Real Words

Bringing you a fresh guest post about making your writing more persuasive …

Writers face a daily challenge in persuading people to change their mind about a product or debate. A simple description of a product or an assertion of the correctness of a point of view will usually not be enough to persuade someone to make a decision favorable to you. You need to actively further your cause through your writing in ways that will close sales and garner support.

Use these 10 clever techniques that make your writing more persuasive:

1. Repetition: Express your argument in several different ways to improve the chances of communicating it effectively. Reinforce your direct statements with quotes, stories, facts and examples. The more ways you can communicate to your readers what you want them to do or believe, the more persuasive your writing will be.

2. Reasons: People seem to like to know why they should act or believe the way you want them too. “Just because” rarely will provide that incentive. Take the time to explain why you believe the way you do and then give your readers reasons why they should believe the same way.

3. Rapport: Communicate with your audience with familiar style and terms. People will more readily receive your message if it comes in a format that they find natural and easy to understand. You want to treat every audience with respect, so try to use words and arguments that each one will understand.

4. Credibility: Establish yourself as a reliable source. Refer to your personal experiences, your training, and education as sources for your expertise. If you write a lot, refer back to all the times you were right about a product and an issue. Just give your audience reasons for why they should listen to you. Once you have done that, build credibility in your writing style by avoiding contradictions and inconsistencies in your thoughts. Also, make your writing grammatically and mechanically sound.

5. Create or Expose Pain: Help your readers understand how painful their lives are now and how that nothing will change unless they act. Show them how your products or views will help them turn their lives around or reach a new level of personal satisfaction. Most people do not like pain and will gladly buy a product if they believe it will give them relief.

6. Counter Arguments: As you write, you should acknowledge opposing viewpoints up front rather than relying solely on your ability to sell your idea or product on its own merit. Showing your awareness of arguments against your position builds your credibility and helps you win over people who already have their minds made up. This also gives you the opportunity to change your mind should you learn that other arguments make more sense than your own.

7. Make Emotional Appeals: Have you ever noticed that politicians will surround themselves with victims when they want to score political points for their agenda? You can do the same. Offer sob stories that illustrate why people should donate to your cause, purchase your product, or agree with your philosophy.

8. Use Testimonials: Let other people tell the story about how their beliefs were challenged by the arguments you present and how they were persuaded to join your point of view. This also helps the people in your audience understand that they can change their mind without being ashamed.

9. Join the Club: People seem to have a natural desire to be part of a group to the exclusion of others. By selling your product, service, or viewpoint as a vehicle that will get your readers into the groups of which they want to be a part, you can be more persuasive.

10. Find Common Ground: By finding a comparison or an argument that your readers agree with, you lay the foundation you need to build further agreement. As your readers get comfortable with feeling that you and they are on the same side, you build your power to persuade them in areas where you do not agree.

Your only chance to persuade people to buy your products or join your side of a debate comes with what you write, so now is a great time to use these clever techniques to make your writing more persuasive.

This is a guest post by James, a writer for a one of the leading online print cartridge suppliers where he reviews of products like the HP 300XL ink cartridge. In his spare time, James posts about design and media on their blog.