Are you looking for a guide to communicating with your online audience?

How can you grow online through the right marketing words, and which should you avoid?

This resource gives you 175 of the most impactful marketing words (good and bad), organized into ten categories for easy reading.

Use this table of contents to see the best (and worst) words to use in your online marketing campaigns:

Marketing Words to Use

• Words That Tap into Emotion
• Words That Tap into Fear
• Words That Make People Feel Safe
• Words That Imply Urgency
• Words That Show Value

Marketing Words to Avoid

• Words Which Make You Sound Ancient
• Words Which Nobody Will Believe
• Words Which Sound Salesy
• Words Which Have Been Overused
• Words Which Make You Look Lazy

Marketing Words to Use

Marketing Words That Tap into Emotion

Emotion drives most purchases we make if you actually get down to it.

• Why did you buy a gift for your partner? — You love them and want them to be happy.
• Why did you buy jeans when your old ones got worn out? — You want to look good, and impress people. And you’re scared what people will think if they see you in worn-out jeans.

Here are the marketing words which can motivate your prospective customers to feel something which just might result in a purchase:

1. Obsession
2. Surging
3. Pioneering
4. Unsurpassed
5. Confidential
6. Bold
7. Tempting
8. Unconventional
9. Astonishing
10. Epic
11. Explosive
12. Secret
13. Unusual
14. Daring
15. Imagine
16. Discover
17. Create
18. Polarizing
19. Inspire

Marketing Words That Tap into Fear

Fear is a powerful motivator:

The fear of missing out, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of costing your business money they don’t have, or rushing something which should be done carefully.

Here are the marketing words which incite fear in your prospective customer, and drive them to protect themselves by engaging with your brand:

20. Fooled
21. Beware
22. Blinded
23. Alarming
24. Devastating
25. Heartbreaking
26. Hoax
27. Prison
28. Revenge
29. Risky
30. Avoid
31. Scary
32. Backlash
33. Costly
34. Assault
35. Frantic
36. Hazardous
37. Untested

Marketing Words That Make People Feel Safe

Trust is everything when it comes to laying money on the line.

If you haven’t communicated that your product and your business is legit, why should anybody get their credit card out of their wallet?

Use these marketing words to ensure your prospective customers feel safe to engage with you:

38. Authentic
39. No-Strings Attached
40. Secure
41. Privacy
42. Backed
43. Lifetime
44. Tested
45. No-Obligation
46. Forever
47. Proven
48. Moneyback
49. Protected
50. Verified
51. No Questions
52. Endorsed
53. Certified
54. Anonymous

Marketing Words That Imply Urgency

People are more incentivized to engage with your brand if they think they’ll miss out otherwise.

Use these marketing words to imply urgency to your offer, promotion, or content:

55. Now
56. Exclusive
57. Scarce
58. Rare
59. Immediately
60. Instantly
61. Hurry
62. Only
63. Limited
64. Limited-time
65. Limited-edition
66. Temporary

Marketing Words That Show Value

Communicating why a prospective customer should engage with your business is the first step to getting them to do so.

Unless you show the value of engaging, they’re not going to. It’s as simple as that.Here are the essential marketing words which can be used to show value:

67. Free
68. Proven
69. Lucrative
70. Unbelievable
71. Bargain
72. Double
73. Affordable
74. Convert
75. Essential
76. Detailed
77. Better
78. New
79. Remarkable
80. Professional
81. Best-Selling
82. Guaranteed
83. Unique
84. Improved
85. Tested
86. Immediately
87. Bonus
88. Easy
89. Advanced
90. Results
91. Effective
92. Massive
93. Impactful
94. Increase
95. Expert
96. Lifetime
97. Highest
98. Lowest
99. % Signs
100. $ Signs

Marketing Words to Avoid in your Marketing Strategy

Now that we have a good idea of the words which will have the greatest impact on your social media post engagement, landing page conversion, and product page purchases, let’s look at the words you should be avoiding.

Marketing Words That Make You Sound Ancient

You’re a business. Even if your business’ tone is a casual, fun one, there’s still a line you shouldn’t cross.

Here are a couple cringeworthy examples:

Here are the most cringeworthy “youth” slang marketing words your business needs to avoid:

101. I can’t even
102. On fleek
103. Lit
104. Turnt
105. AF (“As F*ck”)
106. Dab
107. Chill
108. GOAT (greatest of all time)
109. Gucci
110. Fo’ real
111. Peng
112. Totes
113. Fam
114. LOL
115. Salty
116. YEET
117. Bae

If you’re ever wondering if a word or idea may come across as “trying too hard” with the kids, check out the subreddit “/r/fellowkids.”

Marketing Words That Nobody Will Believe

Whether you sell marketing software or a gluten-free cake, your audience will put up their noses at your pitch that your product is going to change their lives or is the first time anybody thought to put flour and sugar together.

Instead, focus on what it can actually do. Avoid superlatives and keep your brand on solid ground.

Here are the “nobody will believe you” marketing words to avoid:

118. Groundbreaking
119. Once-in-a-lifetime
120. Revolutionary
121. Perfect
122. Impossible
123. Miracle
124. Once-only
125. Visionary
126. Transformative
127. Jaw-Dropping
128. Spell-binding
129. Game-changer
130. Armageddon
131. Always
132. Apocalypse

Marketing Words That Sound Salesy

Are you a used-car salesman from the 80s, or a modern-day marketer?

Thought so.

So why are you still trying to shill your prospective customers like you use too much hair gel and have a Madmen-era respect for the world around you?

Here are the “salesy” marketing words you should avoid unless you want to lose all trust from your audience:

133. Outside the box
134. Synergy
135. Optimize
136. Promise
137. Satisfaction Guaranteed
138. Cutting-edge
139. Profit
140. Commission
141. Hidden gem
142. Bandwidth
143. Connect (as in, “when’s a good time to connect?)
144. Programmatic
145. Quota
146. Pitch
147. Leverage
148. Win-Win
149. Opportunity

Marketing Words That Have Been Overused

These words may have been the bee’s knees in years gone by. But those years are gone by.

Now, they just sound like you’re a broken robot, repeating the same words over and over again like every other faceless corporate hack.

These are the most overused marketing words out there:

150. Actionable
151. Learnings
152. Viral
153. Disruption
154. Holistic
155. Innovative
156. Seamless
157. Robust
158. Granular
159. Snackable
160. Paradigm
161. Customer-oriented

Marketing Words That Make You Look Lazy

You’re a creative marketer. So there’s no need to fall back on those words we learned in third grade.

Be better. Be more unique. Be more charismatic.

And whatever you do, avoid these lazy words at all costs.

162. Click here
163. Submit
164. Buy
165. Buy now
166. Great
167. Very
168. Stuff
169. Things
170. Amazing
171. Huge
172. Awesome
173. Deal
174. Special
175. Best

Final Thoughts

I hope this resource has clarified for you which marketing words are winners and which may have a detrimental effect on your audience’s desire to engage.

Few are “hard-and-fast” rules, of course. So use your best judgment and creativity both.