To write sleek copy that makes an impact in your advertising/marketing material, start by writing in an active, rather than a passive voice. It will make your copywriting clear, direct, and easier to read. This is, after all, the goal in marketing communications. 

 So what do I mean by active voice?

 In active voice, the subject of your sentence does the acting.

 I drove a new car.
You start the campfire.
The crowd, united by a love of music, eagerly listened to the rock band. 

In passive voice, the subject is acted upon. 

The new car was driven by me.
The campfire will be started by you.
The rock band will be eagerly listened to by a crowd that is united by a love of music. 

Notice the difference? Passive voice is dull, lifeless, and wordy. And the more words used in your copy, the greater the chance of confusing the audience. But don’t worry about that. A few seconds of reading the passive drivel above and they’re gone in a flash anyway. 

Some people think passive writing makes content sound more formal. So they write… 

The theme that was most commonly dealt with by this author is the topic being evaluated in this paper. 

And you think your academic, professional, or technical audience is actually impressed by this? Especially when you could have just written… 

This paper will evaluate the most common theme by this author. 

Personally, I’m much more impressed by someone who takes a straight forward approach that is easy to understand. The goal, after all, should be to communicate a message to an audience, not impress an audience with your literary superiority. So when checking your content, look for these common words that passively sap the life from your writing: was, have, has, is, being, be, and by. Eliminate them and transform your writing into an active voice that strengthens the power of your marketing message.