362 Verbs that SELL When Writing Copy for Your Website

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Dec 4, 2008

This is really more of a list for me than anything. I always find myself getting hung up on finding verbs to use in my writing copy on the web.

Writing features and benefits of a product is always the toughest part for me about copywriting for the web; just that first word in the sentence. There’s no better word to begin a with than a verb when it comes to bullet points.

Verbs are “action words” which goes to show why they’re so important in copywriting. Without verbs, we would never get anyone take action with anything.

There would be no “Click Here” or “Sign-up Now!” Verbs are not only just “important” to have in your sales writing, they are the very heartbeat of any sales process, online or off-line.

So, with that in mind, here is a list of verbs that sell. Let me know if they help you in your copywriting efforts and make sure to add a comment if you can think of a verb that I haven’t listed here.

Verbs that Start with A:
Accelerate
Accomplish
Achieve
Acquire
Act
Activate
Adapt
Adopt
Address
Administer
Advise
Alter
Amaze (added)
Analyze
Anticipate
Apply
Appoint
Appraise
Approve
Arrange
Astound (added)
Assemble
Assess
Assist
Assure
Attain
Audit

Verbs that Start with B:
Believe (added)
Boast (added)
Brief
Budget
Build
Buy

Verbs that Start with C:
Calculate
Chart
Check
Claim
Clarify
Classify
Cleanse
Click
Close
Coach
Collect
Command
Communicate
Compare
Compile
Complete
Compose
Compress (added)
Compute
Conceive
Conceptualize
Conclude
Conduct
Confront
Conserve
Consolidate
Construct
Consult
Continue
Contract
Control
Convert
Coordinate
Correct
Correlate
Counsel
Create
Critique

Verbs that Start with D:
Deal
Decide
Define
Delegate
Deliver
Demonstrate
Depend
Designe
Detail
Detect
Determine
Develop
Devise
Diagnose
Direct
Discover
Dispense
Display
Disprove
Dissect
Distribute
Divert
Double
Draft
Dramatize
Draw
Drive

Verbs that Start with E:
Earn
Edit
Educate
Effect
Eliminate
Enact
Encourage
Endure
Enforce
Engineer
Enhance
Enlist
Ensure
Entertain
Establish
Estimate
Evaluate
Examine
Exceed
Execute
Exhibit
Expand
Expedite
Explain
Experiment
Express
Extract

Verbs that Start with F:
Facilitate
File
Finalize
Finance
Fix
Follow
Formalize
Form
Formulate
Find
Found

Verbs that Start with G:
Gather
Generate
Govern
Graduate
Guide

Verbs that Start with H:
Handle
Head
Help
Hire
Hypothesize

Verbs that Start with I:
Identify
Illustrate
Imagine
Implement
Improve
Improvise
Increase
Induce
Influence
Inform
Initiate
Innovate
Inspect
Inspire
Install
Institute
Instruct
Insure
Integrate
Intensify
Interpret
Interview
Introduce
Invent
Inventory
Investigate

Verbs that Start with J:
Judge
Justify

Verbs that Start with K:
Keep

Verbs that Start with L:
Launch
Lecture
Lead
Learn
License
Lift
Listen
Locate
Log

Verbs that Start with M:
Maintain
Magnify (Recent Addition)
Manage
Manipulate
Manufacture
Map
Market
Measure
Mediate
Memorize
Mentore
Model
Modify
Monitor
Motivate

Verbs that Start with N:
Name
Navigate
Negotiate
Nominate
Normalize
Note

Verbs that Start with O:
Observe
Obtain
Offer
Officiate
Operate
Order
Organize
Oriente
Originate
Overcome
Oversee

Verbs that Start with P:
Paint
Participate
Perceive
Perfect
Perform
Persuade
Photograph
Pilot
Pinpoint
Pioneer
Place
Plan
Play
Praise
Predict
Prepare
Prescribe
Present
Preside
Print
Process
Procure
Produce
Profess
Programm
Progress
Project
Promote
Proofread
Propose
Protect
Prove
Provide
Publicize
Purchase

Verbs that Start with Q:

Qualify
Question

Verbs that Start with R:
Raise
Rank
Rate
Realign
Realize
Reason
Receive
Recognize
Recommend
Reconcile
Record
Recruit
Reduce
Refer
Regulate
Rehabilitate
Reinforce
Relate
Relax (added)
Remodel (added)
Render
Renovate (added)
Reorganize
Repair
Report
Represent
Research
Resolve
Respond
Restore
Retrieve
Restructure
Review
Revise
Risk

Verbs that Start with S:

