Warning
• Waste
• Worry
• Worst
• Wounded

Additional Lists of Power Words

Obviously, with only these few short lists, I’m only scratching the surface. I don’t want this blog post to be 10,000 words of lists, though, and really, you have the dictionary for that. But I’m not going to leave you high and dry.

So, here are some other lists of power words you can browse to see how other people organize them and what other words can be seen on such lists.

• 700+ Power Words from OptinMonster
• 1,900+ Power Words from CoSchedule
• 1,200+ Power Words from SEO.co
• 800+ Power Words from SmartBlogger

These lists do two things for you. First, they help you copy and build out your own lists if you want to. Second, they show you how having specific lists isn’t actually all that helpful. The key is in thinking about what power words are, and how to jazz up your headlines using them. Once you have the concept down, you don’t need specific lists of words; you just need a large vocabulary.

Alternatively, you can just use Topicfinder. Since we scrape all of your top competitors and show you actual titles being used, you can see how they use power words and either mimic or run in competition to their use of such words, all with one easy resource. Check it out!

Leave a Comment