2 Words People Love

“Better” and “important”.

Politicians, advertisers and just about everyone substitutes the word “change” even when people who want it find that they really don’t like change.

  • But everyone loves “better” so not promising change but emphasizing “better” is a universal attention getter. After all, “change” is scary even if we want and need it.  But “better” accomplishes the same thing without the fear.
  • Same for “in-depth”. It suggests substance and knowledge but few will stick around long enough to let the in-depth information sink in.  Few read in-depth articles or join discussions that require such an investment in time.
  • Better to say “important” because everyone listens when “important” is followed by something that is actually “important”.

Length is not what makes something “important”, it’s the actual value.

Words matter because people respond to some and are repelled by others even if what they reject is the promise of something good.