Copywriting Tips - Active Or Passive Voice?

By Steven Wagenheim

Personally, I find this to be one of the most fascinating topics when it comes to copywriting. The debates will no doubt go on as to whether it is better to use active or passive voice when writing your copy. This article is not intended to answer the question of which is better. Personally, I feel that both can be used effectively, provided that you know what you are doing and why you are doing it. So keep reading and we'll explore both sides of this hotly contested issue.

First you have to know what the difference between active and passive voice. Active voice is where the subject of your sentence comes at the end. Passive voice is where it comes at the beginning. For example, "Archeologist discovers golden idol in Egyptian desert" would be an example of active voice whereas "Golden idol in Egyptian desert discovered by archeologist" would be an example of passive voice. Okay, let's take the arguments for each.

The argument for using active voice is that is better engages the reader and draws him into the conversation and your copy. Ultimately, if your reader is not engaged, they're going to lose interest and turn away from your copy. It has always been the belief that active voice is the best way to accomplish this. However, there is another school of thought that I personally find very fascinating.

That school of thought is the argument for using passive voice. Now why would you want to do this? Well, for SEO purposes, think about it. People are more likely to look up golden idol or even Egypt before they look up archeologist. So your keywords are now closer to the beginning of the sentence, which is better for SEO purposes.

But what about for the purpose of your reader? Well, some people who read sales copy don't read but skim. And when they do this, they only skim the beginning of sentences. So, if somebody were to see golden idol at the beginning of a sentence when skimming, they might be more inclined to keep reading than if they saw the word archeologist.

Certainly it is a fascinating debate. Personally, I have used both and don't see a lot of difference in conversion. So maybe it's just quite possible that both do work equally as well for different reasons, each appealing to a different prospect.

Want to learn more fascinating details about copywriting that will turn you into a pro in no time flat? Check out the link in my signature. You'll be writing killer copy before you know it.

To YOUR Success,
Steven Wagenheim

Want to save $2,500 to $15,000 in copywriting costs? Want to write copy yourself that can command that kind of payday? Visit my site at http://www.bcipe.com/ and discover killer copywriting tips that have allowed me to write my own copy for years and earn myself a 6 figure a year income selling my own products.

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