Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing
May 10, 2007 by Lillie
In my post on goals, I mentioned that one of my goals for this blog is to give writing advice for “non-writers” who have to write for their jobs and everyday lives. As a result of that post, Lowell Crabb at Acceleration of Money suggested I give advice on persuasive writing.
So for Lowell and anyone else who needs to write persuasively, here are my five keys to successful persuasive writing:
1. Write with passion about something important to you. You will find it difficult to persuade someone else about something you don’t believe. My most recent persuasive writing project was to help my husband write a letter to a hospital we believe overcharged us. He can’t get a satisfactory answer of what “uncovered charges” are. He is determined he won’t pay the amount in question until he gets an explanation other than “charges your insurance didn’t pay.” We wrote the letter to persuade the hospital either to itemize the charges or cancel the bill, and we wrote with passion because this was important to us.
You may not always have a choice in what you write, however. If your boss assigns you a project that requires persuasive writing, you may not feel the same passion as my husband and I felt about being overcharged. Look for something positive in the project. Perhaps you can bring more sales to the company through advertising copy. More income to the business will be good not only for the company but also to employees, creating more job security and possibly higher salaries. The project may help you develop your skills or learn something new, and your success could help you earn a promotion. Apply the passion you feel for the potential results of the project to the writing itself.
2. Write with your readers in mind. Think about your purpose and your audience. Put yourself in your readers’ shoes – and in their heads. If you’re trying to persuade someone to take a certain position on an issue, consider how the issue affects them. Perhaps you want voters to support a bond issue to build a new library. Take the approach of the benefits of the library for the voter, his family, and his neighborhood. Don’t ignore objections and opposite viewpoints. Instead, address the objections openly and respectfully. “Some voters believe this new library isn’t needed because…. However, …” By answering the objections in your readers’ minds, you show you understand the whole picture. By showing respect for opposing viewpoints, you are more apt to convince your readers of your point of view. How often do politicians, activists, and pundits persuade others to their point of view when they call those with different opinions names and show disrepect for their opinions?
3. Write to be understood. Rather than trying to impress readers with your vocabulary or your writing skill, try to make the copy easy for them to understand. Your word choices and writing style will vary depending on what you are writing, but whenever possible use common words and short sentences and paragraphs. As much as you can, use a friendly, conversational style so your readers feel like you are carrying on a conversation with them. Proofread your work and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Watch especially for your common errors. For example, I’m notorious for leaving out words. If you’re not sure whether to use its or it’s or their or there, look it up. The Guide to Grammar and Writing and The OWL at Purdue are two excellent resources.
4. Write to appeal to your readers’ emotions. Read or watch ads or articles soliciting donations or volunteers for charitable causes. People respond to descriptions of sick or starving children or pictures of animals that have been mistreated. You may not be writing about such dramatic topics, but your readers are emotional beings. If you’re trying to persuade readers to make an investment, you can appeal to their fear (what will they lose if they miss out?), greed (how much money can they make?), love for family (how will this investment protect their family’s financial security?), desire for prestige or power (how can the investment give the reader status or influence?), or any number of other emotions.
5. Write to give your readers logical justifications for their decision. We all tend to operate on emotion. We make decisions to avoid pain or feel pleasure; to prevent loss or ensure security, to feel powerful, beautiful, successful, or … something; to help the unfortunate or show our love for our family and friends. However, we like to justify our decisions on the basis of logic and reason. So after you appeal to your readers’ emotions, provide facts and statistics. Quote experts. Give them rational justification to do what you are trying to persuade them to do and what their emotions motivate them to do.
I hope these tips help you improve your persuasive writing. If you have questions, ask them in the comments. I’d love to hear your suggestions for other writing topics you’d like me to cover.
Since my successful persuasive writing advice comprises five tips, I’m submitting this post to the Top 5 group writing project at ProBlogger. The topic of the project is Top 5, and the project has already drawn a raft of interesting posts on a wide range of topics. The group writing project is an excellent chance to find some great new blogs.
[tags]writing, Top 5, group writing project[/tags]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
Totally agree with you. I’m still practicing this skill in my writing.
Check out my posting on Top 5
Kamal,
Thanks for the comment.
Malaysia looks like a beautiful country. Thank you for introducing us to five of the must-sees.
