Really? You’re so enthusiastic and eager to tell the world about your news that you can’t spend 30 seconds trying to think of an alternative word to adequately and originally convey your emotions?
Welcome to one of my PR Pet Peeves!
A quick search for the phrase “excited to announce” on Google throws up 138,000,000 references. They even helpfully try and complete your query because so many people are using that adjective in their press release copy.
This is lazy writing.
With the deluge of news emanating via the web and social channels these days, it’s crucial that you stand out from the crowd.
Your press releases, and how you disseminate your news is one of the ways to do that.
Super-excited!
Seriously? If everyone was THAT excited all the time, it’s a wonder any work gets done and we’re not all on tranquilizers.
Here are 5 (but by no means all) alternatives to the word “excited” when announcing something:
- Thrilled – why not? It smacks a little more hyper than excited, but if this announcement really is as awesome as you think it is, then express it that way.
- Delighted – I’m biased here, but this word makes me happy!
- Elated – sounds like you’re on Cloud 9 and if your news can match it, we’ll have no worries in thinking “good for you”!
- Jubilant – we can just see you doing cartwheels across the office after pressing publish!
- Tickled – bit cheeky. Makes us smile and endears ourselves to your geniality.
Obviously these aren’t the only alternatives and you don’t have to use the word “announce” either.
Just be aware that it’s more important than ever to make your news brilliant (literally), so being cognizant of how others announce stuff and the opportunities you have of being original and really grabbing your audiences attention, is critical to your success.
That’s it!
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Good luck!
Mel
P.S. “Pleased” is actually the most over-used word with 380M Google references, but I wouldn’t insult your intelligence by suggesting you’d ever use that!
Ecstatic? OED-Intensely delighted
Hi Mel,
Nice blog post! But I’d advocate cutting the word entirely.
Instead of “Specialty Gorgonzola Company is excited to announce the hiring of Mr. Big Cheese, a leading sales professional,” why not “Specialty Gorgonzola Company recently hired Mr. Big Cheese, a leading sales professional.”
Less words, same impact, easier for reporters. 🙂
Cheers,
Christina
This is one of my biggest pet peeves at the moment. The words super-excited are so overused that they have lost any real meaning.
Make it more understandable please. You make it really hard to understand.
I have a pet peeve of giving advice and then NOT offering the best alternative to that advice. Please and thank you are never under used
It’s not even a thing. One is never “really”, “Very” or “Super” excited. Just excited.
One can be over-excited, but that usually ends in heat stroke.
There is one definition that’s true. “Super Excited” from Physics or Chemistry:
— Of or pertaining to an excitation level with an extremely high level of excess energy, usually equivalent to at least 10 eV per molecule greater than the first potential of ionization. a superexcited state. —
Coming from “Delightful” Communications this was really funny post 😉
I’m still searching for creative alternatives.
Stuck with “thrilled”
OMG!
Great blog – I came across this article whilst i was looking for a blog that echoed the way I react to the use of ‘super excited’. It makes my skin crawl because it tends to be women that use that phrase and it’s often accompanied by a multitude of exclamation marks – so in MHO it makes the person sound like a ‘super excited’ teenager who has just been given a new fluffy pink bunny. Its just not professional. Yuk. But then I have always disliked the word ‘delighted’ in press releases too. They tend to be along the lines of: X company is delighted to have been awarded something/ or won a new contract. Delighted you say? no shit Sherlock, of course you are bloody delighted you have just won something. It’s lazy writing. Great blog though! 🙂
Always give alternatives when you criticize a behavior.
Mine is, say nothing but the facts, e.g., Mary X has won the/is the recipient of/garnered her first/etc.
Then use a quote, if necessary, to announce the importance of the distinction. “Mary is the embodiment of the award’s criteria,” said Y. “She has distinguished herself as/in/with/etc. We’re as proud of her as I’m sure she is of this honor.”
Shine the light on the recipient, not the presenter except incidentally. Pleased, thrilled, delighted, honored, excited, etc., are all of the same stripe. Cliched. Fatuous. Throwaways.