35+ SAMPLE Persuasive Essay in PDF

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

A persuasive essay or also known as the argument essay is where you try to persuade the target audience that your idea is more factual and effective than the idea and opinion of other people. This will generally require an individual to think things through and use the science of deduction in order to convince others to agree to your point of view and give consent to what your plan of action is. This type of writing is formal and mostly used in non-fiction. However, creative writers also use this technique in order to keep the avid readers addicted to the storyline.

Key Elements That Are Included in a Persuasive Essay

The introduction: This can be divided further into 3 parts, namely the title, background and thesis statement. All essay will start by identifying the title. This will be the main problem or the topic of the essay. Next, it is important to provide a background of your main topic. This may answer the question as to why this study is important. Lastly, before ending the introductory part, put in the thesis statement. The thesis statement will be the argument you will further discuss in the body. This will be based on how you see and want to address the problem. This is like a sneak peek of the facts and arguments that will be written in the essay.The body paragraphs: The body can be divided further into several paragraphs. Each paragraph will be a sub-topics of the main topic sentence. In each of the topics, there should be an explanation and evidence of the details. This will mainly be made up of supporting details that are based on credible sources. The counterargument: It is important to be fair in a persuasive essay. Included also are the arguments of the opposing team or research. This section will prove the opposition wrong by providing supporting details and credible facts based on research study and findings.The conclusion: In the last part of the document, it must have an impressive conclusion. Here, review and integrate the specific topics on the body by summarizing them. It is important that a conclusion will focus the attention back to the main topic. This should leave a long-lasting impression on the target audience.

Step By Step Process in Writing a Persuasive Essay

Step 1: Select an Influential Topic

Before starting any kind of writing it is important to have a topic. Fully knowing and understanding the key points of your topic will make the next step easier and faster.

Step 2: Who Will Be the Target Audience?

After choosing the topic, it is important to know who your target audience is. This must answer 3 main questions. Who will benefit from this study? Who will be the main readers? Who do I need to persuade? After answering these questions the next step will be greatly enhanced in terms of quality.

Step 3: Finding Legitimate Research Materials

Now that you know what the main topic is and who the main readers will be, it is time to try to persuade them by finding credible resources. In order to convince them that your point of view as well as your course of action is more truthful than that of the other research, you will need concrete pieces of evidence and several examples. It is important not to focus on one source only. Look for multiple supporting facts and details. This will prove that you are claiming is legitimate. This will also convince others easier.

Step 4: Follow the Given Essay Outline

With the help of the templates available above, it will be easier to create a persuasive essay. Input all your research and findings. It is important to rank them in order and start from the least important. However, it is important to prioritize research in the more substantial sub-topics over the minuscule sub-topics. It is important to properly integrate the supporting details to avoid confusion. As for your counterargument, make sure that you will be able to prove their claim wrong. This will be an important step in persuading the target audience to side with you.

Step 5: Review and Revise

Before submitting or publishing the essay, it will a smart thing to proofread the document first. Make sure that there are no errors, no matter how small they are. This will reflect on your integrity and reputation.

What to Keep In Mind When Writing a Persuasive Essay?

Here are the tips and techniques for writing an effective persuasive essay.

Choose the topic that you like: More often than not, when working we hear the saying if you love what you are doing you will be more productive. This is also the case in writing. A persuasive essay will bring out the best in the writer if he or she is truly interested in the topic.Know who to persuade: No matter how detailed your essay is, it can still be improved if you have knowledge about your target audience. Doing extensive research about your audience will lead to a more meaningful essay.Grab the attention of the reader: As early as the introduction phase, it is highly advisable to use an interesting and definitive statement to grab the attention of the readers. This will give rise to their curiousness and they will carry on with reading the whole document.Know both sides: In order to persuade readers to get on board with your claim, it is important to also know the side of the opposition. Knowing both sides will give you the knowledge on how to get the better of other people or research. In order to make the most of this technique, it is a must to do an extensive research on the topic in order to prove the opposing side wrong. No matter how hard it may seem, in order to effectively persuade readers, you have to prove the other side wrong. This will give you a big advantage.Being empathetic: It is also a good way to use an emotional approach when writing a persuasive essay. This will lead to the rise of belief that you are understanding and relating to the current situation of the readers.Using rhetorical questions: With the use of rhetorical questions, you will get the readers thinking and this will lead to them believing that your point of view is actually legitimate and more factual than that of the others.Usage of emphasis: With the constant use of emphasis, readers will be more convinced to get on board with your plan or research study. Emphasis brings about an inspirational and stimulating effect on the side of the readers.Use of repetition: In persuasive writing, it is important to once in a while go back to the main problem or the main topic. This is important as the essay makes progress. Little by little this will refresh the memory of the reader of what the main points of the essay is. Getting the reader to fully understand the main topic while reading the supporting details will surely result in them being persuaded. This is also a common technique used in advertising.Only make use of credible sources: Be reminded that the main objective of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader. Only make use of research materials that are from credible sources. Statistics and thesis from universities are also a great sources of evidence. Remember, if you have a solid piece of evidence and concrete examples, it will make your point more credible and believable. It will also be accepted faster and easier by the target audience.Make use of present tense: A present tense means that the verb is describing a current situation or event. By the means of present tense, readers will have a sense of urgency about the subject matter at hand.Use of the hierarchical method: Just like in a work breakdown structure, a persuasive essay mostly uses a hierarchy. Start the details from the least important ones first. This is done so that by the end of the body paragraph the most important details will be fresh on the mind of the readers.

