persuasive essay advertising product

"More Than OK" poked fun at how Pepsi usually takes a back seat to Coke, especially at restaurants. And by featuring a star-studded cast that included Steve Carell, Lil Jon, and Cardi-B (who hilariously and fervently backed up Pepsi’s OKness) their boldness to call people out for undermining Pepsi’s quality got a lot of laughs and persuaded a massive audience to reconsider their own perception of the soft drink.

7. Match.com

The year 2020 was challenging for countless reasons. Online dating company Match.com channeled the collective feeling towards the year with an ad depicting Satan meeting his perfect match – 2020.

Informative Advertising

Informative advertising is a form of persuasive advertising that focuses more on the facts. The main goal of informative advertising is to educate the audience on why they need your product instead of appealing to their desires.

It highlights how your product’s features and benefits solve your customers’ problems and can even compare your product to your competitors' products. Although this type of advertising relies on facts and figures to trigger the desired action, the ad’s message is usually framed in a compelling way.

To better understand the difference between informative and persuasive advertising, check out these examples.

Informative Advertising Examples

• Miller Lite
• Siskiyou Eye Center
• Burger King

1. Miller Lite

After Bud Light took some jabs at Miller Lite for using corn syrup in their beer during their Super Bowl 53 ads , Miller Lite decided to throw a few punches back. A day later on Twitter, they revealed that their beer actually has fewer calories and carbs than Bud Light, which helped them persuade people that drinking Bud Light and Miller Lite actually have similar health benefits.

2. Siskiyou Eye Center

There’s an old folk tale that carrots can improve your eyesight, but science has actually debunked this myth . That’s why this Siskiyou Eye Center ad is such a creative informative advertisement.

While it pokes fun at this common fable, it’s still relying on the facts of carrots not being able to improve your vision and the Eye Center’s ability to provide quality treatment for your eyes to persuade people to do business with them.

Popular meditation app Calm experienced an increase in downloads by sponsoring CNN's coverage of the 2020 US Presidential Campaign. Through clever product placement in front of an audience that was experiencing stress, the app was positioned as helpful a resource ready to educate on mindfulness during a turbulent time.

In addition to creating popular body and skincare products, Dove has set out to educate its audience on the importance of body confidence, and the harmful impact fabricated social media imagery can have on the self-esteem of young people.

In the reverse selfie campaign, Dove depicts how social media users may be inclined to change their appearance for public approval. Other materials provided by Dove also share facts and statistics related to social media usage and body image.

Last year, Google released a Black History Month ad called "The Most Searched" that was equally informative and inspiring. Showing clips of famous Black figures, each clip read "most searched" to indicate each person shown and event shown was a history-maker.

Persuasive advertising vs. informative advertising: which one is better?

Persuasive advertising and informative advertising definitely focus on different aspects of persuasion, but they still aim to achieve the same goal: convincing your audience to take the desired action. So whether you pursue one advertising strategy or another, remember that if you can trigger an emotional response, regardless of the stimuli, your ad will be a success.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Marketing and Advertising — The Rhetoric of Advertising: Analyzing Persuasive Techniques and Ethics

The Rhetoric of Advertising: Analyzing Persuasive Techniques and Ethics

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Published: Feb 7, 2024

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The purpose of advertisements, the rhetorical triangle, language use, visual design, target audience, the ethics of advertising.

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Persuasive Techniques in Advertising

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Students will learn persuasive techniques used in advertising, specifically, pathos or emotion, logos or logic, and ethos or credibility/character. They will use this knowledge to analyze advertising in a variety of sources: print, television, and Web-based advertising. Students will also explore the concepts of demographics and marketing for a specific audience. The lesson will culminate in the production of an advertisement in one of several various forms of media, intended for a specific demographic.

Featured Resources

The Art of Rhetoric: Persuasive Techniques in Advertising : This online video describes how advertisers use pathos or emotion, logos or logic, and ethos or credibility/character in order to persuade consumers.

Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription : A transcript of the video provided by Chelsea Majors

From Theory to Practice

Students encounter advertising at every turn of their lives: on public billboards, during nearly every television show, on the Internet, on their cell phones, and even in schools.  They are undoubtedly aware that these ads have a specific purpose: to sell something to them.  Rarely, however, do teenagers think precisely about how the text, sounds, and images in these advertisements have been carefully crafted to persuade them to purchase a product or service-and that these techniques are not far from those they have already used in their own persuasive writing. We emphasize the need to make our students more literate, and this lesson aims to improve their critical media literacy.  By reducing advertising to its basic rhetorical components, students "can begin to understand how to construct their own messages to convey the meanings they intend and to evoke the responses they desire" (173).  Becoming more media literate allows our youth to "create messages of their own so that they can communicate clearly, effectively, and purposefully" (176). Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Video of television program, including commercials  
• TV with VCR/DVD player  
• Advertisements from magazines  
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription  
• Internet-connected computer with speakers and projector  
• Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements
• Demographics: Who Are You?
• Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online  
• Targeted Commercials  
• Commercial Dig  
• Commercial Dig Reflection Questions  
• Analyzing Ads  
• Planning Your Advertisement  
• Commercial Assessment  
• Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Reflection Questions

Preparation

• Make copies of the necessary handouts.  
• Gather advertisements from magazines-ideally, two per student. Look for ads that lend themselves well to the assignment, with a balance of text and images and with fairly discernable examples of pathos, logos, and ethos. Consider asking your school library media specialist for issues of magazines he or she plans to discard.  
• Record at least part of a television program, including the entirety of one commercial break, for showing in class.  
• If students will be using the Venn Diagram , Comic Creator , or Printing Press , arrange for them to have access during the appropriate sessions.  
• Preview the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video and obtain proper technology for projecting it in the classroom or computer lab. Also check out the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription .  
• Arrange for students to have access to computers for Sessions Three and Four.  
• Bookmark the Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements and preview the sites before recommending which ones students visit for example advertisements.  
• Familiarize yourself with the technologies discussed in the final session, deciding which you are prepared to ask or require students to use in the production of their own ads. Contact your school library media specialist or technology specialist for assistance.

Student Objectives

Students will

• demonstrate an understanding of three persuasive techniques (pathos, logos, and ethos) and other advertising strategies.  
• analyze advertisements according to their employment of these techniques.  
• demonstrate an understanding of the concept of demographics and specific audience.  
• synthesize this knowledge into advertisements of their own creation.

Session One

• Where do you encounter advertising?  (They will likely mention television, billboards, radio, Websites, school hallways, and so on.)  
• Which specific advertisements "stick in your head?"  
• What makes these advertisements memorable?  (They might mention music, catchy slogans, celebrity appearance, the appeal of the product itself, and so forth.)  
• Do you think advertisements have an effect on your personal interests?  
• Explain to students that advertisers very carefully construct their ads to make them memorable and appealing to consumers, and that the ways in which they try to convince them to buy products are similar to the ways they have been taught to write persuasively, using certain techniques and aiming toward a particular audience.  
• Distribute the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout and introduce the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos, defined at the top of the handout.  Students should understand that these rhetorical strategies are similar to those used in a persuasive writing assignment, and that they will use these strategies when creating their own commercial by the end of this unit.  Encourage students to make connections to examples of each of the terms they have used in persuasive writing of their own. Note: This is an appropriate time to clarify that the word logos in this context should not be confused with a brand-specific image or insignia referred to as a logo.  
• After explaining the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos, have students practice identifying the three techniques by placing a P , L , or E in the blank next to the examples at the bottom of this handout.  Have students share their responses with a partner and check for understanding by conducting a brief discussion of the examples.  
• Although most of these examples were designed to have one clear answer, be sure to emphasize to the students that pathos, logos, and ethos are not always separate entities and may often overlap with one another. For example, "Nine out of ten dentists choose Crest," suggests that the dentists are credible experts (ethos), and also includes a statistic (logos).   
• Deepen students' understanding of the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos with visual examples by sharing with them the Persuasive Techniques in Advertising online video . You may want to pause and have students explain how the television, print, and online advertisements utilize the three rhetorical strategies.  The narration in the commercial further explains their use in each advertisement. There is also the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Video Transcription .  
• Briefly discuss the "Other Advertising Strategies" section of Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout.  Explain that these are more specific types of strategies that advertisers use and that many overlap with pathos, logos, and ethos.   For example, you may mention that patriotism is a strategy meant to evoke certain emotions, and would therefore constitute a use of pathos.  
• Close the session by explaining to students that in future sessions, they will be examining existing advertisements with their new analytical skill and applying it to creating ads of their own.  
• Encourage students to begin looking at advertisements they encounter in terms of these three techniques.

Session Two

• Begin with a brief review of the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos from the previous session.  Ask students to demonstrate their growing understanding by providing examples of each of the techniques from advertisements they have recently seen.  
• Now introduce the term demographics to students: the characteristics that make up a human population such as gender, age, and race.  Have students discover which demographic group(s) they fit into by completing the Demographics: Who are you? handout.  When creating their group commercials in a later session, students will need to consider the demographics for their product. Explain to students that this is how advertisers think of consumers: not as individuals, but as members of groups that tend to believe, behave, or purchase in certain patterns. Even when an advertisement is appealing to the idea of individuality (such as Burger King's "Have It Your Way" promotion), advertisers are appealing to the demographic group of "people who like to be thought of as individuals," not to any single consumer.  
• Continue the discussion of demographics by distributing the Targeted Commercials handout, which will further explore the concept of demographics. Ask students to begin applying their understanding of demographics and targeted advertising by showing the first part of a television program of your choice.  Since the purpose of this activity is to show how advertisers cater to a show's intended audience, you may want to make sure you are presenting a show with commercials that very obviously target a specific demographic.   
• Before watching, share with students a brief description of the show they are about to see, including race/gender/class of the main characters, genre of the program, and the time/date/channel on which the program aired.  Have students use these factors (and any other prior knowledge they may have of the show) to determine the probable demographics.  Students should indicate their choices on the handout .  
• While students watch the commercial break(s), have them take brief notes to remind them of the products being advertised.  
• Have students complete the "After the program" response question at the bottom of the Targeted Commercials handout.  Then discuss the degrees to which the advertisements match the demographics of the likely intended audience of the television program.   
• This would be an appropriate time to talk about clear evidence that programming and advertising are marketed to specific groups.  Lifetime: Television for Women, Spike! TV, Logo, and Black Entertainment Television all exist not only to give viewers programming they might like, but also to allow advertisers to target their audiences more specifically.  
• Distribute the Commercial Dig activity, explaining to students that this is a long-term assignment that requires them to keep track of eight commercials viewed during one television program and to explain briefly the purpose of each advertised product. Remind students that the commercials they record on this chart should all come from the same show, as the completed chart will be used to re-emphasize the concepts of demographics and targeted advertising. Inform them that this assignment should be completed by Session Four and ask if there are questions before closing the session.

