Have you ever struggled to find just the right word?We all have.One word sounds too harsh yet another doesn’t quite convey the meaning you want.This dilemma is especially frequent when it comes to writing copy.
Because each, individual word can have a substantial impact on how readers respond to your marketing message, copywriters have to be especially careful about conveying the right connotations through their words.
Some words create a positive mental image while others conjure a negative vision. For instance, what do you think of when someone says:
Picky
Most likely you’re envisioning a person who is difficult to work with, fussy, almost a perfectionist. What about:
Particular
Not quite so negative.We tend to view a particular person as more selective than “picky.”
Choosy
What’s the age-old peanut butter slogan? “Choosy moms choose Jiff.” That brings about images of someone who is more quality-conscious and finicky than nit-picky.
Unique
We all like unique items. No one cares to be thought of as ordinary or indistinguishable or as a person who owns ordinary things. The word unique helps us envision someone or something that is distinctive and matchless.
Uncommon
Not necessarily distinctive, an uncommon person or thing is considered special because of its rarity or scarcity.
Unusual
This word takes us more toward the negative with thoughts of people or items that are strange or abnormal: distinctive in a not-so-good way.
These are obviously not the only examples of words which are close in meaning yet very different.They do give you a good idea of how many words are available to express a particular thought.
The next time you’re charged with being descriptive, think carefully about the adjectives and adverbs you use. Tweaking your words ever so slightly can lend an entirely different feeling and emotion to your copy.
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Well put, I find that it usually helps to just look the word up in an extended dictionary and find loads of synonyms.