Satisfy
Schedule
Secure
Select
Sense
Separate
Serve
Service
Shape
Share
Show
Sketch
Simplify
Sell
Solve
Sort
Specify
Speak
Stimulate
Streamline
Structure
Study
Succeed
Suggest
Summarize
Supervise
Supply
Support
Symbolize
Synthesize
Systematize

Verbs that Start with T:
Tabulate
Tackle
Tackling
Talk
Target
Teach
Test
Train
Transcribe
Transfer
Transform
Translate
Treat
Travel
Troubleshoot
Tutor
Type

Verbs that Start with U:
Unify
Unite
Update
Upgrade
Use
Utilize

Verbs that Start with V:
Verbalize
Verify

Verbs that Start with W:
Weigh
Win
Write
Wrote

Are there any verbs I left out from this list? Please let me know by adding a comment.


51 in Attendance at My Copy Writing Bootcamp at Davinci

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Oct 20, 2008

This past Saturday, between sicknesses, I managed to make my way to the Wolf Law building at CU in Boulder and stayed on my feet long enough to lead a workshop on copywriting hosted by DaVinci Institute. DaVinci calls their 3-hour workshops “bootcamps” but I know that bootcamps are usualy 2-3 day long events, but that’s beside the point.

The challenge (for speakers reading this post) was trying to condense a topic (copywriting for the web) that is usually taught over a full weekend…into 3 hours…with two 20-minute breaks!

Well, somehow we pulled it off and I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable workshops I’ve given in a long time.

Of particular interest was the fact that we sold out the room at 51. Tom Frey of DaVinci Institute kicked off the workshop by saying they’ve never had a turnout on a Saturday morning like that for one of their boot camps. How flattering that was! How did we do that you might ask?

With 3 emails to the DaVinci opt-in list and member list.

1. The first email was to introduce the topic and its importance. I also wanted to hopefully inspire people to turn their back on the news of the economy and take charge of their own destiny by enhancing their copywriting skills. The class was half-full a couple of days later.

2. The next email went out just Monday before the Saturday workshop. It’s main purpose was to establish the potential value of the workshop. So, we stared with a question, which was “I have a question for you Ruth, Would you pay $10,000 or more for someone to write sales copy for just a single page of your website?”

3. The last email we sent out just the Friday before. We knew there were only a few spots left, so we used that news to create urgency. “If you were are on the fence about attending tomorrow’s workshop, NOW is the time…”

So, I know the economy sucks and all and a whole slew of people I know in the speaking business are being impacted by the poor economy. But, this does prove that people are willing to spend money to attend workshops still. You just have to prove to them that your topic is important enough, carries a huge monetary value, and add a big slice of “urgency.” That’s how to fill a room these days.


Ski Season 2009 is Coming!

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Sep 18, 2008

Next time you find yourself looking dowon on impossible odds, consider this video, the worlds highest huck!

If you haven’t gotten your Copper Mountain pass yet, you’d better soon. And, once you do, send me a note and we’ll set a ski day. I usually get there 1,2,3 times per week. On a weekend, you might have to keep up with the boys though as I’ll have my 10-year-old ski demon with me. He was #1 at Copper last year and he’ll give you a workout you won’t foget!


Why Use Twitter JUST to Get Visits

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Sep 16, 2008

Why should you use Twitter or any other social networking website for the sole purpose of “getting clicks” from people you don’t know?

My first response to this question is that if you are a business owner and you truly have something of such high quality and importance to society, it is your OBLIGATION to get your word out using every single outlet you can find.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I have a very good reason for attracting people I don’t know to my blog or profile.

And that reason is for “reach” and to cast a large net.

This economy sucks and businesses are closing shop. People everywhere are getting laid off just like I was nearly 20 years ago. If I have something to contribute to one person out there, I’m going to give it. And, who knows? Maybe something I write will strike a cord and the reader will come back for future visits or maybe even buy something.

Social networking is no different than traditional marketing in that it is all about attracting people you don’t know and introducing them to something you can provide. Will you make everyone happy? Of course not and that’s not the point. If you have a business, you need to generate traffic through multiple streams. Some will question your methods. Some will leave nasty voicemails for you too! But, that means nothing when you get that occasional email saying you offered the perfect words at the perfect time.

I think it’s come hight time that we as business owners take more of a pride in what we offer and be willing to showcase it wherever and in whatever scenario we find ourselves in. Twitter is just another example of a place where we can begin that relationship building process.

For even just a few, my hope is that I will be able to offer something that helps them in their course of business.

Writing a “catchy message” and “getting clicks” is only a mask for getting to the one or two people who really need a few words of encouragement.

Who knows? Maybe that one or two readers will even buy something from me down the road.