Session Three

• Remind students what they have learned so far in this lesson: techniques advertisers use to persuade consumers to buy their products and the concept of "targeting" certain audience demographics to make the process of persuasion more efficient and focused.  
• Explain to students that they will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge by looking at some real ads for real products.  Share that the goal of this activity will be to examine how advertisers skillfully use multiple strategies to persuade their audiences.  
• Distribute the Analyzing Ads handout and discuss the expectations and format for response.  Students will analyze six advertisements: two print ads, two television commercials, and two Internet advertisements.  The Internet advertisements should take the form of marketing Websites featuring a particular product, or pop-ups/embedded ads in Websites unrelated to the product.  
• This activity will allow students to practice their recognition of pathos, logos, and ethos in three different modes of advertising, preparing them for the creation of their own commercials.  Students should also record any of the "other strategies" explained on Persuasive Techniques in Advertising handout, also required as part of the final project.  
• Share with students the print ads you already collected as well as the Web Resources for Finding Example Advertisements and have them look for ads. Point out to students that they may wish to access television ads on their own time, including during their work on the Commercial Dig activity. Depending on how efficiently students work through this activity, this part of the lesson will likely extend into the next session.

Session Four

• At an appropriate time in student engagement in the continuation of the analysis activity from the previous session, distribute the Commercial Assessment rubric and explain that you will use it to evaluate the commercials they will produce in an upcoming session. Ask students, in small groups, to review one of the teacher- or student-selected commercials and apply the rubric to the commercial.  Students should determine whether the commercial effectively utilizes pathos, logos, and/or ethos, and note their score on the rubric . Students should also indicate the effectiveness of any of the "other strategies" on the second page of the rubric .  
• When students are ready, check for understanding by several volunteers present one of the advertisements they analyzed, briefly discussing the effective use of persuasive techniques.  
• Wrap up this section of the lesson by using the Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online to engage students in a discussion of the advantages of each mode of advertising, using the examples on the handout as a guide.  This discussion will help students decide which modes of advertising they might use when creating their commercials in the next session.  You may wish to use the Venn Diagram to facilitate this discussion.  
• Remind students that they will need to have their completed Commercial Dig activity ready for discussion in the next session.

Session Five

• Ask students to get out their completed Commercial Dig activity sheets.  Give students the opportunity to solidify their understanding of the concept of demographics by working through the analysis tasks in the Commercial Dig Reflection Questions .  Have students use their completed charts to answer the reflection questions . Students should talk through their responses with a partner before producing a written response.  
• Which advertisements could be viewed as harmful or unfair to a group of people?  
• Can targeting a specific demographic sometimes encourage stereotyping?  
• When do you see stereotyping used in advertisements?
• You may wish to give students access to the online articles Target me with your ads, please and Mixed Messages , which discuss how Websites use technology to target consumers and the use of billboards in impoverished and minority neighborhoods, respectively, as part of this discussion.

Session Six

• Students will use this session to begin to synthesize all they have learned about advertising and begin creating a commercial for a fictional product.  First ask students to form small groups and decide on a product to advertise.  
• Next, students should determine the target audience for their product, remembering previous lessons on demographics.  
• Depending on available time and resources, ask students to create a print, filmed, live, and/or Internet advertisement for their product.  They should take into account their observations from the Advertising Advantages: Television vs. Print vs. Online .  
• Have students use the Planning Your Advertisement sheet to plan for an advertisement that will target the previously determined demographic, and demonstrate pathos, logos, ethos, and three of the "other strategies." This may also be an appropriate time to review the expectations set forth in the Commercial Assessment rubric.  
• Give students access to the Comic Creator and/or the Printing Press to create the print advertisement.  Free software such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker may be used to edit any filmed commercials.  Web creation sites such as PBWorks and Google Sites may be used to create Internet-based advertisements.

Session Seven (after students have had time to prepare their advertisements)

• Give students time to meet in their groups and plan the presentation of their ads.  
• Have each group present, allowing time for discussion with the class about the effective use of persuasive techniques in each advertisement.  
• After the presentations and discussion are complete, distribute the  Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Reflection Questions and give students time to solidify their learning by responding to the four questions.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Use the lesson reflection questions to allow students to think about what they have learned about advertising and persuasion.  
• Use the Commercial Assessment rubric to assess student work on their advertisements.
• Professional Library
• Student Interactives
• Lesson Plans
• Strategy Guides
• Calendar Activities

The Comic Creator invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on).

The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers.

This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.

Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.

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• Kindergarten K

Writing a Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays convince readers to accept a certain perspective. Writing a persuasive essay therefore entails making an argument that will appeal to readers, so they believe what you say has merit. This act of appealing to readers is the art of persuasion, also known as rhetoric. In classical rhetoric, persuasion involves appealing to readers using ethos, pathos, and logos.

In this tutorial, we refer to the sample persuasive draft and final paper written by fictional student Maggie Durham.

THE ART OF PERSUASION

Ethos refers to establishing yourself as a credible source of information. To convince an audience of anything, they must first trust you are being earnest and ethical. One strategy to do this is to write a balanced discussion with relevant and reliable research that supports your claims. Reliable research would include quoting or paraphrasing experts, first-hand witnesses, or authorities. Properly citing your sources, so your readers can also retrieve them, is another factor in establishing a reliable ethos. When writing for academic purposes, expressing your argument using unbiased language and a neutral tone will also indicate you are arguing fairly and with consideration of others having differing views.

When you appeal to your readers’ emotions, you are using pathos. This appeal is common in advertising that convinces consumers they lack something and buying a certain product or service will fulfill that lack. Emotional appeals are subtler in academic writing; they serve to engage a reader in the argument and inspire a change of heart or motivate readers toward a course of action. The examples you use, how you define terms, any comparisons you draw, as well as the language choices you use can draw readers in and impact their willingness to go along with your ideas.

Consider that one purpose of persuasion is to appeal to those who do not already agree with you, so it will be important to show that you understand other points of view. You will also want to avoid derogatory or insulting descriptions or remarks about the opposition. You wouldn’t want to offend the very readers you want to persuade.

Establishing an appeal of logos is to write a sound argument, one that readers can follow and understand. To do this, the facts and evidence you use should be relevant, representative, and reliable, and the writing as a whole should be well organized, developed, and edited.

STEPS FOR WRITING PERSUASIVELY

Step one: determine the topic.

The first step in writing a persuasive essay is to establish the topic. The best topic is one that interests you. You can generate ideas for a topic by prewriting, such as by brainstorming whatever comes to mind, recording in grocery-list fashion your thoughts, or freewriting in complete sentences what you know or think about topics of interest.

Whatever topic you choose, it needs to be:

• Interesting : The topic should appeal both to you and to your intended readers.
• Researchable : A body of knowledge should already exist on the topic.
• Nonfiction : The information about the topic should be factual, not based on personal opinions or conspiracy theories.
• Important : Your reader should think the topic is relevant to them or worthy of being explored and discussed.

Our sample student Maggie Durham has selected the topic of educational technology. We will use Maggie’s sample persuasive draft and final paper as we discuss the steps for writing a persuasive essay.

Step Two: Pose a Research Question

Once you have a topic, the next step is to develop a research question along with related questions that delve further into the first question. If you do not know what to ask, start with one of the question words: What? Who? Where? When? Why? and How? The research question helps you focus or narrow the scope of your topic by identifying a problem, controversy, or aspect of the topic that is worth exploration and discussion. Some general questions about a topic would be the following:

• Who is affected by this problem and how?
• Have previous efforts or polices been made to address this problem? – What are they?
• Why hasn’t this problem been solved already?

For Maggie’s topic of educational technology, potential issues or controversies range from data privacy to digital literacy to the impact of technology on learning, which is what Maggie is interested in. Maggie’s local school district has low literacy rates, so Maggie wants to know the following:

• Are there advantages and/or disadvantages of technology within primary and secondary education?
• Which types of technology are considered the best in terms of quality and endurance?
• What types of technology and/or programs do students like using and why?
• Do teachers know how to use certain technologies with curriculum design, instruction, and/or assessment?

Step Three: Draft a Thesis

A thesis is a claim that asserts your main argument about the topic. As you conduct your research and draft your paper, you may discover information that changes your mind about your thesis, so at this point in writing, the thesis is tentative. Still, it is an important step in narrowing your focus for research and writing.

The thesis should

1. be a complete sentence,

2. identify the topic, and

3. make a specific claim about that topic.

In a persuasive paper, the thesis is a claim that someone should believe or do something. For example, a persuasive thesis might assert that something is effective or ineffective. It might state that a policy should be changed or a plan should be implemented. Or a persuasive thesis might be a plea for people to change their minds about a particular issue.

Once you have figured out your research question, your thesis is simply the answer. Maggie’s thesis is “Schools should supply technology aids to all students to increase student learning and literacy rates.” Her next step is to find evidence to support her claim.

Step Four: Research

Once you have a topic, research question, and thesis, you are ready to conduct research. To find sources that would be appropriate for an academic persuasive essay, begin your search in the library. The Purdue Global Library has a number of tutorials on conducting research, choosing search teams, types of sources, and how to evaluate information to determine its reliability and usefulness. Remember that the research you use will not only provide content to prove your claim and develop your essay, but it will also help to establish your credibility as a reliable source (ethos), create a logical framework for your argument (logos), and appeal to your readers emotionally (pathos).

Step Five: Plan Your Argument; Make an Outline

Once you have located quality source information—facts, examples, definitions, knowledge, and other information that answers your research question(s), you’ll want to create an outline to organize it. The example outline below illustrates a logical organizational plan for writing a persuasive essay. The example outline begins with an introduction that presents the topic, explains the issue, and asserts the position (the thesis). The body then provides the reasoning for the position and addresses the opposing viewpoints that some readers may hold. In your paper, you could modify this organization and address the opposing viewpoints first and then give the reasoning for your viewpoints, or you can alternate and give one opposing viewpoint then counter that with your viewpoint and then give another opposing viewpoint and counter that with your viewpoint.

