No. Never. Not. Nothing.

Don’t use them. Always speak with positive constructions.

This is one of the cardinal rules of copywriting. Even if the meaning of the statement is positive (“No finer place on earth”), the use of negative words has a subtle but powerful emotional impact on the reader. It activates all the “no” connections across synapses in your brain. The negativity starts firing in the chemical jungle of the reader’s brain and makes them less susceptible, less agreeable, less positive in outlook.

How to Fix It:

Not your average holiday → A holiday that fills you with passion

No worries → Carefree

No borders, no constraints → Freedom

Suffering inside a shoebox room is a thing of the past. → Luxuriate with amazingly spacious surrounds.

Yes, there will be exceptions. Rules are meant to be occasionally tossed in the bin like a dirty Kleenex. But see how that image made you feel? This is why we almost always frame things in a positive life-is-beautiful light. Negative words and phrases are the dirty yellow-brown boogers on your otherwise sparkling copy.