Persuasive Writing - Is Your Writing Persuasive
Writing Persuasive
In many instances, persuasive writing is used as an argument to convince a reader of the writer’s stand on a debatable issue. Its purpose is to persuade the reader that the writer’s point of view is the correct view and leads the reader to perform an action.
As an online marketer and writer of product reviews, it’s necessary for me to write persuasive content. My goal is to lead a reader to perform an action; the action being an online purchase of whatever it is I am pitching. In doing so, I employ a few techniques that I will share with you below but first take a look at the persuasive writing chart that I made which is used in nearly every form of persuasive writing.
Persuasive Writing Chart
Techniques for Persuasive Writing
TONE
The tone of your writing needs to be adjusted to your potential audience. The potential audience depends also on the medium you’re writing for. It could be that you are doing letter writing, writing books, writing for blogs or any form of creative writing. The tone for those types of writing will be different than if you were doing resume writing, grant writing, or proposal writing.
Tone just refers to the attitude of the writer as it is revealed in the choice of vocabulary. As you may have noticed in my writing that I always choose to write in the first person. I want my writing to come off as cordial and inviting as if I where having a conversation with an old friend. This method of writing is warm and purposeful because I want my reader to feel comfortable. In doing so, I build trust with my reader.
EMPATHY
Persuasive writing almost always incorporates a personal appeal to human emotion. You should be able to identify a problem and establish with your audience that you can relate to the problem and that a solution is forthcoming. It’s important to avoid language that will come off cross and never use clichés or jargon.
ANTICIPATION
The best way to cut off an argument is to acknowledge opposing viewpoints. If you have done your research then you should be familiar with any complaints or faults with your topic and then offer logical responses using a clear and authoritative voice. Use supporting evidence, facts, figures and even testimonials to sway the reader. Use your language to guide the reader from point A to point B and finally to point C where they will be offered the opportunity to perform an action.
BALANCE
The body of my persuasive writing will have continuity all the way through. Whether I’m giving pros and cons, cause and effect, or comparison and contrast, my writing has to be balanced. Without an even balance I will lose the reader’s trust that I’m giving a reasonable argument for or against a topic or product. It will look like a snake oil sales pitch and I would have failed in my objective.
Writing Persuasive
Remember, the chart above is just a guideline for developing a persuasive writing assignment. You can add as many elements as necessary to get your point across but remember your tone and your audience. Make sure the evidence you provide is reliable or you stand to lose credibility and ultimately fail in your objective.
I hope this writing was persuasive enough for you, if not then check out the books below and buy one :)
Related
Comments
Very interesting hub, thank you. I don't see how any of the above books can make things any clearer than you have.
- Author
Thank you Petra that's very kind. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my article.
Very good advice and well written, thank you.
Great Hub! This article gave me some great information on improving my writing skills.
Very informative hub, thank you so much for sharing it. Bookmarked!
- Author
Hello,hello, TnFlash, Madison22 thank all of you for taking the time to read and comment on my hub. I hope you can use the info I share with you.
Great hub! Thank you - you persuaded me! It's a wonderful summary of how to organize writing. I'll post your hub on my wall; it'll be a great reminder to check what I've written.
Thanks for the advice...I book marked it.
Makes me think of lawyers in the court room,lol. Great info! :)
Thank you for this article. This is the kind of information I was hoping for when I chose to follow your hubs. I look forward to reading more of your work.
I believe I fit into this category but if not I find it to be very valuable info and I have certainly book marked this hub. :)
Good Hub, Richard
Writing for marketing is certainly a tough skill to learn - we all remember the old-school sales copy with red fonts, lots of capital letters and thousands of flashing exclamation marks. WATER4GAS!!!!!!!!!
Now, it is much more subtle - you and Nelle are two fine examples of writers who have the art down to a tee :)
Whilst I don't do much persuasive writing on HP, I produce the odd property brochure and your tips will come in useful.
Thanks for the information and rated up :D
- Author
Thank you for the kind words Sufi. You nailed it, the best persuavive writing is that which is subtle. You lead the reader in a direction without them knowing they're being lead to perform an action. If you've done your job correctly then the reader will perform this action by clicking through to your offer or clicking away through another link that benefits you.
Very helpful info - thanks. I think we all write to persuade at some level or another, not just if we are marketing a particular product or service.
Thanks again
Love and peace
Tony
Thanks for sharing this wonderful information.
Great info, nicely laid out...you'd think you followed some sort of graph! Actually I found this very informative and easy to follow. I too think we all use persuasive writing whether it is fiction or non-fiction, maybe everything but Poetry. Writers want readers to read their stuff so we try to presuade them, one way or another. Thanks this was a great read.
Ulrike Grace
- Author
Thank you for the comment Ulrike Grace. Persuasive writing is something we learn in grade school but often disregard later in life when we most need it. Hopefully this will just be a refresher for most that really need it.
Great Hub richard..very compelling and informative :) I like your advice on how to effectively cut off an argument. Works for me! Thanks!
- Author
Thank you Green Lotus for visiting and commenting on my hub. Hop you can put the info to good use.
Great advice - I'm honing this skill at the moment to try to up my amazon hits.
Yes, one cannot underestimate the power of words. Someone coined the phrase words=money and it is so true especially on the internet which is still written content. I couldn't agree more with the hub above. Thanks for writing well...not many take the time to do that.
I sometimes get "lost" between putting the words on the page and making them persuasive. To me, it seems more of an art than a science. Thanks for helping to spell it out for us.
A great wow for you. Your writing really persuasive. You explained in a very easy and simple way.
great work
- Author
Thank you all for the great comments, I hope my writing is persuasive enough :)
You hit the nail on the head with the process of persuasive writing. I do it myself for my business website. Your hub was a very useful review for me. Voted up.
- Author
Thanks Glenn, I'm happy that I persuaded you... :) Thought its not really a persuasion if you already agree is it?
Ha ha. Well, it's always good to review, from time to time, with useful ideas such as yours.
A very good reminder to all of us - but especially me! Your process is clear and 'persuasive' :) Your method goes a long way in creating trust with your readers. Thanks for the article.
- Author
Thank you for stopping by and commenting Maralexa... I think we all need a reminder now and then.
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