The outline below also considers the alternatives to the position—certainly, there are other ways to think about or address the issue or situation. Considering the alternatives can be done in conjunction with looking at the opposing viewpoints. You do not always have to disagree with other opinions, either. You can acknowledge that another solution could work or another belief is valid. However, at the end of the body section, you will want to stand by your original position and prove that in light of all the opposing viewpoints and other perspectives, your position has the most merit.

Sample Outline of a Persuasive Argument

• 1. Introduction: Tell them what you will tell them.
• a. Present an interesting fact or description to make the topic clear and capture the reader’s attention.
• b. Define and narrow the topic using facts or descriptions to illustrate what the situation or issue is (and that is it important).
• c. Assert the claim (thesis) that something should be believed or done about the issue. (Some writers also briefly state the reasons behind this claim in the thesis as Maggie does in her paper when she claims that schools should supply tablets to students to increase learning , engagement, and literacy rates ).
• 2. Body: Tell them.
• a. Defend the claim with logical reasons and practical examples based on research.
• b. Anticipate objections to the claim and refute or accommodate them with research.
• c. Consider alternate positions or solutions using examples from research.
• d. Present a final point based on research that supports your claim in light of the objections and alternatives considered.
• 3. Conclusion: Tell them what you told them.
• a. Recap the main points to reinforce the importance of the issue.
• b. Restate the thesis in new wording to reinforce your position.
• c. Make a final remark to leave a lasting impression, so the reader will want to continue this conversation and ideally adopt the belief or take the action you are advocating.

In Maggie’s draft, she introduced the topic with facts about school ratings in Texas and then narrowed the topic using the example of her local school district’s literacy rates. She then claimed the district should provide each student a tablet in order to increase learning (and thus, literacy rates).

Maggie defends her claim with a series of examples from research that proved how access to tablets, technology-integrated curriculums, and “flipped classrooms” have improved literacy rates in other districts. She anticipates objections to her proposal due to the high cost of technology and counter argues this with expert opinions and examples that show partnerships with businesses, personalized curriculums that technology makes possible, and teacher training can balance the costs. Maggie included an alternative solution of having students check out tablets from the library, but her research showed that this still left students needing Wi-Fi at home while her proposal would include a plan for students to access Wi-Fi.

Maggie concluded her argument by pointing out the cost of not helping the students in this way and restated her thesis reaffirming the benefits, and then left the reader with a memorable quote.

Click here to see Maggie’s draft with feedback from her instructor and a peer. Sample Persuasive Draft

Feedback, Revision, and Editing

After you write a draft of your persuasive essay, the next step is to have a peer, instructor, or tutor read it and provide feedback. Without reader feedback, you cannot fully know how your readers will react to your argument. Reader feedback is meant to be constructive. Use it to better understand your readers and craft your argument to more appropriately appeal to them.

Maggie received valuable feedback on her draft from her instructor and classmate. They pointed to where her thesis needed to be even more specific, to paragraphs where a different organization would make her argument more convincing, to parts of the paper that lacked examples, sentences that needed revision and editing for greater clarity, and APA formatting that needed to be edited.

Maggie also took a critical look at her paper and looked back at her writing process. One technique she found helpful was to read her paper aloud because it let her know where her wording and organization were not clear. She did this several times as she revised and again as she edited and refined her paper for sentence level clarity and concision.

In the end, Maggie produced a convincing persuasive essay and effective argument that would appeal to readers who are also interested in the way technology can impact and improve student learning, an important topic in 2014 when this paper was written and still relevant today.

Click here to see Maggie’s final draft after revising and editing. Sample Persuasive Revised

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Advertising a Product

Phone: 1-800-261-0637 Fax: 262-763-2651 Email: [email protected] Contact us for volume discounts. We accept purchase orders. Download an order form.

This is a digital product. Price listed is for 35 student seats plus 1 free teacher seat. Learn More.

Advertising a Product helps your students develop a persuasive essay that shows the value of a specific good or service, using strategies to convince readers. Instructions, activities, examples, interactives, and downloads help students gain new writing strategies and skills. You can also present this unit right from your interactive whiteboard.

First students think about favorite products and ways they could advertise them, creating quick ad ideas. They trade their ads with partners to discover what was most (and least) persuasive in them. Then students read and respond to a sample poster and essay that advertise a product. Afterward, students begin work on their own advertisement essays:

• Prewriting activities help students brainstorm products that they would like to promote, gather reasons for and against the product, research details, and write an opinion statement for their essays.
• Writing activities help students write a beginning that grabs the reader's interest and introduces the opinion statement, middle paragraphs that present main reasons and supporting details, and an ending paragraph that calls the reader to act.
• Revising activities help students improve their appeals to readers' needs, get rid of logical fallacies, and use a peer response to improve their work.
• Editing activities help students ensure pronoun-antecedent agreement and subject-verb agreement and use a checklist to improve their writing.
• Publishing activities help students create a clean final copy of their work and reflect on their advertisement essays.

Warm-Up for Advertising a Product

Reading an advertisement poster and essay, prewriting for advertisement essays, writing an advertisement essay, revising advertisement essays, editing and publishing advertisement essays, teacher support:.

Click to find out more about this resource.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

• 110.22.b.10
• 110.22.b.11.C
• LAFS.6.W.1.1
• 110.22.b.10.B.ii
• 110.22.b.10.B.i
• 110.22.b.10.A
• 110.22.b.10.B
• LAFS.6.W.2.4
• 110.22.b.10.C
• 110.22.b.10.D
• LAFS.6.W.2.5
• 110.23.b.10
• 110.23.b.11.C
• LAFS.7.W.1.1
• 110.23.b.10.B
• 110.23.b.10.B.i
• 110.24.b.10
• 110.24.b.11.C
• LAFS.8.W.1.1
• 110.24.b.10.B.i
• 110.24.b.10.B.ii
• 110.24.b.10.A
• LAFS.8.W.2.4
• 110.24.b.10.C
• 110.24.b.10.D
• LAFS.8.W.2.5

How to Write an Advertisement: A Complete Guide for Students and Teachers

As with persuasive texts in general, advertisements can take many forms – from billboards and radio jingles to movie trailers and pop-ups on your computer.

In this guide, we’ll work towards writing a standard magazine-format advertisement known as the print ad. Print ads are text-heavy enough to provide something meaty for our students to get their teeth into. Though advertisers are increasingly overlooking print ads in favor of more trackable and often cheaper digital forms of advertising, the same strategies and techniques can apply to both.

Likewise, strategies such as emotive language and other persuasive devices are essential when writing ads. Much of the writing advice that follows applies to the other persuasive texts , which can also be found on our site. Be sure to check it out, also.

Let’s explore the structure and persuasive elements that make an advertisement successful. These elements combine to make us think and act favourably about a service or product. So let’s get into it and learn how to write an advertisement.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON ADVERTISING FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS

Teach your students essential  MEDIA LITERACY SKILLS  with this  COMPLETE UNIT  on  ADVERTISING.  It’s packed with  ENGAGING, INFORMATIVE & FUN  activities to teach students the persuasive techniques to  READ ADVERTS  and the skills to  WRITE ADVERTS.

This  COMPLETE UNIT OF WORK  will take your students from zero to hero over  FIVE STRATEGIC LESSONS  covered.

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES TUTORIAL VIDEO (2:20)

STRUCTURE AND FEATURES OF ADVERTISEMENTS (PERSUASIVE ELEMENTS)

For students to create their own advertisements and successfully employ the various persuasive techniques, they’ll first need to develop a clear understanding of an advertisement’s underlying structure. We’ll explore the primary structural elements and features of advertisements, though the order of how these appear varies from advert to advert. Here, we’ll take a look at the following persuasive text elements.

• Call to Action

THE BRAND NAME AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

The brand name of the product or service frequently comes at the top of the advertisement – though not always. One of the first tasks for students when writing their own advertisement is to decide on a name for their product or service.

Please encourage students to select a name that reflects the product, service, or values they wish to present to their audience.

Brand names have evolved from being wordy and aspirational to very short and snappy since the inception of the internet, so they can be found easily on a search engine.

BRAND NAME CONSIDERATIONS

• What are the names of similar already existing products or services?
• Does the name look and sound good?
• Is the name short, punchy, and memorable?
• Does it evoke a feeling or an idea?
• Is it distinctive and original?

THE AUDIENCE AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

An advertisement’s target audience may not always be immediately apparent and often needs to be inferred through language and imagery choices made by the writer.

However, who the target audience does need to be decided before writing as it will inform subsequent choices on the use of language (e.g. pronouns, tone, etc.) and imagery.

There are several ways to help students determine their target audience. A good starting place is for them to consider creating a target persona, a fictional character who represents the type of person their product or service is aimed at.

• Education level
• Marital status
• Likes/Dislikes
• Who they trust
• What they read/watch

An effective print advertisement presents a product or service in an appealing manner. It quickly conveys essential information about that product or service. It will include a clear and specific offer and also provide the information required for the reader to act on that offer.

Once we have the brand name sorted and the audience defined, it’s time to look at the critical structural elements to consider when writing an ad. It’s important to note that not every element will be used in every ad, but the following model serves well for writing most print advertisements.

THE HEADLINE AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

The ad headline should provide a short, snappy preview of what the reader will find in the copy. A good headline grabs the potential customer’s attention and makes them want to read the rest of the ad. There are several tried and tested means of writing a good headline. Here are 3 of the most effective:

The Problem/Solution Headline – This headline details a problem a potential customer may be facing and offers the solution in the form of the product or service. For example: Tired? Sluggish? Overweight? Excero Bike Gets You Where You Need to Go, Fast!

The Testimonial Headline – This headline uses a quote from a customer’s positive review to help sell the product or service. The testimonial allows the potential customer to see some ‘proof’ upfront before buying. “With the Excero Bike, I lost 15lbs in 15 days. I’m now thinner, fitter, and much, much happier!”

The Question Headline – This headline asks a question that the target customer will be seeking an answer to, for example, “Are you paying too much for your x?” Are You Paying Too Much for Your Gym Membership?

THE LOGO AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

Logos are visual representations of a brand and are used to help promote a range of products and services under a single umbrella and also to allow for quick identification by the reader. They are more of a design element than a writing one.

