Okay, I know no one wants to talk about grammar. No one except grammar nerds like me and maybe Patricia T. O’Conner, author of “Woe Is I.
But give me one tiny second here and I’ll show you how, by being aware of certain verb tenses, you can radically increase the power of your marketing content and copy, and get better results!
Whenever you can, get rid of verb tenses that end in “ing.” Like creating, transforming, evelating, becoming, developing, etc. INSTEAD, use create, transform, become, develop… the active form of the verb.
Why? Because “ing” verbs, when used as a progressive form of a verb, tend to weaken and water down your copy.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re offering a sleep aid. It’s call Sleep Rite. In your copy, you DON’T want to say:
“With Sleep Rite, you will soon be sleeping through the night, waking up refreshed, and enjoying more energy throughout your day.”
Instead, you want to use the active form of the verb. You want to say:
“With Sleep Rite, you will sleep through the night, wake up refreshed, enjoy more energy throughout your day.”
It’s just a little tweak, but it is so much more powerful with that form of the verb.
Another example would be:
“With this 6-month coaching program, you will get the key to creating blah-di-blah, experiencing blah-di-blah, developing blah-di-blah…”
No, instead you want to write:
“In this 6-month coaching program, you will create blah-di-blah, experience blah-di-blah, develop blah-di-blah…”
See the difference? Get rid of those “ing” verbs whenever you can! They tend to slip into your copy, so be on the lookout for them when you’re editing your material.
That’s it for this week’s Tough Love Tuesday Tip! Until next week, put a lot of Love into your marketing. Put a lot of Love into everything.
And let me know if you have any questions about “ing” verbs, verb tenses or how to write kick-ass copy. Leave a comment below!