Put Some Spring in Your Sentences
With winter officially behind us, it’s time to think about getting active again — in your writing! Even if you aren’t a copywriter, you probably write something every day that would benefit from an exercise in active voice. Take a sprint through the following tips on keeping your e-mails, business letters and other communications fresh and engaging.First of all, what IS active voice? Active voice uses active verbs. Active verbs describe an action that results in a status or condition (e.g., She ran to work.) Passive verbs describe the status or condition (e.g., She is at work.). As a general rule, you can keep your writing active by avoiding forms of the verb “to be” (e.g., is, are, was, etc.).
Using active voice allows you to:
• Speak directly to your target audience.
• Get your audience excited and interested in what you’re selling.
• Describe in clear terms what you mean.
• Keep your writing short.
• Generate more leads.
Think of action in terms of what your target audience experiences, especially when writing benefit statements (e.g., “Save time and money.”). If you get stuck or just want some inspiration, check out this WriteExpress list of active verbs for business letters and resumes.
Got a good example of a sentence you’ve improved by switching from passive to active voice?
Share them here!
Date: March 25, 2011
Categories: Copy Writing, Creative Design, E-Mail, Offline Media, Online Media, Strategy