THE SLOGAN AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

A slogan is a phrase or a short sentence used to represent or sell a particular brand. Usually, they’re designed to be short and snappy to help make them more memorable for readers. Slogans often use alliteration, rhyme, puns, or other figurative language techniques to make their message more memorable.

THE OFFER AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

A good print ad makes readers an offer. This is usually in the form of a benefit the potential customer will gain or a motivating reason for finding out more about the product or service.

The Offer acts as a ‘hook’ that maintains the reader’s focus and draws them into the body of the ad. It can take the form of a time-limited discount or a 2-for-1 offer, etc. This Week Only – 25% Off!

Offers can also form part of the Call to Action at the end of the ad – more details on this soon.

THE BODY COPY AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

Good body text (or body copy) in an ad is well-organized and quickly gets to the point. Readers want to get the necessary information with minimum effort. For the writer, this requires skill, patience, and much editing. There are several different types of body copy that students need to consider when writing their ads. Let’s take a look at 5 of these:

Factual – Factual copy gives the reader just enough factual information about the product or service to persuade them that it’s worth buying.

Humor – Using humor is a tried-and-tested means of making an ad memorable. To use it successfully, students will need to have an excellent understanding of their target audience.

Narrative – This copy tells a story as a way to draw the customer in. Many people are resistant to direct selling. Narrative copy uses the power of storytelling to build a connection with the customer to ‘soft sell’ to them.

Testimonial – While testimonial content usually comes from a customer, it can also come from experts, celebrities, or any kind of spokesperson. The testimonial is based on what the customer or spokesperson liked about the product or service. Testimonials are often woven into the humanity of the ad. This copy appeals to emotions. Rather than boasting directly of the benefits of the product or service, this type of ad evokes the senses and appeals to emotions.

The body copy might include details of available products or services, special offers, or specific information the advertiser wants potential customers to know. Subheadings and bullet points can help organize the text and make information easier to find. Texts should be short and easy to read. Walls of text can be off-putting; if the language is too complex, it may turn off potential customers.

THE CALL TO ACTION AS A PERSUASIVE ELEMENT

The Call to Action or CTA frequently comes at the end of the advertisement. It’s usually made up of a few sentences that invite the reader to take a specific action. This action might take the form of buying the product, sharing contact information, or, in the case of an online ad, clicking on a link to find out more about the product or service.

Call to action Contexts:

• An electronics company encouraging readers to buy their new computer
• A helpline requesting readers to call a number
• A political party urging readers to vote for them in an upcoming election
• A travel agent appealing to readers to book
• A travel agent appealing to readers to book their next holiday through them

There are many ways to write a CTA but some effective strategies that are commonly used include:

• Start with strong action words urging the reader to take action, e.g. Join, Discover, Order, Subscribe, Buy , etc.
• Let the reader know precisely what you want them to do.
• Ensure the necessary contact details are included, e.g. address, email, website address, phone numbers, etc.
• Motivate the reader to take action through the use of promotional offers, e.g. Get 50% off or Book your free consultation today!
• Provide a reason to take action by communicating the benefits, e.g. Losing weight, Saving money, Performing better, etc.
• Use numbers to appeal to the reader, e.g. Save 20% on your next video, Now with 33% extra free! etc.
• Make your audience an offer they can’t refuse, e.g. Book Your School Marketing and Promotion Analysis today – No Strings Attached.
• Create a sense of urgency by limiting a special offer in some way, e.g. 25% off for the first 100 customers, Free T-shirt if booked today, Buy 2 get 1 free this month only , etc.

PERSUASIVE DEVICES

The use of persuasive devices is an essential aspect of writing an advertisement. Our students must clearly understand the following strategies to confidently produce an advertisement that works.

ALLITERATION IN ADVERTISING

This is a literary device that involves the repetition of the initial letter or sound of consecutive words or words near each other. It’s more commonly associated with poetry than nonfiction text types; however, it is also a popular technique used in advertising. Alliteration can help make brand names more memorable. Examples abound, e.g. PayPal, Coca-Cola, Range Rover, and Krispy Kreme, to name but a few.

It’s not just in company names that you’ll find alliteration at work, though. We can also see alliteration alive in slogans such as:

The best four by four by far – Land Rover

Made to make your mouth water – Opal Fruits

Greyhound going great – Greyhound

Don’t dream it. Drive It. – Jaguar

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE

Using emotive language involves deliberately choosing words to provoke an emotional response in the reader. Different ways exist to express the same idea.

We can choose to put a positive, neutral, or negative spin on the same event through the words we select. For example:

Positive: She triumphed gloriously against stiff competition in the spelling bee.

Neutral: She won the spelling bee.

Negative: She received first prize in the poorly attended minor-league spelling bee.

Asking questions can help to engage the reader and persuade them to come to the desired conclusion by themselves. This is the ad equivalent of the ‘show, don’t tell’ mantra employed by fiction writers.

As with all the techniques and strategies, this technique must be used with care. It can have the opposite of the desired effect, such as building resistance in the reader, if used carelessly. Students should avoid making hyperbolic suggestions with their rhetorical questions. For example, the question “Want to lose 50lbs in 2 weeks?” implies a highly exaggerated claim that most intelligent readers will not believe. In this instance, the rhetorical question detracts from the ad’s effectiveness rather than enhances it.

The most important thing for students to remember when using this technique is that they should only ask rhetorical questions in their ads when they can predict with a reasonable degree of certainty what the answer will be in the reader’s mind. Nine times out of ten, that answer should be a simple yes. Questions should be straightforward, as should the answers they generate.

Advertisers know that we usually need to see or hear things several times before we’ll remember them. Also, the reader is more likely to believe something true the more frequently they hear it. For these reasons, advertisements rely heavily on repetition to drive their message home.

In advertising, the repetition of certain keywords or phrases is used to emphasize a specific idea or emotion. When used well, it can increase the overall effectiveness of an ad. However, students should be careful not to bore the reader. Repetition should always be used strategically.

Repetition doesn’t just involve the repeating of words. It can also include repeating colors and images.

Here are some examples of repetition at work.

ADVERTISING WRITING TIPS FOR STUDENTS

• Carefully Consider the recount TYPE and AUDIENCE before writing.
• Keep the title simple, e.g. My First Day at High School
• Organize the text using paragraphs, e.g. a new paragraph for each section. Use the first orientation paragraph to set the scene by introducing characters, setting, and context.
• Write the recount in chronological order – the order in which things happened and keep it in the past tense – relating events that have already happened.
• Choose the correct perspective from which to write the recount, e.g. personal recounts will be told from a first-person perspective (e.g. I, me, etc.). Factual recounts are most often told from the third-person perspective (e.g. she, he, they, etc.).
• Use time connectives to help organize the text and link the different sections of the recount together.
• Avoid repetitive use of language like then x, then y, and then z.”
• Aim to draw the reader into the action by using descriptive and figurative language
• Focus on the most critical/exciting parts.
• Use plenty of detail but ensure it is relevant to the purpose of the recount.

PERSUASIVE VOCABULARY

Vocabulary can elicit an emotional response beyond the literal meaning of the words used. When students understand this, they understand a powerful tool of persuasion.

PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING STRATEGIES

The Pain Solution: Persuades by highlighting a problem and suggesting a solution.

The Bandwagon: Persuades to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it.

The Testimonial: Persuades by using a previous customer or famous person to endorse a product or idea.

The Logical Appeal: Persuades by using reason, usually in the form of a claim backed by supporting evidence.

The Emotional Appeal: Persuades using words that appeal to emotions instead of logic or reason.

The Youth Appeal: Persuades by suggesting you’ll feel younger and more energetic using this product or service.

The Romantic Appeal: Persuades the reader by invoking the powerful and inspiring feelings of love.

The Empathy Appeal: Persuades the reader by encouraging them to identify with the plight of another.

The Testimonial: Persuades the reader by using a previous customer or famous person to endorse a product or idea

THE ROLE OF IMAGES IN AN ADVERTISEMENT

It’s a competitive world out there! Advertisements must catch and hold attention in an overwhelmingly noisy world, and images are a powerful means of doing this. Photos, pictures, diagrams, logos, color schemes – the visual look of an ad is as important as the text and, in some cases, more important!

Interesting images capture interest. They can intrigue the reader and encourage them to read the text they accompany.

Images also help the reader visualize the product or service offered. Advertising space can be expensive, and, as the old adage has it, a picture tells a thousand words. Images help advertisers make the most of their advertising real estate.

Students should carefully choose (or create) images to accompany their text. They should ensure that images are relevant and appropriate for their selling audience. They should look natural and genuine rather than posed.

Students can create their own images using their cell phones or graphic designer apps such as Canva .

This is our complete guide on writing an advertisement for students, and be sure to browse all our persuasive articles whilst you are here. Finally, we also have a complete unit of work on advertising for students and teachers that can be found here.

PERSUASIVE DEVICES TUTORIAL VIDEO

OTHER ARTICLES RELATED TO HOW TO WRITE AN ADVERTISEMENT

How to Write Perfect Persuasive Essays in 5 Simple Steps

Top 5 Persuasive Writing Techniques for Students

5 Top Persuasive Writing Lesson Plans for Students and Teachers

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• Grades 6-12
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40 Strong Persuasive Writing Examples (Essays, Speeches, Ads, and More)

Learn from the experts.

The more we read, the better writers we become. Teaching students to write strong persuasive essays should always start with reading some top-notch models. This round-up of persuasive writing examples includes famous speeches, influential ad campaigns, contemporary reviews of famous books, and more. Use them to inspire your students to write their own essays. (Need persuasive essay topics? Check out our list of interesting persuasive essay ideas here! )

• Persuasive Essays
• Persuasive Speeches
• Advertising Campaigns

Persuasive Essay Writing Examples

From the earliest days of print, authors have used persuasive essays to try to sway others to their own point of view. Check out these top persuasive essay writing examples.

Professions for Women by Virginia Woolf

Sample lines: “Outwardly, what is simpler than to write books? Outwardly, what obstacles are there for a woman rather than for a man? Inwardly, I think, the case is very different; she has still many ghosts to fight, many prejudices to overcome. Indeed it will be a long time still, I think, before a woman can sit down to write a book without finding a phantom to be slain, a rock to be dashed against. And if this is so in literature, the freest of all professions for women, how is it in the new professions which you are now for the first time entering?”

