One of the best ways to make your copy clear and engaging is to use the active voice rather than the passive voice. The active voice is the best way to convey your message clearly and more directly.

Here’s an example.

Passive voice: The FREE Report will be sent to you.
Active voice: I’ll send you your FREE report.

Do you see how the active voice makes copy engaging, direct, and energetic?

Here are two more examples:

Passive voice: Your insurance premiums will be reduced by thousands.
Active voice: You’ll save thousands in insurance premiums.

Passive voice: The quick response bonus will be something your prospect will love.
Active voice: Your prospect will love the quick response bonus.

In a nutshell, the active voice makes the subject of the sentence the first thing you read (in the cases above, the subjects are the special report, the reader, and the prospect).

The passive voice saves the subject for the end of the sentence. In other words, it takes the reader longer to figure out the meaning of the sentence … making the copy less engaging.

Remember, direct response copy is sales copy, not editorial copy. It’s essential to convey thoughts quickly and directly if you want your prospects to act.

By using the active voice, you can be more dynamic.

You’ll get …
You’ll save …
You’ll discover …

For more information on the difference between the active and passive voice, click here to go to Active and Passive voice. It’s a primer from Purdue University that explains the basics.

If you need help putting together a campaign with effective copy, simply call me at (310) 212-5727 or email me at [email protected] for a FREE evaluation of your current marketing materials.