Persuasive

9 Messages
 Persuasive Writing
Persuasion involves influencing your
audience’s attitudes and behaviours and
motivating individuals to act.

The more attractive you can make your

message, the more persuasive it will be.
(p. 291)
 Writing Persuasively

Successful persuasive writing:

o influences attitudes and behaviours
o motivates readers to accept recommendations and
act on requests
o Does not use coercion or try to “make” readers
comply
o respects readers’ views and intelligence
 Reasonable propositions
 Well-framed arguments
 Strong supporting evidence
(pp. 291-292)
 Types of Persuasive Messages
• Favour and action requests – example:
donations, asking people to volunteer their
time/expertise
• Claim requests
• Collection letters

*Recommendation Reports
 Persuasive Writing (cont’d)
Persuasive writing is typically used to:
• Ask for a favour or donation
• Present new ideas
• Promote a product; sales
• Apply for a job
• Explain how to solve a problem
(p. 290)
 Preparing to Write Persuasively

Know your purpose

o What do you want the reader to do?
• Understand what motivates your reader
o Show how your request satisfies their needs
• Consider design and layout
• Be positive and accurate; match your phrasing to
your relationship with the reader
• Anticipate objections and plan how to deal with
them
(pp. 291-292)
 Preparing to Write Persuasively, cont’d

Processes of influence
o Compliance
 Rewards-benefits (not punishment or ultimatums)
o Identification
 Commonality – establish/reinforce common ground
o Internalization
 Affirmation of goals and values; frame your persuasive
request as a “win-win”

(p. 292)
 Preparing to Write Persuasively, cont’d

Some arguments for tackling objections:

o Short-term pain for long-term gain

o Advantages outweigh disadvantages
o Money/time spent now = money/time saved in the
long run
o Investment of time or money will bring other
benefits

(p. 292)
 Persuasive Appeals
• Appeal to reason (logos)
o Uses logical reasoning, facts and evidence

• Appeal to emotion (pathos)

o Can create a desire to act on a request
o May not be appropriate in business writing but can be
used when facts alone fail to convince.

Use emotional appeals with caution and balance them with

logical reasoning

(p. 293-294)
 Persuasive Appeals, cont’d

• Appeal to ethics/credibility (ethos)

o Specialized knowledge
 Professional expertise or expert sources
o Reputation
o Authority
o Familiarity
 Find common ground with the reader in order to
establish a relationship and build trust

(p. 294)
 Three-Step Indirect Writing Plan for
Persuasive Messages

1. Obtain interest – catch the reader’s attention

o Make a good first impression so the reader will stay
engaged and pay attention to the rest of your message
o Define a problem
o Identify common ground
o Cite reader benefits
o Ask a pertinent question
o State a related fact

(p. 295)
 Indirect Writing Plan for
Persuasive Messages, cont’d

2. Prove your proposal can benefit the reader

o Explain how it meets a particular need. This can be
direct, for example receiving a tax deduction as a
result of making a charitable donation – or
indirect, for example having the satisfaction of
knowing your donation is helping someone.
o Give readers the information they need
o Try to anticipate any objections they might
have so you can deal with them
(p. 295)
 Indirect Writing Plan for
Persuasive Messages, cont’d

3. Ask for action and link it to reader benefits

o End with a specific and confident request
o Link to incentives that motivate readers to act
immediately
o Set a deadline if appropriate

(p. 295)
 Indirect Writing Plan for
Persuasive Messages, cont’d

See ineffective (bad)

example p. 296 and
Effective (good) example
p. 297
 Favour and Action Requests
• Gain favourable attention
o Use a genuine compliment or fact that awakens the
reader’s social conscience
• Persuade the reader to accept
o Include specific details
o Show what they have to gain
• Ask for action
o End with confidence and courtesy
o Provide contact information (p.
296)
 Claim Requests
• Adopt a moderate tone. Express your
disappointment without sounding angry. Make a
complaint without sounding like a complainer)
• Two possible strategies
o Direct approach
 Best for straightforward, well-justified cases
o Indirect approach
 If you anticipate resistance or need to prove legitimacy of
claim

(p. 301)
 Claim Requests, cont’d
• Gain positive attention
o Establish rapport by beginning with shared
interest or compliment (see example p. 301)
• Prove your claim is valid
o Include a chronology of events
o Provide supporting data
o Defend yourself against possible blame
• Ask for a specific action
o State what you expect the company to do
o End positively (pp. 300-301)
 Persuasive Claims