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
Thanks for this great post, I’ll try to keep the advice in mind when writing blog posts.
gl in the top 5 thing , i submitted a post as well
Mirko,
Thanks for the comment. Hope you find the advice helpful.
Matthew,
Thanks. I enjoyed your five reasons to blog.
Lillie, it’s a good post. I entered the competition too.
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
I totally agree that these are important attributes. I feel that there are so many blogs out there that get traffic of some kind, but don’t know how to write appealing material so that they get return visitors. Great post. I am going to use it as a checklist.
Excellent post. A lot of bloggers know how to get a blog up but can’t write well. Hopefully I am not one of them
This is probably the best top 5 post I have read for Darrin’s competition. Good Job.
Thanks, Laura.
I enjoyed your top five reasons to work at home.
Many years ago, I started my interior landscape out of my home, but in less than five years, I had to have facilities, employees, all the trappings of a business.
I’m so happy and blessed that I’ve been working at home as a freelancer ever since I sold that business more than ten years ago. I could never work anywhere else now.
I’m glad the post was helpful, Cade.
You’ve certainly mastered one writing skill on your blog – creating curiosity!
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
good stuff, i believe you found a new reader!
Wow, David. Thanks! I’m flattered at your kind words.
As a reader of your blog, I can say you’re NOT one of the bloggers who doesn’t know how to write.
[...] 1. Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing [...]
Great top 5 Lillie. I enjoyed reading it. I put up a top 5 post too. I look forward to reading more of the entries, as there will be lots of great info distilled into a top 5 – a good way to discover lots of interesting information and sites.
Quite apart from the prize money for this one, I like the buzz and general collaborative concept of group writing projects.
Thanks, Darlene. Your comment led me to your blog, and now I’m a new reader of yours as well.
Yvonne,
Thanks! I enjoyed reading your post as well – you gave some great tips on building a writing business.
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
Thank you for writing this post! I’ve always found that writing about something I was passionate for, turned out much better than something I was not. In writing for work, I hadn’t actually thought about point 4 – appeal to people’s emotions. Great tip, thanks!
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
Thanks, Denise.
I visited your blog and will take a break with you often!
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
Great advice. I think that the first tip is the most important, as the other four flow from it. If you’re passionate about “whatever” then you’ll subsconsciously (at least for me) try to connect with readers in a way they’ll understand, use enthusiastic words and positive wording, and present your best reasoning and arguments for why they should do something you so strongly believe in.
In other words, if you’re passionate about your topic, the rest should take care of itself!
Weekend Reading – May 12th…
I found these great posts in Problogger’s Top 5 Group Writing Project:
Top 5 Internet Marketing Mistakes —
You should never make a change unless you can measure the result. How else will you know if it was successful? If you market on the…
David,
Good point! Passion is the primary key.
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing — Your writing and communication to customers will have be persuasive to stand out in the crowd. Your copy writing must not only grab someone’s attention, but also compel them to action. [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye » Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing 1. Write with passion about something important to you.2. Write with your readers in mind.3. Write to be understood.4. Write to appeal to your readers’ emotions.5. Write to give your readers logical justifications for their decision.[read the explanation] [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing “Think about your purpose and your audience. Put yourself in your readers’ shoes – and in their heads. If you’re trying to persuade someone to take a certain position on an issue, consider how the issue affects them.” Lillie Ammann writes about writing with passion about something important to you, writing with your readers in mind, writing to be understood, writing to appeal to your readers’ emotions and writing to give your readers logical justifications for their decision. Each point is explained and illustrated with examples that anyone can relate to, which in my humble opinion makes it a good read regardless of your prior writing experience. [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
[...] Here’s the link to her Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing. [...]
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]
Hello!
Thanks so much for this post! Great advice…
Surprised no one found this typo though!
“Watch especially for your common errors. For example, I’m notorious for leaving out words. If you’re not sure whether to you to use its or it’s or their or there, look it up.”
Read it a few times, if need be. You’ll find it.
Chris,
I just threw that in to see if you’d catch it.
Or maybe I was so focused on avoiding my usual mistake of leaving out words that I tossed in a couple extra just to be sure. 
Thanks for pointing out the error. I have corrected it now.
[...] Top Five Keys to Successful Persuasive Writing by Lillie Ammann [...]