The Crisis by Thomas Paine

Sample lines: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

Sample lines: “As I have tried to show, modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug.”

Letter From a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sample lines: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was ‘well timed’ in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.'”

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Sample lines: “Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.”

Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Roger Ebert

Sample lines: “‘Kindness’ covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime.”

The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin

Sample lines: “Methinks I hear some of you say, must a man afford himself no leisure? I will tell thee, my friend, what Poor Richard says, employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure; and, since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour. Leisure is time for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent man will obtain, but the lazy man never; so that, as Poor Richard says, a life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things.”

The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sample lines: “Of course all life is a process of breaking down, but the blows that do the dramatic side of the work—the big sudden blows that come, or seem to come, from outside—the ones you remember and blame things on and, in moments of weakness, tell your friends about, don’t show their effect all at once.”

Open Letter to the Kansas School Board by Bobby Henderson

Sample lines: “I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. … Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. … We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him. It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories.”

Open Letter to the United Nations by Niels Bohr

Sample lines: “Humanity will, therefore, be confronted with dangers of unprecedented character unless, in due time, measures can be taken to forestall a disastrous competition in such formidable armaments and to establish an international control of the manufacture and use of the powerful materials.”

Persuasive Speech Writing Examples

Many persuasive speeches are political in nature, often addressing subjects like human rights. Here are some of history’s most well-known persuasive writing examples in the form of speeches.

I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sample lines: “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Woodrow Wilson’s War Message to Congress, 1917

Sample lines: “There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free.”

Chief Seattle’s 1854 Oration

Sample lines: “I here and now make this condition that we will not be denied the privilege without molestation of visiting at any time the tombs of our ancestors, friends, and children. Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch.”

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, Hillary Rodham Clinton

Sample lines: “What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well. … If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.”

I Am Prepared to Die, Nelson Mandela

Sample lines: “Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on color, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one color group by another. … This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.”

The Struggle for Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt

Sample lines: “It is my belief, and I am sure it is also yours, that the struggle for democracy and freedom is a critical struggle, for their preservation is essential to the great objective of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. Among free men the end cannot justify the means. We know the patterns of totalitarianism—the single political party, the control of schools, press, radio, the arts, the sciences, and the church to support autocratic authority; these are the age-old patterns against which men have struggled for 3,000 years. These are the signs of reaction, retreat, and retrogression. The United Nations must hold fast to the heritage of freedom won by the struggle of its people; it must help us to pass it on to generations to come.”

Freedom From Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

Sample lines: “Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and to uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society. Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.”

Harvey Milk’s “The Hope” Speech

Sample lines: “Some people are satisfied. And some people are not. You see there is a major difference—and it remains a vital difference—between a friend and a gay person, a friend in office and a gay person in office. Gay people have been slandered nationwide. We’ve been tarred and we’ve been brushed with the picture of pornography. In Dade County, we were accused of child molestation. It is not enough anymore just to have friends represent us, no matter how good that friend may be.”

The Union and the Strike, Cesar Chavez

Sample lines: “We are showing our unity in our strike. Our strike is stopping the work in the fields; our strike is stopping ships that would carry grapes; our strike is stopping the trucks that would carry the grapes. Our strike will stop every way the grower makes money until we have a union contract that guarantees us a fair share of the money he makes from our work! We are a union and we are strong and we are striking to force the growers to respect our strength!”

Nobel Lecture by Malala Yousafzai

Sample lines: “The world can no longer accept that basic education is enough. Why do leaders accept that for children in developing countries, only basic literacy is sufficient, when their own children do homework in algebra, mathematics, science, and physics? Leaders must seize this opportunity to guarantee a free, quality, primary and secondary education for every child. Some will say this is impractical, or too expensive, or too hard. Or maybe even impossible. But it is time the world thinks bigger.”   

Persuasive Writing Examples in Advertising Campaigns

Ads are prime persuasive writing examples. You can flip open any magazine or watch TV for an hour or two to see sample after sample of persuasive language. Here are some of the most popular ad campaigns of all time, with links to articles explaining why they were so successful.

Nike: Just Do It

The iconic swoosh with the simple tagline has persuaded millions to buy their kicks from Nike and Nike alone. Teamed with pro sports-star endorsements, this campaign is one for the ages. Blinkist offers an opinion on what made it work.

Dove: Real Beauty

Beauty brand Dove changed the game by choosing “real” women to tell their stories instead of models. They used relatable images and language to make connections, and inspired other brands to try the same concept. Learn why Global Brands considers this one a true success story.

Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?

Today’s kids are too young to remember the cranky old woman demanding to know where the beef was on her fast-food hamburger. But in the 1980s, it was a catchphrase that sold millions of Wendy’s burgers. Learn from Better Marketing how this ad campaign even found its way into the 1984 presidential debate.

De Beers: A Diamond Is Forever

A diamond engagement ring has become a standard these days, but the tradition isn’t as old as you might think. In fact, it was De Beers jewelry company’s 1948 campaign that created the modern engagement ring trend. The Drum has the whole story of this sparkling campaign.

Volkswagen: Think Small

Americans have always loved big cars. So in the 1960s, when Volkswagen wanted to introduce their small cars to a bigger market, they had a problem. The clever “Think Small” campaign gave buyers clever reasons to consider these models, like “If you run out of gas, it’s easy to push.” Learn how advertisers interested American buyers in little cars at Visual Rhetoric.

American Express: Don’t Leave Home Without It

AmEx was once better known for traveler’s checks than credit cards, and the original slogan was “Don’t leave home without them.” A simple word change convinced travelers that American Express was the credit card they needed when they headed out on adventures. Discover more about this persuasive campaign from Medium.

Skittles: Taste the Rainbow

These candy ads are weird and intriguing and probably not for everyone. But they definitely get you thinking, and that often leads to buying. Learn more about why these wacky ads are successful from The Drum.

Maybelline: Maybe She’s Born With It

Smart wordplay made this ad campaign slogan an instant hit. The ads teased, “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” (So many literary devices all in one phrase!) Fashionista has more on this beauty campaign.

Coca-Cola: Share a Coke

Seeing their own name on a bottle made teens more likely to want to buy a Coke. What can that teach us about persuasive writing in general? It’s an interesting question to consider. Learn more about the “Share a Coke” campaign from Digital Vidya.

Always: #LikeaGirl

Talk about the power of words! This Always campaign turned the derogatory phrase “like a girl” on its head, and the world embraced it. Storytelling is an important part of persuasive writing, and these ads really do it well. Medium has more on this stereotype-bashing campaign.   

Editorial Persuasive Writing Examples

Newspaper editors or publishers use editorials to share their personal opinions. Noted politicians, experts, or pundits may also offer their opinions on behalf of the editors or publishers. Here are a couple of older well-known editorials, along with a selection from current newspapers.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1897)

Sample lines: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.”

What’s the Matter With Kansas? (1896)

Sample lines: “Oh, this IS a state to be proud of! We are a people who can hold up our heads! What we need is not more money, but less capital, fewer white shirts and brains, fewer men with business judgment, and more of those fellows who boast that they are ‘just ordinary clodhoppers, but they know more in a minute about finance than John Sherman,’ we need more men … who hate prosperity, and who think, because a man believes in national honor, he is a tool of Wall Street.”

America Can Have Democracy or Political Violence. Not Both. (The New York Times)

Sample lines: “The nation is not powerless to stop a slide toward deadly chaos. If institutions and individuals do more to make it unacceptable in American public life, organized violence in the service of political objectives can still be pushed to the fringes. When a faction of one of the country’s two main political parties embraces extremism, that makes thwarting it both more difficult and more necessary. A well-functioning democracy demands it.”

The Booster Isn’t Perfect, But Still Can Help Against COVID (The Washington Post)

Sample lines: “The booster shots are still free, readily available and work better than the previous boosters even as the virus evolves. Much still needs to be done to build better vaccines that protect longer and against more variants, including those that might emerge in the future. But it is worth grabbing the booster that exists today, the jab being a small price for any measure that can help keep COVID at bay.”

If We Want Wildlife To Thrive in L.A., We Have To Share Our Neighborhoods With Them (Los Angeles Times)

Sample lines: “If there are no corridors for wildlife movement and if excessive excavation of dirt to build bigger, taller houses erodes the slope of a hillside, then we are slowly destroying wildlife habitat. For those people fretting about what this will do to their property values—isn’t open space, trees, and wildlife an amenity in these communities?”   

Persuasive Review Writing Examples

Book or movie reviews are more great persuasive writing examples. Look for those written by professionals for the strongest arguments and writing styles. Here are reviews of some popular books and movies by well-known critics to use as samples.

The Great Gatsby (The Chicago Tribune, 1925)

Sample lines: “What ails it, fundamentally, is the plain fact that it is simply a story—that Fitzgerald seems to be far more interested in maintaining its suspense than in getting under the skins of its people. It is not that they are false: It is that they are taken too much for granted. Only Gatsby himself genuinely lives and breathes. The rest are mere marionettes—often astonishingly lifelike, but nevertheless not quite alive.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (The Washington Post, 1999)

Sample lines: “Obviously, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone should make any modern 11-year-old a very happy reader. The novel moves quickly, packs in everything from a boa constrictor that winks to a melancholy Zen-spouting centaur to an owl postal system, and ends with a scary surprise. Yet it is, essentially, a light-hearted thriller, interrupted by occasional seriousness (the implications of Harry’s miserable childhood, a moral about the power of love).”

Twilight (The Telegraph, 2009)

Sample lines: “No secret, of course, at whom this book is aimed, and no doubt, either, that it has hit its mark. The four Twilight novels are not so much enjoyed, as devoured, by legions of young female fans worldwide. That’s not to say boys can’t enjoy these books; it’s just that the pages of heart-searching dialogue between Edward and Bella may prove too long on chat and too short on action for the average male reader.”

To Kill a Mockingbird (Time, 1960)

Sample lines: “Author Lee, 34, an Alabaman, has written her first novel with all of the tactile brilliance and none of the preciosity generally supposed to be standard swamp-warfare issue for Southern writers. The novel is an account of an awakening to good and evil, and a faint catechistic flavor may have been inevitable. But it is faint indeed; novelist Lee’s prose has an edge that cuts through cant, and she teaches the reader an astonishing number of useful truths about little girls and about Southern life.”

