Think of the last time you saw an ad that almost persuaded you to buy something you didn’t even need. Well-crafted words can be very convincing and powerful. They can influence your decisions.
Here are some powerful, persuasive writing tips you should know to write copy that convinces your reader to buy from you. First, we start with defining persuasive writing.
What is Persuasive Writing?
Persuasive writing is writing that gets your reader to agree with you. To achieve this, you’ll need to have facts, statistics, and other research from credible sources. When your point of view or opinion is backed up with strong and credible evidence, your reader is more likely to agree with you.
What Makes Persuasive Writing “Persuasive”?
Persuasive writing has three key elements. It has ethos, which is the beliefs of a group of people or a culture. If the writer seems to understand the beliefs of the reader, then the writer can write to the reader’s sense of ethos. The second is logos. The writer must appeal to the reader’s sense of logic by providing scientific evidence and facts. The third element is pathos, which is appealing to the passion and feelings of the reader.
If the piece of writing cannot appeal to the reader’s beliefs, sense of logic, or emotions, then it will have difficulty persuading the reader to agree with the point of view it is presenting.
How Can You Use Persuasive Writing at Work?
If your job is to influence people through the written word, then persuasive writing will be an extremely handy skill to have.
The marketing industry needs writers who can write to persuade customers to buy products and services. Advertising and marketing copywriters, for example, write copy for web content, email campaigns, marketing brochures, ads, and corporate brochures.
Persuasive writing skills are also needed for press releases, copy for fundraisers, and articles about government policies.
How Can Persuasive Writing Help Your Business?
Persuading your customers and clients to invest in your products and services is key to your business’s success. Dr. Robert B. Cialdini’s research on the psychology of persuasion has had a tremendous impact on marketing.
One concept he has proven is the principle of reciprocity. Humans naturally want to return favours and pay back debts. An example of this in marketing is a business that gives advice and tips its to website visitors in the form of free blogs, training courses, and PDF downloads. The informative, free content increases the likelihood that people will pay for the company’s products and services in the future.
Another principle is social proof: whatever most people are doing, then someone who joins the group will do the same, even if the behaviour doesn’t make logical sense. Consider how a worker may work a little longer just because everyone else in the department is working late. And think of the last time you decided whether to give a new restaurant a try because of how busy it looked. If you read about a trend that is popular with your age group, you’ll be more likely to try it.
Scarcity is another persuasive tactic. An ad for “the last available room,” “30% off your purchase today only,” and “offer ends at midnight tonight” will create a fear of missing out (FOMO).
Persuasive writing will give people the push they need to decide to subscribe to your email list, buy two for the price of one, sign up for a course, or invest in your consulting services.
Key Takeaways
Persuasive writing uses psychology to give people that nudge to make a decision now. It wins you over with logic and appeals to your emotions. It may even play to your fears (FOMO) or convince you to make a purchase because of the free value you have already received. Persuasive writing creates action through the power of words.
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Vanya Wryter Consulting Services 