Are you in search of actual, proven copywriting methods that convert more sales? Learn about and master the art of active voice in copywriting.
It’s one of the easiest ways to improve how you write. This applies not only to creating sales copy, but any time you’re working on anything written. A blog post, a sales page, a personal essay, a fiction story, a business letter, you name it… all take on fresh energy with active verbs added throughout.
Active voice versus passive voice
Let’s explore the difference between active and passive verbs, which determines whether or not you’re using active voice in you writing.
Active verbs describe an action. Run, walk, shop, think, read, scream, sob, pace, learn, practice, try, go, hop, escape, peek, twitch, gain, seek, sleep, laugh, show, holler, explain…
Passive verbs take the form of “to be” including “is, am, are, were.” “am running, was reading, am sobbing, is learning, was practicing, am trying, was hopping, was peeking, is twitching, etc.”
Passive vs. Active Voice in Writing: a Brief Comparison
Let’s compare active voice to passive voice by writing out two paragraphs that essentially convey the same meaning. The first shows passive voice. The second improves what was there by replacing it with active voice.
Your writing takes on passive voice when you choose passive verbs to explain what’s happening:
“I am going to learn how to improve my writing. I was always using too many passive verbs before, but now I am hoping to increase my use of active verbs so that my writing has more energy. When you use active voice, your readers are more likely to take action.”
Let’s change that to active voice:
“I plan to improve my writing through the use of active voice. I used too many passive verbs before, which caused my content to lack oomph. Active verbs will amp up the energy levels of my writing, so that more people who read it will feel inspired to take action.”
The effect of active voice on your sales copy
Active voice remains one of the best ways to enliven your sales copy. The more energy you infuse into your copywriting, the more likely you are to achieve the following:
- Capture attention
- Hold interest
- Engage emotions
- Explain a solution
- Inspire action
- Get the signup or land the sale
How does active voice bring energy to your writing, exactly?
It helps to think of verbs as descriptive. Adjectives describe too, and they’re what we think of first with descriptive writing. But the verbs do the heavy lifting. So make them as colorful as possible, and try to replace passive verbs with active ones. Let’s do a quick practice right now.
Step 1: Change the passive verbs to active.
Step 2: Go back and edit the verbs to an action that adds description.
Try it now:
“New Kissy Face Lip Balm is made from 100% natural ingredients. It is formulated with the highest quality lip conditioners, such as avocado, shea butter and coconut oil. Pure essential oils are also included in the recipe. If you are tired of having dry, cracked lips, you’ll love Kissy Face Lip Balm. If you would like them to be more soft, smooth and kissable, your lip balm solution is here!”
With active instead of passive verbs:
“Your lips will enjoy 100% natural Kissy Face Lip Balm. Apply some for instant deep conditioning that softens as it heals. Go from dry and cracked to soft and kissable thanks to high quality ingredients like avocado, shea butter and coconut oil. Pure essential oils add great flavor. Give your lips a treat with Kissy Face. Try some today!”
With different active verbs, for more clarity and descriptiveness:
“Your lips will love 100% natural Kissy Face Lip Balm. Smooth some on for instant deep conditioning that soothes as it heals. Go from dry and cracked to soft and smoochable thanks to high quality ingredients like avocado, shea butter and coconut oil. Pure essential oils add juicy-fresh flavor. Pamper your pucker with Kissy Face Lip Balm. Try some today!”
Does this mean you should never use passive verbs in writing? Of course not.
Passive verbs do have their place. They make your writing sound conversational. It’s normal and expected to include them in content that you write. Just be aware that overuse of passive verbs detracts from readability and quality of content.
If you’re ever unsure as to how many active versus passive verbs to include in a pargraph or page of text to make the writing flow conversationally, try the Passive Voice Checker from Grammarly.
If you blog, check the “readability” score from Yoast SEO. Not only does Yoast help you to work in keywords that help your blog rank higher on search engines, but the tool will tell you if you have a good balance between active and passive voice in your writing. This helps immensely, especially if you know you can use improvement to make your writing voice more active!
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