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<\/p>\nSince\u00a0the beginning of time, humans have spent a great deal of time trying to persuade each other to do something. As time progressed, a certain structure developed that still works today. Let\u2019s look at an easy to remember structure you can use for any form of persuasive writing.<\/p>\n
First, consider this. When you tell a joke, it follows a certain structure. Frequently, they start with a three part structure, such as \u201cA lawyer, judge, and paralegal headed to a pub\u201d (the first two parts are pretty similar), but the third thing is where something unexpected (and funny) takes place.<\/p>\n
The same applies to writing. There is a good chance that you learned to take a journalistic approach to writing term papers and essays, referred to as an inverted pyramid, when you were in high school. Using this approach, you start with the most important point and add your details below.<\/p>\n
Remember, this is a journalistic approach to writing that was designed specifically for newspapers. In newspapers, if there is only limited space available, the last few paragraphs are often cut out. So, the inverted pyramid is perfect\u2026if you want your readers to lose interest and stop reading somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n
You have to use a different structure when you are writing with the intend of persuading someone.<\/p>\n
Persuasive writing is structured akin\u00a0to a joke. You build up to a climax that is intended to evoke a response. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean that your beginning isn\u2019t important. In fact, it is crucial that you immediately capture your reader\u2019s attention. That\u2019s why the beginning gets its very own P.<\/p>\n
Most writers start by attempting to get their reader in a certain mood, whether that is happy, angry, motivated, sad, or whatever else. While this works well for poetry, it is not worth your time when you are completing persuasive writing.<\/p>\n
When persuasive writing, you have to identify something your reader wants and promise it to them. To determine what your reader wants, you have to have a real understanding of your audience. This is going to require that you do a bit of research to determine exactly what their interests are.<\/p>\n
Then, you make your promise, but be sure that it is a promise you will be able to keep.<\/p>\n
This requires the use of your creativity in order to create a mental image for your reader. Let\u2019s take a minute and consider descriptive writing. When you hear the word \u201cbeautiful\u201d, what do you think of? What about the word \u201cgreat\u201d? These words mean something different from one reader to another so it is entirely impossible to picture.
\nThis is why using descriptions such as \u201cgreat service\u201d or a \u201cbeautiful assortment\u201d are completely ineffective. Yes, your service may be great or your assortment beautiful, but these are not words that suggest a vivid image.
\nInstead, you should describe specific details that actually make your assortment beautiful or give tangible examples of great service. The more precise your description is, the easier it will be for your reader to picture what you are trying to say.<\/p>\n
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When you are stating your case, you have to present specific statements as fact. Rhetoricians, otherwise known as people who like to argue, refer to these statements as \u201cclaims.\u201d This requires that your reader shelves his or her current thoughts long enough for you to prove your claim\u2019s truth.<\/p>\n
How you prove your claim is dependent on your audience. For some audiences, testimonials persuade, while other audiences, such as scientists, may require hard data and independent studies from experts. One of the best ways to prove something works is by giving an explanation of how it works. You can use everything from statistics to before and after pictures and case studies to prove your point.<\/p>\n
Some people opt to eliminate this step, but this is a huge risk. While people make decisions based on their emotions, they then require proof to justify them.<\/p>\n
Never assume anything! You have to be specific about what your reader should do next. This is critical because if you make your reader try to figure out something for themselves, it often results in a moment of hesitation that can lead to confusion. Confusion always equals NO.<\/p>\n
How do you go for the sale? One of the easiest and most effective techniques involves providing dual conversion paths. For example,<\/p>\n
Persuasive copywriting is similar to building a train track. However, you use paragraphs, sentences, and words instead of rails, spikes, and cross-ties. Just as a person building a train track wants to create an effortless, smooth path, a copywriter needs to do the same for their reader.<\/p>\n
There is both a science and an art to persuasion. Even when you use the right structure, there is a chance your copywriting could fail to persuade. We recommend taking an analytical approach where you run tests and measure the changes. Copywriting is very much an iterative process. Even after all our years of experience we still need to do rewrites of text over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Since\u00a0the beginning of time, humans have spent a great deal of time trying to persuade each other to do something. As time progressed, a certain structure developed that still works today. Let\u2019s look at an easy to remember structure you can use for any form of persuasive writing. First, consider …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content","column","twocol","has-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\n