List Good Actions in the Present Tense

These actions feel like they're still happening.

by Nick Kolenda

Last Updated November 21, 2024

Services feel more valuable in the present tense.

After inspecting a home, a contractor might say:

Past: Faucet looked good.
Present: Faucet looks good.

Each sentence activates a different mental image:

Faucet looked good. Work is completed.
Faucet looks good. Work is still happening. Even now.

In one study, people believed that John painted more houses when they read an ongoing action (John was painting houses) instead of a completed action (John painted houses; Matlock, 2011).

Ongoing frames depict a mental image of the labor:

"John painted houses" with an image of John standing in front of a house, and "John was painting houses" with an image of John physically painting a house

It also happens with customer reviews.

Researchers analyzed 2 million Amazon reviews, and they confirmed that reviews get more helpful votes when they're framed in the present tense (Fang & Maglio, 2024).

...was great. Benefits have stopped.
...will be great. Benefits haven't happened yet.
...is great. Benefits are still happening.

Takeaways:

Check Your Service-Related Copy. When possible, frame completed actions in the present. Check service reports, sales calls, outreach messages, and customer support.

Fang, D., & Maglio, S. J. (2024). Time perspective and helpfulness: Are communicators more persuasive in the past, present, or future tense? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 110, 104544.
Matlock, T. (2011). The conceptual motivation of aspect. Motivation in Grammar and the Lexicon, 27, 133.

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