How to Promote Affiliate Programs with Squeeze Pages

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Aug 23, 2008

Promoting affiliate programs with squeeze pages is not only simple, it’s also fast! This is part 2 of my discussion from SitePoint.com forum where the first post was about creating squeeze pages to promote affiliate programs. And, here’s my answer to the question “how to promote affiliate programs” using squeeze pages:

- – -

Promoting an affiliate product is an evolution. In summary, it goes like this:

1. Promote affiliate link only using totally free means like including in emails or on your websites
2. Promote affiliate links by paying for visibility like Adwords
3. Build squeeze page to promote formal recommendation for affiliate product
4. Build website or content page to promote the affiliate product
5. Private label affiliate product so that it looks like your own
6. Create your own product to sell through affiliates
7. Establish more formal joint ventures with large affiliates to help sell your product on large scale

That’s really what we’re getting at here. Eventually you will play with enough affiliate products and “their”
programs that you will start having interest in creating your own product and recruiting affiliates to promote your products. It’s not fair to suggest that making your own product will be more lucrative than affiliate products, but it is an additional revenue stream if you choose to go that route.

It’s all about the process, y’know?

So, for squeeze pages specifically, you would promote an affiliate program by recommending the affiliate product or service on whatever you supply people once they opt-in through your squeeze page. In the case of LaughAtLayoffs.com, the reader gets access to a 14-page document about what I would do to begin using the web to make an additional income if I was to still be working for a company threatening layoffs.

Within the document there are suggestions that they should visit certain website domain names. When they visit them and buy, I get a cut from the sale price sent directly to my bank account. Why? Because the domain name is forwarded right to my affiliate link. You’re welcome to sign-up for it just to see how it works…even if you choose to not buy anything. That’s fine. It’s not like it costs me any more for the sign-up.

I went one step further though (as I usually do), because people new to the web (my target audience with that squeeze page) are not going to be able to grasp everything from the 14-page document alone. They need more guidance. Within the system I used to make the squeeze page, there is a feature that allows me to build sequential auto-responders. So, I offer a 10-day free e-course that breaks down each step I suggest in the document into more detailed steps.

And, of course, I suggest the affiliate links in the right place at the right time so that it’s not overbearing and is still a genuine recommendation instead of a slimy sales pitch.

So, it takes a little practice to be able to write in a way that doesn’t overpower people with a hard sales pitch. But, that’s another reason to have your sites not set on only finding a single affiliate product to promote but launching a new squeeze page featuring a new product at least once a month. I don’t guarantee much, but I do guarantee you’ll improve very fast at writing to sell if you commit to launching one new site a month!

Hope that helps and let me know if you have questions about promoting affiliate programs with squeeze pages. Glad to help.


Great Atkins Diet Post

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Jul 19, 2008

I was truly amazed at this Atkins post.  It was great!


All Day Internet Workshop at CIPA in Denver

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Jul 8, 2008

Just a quick note that I’ve been invited once again to present at Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA). This time, it’s for a full-day workshop on Saturday, July 19, 2008.

The focus will be on blogs (of course), traffic, improving sales conversion rates, and just a whole heck of a lot of new things happening in the web world. But, there will be an emphasis on promoting books.

So, if you’re not writing a book or have a book that you’ve published, just be aware there will lots of “book talk.” But, the networking at any CIPA event is simply incredible.  You will truly be amazed at the contacts you make at a CIPA event.

This is not a seminar where I tell you a little and then sell you the goods. There are plenty of people in that business. My workshops are training classes so come prepared to learn and do a bit of sharing what you know at the same time.

I heard yesterday there are already more than 30 registered so if you’d like to attend, might want to get in sooner than later. I’m not sure what the cutoff is but I’m sure it won’t be much more than 50…just the way I like it. Hope to see you there!


Boss Bailey Proves Marketing Skill Can be from Birth

Posted by Marty Dickinson on Mar 14, 2008

Boss Bailey… now, just think of that name for a moment. BOSS Bailey. The name all its own was designed to stand out and command a position. What position? Maybe the “boss” of a strict manufacturing plant. Or, maybe an upper management leader.

OR….

Maybe Boss Bailey is a formidable force on the football field!

For the Denver Broncos, we’re about to find out as Boss Bailey (Brother of Champ Bailey) will join the Denver Broncos in training camp this summer.

Boss Bailey and Champ Bailey. Did their parents have a marketing degree? I mean, these names were pre-meditated for marketing glory!

Some things related to sales and marketing you really are born with. For other things related to how to sell and market, they CAN be learned!

All you need is a place to learn them and that place is The Capital Factor. Check out The Capital Factor Blog and learn what it really takes to bring your business to the next level.