An e-commerce company selling a deodorant product line was using the headline, “Feel fresh without sweat marks.”
But when they changed their copy to be more action oriented – “Put an end to sweat marks!” – their conversion to the checkout page increased by 93%.
Take a look at your headlines. Are they passive or active?
Examples of passive headlines include:
- Toronto was named city of the year by the Fairfield Commission
- World’s biggest bookstore has been sold to conglomerate
- Mothers are asked 300 questions a day by children
- 200 workers were laid off by company owners
Examples of active headlines include:
- Two baby giraffes escape zoo
- Scottish government reveals independence plan
- The world’s first electric helicopter takes flight in Germany
- Taylor Swift wins top award
In the passive voice, the subject (noun) is acted upon (verb) by an object.
In the active voice, the subject (noun) of a sentence performs an action (verb) on an object.
If your current headlines are passive, try doing an A/B test with an active headline and see if you get a 93% increase in conversions, too.