5 Words I Banned My B2B Copywriters from Using (And You Should Too)

I have a confession to make: I’m a word dictator.

I have officially, formally, and unapologetically banned my team of B2B copywriters from using five specific words in any of the copy we produce for clients.

And before you ask, no, they’re not swear words. (Those are fair game, depending on the client’s brand voice. We’re not monsters.)

These five words are worse than swear words, actually. At least swear words evoke emotion. These words evoke nothing. They’re the copywriting equivalent of beige wallpaper. 

So, what are these forbidden phrases?

• Industry-leading
• Best-in-class
• State-of-the-art
• Cutting-edge
• High-quality

Now, I know what you might be thinking: “These words aren’t that bad. I see them everywhere.”

And that’s exactly the problem.

You See Them Everywhere Because Everyone Uses Them

Pop over to any B2B website in any industry, and I guarantee you’ll find at least one of these words within the first thirty seconds of scrolling.

Manufacturing companies love “state-of-the-art facilities.” Software companies can’t resist “cutting-edge technology.” Service providers are absolutely addicted to “industry-leading expertise.”

And because everyone uses them, they’ve become completely meaningless.

When every single one of your competitors is calling themselves “industry-leading,” you’re not differentiating yourself; you’re blending into the sea of sameness. You’re just another voice in the chorus of companies shouting vague superlatives into the void, hoping someone will be impressed. (They won’t.)

What You’re Really Saying When You Use These Words

When you lean on phrases like “best-in-class” and “high-quality,” you’re inadvertently telling your prospective customers two things:

First: “We Don’t Actually Know What Makes Us Different.”

These words are a crutch. Writers reach for them when they haven’t done the hard work of understanding what genuinely sets a product, service, or company apart.

It’s easy to call something “cutting-edge.” It’s much harder to explain specifically what makes it innovative, why that innovation matters, and how it translates into tangible benefits for the buyer.

Second: “We’re More Interested in Talking About Ourselves Than Helping You.”

This one’s the real killer.

These phrases break the golden rule of copywriting: make your audience the hero.

“Industry-leading” is about you. “Best-in-class” is about you. “State-of-the-art” is about you.

But your prospects don’t care about you. Not yet, anyway. They care about their problems, their goals, their deadlines, their bosses breathing down their necks. They care about finding a solution that works.

When your copy is stuffed with self-congratulatory fluff, you’re essentially saying, “Enough about you—let’s talk about ME.”

Not exactly a winning strategy for building trust and driving conversions.

Show Them, Don’t Tell Them

So if you can’t tell prospects you’re the best, what are you supposed to do?

Show them.

The key is replacing empty claims with specific, concrete evidence that demonstrates your value. Here’s how:

1. Swap vague superlatives for measurable outcomes. Instead of “reduces maintenance costs,” try “reduces maintenance intervals from 30 days to 90 days, cutting annual maintenance costs by 60% based on data from similar applications.” Instead of “improves efficiency,” write “increases throughput by 15% while reducing energy consumption by 8%.”
2. Let your customers do the bragging. Robust case studies and strong testimonials carry infinitely more weight than you calling yourself “industry-leading.” When a plant manager says your solution saved them six figures annually, that’s proof. When you say you’re “best-in-class,” that’s just an opinion.
3. Get specific about your USPs. Instead of claiming your product is “cutting-edge,” explain exactly what makes it innovative with real-world examples. What does it do that competitors can’t? What boundaries is it actually pushing?

The goal is to give your buyers the ammunition they need to build internal business cases and justify their purchasing decisions. Generic buzzwords don’t do that. Specifics do.

My Challenge to You

The next time you’re writing copy or reviewing copy that someone else has written, do a quick Ctrl+F for these five words.

If any of them pop up, don’t just delete them. Ask yourself why they were there in the first place. What were you actually trying to communicate? What’s the specific, meaningful, provable claim hiding underneath that vague superlative?

Then write that instead.

It takes more effort, yes. But it’s the difference between copy that gets skimmed and forgotten and copy that actually resonates with your audience and drives action.

Your prospects are wading through a sea of “industry-leading” and “best-in-class” claims every single day. Give them something real, and you’ll stand out immediately.

Want my team to help you ditch the fluff and write B2B copy that actually converts? (I promise you won’t find any of these crutches in their content.) Request a proposal today.