How Active ETF Marketers Can Prove the Active Difference

When more than four out of five new ETFs are active, “active” is no longer much of a differentiator.

More than 80% of the 1,069 U.S. ETFs launched during the first three quarters of 2026 were actively managed, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Active funds also accounted for approximately 80% of ETF launches over the past three years.

For active ETF issuers to stand out, we recommend building messaging where investors’ priorities meet an asset manager’s credible strengths. Active ETF marketers can apply that approach in three ways.

1) Lead with the portfolio outcome

An active ETF’s investment process matters, but buyers first need to understand why the process is relevant to their portfolios.

Start with the challenge the strategy is designed to address and the outcome it seeks to support. Depending on the ETF, that could include generating income, managing downside risk, diversifying a core allocation, improving tax efficiency, or gaining differentiated exposure to a market segment.

2) Connect the process with proof

Once the outcome is clear, show how the ETF management team pursues it. Identify the decisions that drive the strategy, then connect those decisions with evidence buyers can examine.

An active equity ETF manager, for example, could explain how security selection or portfolio construction differs from the benchmark, supported by holdings, exposure, or attribution data. A fixed-income ETF team could similarly show how changes in duration, credit exposure, or security selection help it respond to changing market conditions.

The goal is to connect the intended outcome with a repeatable process and observable proof. That gives investors a clearer basis for evaluating whether they should consider the strategy.

3) Match the format to the audience

A differentiated ETF story can still get lost if it lives only in a lengthy white paper or sales deck. ETF marketers should package the central idea around how each audience will use it.

Wentworth’s advisor research reinforces the need to make deliberate format choices. In our 2025 alternatives survey, engagement dropped as content grew longer, while preferences varied by audience and use case. Our 2026 digital assets survey similarly found that advisors preferred different formats for their own education, product comparisons, and client-facing conversations.

While developing content for every audience may seem daunting, marketers can start with a focused shortlist of high-impact materials. Each format should have a defined audience, purpose, and next step.

Make the active difference meaningful

The active label alone may not get an ETF into the conversation. A clear connection among outcomes, process, and evidence can give buyers a reason to evaluate an active ETF.

Wentworth Financial Communications’ ETF Launch Content Playbook provides a practical framework for developing core messaging, tailoring it by audience, prioritizing launch collateral, and supporting an ETF after launch.

Download our free ETF Launch Content Playbook:
https://wentworthwriting.com/etf-launch-playbook/

About the Author John Spence co-leads the ETF content marketing practice at Wentworth Financial Communications. He collaborates with a team of writers and editors at Wentworth to help professionals across the financial services industry build their brands by creating investment-grade infographics, videos, email campaigns, blog posts, social media content, white papers, bylined articles, newsletters, and other forms of content marketing.

Do you have questions for John? Reach out directly at jspence@wentworthwriting.com