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6 Tips for Avoiding Passive Voice When Writing to Physician Email Lists

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6 Tips for Avoiding Passive Voice When Writing to Physician Email Lists

Passive voice is a grammatical structure in which the sentence's subject receives the action instead of performing it.

For example, "The patient was seen by the physician" is in the passive voice, whereas "The physician saw the patient" is in the active voice.

Passive voice can make writing seem distant, vague, and less engaging. To make your content more transparent and direct, avoiding it whenever possible while engaging your physician email lists is essential.

Here are some tips to help you convert passive language into active voice when composing emails.

1. Identify Passive Voice Sections

The first step in avoiding passive voice is to learn how to identify it. Passive voice often includes a form of the verb "to be" (such as "is," "was," "were," "has been," "will be") followed by a past participle (such as "thrown," "completed," "built," "taken"). [[1]]

In a passive sentence, the receiver of the action is usually the subject of the sentence. In contrast, the performer of the action is often relegated to a prepositional phrase.

2. Use an Active Verb

One way to avoid passive voice is to start your sentence with an active verb. That makes the action more immediate and engaging for the reader, removing the threat of passivity from your marketing message. [[2]]

Although the list of active verbs to use is extensive, some great options for email marketing include “accomplish,” “achieve,” “build,” “capture,” and “demonstrate.”

3. The Subject Performs the Action

In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. [[3]]

4. Avoid Unnecessary Verbs

"To be" verbs (such as "is," "was," "were," etc.) are often used in passive voice constructions. To avoid passive voice, try to use other verbs that convey action and agency.

5. Eliminate Prepositions

In passive voice, the performer of the action is often relegated to a prepositional phrase starting with "by." To avoid passive voice, try removing this phrase and making the performer the sentence's subject. [[4]]

In the example above, you can see that with the phrase “by the physician.” Try using other expressions by flipping the grammatical structure so the intended subject is the lead instead of being part of an unnecessary sentence component.

6. Use the KISS Method

KISS is an acronym that means “Keep It Short and Simple” in email marketing. Passive voice often leads to long, convoluted sentences. Use active verbs and focus on the performer of the action instead of trying to describe everything else in your email. The physicians in your database want something direct and informative, so focus on the core content and avoid the temptation of traversing down a road of tangents. [[5]]

When your physician email lists receive messages filled with passive voice, your writing will seem distant, vague, and less engaging. To avoid passive voice, start with an active verb, and use the subject as the performer of the action. In return, you can see improvements in your core metrics, including click-through and conversion rates.