The Trigger Word: Why Special Content Writing Keywords Move Us to Act

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

An online devotional for writers

A Word From The Word

 The “right time” is now. (2 Corinthians 6:2, NLT)

A Word For Writers

One particular set of content writing keywords elicits a quick response in your readers: trigger words.

Trigger words generate urgency. 

Words like immediately, now, quickly, soon, today, ASAP give a time-sensitive deadline that move readers to act.

Humans are notorious procrastinators. Even when your back is at the wall and you have to make a decision, there’s the temptation to think through every option, cost, reason why or why not to, excuse, barrier, roadblock, or eventuality.

God understands that we have this propensity to dawdle. When a message is urgent, He, too, uses special content writing keywords to get me to act:

• The “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2, NLT)
• We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. (John 9:4, NLT) 
• “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20, NLT)

Not every paragraph of content that I write is to be this urgent. Yet a time-sensitive situation or in a call to action is the correct place to use these special content writing keywords. Where can you use a trigger word to move readers to act now – rather than putting it off?

A Wise Word

Trigger words urge readers to act.

A Word To Pray

Loving Father,

Forgive my tendency to delay, postpone, and linger at the times when you want me to act. As I write, show me the spots where I need to urge readers to respond. Give me the right words to move them.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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