Have you ever read really good product copy, and just marveled at the way every word danced down the page so deliciously? What a gift, to write like this!
Good copy swings the door open and beckons you into a scenario. You stumble upon this unexpected message that Hoovers you right in.
Good copy reads like a caffeine jolt. You were sleepwalking through life before, but now… jeez, it’s like thunder and lightning, like the light flipped on, like someone finally gets you. Is it the energizing verbs in your copywriting?
Energizing Verbs in Copywriting, Let’s Explore.
You may have fallen under the spell of energizing verbs in copywriting while reading a really potent sales page. You felt strongly called to the product, awakened by the words on the page. How did that happen?
Energizing verbs take your copy next-level. With verbs bringing the action, they easily function as the natural pick-me-uppers of great writing.
Active vs. Passive Verbs
Before we cover energizing verbs in copywriting, let’s explore the two types of verbs: active, and passive.
You’ve probably heard that great writing uses active verbs and limits passive verbs, except where it’d be conversational to use a passive verb every now and then. But how does that work?
There’s an active and passive form of every verb (yes, I just used a passive verb there). So let’s take a look for comparison’s sake.
The verb: eat
- Active, present tense: I eat.
- Passive, present tense: I am eating.
- Active, past tense: I ate.
- Passive, past tense: I was eating.
Active verbs add descriptive energy to your writing. When you consider how to write descriptively, adjectives probably come to mind first. But next-level writers know that verbs create energy in writing.
Think about the verb “eat”. What other verbs can we replace it with, to further clarify meaning, and bring energy to what’s being said? Use it in a simple sentence.
- “I ate my dinner.”
- “I gobbled my dinner.”
- “I scarfed my dinner.”
- “I inhaled my dinner.”
- “I choked down my dinner.”
- “I wolfed down all my dinner.”
- “I picked at my dinner.”
- “I munched my dinner.”
- “I nibbled my dinner.”
- “I savored my dinner.”
As you can see, verb choice makes all the difference in how this sentence reads, including meaning as well as bringing a sense of energy.
Energizing Verbs in Copywriting: Let’s Practice
Do you love to write? Does a really well-structured paragraph, and powerful persuasive argument, turn your crank? Then you’ll probably enjoy playing with energizing verbs in your copywriting.
It’s actually pretty neat that such a simple thing as verb choice can drastically change the energy of your writing. In fact, verb choice works just as well to amp up (or slow down) the energy of persuasive sales copy, as it does to bring movement to a fiction story.
Below, I’ve included a little product write-up. It was purposely written with all passive verbs to sound terribly boring and amateur.
Your task: change the passive verbs to active verbs, and add energy with your word choice.
Try your hand at using different verbs to change the energy of these few paragraphs:
Back pain is something that no one wants to be dealing with. Just when you’re ready for a good night’s sleep, you are laying in your bed and all of a sudden the back pain is starting up again.
You are tossing and turning, up for hours, with that dull ache that stops you from getting comfortable.
The good news is, you won’t be suffering for much longer. Back Pain Be Gone is the solution to all your back pain problems.
Just take one dose at bedtime and you will be sleeping like a baby. Best of all, it is 100% natural, made from a proprietary blend of herbs.
We will be offering a discount for the first 50 customers who order Back Pain Be Gone. The offer is over after May 25, 2025.
Rewrite that copy. What verbs would you replace with what’s there?
If you feel like it, you can even submit that to me for review via email.
I won’t guarantee that I’ll respond in a timely fashion to this copywriting assignment as it’s not official. But I thought it would be fun, and maybe I can meet some cool writers.
Enjoyed Learning About Energizing Verbs in Copywriting? There’s More.
Now you know about energizing verbs. What about other, classic copywriting techniques?
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