Most of the time, “leverage” just means “use”.
Leverage has a precise meaning in finance and engineering. In marketing copy it usually replaces a simpler verb, and the swap makes the sentence sound more like a slide deck and less like a person.
8/ 100
8 of 100 SaaS homepages we checked use “Leverage”.
3 of the 8 were in customer quotes rather than the company’s own copy.
How we countedWhat the writer is trying to say.
Writers use leverage to suggest that a reader can get outsized value from something, usually AI, data or an existing tool. The intent is to sound strategic, as if the reader is using a resource cleverly rather than simply using it.
Why it stops working.
In most sentences, swapping leverage for use loses nothing. The extra syllables add formality without adding meaning, which makes the copy feel distant and slightly inflated. Readers who notice the pattern start reading the rest of the page with the same scepticism.
Leverage also hides the action. “Leverage AI to reply faster” doesn’t say what the AI does, while “AI drafts a reply for you to edit” does.
Say what you actually mean.
Pick the alternative that matches what you were trying to say. Most of the time the fix is a specific detail, not a better adjective.
The same sentence, made specific.
- Before
Leverage AI-driven insights to optimise your campaigns.
AfterSee which subject lines and send times worked best, and use them in your next campaign.
The reader now knows what the insight is and what to do with it.
- Before
Leverage your existing data to drive growth.
AfterUse the customer data you already collect to find the accounts most likely to upgrade.
A plain verb plus a specific outcome.
When it’s fine to keep it.
Leverage is the right word in finance, where it means borrowing to increase returns, and in negotiation, where it means bargaining power. Outside those meanings, try “use” first and see whether the sentence loses anything.
Revisi flags it under Human Voice.
Revisi flags leverage as corporate phrasing that makes copy sound less like a person talking. The finding points to the plainer verb and, where the sentence hides what happens, asks for the action to be described.
Scan a page free“Leverage”: common questions
Usually “use”. If the sentence means more than that, describe the result instead, such as what the reader gets from their data or what the AI does for them.
Leverage comes from finance and strategy language, so it carries the tone of a board presentation. On a website it puts distance between the brand and the reader.
Yes, when you mean financial leverage or bargaining power. As a stand-in for “use”, it almost always makes the sentence weaker.
Find out if your website sounds like you.
Start with one public page. See the sentences that need attention and understand why.