Tips for Effective Persuasive Writing

You have a topic you feel extremely passionate about. You feel the best way to express this is through a piece of persuasive writing. But somehow, no one seems to be hearing your message. Here are some simple tips on how to improve your persuasive writing.

Research

It is important to research the topic you wish to discuss. Having a passionate opinion of a topic is the keystone to persuasive writing. Without research to back up your opinions, no one will take you seriously. If you were writing an article on how iPods are dangerous to human hearing, you could search for statistics, product specs, and medical studies. Any information you can cite in an article will help your persuasive writing stand out.

Grab the Reader's Attention

More than likely, your reader doesn't know as much about your topic as you do. Avoid going directly into your opinion. This can leave the reader confused as to what you are discussing. Try to draw the reader in with an example of your argument. This can be real or abstract, but should easy to understand. With the iPod example, you could use a real story of someone who suffered hearing loss from using one. Or, you could relate it to the danger of other loud noises. Just make sure there is a clear connection to the persuasive topic.

Structure

You need to have a clear structure in all of your persuasive writing. A simple format to follow is problems, causes, and solutions. This is not the only option. Any structure can work if its explained clearly at the beginning. To continue with the iPod example, you can first discuss the problems associated with excessive iPod use. Then, you can discuss the causes of these problems. Finally, you can discuss possible solutions. Anyone who reads the persuasive piece should understand your basic argument from the structure.

Don't Turn a Persuasive Piece into an Editorial

Obviously, you are writing your persuasive piece because you feel passionate about a topic. Passion is a great tool in writing. With persuasive writing, you need to avoid just writing your opinion. Use your research to help back up your opinions. Relate to the audience whenever possible through analogy and example. Stick to your structure in a clear way. Your voice and opinion should be clear in persuasive writing. But persuasive writing is more than just opinion.