What is Active Voice in Writing?

I remember the exact moment when I first started my SEO content writing career when an early client dropped a single word comment in my G-Doc: “PASSIVE.”

I was crushed. I had no idea about the passive vs active voice, but I knew it wasn’t a compliment. That one word sent me down a rabbit hole of understanding the difference between active and passive voice, and it fundamentally changed the way I write.

It’s one of those grammar rules that sounds intimidating and academic, but once you grasp it, you see it everywhere. You start to notice how much more powerful, clear, and engaging your writing becomes. 

So, what is the active voice in writing? It’s not just a stuffy rule for grammar nerds; it’s a secret weapon for powerful communication. Our expert copywriters break it down.

Active vs Passive Voice: A Breakdown

At its heart, the difference between active and passive voice is simple. It all comes down to the subject of the sentence.

In an active voice sentence, the subject performs the action.

Think of it like this: Subject -> Verb -> Object.

• Holly (subject) wrote (verb) the blog post (object).
• The marketing team (subject) launched (verb) the new campaign (object).
• Our customers (subject) love (verb) the new feature (object).

See how clear and direct that is? The person or thing doing the action is front and center. It’s energetic, it’s easy to understand, and it takes responsibility.

In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action.

The formula gets flipped around: Object -> Verb -> Subject.

• The blog post (object) was written (verb) by Holly (subject).
• The new campaign (object) was launched (verb) by the marketing team (subject).
• The new feature (object) is loved (verb) by our customers (subject).

Notice the subtle shift? The sentences get wordier, a little clunkier, and the energy drains away. 

The person or thing that was the star of the show (Holly, the team, the customers) is now relegated to the end of the sentence, often tacked on with the word “by.” Sometimes, the doer of the action is left out entirely:

• The blog post was written.
• The new campaign was launched.
• Mistakes were made.

That last one is a classic for a reason. The passive voice is the language of evading responsibility. It’s weak, it’s indirect, and it often leaves the reader with more questions than answers.

Why Active Voice is a Superpower for Your Business

Okay, so we know what is an active voice in writing, but why does it matter so much, especially in a business context? 

1. It Builds Trust and Authority: When you write in the active voice, you sound confident. You’re not hedging or hiding. You’re stating things directly. Compare “We designed this software to solve your problems” with “This software was designed to solve your problems.” The first one sounds like a company that stands behind its product. The second sounds like it came from a faceless corporation.
2. It’s Easier to Read and Understand: Your customers are busy. They don’t have time to decode complicated sentences, and they probably don’t understand the passive vs active voice debate. The active voice is more direct and uses fewer words, making your message easier to scan and comprehend. This is crucial for everything from website copy to marketing emails. Clearer writing leads to better user experience.
3. It Drives Action: If you want your reader to do something, like buy a product, book a consultation, download a guide, then you need to use strong, action-oriented language. The active voice is, by its very nature, full of action. It’s the difference between “Click the button” (active) and “The button should be clicked” (passive). Which one makes you want to click?

How to Spot and Fix Passive Voice

Once you start looking for it, you’ll see the passive voice everywhere. Here are a few tricks to train your eye:

Look for “to be” verbs: Look for forms of the verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past participle (usually a verb ending in -ed or -en). This is the classic construction of the passive voice. “The decision was made.” “The B2B report was written.”

Ask “By whom?”: If you can add “by zombies” to the end of a sentence and it still makes grammatical sense, you’ve probably got a passive voice construction. “The email was sent (by zombies).” This silly trick works because the passive voice often hides or minimizes the person or thing doing the action.

Find the real subject: When you spot a passive sentence, ask yourself: Who or what is actually performing the action? Then, rewrite the sentence to put that person or thing at the beginning.

Let’s practice:

• Passive: Your request will be reviewed by our team.
• Who’s doing the reviewing? Our team.
• Active: Our team will review your request.
• Passive: The new features were announced yesterday.
• Who did the announcing? We don’t know, but let’s assume it was the company.
• Active: We announced the new features yesterday.

When is Passive Voice Okay?

Now, I’m not saying you should eliminate the passive voice from your writing entirely. Like any tool, it has its uses. The key is to use it intentionally, not accidentally.

Here are a few situations where the passive voice can be the right choice:

• When the actor is unknown or unimportant: “The package was delivered this morning.” In this case, we don’t care who the delivery person was. The important thing is that the package arrived.
• When you want to emphasize the object: “The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.” Here, the Mona Lisa is the star of the sentence, so it makes sense to put her first.
• In scientific or technical writing: Sometimes, in formal scientific contexts, the passive voice is used to create a sense of objectivity. “The solution was heated to 100 degrees Celsius.”

The problem is that most of us default to the passive voice out of habit, especially in business writing, because we think it sounds more formal or professional. In reality, it just sounds weaker.

Using the Active Voice in Your Content

Understanding what is active voice in writing is the first step. The next is to practice using it until it becomes second nature. It’s a simple shift, but it will make your writing more direct, more confident, and far more effective.

Ready to transform your company’s writing from passive and forgettable to active and authoritative? Let’s talk. Book a consultation.

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