See ineffective example

p. 300 and effective
example p. 301
 Collection Letters
Three stages
1. Reminder (p. 304)
 Friendly tone; assumes the reader has forgotten to pay
2. Inquiry (p. 305)
 Firmer and more direct. Positive appeal to fairness,
reputation, sympathy or self-interest
3. Demand (p. 306)
 Ultimatum warns of penalties for non-payment
(pp. 302-305)
 Sales Messages

Sales message
o A message that promotes a product, service, or
business and seeks prospective customers or
additional sales
o Longer than most business letters
o Rich in detail
o Individual letters or form letters
o Avoid “hard sell”

(p. 305)
 Sales Messages, cont’d

• Successful sales messages

orely on market research to identify target
market
ofocus on product information and buyer
benefits to build confidence
ouse appropriate persuasive appeals and
incentives

(p. 306)
 Analyzing the Product
and Audience

• Study the product or service

• Learn as much as possible about the target
audience
• Aim for an ethical sales pitch
• Pay attention to
o timing
o presentation
o personalization
o Tone (p. 306)
See bad example p. 308
and good example p.
309.
 Writing Plan for Sales Letters

Four Step writing plan for sales letters:

1. Gain attention
o Thought-provoking fact
o Good news
o Special offer
o Product feature
o Question
o Story
(p. 307)
Writing Plan for Sales Letters (cont’d)

2. Introduce the product

o Create a link between the need you have identified
and the product or service you are trying to sell.
How does the product or service fulfill the need?

o The product or service you are selling is the

solution to/ fulfills audience need.

(p. 307)
 Writing Plan for Sales Letters, cont’d

3. Make the product or service desirable

o Focus on reader benefits in product description
o Balance and dispel possible doubts
o Mention price only after you have created a desire
for the product.
 Emphasize price by mentioning it early only if price is low
 De-emphasize price if price is high
– Mention late
– Use smaller units
– Calculate cost after discount
– Show savings
– Link price with benefits (p. 308)
 Writing Plan for Sales Letters, cont’d

Step 4: Ask for a simple action

o Make the action as easy as possible
 Include contact info for immediate
response
o Provide a deadline to discourage
procrastination
o Use an incentive

(p. 310)
 Sales Follow-Up

• Express goodwill and promote future business

• Confirm the purchase
• Confirm the details of the sale and any
additional services

(pp. 310-311)
 Fundraising Messages

1. Identify an important problem, explain why the

reader should care
2. Show that the problem is solvable
o Describe how your organization can respond
3. Explain what your organization is doing to solve
the problem
o Show that the funds go to the cause
o Demonstrate the difference the organization is making
o Provide background information
4. Ask for a donation (p. 312)
 Persuasion through Social Media

How to establish influence using social media

o Reciprocation
 Mirror or respond to others’ posts
o Social proof
 Find content that matters to people and create value for others
through engaging content
o Like and share posts
o Authority
 Establish expertise
o Scarcity
 Give exclusive access, make offers to limited number of people

(pp. 312-313)
Persuasion through Social Media, cont’d

Social media influencers (SMIs)

o “Third-party endorsers who have built
relationships and earned trust with specific
audiences or communities”
o Individuals who shape audience attitudes through
tweets, blog entries, and other social media
postings
 Their endorsements have value because their
audiences trust them
(p. 313)
 Persuasion through Social Media,
cont’d
Types of social media influencers
o Visionaries
 Provide insight and note trends
o Strategists
 Skilled in analysis and planning
o Teachers
 Create communities to help others learn
o Tutors
 Provide instructional tips and guidelines
(p. 313)
 Persuasion through Social Media,
cont’d
Types of social media influencers, cont’d
o Charismatics
 Embrace technology and social concepts
o Evangelists
 Want to convert others to their agenda
o Coaches
 Motivate audiences to pursue their own goals
o Entertainers
 Amuse others through storytelling or humour
(p. 313)
Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
• Traditional / offline
• Individual or form letters, newspaper,
magazine, radio, etc.
oResonates with older audiences
oEvent-marketing allows for in-person and
real-time engagement to build brand
awareness
oProven success rate
(p. 314)
Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
• Digital
o Advanced targeting and automation
o Enables instant interactivity
o Delivers better return on investment (ROI)
o Increases brand loyalty
o Drives online sales

(p. 314)