Persuasive content is value-driven, which means that it really has to deliver something that’s valuable to the reader.
That’s how you start to understand the difference between a standard blog, that’s ten to the penny, or a blog designed to tap into your needs and pains, and provide a solution you follow easily.
So when you’re looking at persuasive writing examples, Readers ask these questions and you should ask yourself these when Googling for answers: How do I lose weight? What are the cheaper airlines?
Do aliens exist?
Yep, anything at all and then as a reader you judge the quality based on its qualified facts, citations and experts involved. As a writer, you have to think like your target reader.
- How valuable is this?
- Does it speak to my needs?
- Is it interesting?
- Is it easy to follow and understand?
To build a good persuasive writing techniques, check out the following tips
Start with the facts—whether they bolster your case or make you rethink what you thought was true in the first place. If your content doesn’t have any factual basis in reality, then be prepared for readers to dismiss it as not worth their time.
Make sure that statistics and data are from credible sources and are being used appropriately. It’s also helpful to cite these sources on a “References” or “Bibliography” page (if this isn’t explicit in your prompt).
If you’re going to use an image or graphics from another source, make sure that you credit them accordingly. Otherwise, people might think you stole someone else’s work!
If it’s an article on how to quit smoking, you can encourage with stats like this and link to it.
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/cessation/smoking-cessation-fast-facts/index.html#:~:text=In%202018%2C%2061.7%25%20of%20adult,who%20ever%20smoked%20had%20quit.
In 2018, this report from the CDC in the US looked at 61.7% of adult smokers (55.0 million adults) who ever smoked had quit.
You could show stats that break that figure down further like this NHS report in the UK:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/statistics-on-nhs-stop-smoking-services-in-england/april-2020-to-march-2021
This report from the UK NHS includes information on the number of people setting a quit smoking date and the number who successfully quit at the 4-week follow-up. It also presents in depth analyses of the key measures of the service including pregnant women, breakdowns by ethnic group and type of pharmacotherapy received. The results are provided at national, regional and local authority levels.
Don’t assume that what’s valuable to one person is valuable for everyone—or even for most people. The best persuasive pieces answer questions readers actually have by providing actionable tips and advice.
CRUCIAL POINT: Do some research into who your audience is so that your persuasive writing can address their specific needs, concerns, or interests while convincing them of the value of what they’re reading (and possibly buying).
“Value-driven” doesn’t just mean that the information is interesting, but rather that it provides the reader with a solid win along the way, whether it’s a takeaway, a resource for the future, or an understanding of something new.
Value-driven content provides the reader with some kind of win. This can mean a lot of things, but it usually means that you leave the article feeling like you learned something. If that is the takeaway, your persuasive writing techniques succeeded.
It could be a takeaway that helps you be more productive, or a resource for the future. It could also just be an interesting new fact about something.
Value-driven content isn’t limited to articles that teach you how to do something—it can also be used to help you understand an industry better, explain why something happened and what it means for your business’s bottom line, or shed light on why a certain trend is growing in popularity.
Like any other type of content, it should have a purpose and fit into your overall strategy and the needs of the people you are reaching out to.
You’ve heard it said that “content is king” so many times you’re probably tired of it. But the fact remains that content is an important part of getting your business up and running. Not only is content an easy way to share information, it can help customers learn more about your brand and get to know you better, which in turn helps them trust you.
The best persuasive writing is established on facts, which provides value to your readers.
Content delivery formats are similar to those of advertising formats. Narratives, or ‘stories,’ are the most persuasive format, while case studies offer readers tips and advice along with testimonials.
If your content is a listicle or slideshow, you’ll want to write to grab readers’ attention and hold onto it so they don’t click away. Keep in mind that every format has its place in persuasion. It’s helpful to vary the formats you employ in advocating for your product so you reach as many different types of people as possible.
Make sure that their overall tone remains consistent with the company’s brand and messaging objectives. If your writing style differs dramatically from one piece of content to another, it can confuse customers about what you think about your own business and give them reason not to trust that you’re being honest with them.
The pain felt by badly targeted content campaigns with no persuasive writing techniques can kill interest in your content. The two big pains for readers:
* Finding expert advice irrelevant to goals.
* Wasting time and money as a result of poor advice, and that hurts.
Get the content sharpened for your audience before posting.
An example to illustrate where the needs meet the goals
Staying with our ‘quit smoking’ content campaign, you write an article on how to quit smoking.
Seems easy enough, and it’s persuasive writing at its best when you answer the pain. 1000s do it every day. But what is covered that can help draw interest to YOUR article as opposed to the 100s of articles already indexed on Google?
The article is out to solve a big pain and you can motivate your readers to take action now from your article:
Quitting smoking is difficult and must be done in a healthy way. Remember, the more you delay your decision, the harder it will get.
This is a huge global health issue and a place to show the negatives not just the positives.
Not an intentional scare, but showing what life threatening issues are avoided by quitting smoking in a quick to digest image like an infographic really hits the market.
This example from Statista could be linked to your article to show people quickly the benefits of stopping smoking, not to mention wake smokers up to the imminent dangers of ignoring your advice.
Then you could tease the fact that ANYONE can stop smoking once they accept the dangers. This will agitate your target readers into action. This is a big part of the persuasive writing foundation.
You must show the experts and cases of those who stopped smoking. So your article may say:
The authors who contributed to this article have all had successful stops using natural methods. Together we believe that our combined experience can help make your decision to quit smoking easier and healthier.
The solution then follows:
If you want to stop smoking and keep it off, here are some of our best tips for quitting smoking naturally.
You’ve tapped into the pain with emotive language; The PAIN is how difficult it can be to stop smoking. You know how and your article will show how through TRUST by showing testimonials from authors and people who stopped smoking using the tips you’ll cover.
Tips you may have followed yourself and can show photos e.g. you now vape at times and a photo of you throwing a full pack of cigarettes into the bin.
It’s powerful when you show how you can succeed rather than stating you succeeded.
Now the SOLUTION which will show the tips, clearly explain the methods and guide the reader.
If your content will solve the pains (pains can be any issue that needs solving from how to fit a lamp shade to the best diet for losing weight), the article will connect with the target audience and you show the solution and gain trust.
This approach to getting smokers motivated to quit and follow YOUR advice can be applied to any product once you know the PAINS of your audience, the SOLUTION benefits that must be clearly shown, and how to AGITATE them into taking action now.
Here are 2 fantastic sources to go through on persuasive writing techniques for your blogs. One is a course from the ever popular Masterclass site; the other from Copyblogger, one of the best resources online for copywriting advice for anything from product descriptions to guides to white papers.
Happy persuasive content marketing!