Persuasive essays are one of the most common types of academic writing. To write persuasively and convince the readers to accept one viewpoint, you need to have a deep understanding of the subject. This goal can only be achieved through an appeal to precise information that is based on sound logic and supported by valid arguments. More about this and other tips on writing a persuasive essay read in this article.
Find Your Stance
Before you try to convince anyone else, convince yourself first. You cannot write a persuasive essay if you’re not really 100% certain about the topic. Whatever you’re writing about, choose only one point of view that resonates with your personal outlook and stick to it throughout the whole text. If you start wavering and sliding off the topic or you’re not a complete supporter of that precise idea, you won’t be able to execute the element of persuasion that is the core of a persuasive essay.
Learn Your Audience
When your reader gets an idea, you should already be two steps ahead and know in what direction they might be thinking. Provided you’re familiar with the topic of your essay, you need to get a full picture of your target audience too. This means expecting what counter arguments they might come up with and being able to react to them before the readers do. So try to distance yourself from only your viewpoint and get an understanding of the opposite side.
Research and once again, research. In persuasive writing, nothing is worse than trying to convince your readers of false information. Everything you put into your paper should be legit and taken from reliable sources. If your readers notice something vague or misleading, you won’t ever be able to achieve any persuasion. Moreover, research is necessary to be able to react to counter arguments because the more you know about the subject the more prepared you are to back up your opinion.
Plan the Structure
When it comes to organizing your evidence, there are two main approaches – starting from the weakest argument or with the strongest one. Which technique you choose is up to you, but you once again should consider your audience and predict their train of thoughts that will arise when reading your essay. As long as your order is logical, you shouldn’t have any difficulties with this step.
Persuasion can be of different nature. Sometimes you might encounter persuasion guided by appealing to emotions without providing actual information. That’s the opposite of what you should do in a persuasive essay. There is no place for tear-jerking in academic writing, and your only weapon is exact information and facts. Whatever argument you put forward, make sure you give enough data to support it. Finally, look out for plagiarism because it’s not accepted in any type of writing.
Once your persuasive essay is finished, let it sit for a bit. Then after some rest read it over once again and try to judge it with a fresh mind. If you go through all these steps, you’re bound to end up with a successful persuasive essay.