Quick & Dirty - The Power Of 3 To 5 Words

Zack Greenfield • October 17, 2020
Welcome to quick and dirty marketing tips. And today's topic. We're going to go over, um, something that you gotta get your head around, and it's all about three to five words and why, and I mean, three to five words in your marketing messages in your advertising. So let's talk about the, you know, what that's all about. So stick with me and 

We're going to cover it.

When you're putting together your headlines, your advertising, and even some of your subject lines, your emails and stuff, you really want to try to figure out how to pack your message into about three to five words. And here's the reason why three to five words is pretty much read at a glance. Like somebody doesn't have to start going word by word for three to five words. It can just absorb it as, you know, one message in a glance. And that's what you want. Cause you have, you know, a split second of their attention, perhaps, especially on like an email subject line or on a display advertising thing. Or even in ad words, you know, like if you're doing a little PPC stuff, you really, they don't give you a lot of characters on a lot of that stuff anyways. But especially in display advertising, even in like video headlines and in footers and you know, different places where you can put stuff three to five words, trying to compress your call to action, your message or the, the, what that person's going to get, okay. 

That the value to them, if you will, if you can figure out how to express those things, depending on the circumstances in the campaign in three to five words, they're going to, you're going to get it down to where it has a ton of impact, and you're going to get it down to where your visitor or the, you know, the person that's on the receiving end is basically gonna be able to absorb this thing and a glance. And it's gonna kind of sizzle right into the back of their eyes. And you're not gonna be asking them to do a lot of reading because when there's too many words, they start just, you know, uh, it looks like a lot, or they're not gonna be able to consume the whole thing, or you may have written it where you got a lot of, you know, kind of fluff in the beginning, but the core value messenger, the core action they need to take is kind of like the last seven or eight words. 

And they may not even get there or in the case of a subject line in the preview of their email, that part might be clipped because it's not showing that many, you know, you'll get like, I'm looking at my inbox over here on one of these monitors, one, two, three, four, five words there, one, two, three, four words there. I'm just looking at subject lines. One, two, three, four, five words there. So my inbox basically shows me about five words on my subject lines all the way down. So if you try to, if you go past that, you're like out of the box, like half of your stuff's getting clipped. So try to figure out and work hard with your word, crafting and brainstorming and you know, whiteboard this stuff, put up your messages, you know, and like one of the things I do is I put in like my notes, you know, Evernote or whatever it is, you know, different subject lines are different ad copy. 

I mean, we have troves of this around here, so we kind of know what works, but when you're starting out, you got to spend some time moving words around and trying to figure out what your messaging is going to look like to grab attention, be consumable in a glance and have a lot of impact and promote that person to take action and get engaged with your business. So go ahead and get them and get them down to three to five words. If this helped you, you know, figure out strategically how to move forward, go ahead and like, and subscribe this video. We're always going to make another one. And then you're going to get notified. No, somebody that needs this video to catch on the next question, dirty marketing tips.
GET HELP TODAY
By Zack Greenfield August 4, 2026
Brands using nostalgia for Gen Z & Alpha can't just recycle the past. Learn how the MySpace comeback is rewriting the rules of brand strategy in 2026.
By Zack Greenfield July 30, 2026
AI-powered ads are booming, but identity security threats and ballooning costs put your brand at risk in 2026. Here’s how business leaders can win.
By Zack Greenfield July 28, 2026
AI layoffs spark hiring regrets, Gen Z demands authenticity, and brand equity matters more than ever. How to win in the new 2026 marketing landscape.
By Zack Greenfield July 15, 2026
AI website builders like Canva 2.0 promise speed and ease for business owners. But can instant sites still deliver brand impact? Here’s what you need to know.
By Zack Greenfield July 9, 2026
AI-powered ads are booming in 2025, but rising regulations demand total transparency. Here's how to stay compliant, creative, and competitive.
By Zack Greenfield July 8, 2026
AI coworking tools like Claude Cowork and agentic stacks are reshaping productivity in 2025. Here’s what leaders need to know to stay ahead (or just catch up).
By Zack Greenfield July 1, 2026
Patriotism isn't just for flag-wavers—it's the next-level strategy brands are using to earn loyalty and dominate markets in 2025. Here’s how (and why) to do it
By Zack Greenfield June 23, 2026
For business owners: Why operational AI—not shiny demos—drives real marketing impact in 2025. Stats, stories, and simple strategies you can use.
By Zack Greenfield June 11, 2026
Learn how to build a content pipeline with AI automation that actually works — without wasting hours on tools that go nowhere. A practical guide from Zack Greenfield Company in Scottsdale, AZ.
By Zack Greenfield June 9, 2026
Curious what social media management tools agencies actually use? We break down the top platforms, what they do, and why the right tools in the right hands get your Scottsdale business real results.
Show More