A persuasive paper is a form of academic writing where you present logical arguments to convince your target audience of your ideas and point of view, using facts gathered from solid research and studies made by experts. You can look at examples of college papers to know an overview of writing a persuasive essay. Having the skill to write one can help you persuade why you are a proper selection for your dream university. You can also use this type of essay outside your school life, like writing application letters or writing proposals for your job. To help you develop your skills, here are some valuable tips on how to write persuasive essays.
Choosing the topic of your paper
Choosing the topic of your essay is an integral part of the writing process. People often misinterpret the more complicated the subject, the better is the outcome of the paper. But if you find it hard to understand the issue at hand, it will be difficult for you to give logical arguments and even persuade your readers. When selecting a topic, choose the one closely related to your field of study. It will be easier for you to understand it and find references to support pieces of evidence. You can also base your topic of choice according to your target audience. If your audiences are nurses or front liners, you may want to write an essay about their area. It can be something about health, the rights of health workers, or even the effect of the global pandemic. It is important the paper is closely related to both the writer and its audience. If you have a hard time choosing a topic, you can search for persuasive essay topics available on the internet.
Outlining and follow the structure
There are specific structures the writers follow when they write different types of essays. Over time these things will come naturally to them because of the experience they gathered in writing. If you are a first-timer in writing, here is a sample of persuasive essay structure you can follow of a smooth writing process
- Introduction
- Start with the hook to get the attention of your readers
- Definition of terms that may be new to your audience
- Write your thesis statement to give your readers an overview of the main topic and the key arguments of your article.
- Body
- Always start with the topic sentence
- Present your argument logically and back them up with information and data from credible sources.
- Conclusion
- Restate the thesis statement
- Summarize all your key arguments and tie them together on why they are interrelated to one another.
- Write a final statement. This must be impactful that will leave a lasting impression on your readers.
Now that you are familiar with the basic structure, you now have an idea of the steps to writing a persuasive essay. To give you thoughts, a guide, and limitations, you can make an outline for your paper. Creating a design lets you brainstorm the subtopics of your main idea. It will help you avoid putting too much information on your essay that will make it dull and redundant. You can read persuasive writing examples to help you create your paper.
Make a simple paper
Tips for writing a persuasive essay do not often tell you to write things simply. Many students want to sound more brilliant in writing, so they tend to pick a complex topic and unfamiliar words. Using jargon can be helpful from time to time when you know your audience is exclusive to the field. But if your audience addresses the general public, it will not help your cause persuade them if they have a hard time understanding your message. An excellent essay is concise and straightforward. You can still present your arguments and give an impact by using ordinary words that everyone understands. All you need for your paper is to have logical consistency. You can also have a meaningful article with relatable yet straightforward topics. The purpose of the essay is to persuade, and to that, they must first understand.
Emphasize the use of personal pronouns
Persuasive tips: be there. When you want to convince somebody, your presence is essential. But when you are delivering your message through writing, to be there physically is quite impossible. That is why we recommend that you use personal pronouns. Using the words “we,” “you,” or “us” will make it as you are speaking directly to your readers. They will feel that you are exclusively talking to them, making them feel more involved and engaged. This way, you can get your readers’ attention and motivate them to dive deeply into your entire paper.
Make a strong introduction and conclusion.
The most helpful tip on how to write a persuasive essay step by step is to start strong and finish even stronger. Having a strong introduction will help you get the attention of your audience. From the start of their reading journey, you must pique their interest and curiosity of your audience so that they will want to read the entirety of your paper. After an information-filled body of the article, you should end with a firm conclusion. It would be best if you stood by with your arguments. Tell your audience and convince them why your point of view and insights are superior and accurate. A closing statement should be impactful and leave an impression on your audience. After reading your article, if you are successful, your readers should have a change of behavior towards the subject and open a new door for possible in-depth studies in the future.
Edit your work
Most people tend to skip editing their work and directly submitting it. Remember your first draft is full of errors. You cannot submit an error-plagued paper. It will affect your grades drastically. Use applications like Grammarly to help correct and fix these errors. These applications are accessible, easy to use, and will not consume time. There’s no excuse now for skipping the editing process. Make sure that you only hand in flawlessly written essays.
There is no fixed way on how to teach persuasive writing. As you evolve your writing skills, you will develop different techniques for writing different types of essays. When writing a persuasive essay, remember the purpose of writing; you need to convince your audience of your ideas and point of view. Coupled with solid research, there is doubt you can create an excellent essay that relates to you and your audience.