Five Key Steps for Writing a Persuasive Essay

1. Know Your Audience

Every piece of writing must be written for someone. Understanding your audience is key to writing.

Whom are you trying to convince? What are they interested in? Which views and opinions are they holding? Are they open to your view or sceptical? Which arguments are they most likely to find compelling? One audience might not like what works for another.

Do you write for middle-aged conservatives, or for a cross-section of leftist Gen-Z undergrads? This audience is your target audience.

It is your responsibility to fix the mistakes of your reader.

• Write clearly
• Provide sufficient evidence to support your claims

2. Describe Your Position

Although it may seem obvious, persuasive arguments should make a clear claim. What are you arguing? If your audience can’t guess, they have lost interest.

It is possible to avoid this problem by establishing a strong thesis statement from the beginning. It can be referred to often so that your reader is focused on the subject matter as you build each section of your argument.

How do I write a strong thesis statement?

Do your research to create a strong thesis statement that will motivate an entire essay. This will ensure that you don’t take a position that you aren’t able to make a compelling argument for.

The thesis statement should include:

• Simple to comprehend
• Debatable
• Well-researched
• Concentrated in scope

Your argument will not be as interesting if your thesis statement is too broad. For example, “I argue that there should be something done to combat climate change.”

If your thesis statement is focused on one thing, such as “I argue that local governments have the ability to combat climate change through funding urban gardening projects,” you’ll be able present convincing evidence. You will find your argument more persuasive and concrete. It is better to focus on a narrow topic than it is to neglect a wide topic.

3. Make a road map

After you have stated your claim, make a roadmap for the audience. Explain what you will do and how.

To guide the reader, use keywords such as “first” or “second”. You shouldn’t do anything on the paper that isn’t in your roadmap. Your audience will be confused by tangents. You want to create a coherent flow that is simple for your reader to follow.

It can be difficult to create a great roadmap. Before you begin writing your paper, make a draft of the outline.

A Simple Persuasive Essay Outline:

• Opening paragraph/Thesis statement
• Roadmap
• Point #1
  • Do you have evidence?
  • Do you have evidence?
  • Resolve objections
• Point #2
  • Do you have evidence?
  • Do you have evidence?
  • Resolve objections
• Point #3
  • Do you have evidence?
  • Do you have evidence?
  • Resolve objections
• Conclusion

4. Get Support for Your Argument

Arguments are not opinions.

Arguments are based on opinions. Arguments are formed from opinions.

It is not enough to express your opinions with rhetorical flair. This is not Twitter. This is not Twitter. You need to back up your claims with solid evidence and research.

These are three tips that can help you achieve that.

• Data

  Statistics can be quite convincing. Statistics can be very convincing. Stats can be misinterpreted or manipulated, so make sure you provide all context and credit for all data.

• Examples

  Your point can be strengthened by good examples. Your reader will be able to see the big picture through vivid, exciting examples that are more engaging than numbers. Be specific and relevant with your examples.

• Experts

  Referring to the expertise, knowledge, or research conclusions of an expert is a powerful way to support your argument. You should ensure that you choose an expert with strong credentials. You’ll be weakening your position.

5. Anticipate Objections

You can be persuasive by raising objections to your points.

This may seem counterintuitive. Why would I highlight opposing viewpoints to the one I am arguing for? This is where it really matters to know your audience. Your arguments might be brilliant and compelling, but if you present your argument as one-sided, all your attempts at persuasion will fail. You can also anticipate and then raise objections from your audience and respond quickly with logic and evidence.

If you want to convince me, you have to think my thoughts, feel and speak my feelings. This tactic, also known as a “prebuttal” in debate, makes your position appear stronger. The reader will feel that you were very transparent and have listened to their concerns. What is the result? The result? Your audience agrees with you.