Howdy Everyone!
I’ve made this dreaded mistake in my writing for a long time.
But here’s the kicker.
I didn’t even realize I was making this mistake until I was told that my writing was coming off creepy and manipulative… like a nice guy.
Ouch.
Not something no one 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 nice guy mistake.
Let’s get to it…
Writing in a passive voice.
Think on this about the “Nice Guy,”
When you’re being “nice,” to someone your not being yourself. Your being a manipulative little weasel because you want something from the other person. And those on the receiving end of your kind gestures notice it, feel it and dread it.
When you’re that “nice guy,” you finish last.
And guess what? Your readers can see that “nice guy,” in your writing. And that type of writing is called writing in a passive voice.
But that’s not all…
Writing in a passive voice also cause problems like…
… turning your writing into a mosh pit of clutter.
Your ideas become lost, you don’t speak in a direct voice, and you lose all your power in your writing making your call to action weak.
So how can you fix this, “passive voice.” problem?
First…
What is a “Passive Voice?”
In a passive voice sentence the subject is acted on the verb. You never want to write in a passive voice. All of your content, emails and copy have to be in a direct voice.
What is a “Direct Voice?”(Also known as Active)
Direct voice is when the subject does the action of the verb.
And this is where you want your writing to be at.
Look at these examples and guess which one is active and which one is passive.
… Demetrio ate all six shrimp at dinner.
… All the six shrimp were eaten by Demetrio.
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’s some more examples…
… Click on the link Right Now to get your Deep Rapid Cleansing Skin Formula and say goodbye to Acne FOREVER.
… If you want to buy the Deep Rapid Cleansing Skin Formula to treat your Acne then click on the link.
Do you see the difference? Do you see how having a passive voice in your writing can make you sound like a manipulative sociopath and kill your response, content and sales letter?
But that’s not all…
… You can’t forget about the specifics about what ever it is your writing about(or telling) You have to be clear, and specific because your message gets lost.
Here’s an example for Hillary Clinton when she accepted the presidential nomination..
First lady Michelle Obama reminded us that our children are watching, and the president we elect is going to be their president, too.
And for those of you out there who are just getting to know Tim Kaine – you’re soon going to understand why the people of Virginia keep promoting him: from City Council and mayor, to Governor, and now Senator.
He’ll make the whole country proud as our Vice President.
And… I want to thank Bernie Sanders.
Bernie, your campaign inspired millions of Americans, particularly the young people who threw their hearts and souls into our primary.
You’ve put economic and social justice issues front and center, where they belong.
And to all of your supporters here and around the country:
I want you to know, I’ve heard you.
Your cause is our cause.
Our country needs your ideas, energy, and passion.
Now let’s look at a excerpt from Trump.
When I see the crumbling roads and bridges, or the dilapidated airports, or the factories moving overseas to Mexico, or to other countries, I know these problems can all be fixed, but not by Hillary Clinton – only by me.
The fact is, we can come back bigger and better and stronger than ever before –Jobs, jobs, jobs!
Everywhere I look, I see the possibilities of what our country could be. But we can’t solve any of these problems by relying on the politicians who created them.
We will never be able to fix a rigged system by counting on the same people who rigged it in the first place.
The insiders wrote the rules of the game to keep themselves in power and in the money.
Do you see the difference?
When you read Trump’s speech he goes into specific details about what he going to do and why he is running for president. Clinton’s speech is more vague and muddled. Because of her lack of clarity in her messaging her platform was confusing as hell.
How Do I Fix My Passive Problem?
To fix this problem is to be more specific and detailed when you write copy or when you write your emails. Be clear about your message. If you have a editor use him! Give him your copy, content or email and have him mark out the passive sentences.
Use Microsoft Word. When you use spell check the program also looks for any passive sentences.
Second become aware that you’re writing in a passive voice. Learn to recognize passive sentences in everything you read. You’ll start to notice that the world is full of people writing and speaking in a passive voice (even the mainstream media!)
When you become aware of the passive writing you’ll instantly know when the passive sentences in your writing.
Another thing you can do is recognize the subject in all of your sentences. Re-write the sentence and make the subject do the action of the verb.
Always keep your audience in mind when you write. Remember you write to them and not to yourself.
Till Then, Stay hungry
Demetrio R.