The Diary of Anne Frank (The New York Times, 1952)

Sample lines: “And this quality brings it home to any family in the world today. Just as the Franks lived in momentary fear of the Gestapo’s knock on their hidden door, so every family today lives in fear of the knock of war. Anne’s diary is a great affirmative answer to the life-question of today, for she shows how ordinary people, within this ordeal, consistently hold to the greater human values.”   

What are your favorite persuasive writing examples to use with students? Come share your ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, the big list of essay topics for high school (120+ ideas) ..

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101 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

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19 Persuasive Marketing Techniques For Product Descriptions That Sell

Darren DeMatas

November 30, 2023

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In addition to receiving commissions generated through affiliate marketing, we are able to fund our independent research and reviews at no extra cost to our readers. Learn more.

People don’t read online; unless they’re about to spend money—then they scrutinize each word.

Design, SEO , and advertising  can only get you so far. If you want to accelerate sales online, you need persuasive copy. According to Harvard Business professor Gerald Zaltman,  95% of our purchase decision  occurs in the subconscious mind. Most marketers ignore how our brains work and fight against human psychology.

With a few persuasive writing techniques, you’ll be able to write compelling copy quickly and sell more products.

“The principles of psychology are fixed and enduring. You will never need to unlearn what you learn about them.” Claude C. Hopkins

This is a mammoth post, so I added links to sections for you TL;DRs out there.

• Use Repetition To Make Your Claims Believable
• Use Maslow To Match Search Intent
• Turn Shoppers Into Buyers With Benefit-Focused Copy
• Use Forum Research To Get Inside Your Buyers’ Mind
• Use Sensory Words To Connect With Your Buyer’s Subconscious
• Use Scarcity To Boost Sales
• Use Micro Commitments To Turn New Customers Into Big Spenders
• Use The Blemishing Effect To Increase Trust
• Amplify Your Top Pages With Power Words
• Improve Ad Performance by “Borrowing” from Tested Copy
• The Disrupt and Reframe Technique (DTR)
• Use Buyers’ Words to Build Brand Preference
• Use the Endowed Progress Effect To Build Customer Loyalty
• Sway Buyers On The Fence With A Rhyming Sequence
• Be Ultra Specific
• Use Social Influence To Lift Conversions
• Use Mini Stories to Fascinate Readers
• Improve Message Recall with The Serial Position Technique
• Use The Priming Technique to Make Your Marketing Their Idea

1. Use Repetition To Make Your Claims Believable

Repetition is one of the easiest persuasive writing techniques. The more someone hears your message, the more believable it is.  This psychological concept is known as the ‘ illusion of truth ‘.

This technique is most effective when people are least attentive. Since the  average online attention span is 8 seconds  –  you better be repeating your benefits throughout your product page.

Step 1: Determine The Biggest Benefit Of Your Product

Hopefully, you’ll take me up on Tip 3 and create a feature/benefit list for your product. If not, don’t overthink it.  Go for the most obvious benefit.

The most obvious benefit for a jacket is weather resistance.

Step 2: Repeat The Biggest Benefit 3-5 Times

Most people will scan first before reading. So make sure you include your #1 benefit throughout your page layout. Include it in your headline, intro, subheads, bullet points and conclusion.

Take a look at this Calvin Klein jacket. Macy’s wants you to believe this jacket is weather-resistant. The product page gets the point across, without mind-numbing repetition.

2. Use Maslow To Match Search Intent

Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs from college? Maybe you forgot because you didnt get enough good sleep . Every time your prospect uses Google search it’s out of a deep psychological desire.

Your job as a marketer is to understand that need. Your copy will be much more persuasive, and it will rank significantly better in a Google search.

Step 1: Determine The Psychological Need Of Your Product

Your job here is to address the primary psychological need behind a search for your product. Some products can meet two. But we want to keep it simple and actionable, so pick one.

• Are you selling make-up or jewelry? Esteem.
• Are you selling organic food? Physiological.
• Are you selling antivirus software? Safety and security.

Step 2: Use Words Suited For That Mental State

Tone matters a lot in writing. Once you are through with step 1, add some words from this article  to your product page.

Step 3: Anticipate Questions About Your Product

Use the keyword research to find questions about your products. This will help you match search intent from a potential customer.

• Plug Your Product Page Into Google Keyword Planner
• Include When, Where, Why, What and How As Required Words
• Look for Concerns You Can Address On Your Product Page

Your goal with step three is to find concerns related to your product that you can address on your product page. If you still can’t find real product questions try this Twitter research trick  from Ann Smarty.

Step 4: Connect Questions to Product Features

Some shoppers might be concerned about cleaning a leather jacket before buying.  Your sales page should briefly address that concern. The solution is easy. Add a simple bullet that turns the question into a benefit.

Ex: “Top-grain leather that cleans easily with a microfiber cloth.”

Your updated page meets psychological, emotional needs and overcomes objections a buyer might have. Sounds like a slam dunk to me. 🙂

3. Turn Shoppers Into Buyers With Benefit-Focused Copy

No matter what product you are selling, the benefit to your customer is a  better version of themselves.   This is why it is so important to understand who your ideal customer is, what questions they have, and how you can help them. You’ll be wasting your time if you jam persuasive tricks into your copy. Even worse, you might come off like a manipulative idiot.

Here is a 3-step process to write benefits-focused, persuasive copy.

• Make a list of your product features.
• List actual benefits of using the product.
• List out how those benefits make your customer’s life better OR avoid problems.

Henneke Duistermaat has an entire ebook that goes into more depth about writing benefits-focused sales copy .  You can grab a copy .

4. Use Forum Research To Get Inside Your Buyers’ Mind

Would you be able to sell more products if you knew someone’s thoughts before they buy something? Of course you would!

You don’t have to do exhaustive primary research to find the right words to use, but you do  you need to find out why people buy your product and use that language on your product or category page. Here’s how:

Step 1: Find Conversations about Buying Your Product

There is an online forum for just about any topic. A lot of times you, can find people who just bought a similar product, and you can see who they are and what they are chatting about. Type the following searches into Google.  Just replace  “keyword” with your product and “niche” with your industry.

• “keyword” OR “niche” “just bought” inurl:forum
• “keyword” OR “niche” “should I buy” inurl:forum
• “keyword” OR “niche” “should i buy” “because” inurl:forum
• “keyword”OR “niche” “just bought” “because”  inurl:forum
• “need help with” “keyword” OR “niche”

The search term, “racing tires” “should I buy” inurl:forum  surfaced 455 car enthusiasts talking about buying racing tires. This is like eavesdropping on a conversation between friends. No focus group needed. How’s that for marketing research?!

 Step 2: Read The Threads and Create a Quick and Dirty Persona

In this step, your goal is to create one (yes, only one) buyer persona.

• Open up a forum thread from Google search.
• Click on a commenter’s profile link.

If you can’t find info about their age, location, hobbies and profession take an educated guess. Your persona should also have a name.

Step 3: Collect Answers To The 5 Questions Below:

As you research the forum threads copy and paste answers to these questions.

• Why did they buy?
• What are their pain points?
• What concerns did they have before buying?
• What is important to them when buying this product?
• What do they use the product for?

Step 4: Update Your Pages

It’s easy to forget that you are writing for a person when writing on the web. Understanding the mental state of potential buyers is the most powerful market research you’ll ever do. As you update your product pages, keep James Holley in mind. He is probably anxious to burn some rubber after a long week selling insurance.  

5. Use Sensory Words To Connect With Your Buyer’s Subconscious

I’m not talking about fluffing your copy up with phony adjectives. Meaningless words like “high quality” or “state of the art” send your reader’s brain into glazed state. Sensory words describe and create a feeling.

Our subconscious collects sensory data (taste, smell, sight, hearing, touch). When information is registered, sensory areas of the brain are activated .

Step 1: Observe Your Product And Create A List Of Concrete Words

Create a table in Excel with sound, sight, touch, smell and taste as headers.  Observe the sensory details of your product. Don’t overthink this. If you can’t imagine it, it is not concrete. You don’t need to appeal to all five senses, and you don’t need a mega list.

Step 2: Read Customer Reviews To Find Sensory Words

In this step, you are looking for words that describe your product and the environment of how it’s used. While reading reviews, I noticed people use Crocs at the beach and inside their house.

You don’t have to make this a grind. To combat information overload, sort the reviews by most helpful. Spend a few minutes on this step, no more.  After reading the first two pages of product reviews, you’ll be able to add some words that you hadn’t thought of.

Step 3:  Add Sensory Words To Your Product Description

When you tackle this step, give context to the words you use. For example, “blisters” is a very concrete, sensory word, but it is also negative. So your copy could say  “ A flexible sole helps avoid foot pain and blisters from walking on hard tile floors.”

Compare our quickly crafted sentence with Kohl’s product description: “Crocs shoes are great for outdoor adventures.” (Yawn). No one buying shoes is looking for an “outdoor adventure.”

6. Use Scarcity To Boost Sales

Cialdini’s principle of scarcity states that desire to obtain something increases when there is a perception of limited availability.  Research shows that scarcity increases impulse buying.

Don’t burn bridges like CoffeForLess  with fake scarcity. Use this technique when you actually have a limited time offer or limited quantity.

Step 1: Create A Time Sensitive Sale

Select high margin or popular products. Install a countdown timer plugin, email your list and run a sale. There are a lot of plugins that can do this. Here are a few of them:

• Sales Countdown For Woo Commerce
• Sales Countdown For Open Cart 
• Price Countdown For Adobe Commerce
• Page Expiration Robot – Countdown Timer For WordPress
• Shopify Countdown Timer

Step 2: Add A Limited Quantity Alert On Product Pages

Use a plugin to show visitors a message when your inventory is low.  Phrases like “Hurry! Only 1 left!” can help move customers to action.  People get a thrill when they snag the last one. I know I do 🙂

Never pressure people to PUSH them into purchasing. Instead, use pressure to PREVENT them from procrastinating. There is a fundamental difference between the two. – Michel Fortin 

Thinking about using scarcity tactics on your product page?  Check out this in-depth article  and be sure to take a  non-scuzzy approach .

7. Use Micro Commitments To Turn New Customers Into Big Spenders

A high dollar sale on the first visit can be a big ask. Instead, use the principle of commitment and consistency . People want to be consistent. Once someone commits to something small, they are more inclined to continue the process.

How can you use this to increase sales?

