The Growth Newsletter #190

Use power words in the right order to trigger the right emotion  ‌ ‌ ‌ [Demand Curve]( [Read on demandcurve.com]( The Growth Newsletter #190 Use power words in the right order to trigger the right emotion "If it bleeds, it reads" — Old newspaper adage  But it's not right when it comes to virality.  Today, we're going to dissect a brilliant, emotion-provoking ad. Let's dive in.  – Neal Brought to you by //email.demandcurve.com/e/c/eyJlbWFpbF9pZCI6ImRnUzA1d1VEQVB1SEJQcUhCQUdRTlhidmpwX1NOX0Y2MlQzSkpWMD0iLCJocmVmIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly8xcGFzc3dvcmQuY29tL3dlYmluYXJzL2ltcHJvdmluZy1lY29tbWVyY2UtY29udmVyc2lvbnMtcGFzc2tleXM_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[Passage by 1Password](  Roughly 30% of online purchases are abandoned because customers can't remember their passwords.  Ready to fix that?  Join Passage by 1Password's [webinar on June 25th]( to discover how passkeys work and why companies like Amazon and Best Buy use them to reduce shopping cart abandonment and increase revenue. Want to be featured in front of over 101,000 founders and marketers? [Learn more here](. Use power words in the right order to trigger the right emotion Insight from [SmartBlogger](, [Contagious](, and [Demand Curve](.  Read this ad (forward and backward): Source: [@dailyadcoffee]( Copywriter Jon Morrow defines [power words]( as “persuasive, descriptive words that trigger a positive or negative emotional response. They can make us feel scared, encouraged, aroused, angry, greedy, safe, amused, or curious.”  These emotions drive action.  What’s remarkable about this ad from Patagonia isn’t that it uses power words. All great copywriting does.  But it taps into different emotions depending on the order you read it. - Reading from the top down, they cause anger and anxiety: screwed, it’s too late, we don’t trust anyone, we don’t have a choice. - From the bottom up, the emphasis changes entirely to hope and encouragement: choice, livable, imagine, healthy future.  Brilliant. Read it again to notice how this affects you.  (tbh I also love the hook of "we're all screwed.")  The poem is followed by the tagline, “Buy Less, Demand More.” That’s shocking from a retailer and extremely affecting.  The takeaway? Appeal to your readers’ emotions.  We justify with logic, but emotions drive our actions. Emotions are why we: - Share things that go viral - Donate to causes - Buy what we buy (or don’t buy what we don’t need, in the case of Patagonia).  Let's dive into the data of the viral power of emotions: The viral power of emotion  Jonah Berger's (author of [Contagious]( and Wharton professor) research shows that activating emotions like anger, excitement, amusement, and awe drive action more than happiness, sadness, and contentment.  Here are the stats from analyzing thousands of New York Times articles: - Awe inspiring = 30% more likely to share - Anger = 34% more - Anxiety = 21% more - Amusement = 29% more - Sadness = 16% less And positive emotions are 13% more likely to lead to being shared. So much for the classic adage, "If it bleeds, it reads."  Browse top posts on Reddit, Twitter, or LinkedIn. They're almost all positive.  So, consider how your copywriting instills awe, fear, amusement, anxiety, arousal, anger, greed, safety, or curiosity. If, instead of triggering a high-arousal emotion, it makes you feel merely content, a little bit sad, or just kind of bored—rewrite.  Thanks for reading.  Dive into 50+ copywriting tactics in our [Growth Vault](.   Something fun  Fully embrace what you are and the benefits that come with it:   How we can help you grow - Read our free [playbooks](,[ articles](, [growth guide](, and [teardowns](—we break down the strategies & tactics used by fast-growing startups. - Need help running ads? We’ve built [the]([ ads agency]( for startups. - Looking for a growth freelancer or agency? [We’ll match you]( with a vetted partner for free. - Get in front of 101,000+ founders by [sponsoring]( this newsletter.  What did you think of today's newsletter? 😍 Loved it: Forward to a friend, or reply—a simple 😍 will do! It really helps. 🤷‍♀️ Meh: You can unsubscribe [here](), or manage your subscription [here](. 🤔 I'm new here: You can join the party [here](. 🤩 Give me more: Check out all previous growth tactics in our [Growth Vault](. Thanks, everyone! Have a glorious weekend. [Neal]( [Neal O'Grady]( [Grace]( [Justin Setzer]( [Grace]( [Nick Costelloe](   © 2024 Demand Curve, Inc. All rights reserved. 4460 Redwood Hwy, Suite 16-535, San Rafael, California, United States [Unsubscribe]() from all emails, including the newsletter, or [manage]( subscription preferences.