Hi all!
I have made this terrible mistake in writing for a long time.
But here’s the catch.
I didn’t even realize I was making this mistake until I was told my writing was getting creepy and manipulative … like a nice guy.
Oh.
It’s not something anyone wants to hear, especially copywriters and content-driven businesses.
Which brings me to my point.
This is a mistake that many content-driven businesses, email-driven businesses, and copywriters make and don’t even realize it.
The dreaded good boy mistake.
Let’s do it …
Write in a passive voice.
Think about this about the “good boy”
When you are being “nice” to someone, you are not yourself. You are a manipulative little weasel because you want something from the other person. And those who receive his kind gestures notice it, feel it and fear it.
When you’re that “good boy”, you finish last.
And guess what? Your readers can see that “nice guy” in your writing. And that kind of writing is called passive writing.
But that is not all …
Writing in a passive voice also causes problems like …
… turning your writing into a pit of clutter.
Your ideas get lost, you don’t speak in a direct voice, and you lose all your power in your writing, weakening your call to action.
So how can you fix this “passive voice”? trouble?
First …
What is a “passive voice”?
In a passive voice sentence, the subject acts on the verb. You never want to write in a passive voice. All your content, emails and copy should be in one direct voice.
What is a “direct voice”? (Also known as active)
The direct voice is when the subject performs the action of the verb.
And this is where you want your writing to be.
Look at these examples and guess which one is active and which one is passive.
… Demetrio ate all six shrimp for dinner.
… The six shrimp were eaten by Demetrius.
Can you guess which one is passive and which one is active?
The top sentence is the active and the second sentence is the passive.
Here are some more examples …
… Click the link Right Now to get your Quick Deep Cleansing Skin Formula and say goodbye to acne FOREVER.
… If you want to buy the Rapid Deep Cleansing Skin Formula to treat your acne, please click the link.
You see the difference? See how having a passive voice in your writing can make you sound like a manipulative sociopath and wipe out your response, content, and sales letter?
But that is not all …
… You cannot forget the specific details about what you write (or say). You have to be clear and specific because your message is lost.
Here is an example of Hillary Clinton when she accepted the presidential nomination.
First Lady Michelle Obama reminded us that our children are watching and that the president we elect will also be their president.
And for those of you who are just getting to know Tim Kaine, you will soon understand why the people of Virginia continue to promote him: from the City Council and the Mayor, to the Governor and now the Senator.
It will make the entire country proud to be our Vice President.
And … I want to thank Bernie Sanders.
Bernie, your campaign inspired millions of Americans, particularly young people who put their hearts and souls in our primaries.
It has put the issues of economic and social justice front and center, where they belong.
And to all his followers here and across the country:
I want you to know, I have heard you.
Your cause is our cause.
Our country needs your ideas, energy and passion.
Now let’s look at an excerpt from Trump.
When I see the roads and bridges that collapse, or airports in ruins, or factories that move abroad to Mexico or other countries, I know that all these problems can be solved, but not Hillary Clinton, only me.
The fact is, we can come back bigger, better, and stronger than ever before – jobs, jobs, jobs!
Everywhere I look, I see the possibilities of what our country could be. But we cannot solve any of these problems by relying on the politicians who created them.
We can never fix a tampered system with the same people who tampered with it in the first place.
Insiders wrote the rules of the game to stay in power and money.
You see the difference?
When you read Trump’s speech, he goes into specifics about what he’s going to do and why he’s running for president. Clinton’s speech is more vague and confusing. Due to his lack of clarity in his messages, his platform was very confusing.
How do I solve my passive problem?
To solve this problem, you need to be more specific and detailed when writing a copy or when writing your emails. Be clear about your message. If you have an editor, use it! Give him your copy, content or email and ask him to mark the passive sentences.
Use Microsoft Word. When you use the spell checker, the program also looks for passive sentences.
Second, keep in mind that you are typing in a passive voice. Learn to recognize passive sentences in everything you read. You will begin to notice that the world is full of people who write and speak in a passive voice (even the mainstream media!)
When you become aware of passive writing, you will instantly know when passive sentences are in your writing.
Another thing you can do is recognize the subject in all your sentences. Rewrite the sentence and have the subject perform the action of the verb.
Always keep your audience in mind when writing. Remember that you are writing to them and not to yourself.
Until then stay hungry
Demetrio R.