Step 1: Ask New Customers if They Are Likely to Buy from You Again

Customers love getting an order confirmation emailed to them. Turn it into a marketing opportunity. Use automated email software like  Klaviyo to add this question to the bottom of the order confirmation email:

“Are you likely to buy from us again?  Yes    No.”

Make the responses “Yes” or “No” hyperlinks so you can track if they are clicked.  You don’t want to set up a complicated survey, work it into your regular workflow and make it as easy as possible.

Step 2: Send a Coupon/Promo Code 

Customers who responded positively to your first email are likely to follow through with their original commitment. Incentivize them to be consistent by sending them a coupon to save $10 when they spend $150. The actual numbers will depend on your store. The goal is to turn them into a big spender.

You can even word the email like this:

A few weeks ago you said you would like to buy again from mystore.com. We wanted to send you a quick thanks for your recent order with a promo code to save on your next purchase. You can save $10 when you spend $150. Here are some of our most popular items (show images of products over $150). Promo code is good for 30 days.

When someone publicly declares they will do something, they are likely to carry through with that statement. This is also called the “ mere-measurement effect .”

Tip: Send the same email to people who also said no. Just remove the first sentence.

8. Use The Blemishing Effect To Increase Trust

Trying to hide the negative features of your product? Researchers from Stanford suggests you shouldn’t.

Customers can tell when you write a product description that’s 100% positive fluff. Adding in a small dose of negativity can make your product more attractive.

We find that as long as the negative information about a product is minor, your pitch [to a consumer] might be more persuasive when it calls attention to that negative, especially if consumers have already learned some positive things,” – Baba Shiv

9. Amplify Your Top Pages With Power Words

A lot has been written about the psychology behind persuasive words . Here are “must have” words for your ecommerce site.

• You: Using this word forces you to focus on how customers will benefit from doing business with you.
• Free: Our brains are hardwired to respond to “FREE .” Don’t overdo it.
• Because : Giving your reader a reason will make your copy more persuasive. Using because helps you trigger action by giving them a specific reason.
• Imagine:  Research suggests that imagining using or owning a product increases the desire to own it.
• New : Using this word activates the brain’s reward center and makes products seem more attractive.

Now that you know the words to use, it is time to put them to work for you.

Step 1: Use Google Analytics to Find Your Top Landing Pages

Don’t try to update all your pages at once. It is too tall of a task. Use Google Analytics to find your top 3-5 product landing pages.

• Log in to Google Analytics
• Click on Behavior
• Click on Site Content
• Click on Landing Pages

Step 2: Update the Copy To Include Those Power Words

Chances are your home page is a top landing page. Be sure to include power words, like “Free Shipping” in global elements like headers.

Use power words at the beginning and end of your product page. Include them in bulleted lists too.

10. Improve Ad Performance by “Borrowing” from Tested Copy

When you’re writing persuasive copy, it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. If you don’t analyze competitor ad copy, you’re missing out on insights from tested copy.

Step 1: Find Out Who The Big Advertisers Are In Your Niche

Type a keyword from your niche into SEMRush along with (adwords_historical).  In the example below, I used “work boots” (adwords_historical) to see all the companies advertising for that keyword. Look at their ads traffic price to get an idea of how much they are spending each month.

Stick with companies spending more than $10K per month. These companies are smart enough to test their ads and use the best performing ads the most.  Avoid megastores like Amazon or Overstock.com. You’ll get too much data to analyze. You want to write persuasive copy, not analyze data.

Step 2: Review Their Ad Copy

In SEMRush type in the big spenders domain with  (by uniq_ads) to see all of their ads. In the example below, I typed in workboots.com (by uniq_ads) . SEMRush will show you the ads that have the most keywords. For a company spending $10K + on PPC, you can bet that their best ads get the most keywords. Look for common themes within the ads. Pay extra attention to any benefit-focused ads.

Step 3: Update Your Copy

Your competitors spend a boatload of cash figuring out which ads sell the most products. People who shop for work boots care about new styles and slip resistance. Focus on those points when updating your copy. Also consider following these copywriting tips.

11. The Disrupt and Reframe Technique (DTR)

If you want a fast and effective method for influencing people , DTR is it.

Most of us go into auto-pilot mode when surfing the web. By disrupting your readers’ understanding on a typical phrase, you can knock them out of auto-pilot and reframe their thought process to give new meaning to the confusing phrase.

Apple’s entire marketing strategy is based on DTR.

Here is how you can do it:

• Add a bizarre or confusing statement in your copy: “Retina re-envisioned”
• Reframe it to give new meaning: “The moment you open the new MacBook, its gorgeous 12‑inch Retina display with edge-to-edge glass brings everything into focus. Every photo leaps off the screen in rich, vibrant detail.”

12. Use Buyers’ Words to Build Brand Preference

Have you ever bought a product because your friend told you it was “high performance” or “innovative”? No.

This is why you need to eliminate marketing speak and write for your ideal buyer.

Professional copywriters know that the most persuasive language comes directly from the customer ( see Tip #28 ).  But why?

According to the Kellogg Marketing Faculty at Northwestern University , consumers seek comfort and self-expression in the brands they choose. By using your customers’ own words you can shortcut the persuasive writing process and help readers self-identify. Joanna Wiebe explains how to do this in her post , but here is the gist:

• Search for customer reviews for your product on Google, Amazon or forums.
• Copy memorable phrases directly from customers.
• Paste them into your product pages.

Don’t copy entire paragraphs. You’re looking for emotionally charged phrases to leverage into your copy. Here are some examples from racing tires:

• “quicker acceleration, better braking, smoother ride, less wear on shocks”
• “Lower weight is important, but traction is more important”
• “meaner tire, they have great wet traction, they stick, lots of dry traction”
• “Some people whine about them on wet roads, but I had zero hydroplaning issues and I drove them through winter here in the metroplex”
• “with fresh rubber”
• “I love spirited driving”

You want to sound like a customer, not a marketing company. Check out some more examples here.

13. Use the Endowed Progress Effect To Build Customer Loyalty

You’ve worked super hard to get a customer, use the endowed progress effect to keep them buying from you.

Reward programs give your customers a sense that they are working towards a goal. By giving them a few extra free points, they will be more likely to buy from you again. Check out this study from USC.

To create an effective program you need:

• Reward program technology. Like a plugin or points system.
• A persuasive autoresponder email chain to let customers know they’re close to a reward.

Please don’t just use the boilerplate copy from the plugin. Be sure to cater it to your audience.

14. Sway Buyers On The Fence With A Rhyming Sequence

Research suggests that rhyming phrases are more believable .  I am not suggesting that your product pages sound like nursery rhymes, but the “rhyme as reason” effect can help persuade people who are on the fence.

Johnny Cochran, O.J. Simpson’s lawyer, knew about this cognitive bias.

If the glove does not fit, you must acquit.

Rhyming makes copy easier to remember and ideas easier to digest. This concept is also known as the fluency effect . Rand Fishkin has an excellent white board on this topic.

Here is how you can incorporate rhyming today:

• Boil your product or benefit down to the simplest word (ex. Weather Proof Jacket = rain)
• Go to  Rhymer.com
• Find a word that rhymes with your product or benefit (ex. main)
• Add the rhyming phrase to the start or end of your product description   (ex. The Calvin Klein hooded windbreaker will be your main jacket to project against the rain.)

This exercise can be a lot of fun, and it will make your benefits more persuasive.  Don’t overdo it, Mother Goose.

15. Be Ultra Specific

Copy has to be credible to be persuasive. We are all bombarded with generic marketing claims all day long.  Precise details turn your ho-hum headlines, taglines and slogans into believable messages.

When it comes to selling products, details about problems or benefits make your copy trustworthy. Notice how the details describe the benefits of the raincoat material.

Constructed with durable, water-resistant, urethane-coated nylon taffeta and rustproof snaps; watertight bound seam construction. – REI

Ask yourself these questions to help you pull out the relevant details for your product page:

• What is your product made of?
• Where is your product made? 
• How is your product made?
• How many people have used it?
• Are there quantifiable features?
• Are size dimensions relevant?

When you start adding irrelevant details like the number of grooves on a pen grip, you’ve gone way too far.

Online shoppers are skeptical . Adding details helps people understand you are telling the truth.

16. Use Social Influence To Lift Conversions

As we saw in Maslow’s pyramid, belonging is a basic psychological need. This is why peer pressure works. Our ideas are validated when similar people share them: this is especially true for shopping online.

71% of online shoppers read reviews before buying.

Here are two surefire ways you can use social influence on your ecommerce site:

1. Add Product Reviews

Reviews help validate your claims. It is one thing for you to say “This backpack is durable.” It’s more impactful when a customer says the same thing. By simply adding a reviews widget, Express Watches  increased conversions by 58% .

It is not enough to add a widget; you have to be proactive about getting them. Once you add the widget:

• Email customers who purchased your top selling products
• Offer them a discount or points for leaving a review
• Add an automated email asking people for a review a few weeks after receiving the products

2. Add a Recommended Products Widget

When people get stuck on a decision, they look to see what other people do. This is why a recommended products widget can help lift conversions.  When people don’t find what they want, they leave. Providing additional suggestions to them might persuade them to check out other products.

17.  Use Mini Stories to Fascinate Readers

Stories that relate to your audience strengthen your brand position. If your story doesn’t, your copy will come off cheesy.

Do you remember James Holley from Tip #4? He will probably appreciate a mini story about peeling out in the office parking lot on a Friday night.  This story works because it’s:

• Relevant to our ideal buyer and product
• Simple and concise
• Imagery is concrete and vivid

This mini-story would be a huge turnoff to Donna, 57, in New York City. She values safety and style when buying luxury tires.  Burning rubber would run her off your site. You’re job is to tell an unexpected story that will entertain your ideal customer. Something they won’t read on an Amazon product description.

Retailer J. Peterman is known for their unique product descriptions. Check out this one.

18.  Improve Message Recall with The Serial Position Technique

People remember what they saw first (primacy effect) or last (recency effect). Use this to your advantage. Put your best copy where it matters most.

Step 1: Begin with an Ultra Short, Benefit-Rich Product Summary

When you write copy for product pages, you have to consider the design. Once you see how the information is  layered on the page , make sure to put your most persuasive copy right at the beginning. Keep it short and uncluttered.

Bonus SEO tip : Use your, ultra-short persuasive intro as the meta description to improve your click-through rate from searches.