What Are the Different Appeals in Creating a Persuasive Essay?

According to excelsior.edu, there are mainly 3 different appeals in a persuasive essay. These can also be referred to as the 3 pillars of persuasive communication. An appeal is an approach to how you will try to persuade your target audience.

1) Ethos

Ethos is a Greek word that means character. In order to persuade readers with an ethos, you have to prove that you are trustworthy. In order for them to acknowledge a piece of writing, they must first acknowledge the writer. People will believe faster if the author is someone to whom they can trust. A question that comes to mind of most readers of a persuasive essay is why should I believe you. This will be your main problem when using this kind of approach. Do not worry, even if you are not a widely known writer, you can still make use of this approach. The challenge is that you need to make readers believe readers that you are correct from a moral point of view. You can make use of your qualifications and state that a lot of people trust you. This can also be called the appeal to ethics.

2) Pathos

Pathos is a Greek word that means experience and suffering. From that, we can tell that in order to persuade readers with this approach, we have to connect with them on an emotional level. Try to appeal to your target audience from an emotional point of view. Readers are likely to be moved or persuaded to whom they can relate. This is the main point of this appeal. This is an effective tool for some because in our society today, people often get carried away by their emotions. This can also be called the appeal to emotions.

3) Logos

Logos is a Greek word that means word or reason. This means that we have to persuade readers by the means of the science of thought and rational thinking. This is where your facts come in. In this kind of approach, it is important to make the most of your research. It is important to provide the readers with strong pieces of evidence and a solid number of examples. With this, they will know that your claims are legitimate. This way they will be persuaded to get on board with your point of view. This can also be called the appeal to reason or logic.

These appeals were based on Aristotle’s “mode for persuasion”.

FAQs

What are examples of credible sources?

1)Statistical analysis

2)Published books

3)Government websites

4)Scholar books

5)Interview with experts

6)Thesis or case study from a university

What are the 6 principles of persuasion?

Reciprocity – People do not like to feel obligated, that is why they reciprocate what others provide them. The main point of this is that we pay back others for what they are showing and giving us.

Scarcity – This states that the more unique something is, the more that people would want it. This is especially true in our society. People always want limited stock products to feel unique.

Authority – This means that we are influenced more by people who are widely known than those who are not. We tend to believe more in experts.

Commitment and consistency – This means that people like to protect their reputation and tend to stick by their decision. In the future, people will still commit to the decision they made before.

Liking – In psychology, this is one of the most common and heard topics. The liking principle states that we are easily convinced by the words of those people that we like and the people we idolize. The liking principle also states that we tend to like people better when they have the same goals as us and when they pay us compliments.

Consensus – The principle of consensus or also known as social proof states that people will follow what most people want and do. This is mostly true in our society nowadays. Most people just go with the flow and follow whatever it is that is trending.

These principles are based on a book entitled “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”. It was written by Dr. Robert Cialdini back in 1984.

What are the 4 main types of influence?

Negative – This is the most damaging. From the word itself, this type of influence has a bad effect on us.

Neutral – This will neither have a good and bad effect on us. However, people who have this influence do not maximize their potential.

Positive – Contrary to the negative influence, this will surely result in a good effect. People who have this kind of influence will result in a positive outcome for those who are around them.

Life-changing – This is the rarest of all types of influence. People who have this influence will permanently impact someone else’s life in a good way.

What is bandwagon advertising?

It is a technique that persuades people to get on board with their idea so that they will not feel left out.

In everything that we do, it is not always that we are favored by the people around us. With the help of an effective persuasive essay, we can convince people to believe the words coming out of our mouths. This is also the case in advertisements where we are influenced by big companies to buy their product. With enough knowledge of persuasive communication, we too can influence others to agree with our point of view and make them buy our claims.