The 80/20 principle says that 20% of your inputs generate 80% of your outputs. If applied to persuasive copywriting, this principle says we would find that 20% of the words used in copy drive 80% of the reader's behavior.

Imagine a list of words. Now sort them according to their impact, with the most impactful at the top. What would the top five words be? 

Gregory Ciotti took a stab at identifying them in an article published on Copyblogger. Here is a snippet:

The toolbox of the writer is filled with words.

In defining what I believe is a critical element of crafting effective copy, I’ll make my case by amending the famous quote from Animal Farm: “All words are equal, but some words are more equal than others.”

And there are certain power words that hold more sway over our decision making process than others. You might be surprised to find that these “power words” don’t seem … well, all that powerful.

Think you know what these words are? Take the quiz to find out.

After taking the quiz, go read the full article on persuasive copywriting and then look at your site to see if you are taking advantage of these words.