Step 2: Rearrange Your Bullets

Readers love bullet points. Don’t rattle off a bunch of product features. Make sure that your bullets are a list of benefits. Give extra love to the first and last two bullets.

Step 3: End Your Product Description with a Persuasive Message

If someone reads your entire product description, chances are they are almost ready to buy. Don’t fizzle out at the end. Give them one simple, memorable reason why they should buy this product.

19. Use The Priming Technique to Make Your Marketing Their Idea

Priming is similar to the principle of commitment and consistency Both are used to influence subsequent behavior. The main difference is that priming is the process of tapping into the  subconscious mind.

Numerous studies show the priming effect in action . For example, three groups were primed with different words (rude, polite, and neutral). The group shown rude words were most likely to interrupt the interviewer. In another study ,  people who were shown sad faces 🙁 preferred mood-enhancing content.

Because people are influenced subconsciously, primes are perceived to be their own ideas. Remember the movie Inception? Same thing. When people think they are being “marketed to”, all bets are off.

Here are two ways you can use priming for your ecommerce site:

• Use homonyms to influence buying
• Use price priming to position your best products

Using Homonyms To Influence Purchase Behavior

A study from the University of Miami revealed that adding the words “bye-bye” in the web copy increased sales. This is because the word sounds like “buy.” You can use this on your product pages easily by using a sentence formula: “Say bye-bye to [problem] with [feature] that [benefit].”

Fuel can example: Say bye-bye to spilled gas with the locking nozzle that won’t leak.

As University of Chicago points out, you can also say “Good-Bye” on your order confirmation page to subconsciously influence that a “good buy” was made.

Don’t go overboard. If you use this on every page, it will lose its effect.

Using Price Priming To Sell More of Your Popular Products

This is not really a “copy writing” technique, but it can improve your sales. You can influence customers’ value perception by placing your top products next to super expensive products.

A $600 watch seems less expensive when placed next to a $2500 watch. This subconsciously influences your visitor to think the $600 watch isn’t that expensive. This is the reason why the default price setting on many ecommerce sites is “high to low.”

Another strategy is to implement a “featured” area on your category page.

You can also use colors, images, and metaphors for priming .

Ready for More Sales?

Persuasive writing means marketing to the subconscious. This is where purchase decisions are made. We’ve gone through a long list of persuasive writing techniques. You don’t have to tackle them all at once. Pick one technique, and you’ll be on your way to improving product sales. Remember, moderation is key.

Enjoy this article? You’ll love my free ecommerce marketing course .

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Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay Examples

30+ Free Persuasive Essay Examples To Get You Started

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Are you looking to improve your persuasive writing skills?

One of the best ways to do that is by reading persuasive essay examples. These examples can show you how to structure your arguments effectively.

But finding good examples can be a challenge. Don't worry, though – we've gathered some helpful persuasive essays for you right here!

So, if you're in search of persuasive essay examples to help you write your own, you're in the right place. 

Keep reading this blog to explore various examples

• 1. Persuasive Essay Examples For Students
• 2. Persuasive Essay Examples for Different Formats
• 3. Persuasive Essay Outline Examples
• 4. Persuasive Essay Format Example
• 5. How to Write A Persuasive Essay With Examples
• 6. How to End a Persuasive Essay Examples
• 7. Catchy Persuasive Essay Topics

Persuasive Essay Examples For Students

A persuasive essay aims to convince the reader of the author’s point of view. 

To find the right path for your essay, it's helpful to go through some examples. Similarly, good essay examples also help to avoid any potential pitfalls and offer clear information to the readers to adopt. 

Here are some persuasive essay examples pdf:

3rd-grade Persuasive Essay Example

4th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Example 5th-grade pdf

Persuasive Essay Examples for 6th Grade pdf

7th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

8th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Examples Grade 10

11th-grade Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Writing Example For Kids

Persuasive Essay Examples High School

The following are good persuasive essay examples for high school. Having a look at them will help you understand better.

High-school Persuasive Essay Example

Examples of Persuasive Essay in Everyday Life

Persuasive Essay Examples for Middle School

Check out these persuasive essay examples for middle school to get a comprehensive idea of the format structure. 

Persuasive Essay Examples Middle School

Short Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Examples for College Students

Essay writing at the college level becomes more difficult and complicated. We have provided you with top-notch college persuasive and argumentative essay examples here.

Read them to understand the essay writing process easily. 

Persuasive Essay Examples College

Higher English Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Argumentative and Persuasive Examples

Persuasive Essay Examples For University

It becomes even more challenging to draft a perfect essay at the university level. Have a look at the below examples of a persuasive essay to get an idea of writing one.

University Persuasive Essay Example

5 Paragraph Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Examples for Different Formats

A persuasive essay can be written in several formats. For instance, you can write the usual 5-paragraph essay, or even something longer or shorter.

Below are a few sample essays in various common formats.

Persuasive Essay Examples 5 Paragraph

Persuasive Essay Examples 3 Paragraph

Short Persuasive Essay Examples

These examples tell you how to remain convincing and persuasive regardless of the essay format you use.

Persuasive Essay Outline Examples

Creating an impressive outline is the most important step for writing a persuasive essay. It helps to organize thoughts and make the writing process easier.

 A standard outline consists of the following sections.

• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs

Have a look at the following persuasive essay outline template examples.

Persuasive Essay Outline

Persuasive Essay Template

Persuasive Essay Format Example

A persuasive essay outline is bound to follow a specific format and structure. The main elements of a persuasive essay format are as follows.

• Font: Times New Roman, Georgia, or Arial
• Font Size: 16pt for the headlines and 12pt for the rest of the text
• Alignment: Justified
• Spacing: Double spacing
• Word Count: It usually contains 500 to 2000 words

How to Write A Persuasive Essay With Examples

Planning an essay before starting writing is essential to produce an organized and structured writing piece. So, it is better to understand the concept beforehand to impress your instructor.  

The below example will show a good starting to an essay.

A Good Start for a Persuasive Essay - Short Example

How to Start a Persuasive Essay Examples

The introduction is the first part of an essay and your first chance to grab the reader's attention. It should clearly state the essay's purpose and give the reader a clear idea of what to expect.

A compelling persuasive essay introduction must have the following elements.

• Hook statement + topic
• A strong thesis statement
• Your arguments

Here are some examples of persuasive essay introductions to help you make a compelling start:

Introduction Persuasive Essay Example

Persuasive Essay Thesis Statement Examples

Persuasive Essay Hook Examples

How to End a Persuasive Essay Examples

Just like the introduction, the conclusion of the persuasive essay is equally important. It is considered as the last impression of your writing piece to the audience.

A good conclusion paragraph must include the following aspects.

• Restate the thesis statement or hypothesis
• Summarize the key arguments
• Avoid being obvious
• Include a call to action

Have a look at the document to explore the sample conclusions of a persuasive essay.

Conclusion Persuasive Essay Examples

Catchy Persuasive Essay Topics

Now that you have read some good examples, it's time to write your own persuasive essay.

But what should you write about? You can write persuasive essays about any topic, from business and online education to controversial topics like abortion , gun control , and more.

Here is a list of ten persuasive essay topics that you can use to grab your reader's attention and make them think:

• Should the government increase taxes to fund public health initiatives?
• Is the current education system effective in preparing students for college and the workplace?
• Should there be tighter gun control laws?
• Should schools have uniforms or a dress code?
• Are standardized tests an accurate measure of student performance?
• Should students be required to take physical education courses?
• Is undocumented immigration a legitimate cause for concern in the United States?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in today’s society?
• How much, if any, regulation should there be on technology companies?
• Is the death penalty an appropriate form of punishment for serious crimes?

Check out two examples on similar topics:

Political Persuasive Essay Examples

Persuasive Essay Examples About Life

Need more topic ideas? Check out our extensive list of unique persuasive essay topics and get started!

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Product Ideas for a Persuasive Advertisement

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• ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Reddit" aria-label="Share on Reddit">
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What Are Consumer Cues?

What are the key persuasive techniques used in consumer advertising, examples of bandwagon advertising propaganda techniques.

• Motifs Used in Advertising
• The Best Colors for Advertising

Through planned advertising, a small business can use products to persuade consumers to buy. The trick is to find products that have a motivating meaning to consumers. The meaning of a product can come from a consumer wanting what the product symbolizes, such as wealth, independence or beauty. Motivation to buy also comes from a consumer's desire to possess something for a certain purpose, such as a power tool that tackles countless applications. Consumers might also be persuaded to buy products for their symbolism and usefulness.

Beauty Products

The countless beauty products available offer consumers everything from changing the color and condition of their hair to having smooth and well-manicured feet. Beauty products work well for persuasive advertisements because the promise of beauty brings to mind being admired and desired by others. Some may want to appear more attractive to their significant other, while others crave attention from the masses.

A persuasive advertisement that depicts the use of a beauty product as a means for achieving adoration will attract and motivate consumers who desire this type of attention. Comparison is a good form of persuasive advertising to use in beauty, such as before and after photos, according to Gourmet Ads .

Sentimental Gifts

Sentimental gifts appeal to a consumer's tender emotions. Feelings of love and appreciation can be carried out through the gift of a well-worded greeting card or a special piece of jewelry. Advertisers can play on a consumer's emotions by showing a man giving his significant other a beautiful piece of jewelry on their anniversary. Witnessing the receiver's gasp of delight and show of affection may convince consumers that giving jewelry will bring them the same reaction.

Impressive Automobiles

A sleek, expensive car equipped with leather seats, the latest technology and a brand of excellence attached to its name offers consumers the ability to project their status and enjoy all the comforts of a luxury automobile. A persuasive advertisement depicting a well-dressed man in the driver's seat with a gorgeous woman as his passenger leads consumers to believe that the car will help them attract beautiful people, according to HubSpot .

Appeal of Food

Advertisers successfully use food as a way to persuade consumers to buy. For instance, fast food commercials that show close-up pictures of a large, juicy hamburger, golden-colored french fries and a bubbly soda entice fast-food lovers everywhere. A restaurant advertisement that shows couples or families enjoying the restaurant's food and the company of others appeals to those who want to spend enjoyable time together. For consumers looking to lose weight, the convenience of pre-packaged, low-calorie meals tempts them to buy.

• Gourmet Ads: Persuasive Advertising
• HubSpot: An Introduction to Persuasive Advertising vs. Informative Advertising

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