How To Write A Persuasive Essay

American broadcast journalist Edward Murrow said, “To be PERSUASIVE, we must be believable; to be BELIEVABLE, we must be CREDIBLE; credible, we must be TRUTHFUL.”

This simple statement has to be our guiding principle every time we write a persuasive essay. Writing such is like being a lawyer defending his client inside the courtroom. You have the big responsibility of taking a stand and defending it all the way. You need to build strong arguments and persuade people to believe in you.

To persuade or to convince- this is your ultimate goal in writing a persuasive essay. If you have not achieved this, then you definitely failed.

Here are some basic steps in writing a persuasive essay.

1. Determine your main thought/idea. Be specific on your purpose and stick to your stand.

2. Know your audience. To come up with an effective persuasive essay, you need to consider your audience. Will you be writing for adults, teens, or professionals? Do you have the same language game?

3. Clearly state your arguments. You have to be very clear with your arguments and proposition or else you will fail to deliver your message to your audience.

Imagine yourself selling a product. Your main objective is to have someone buy it. Just like in writing a persuasive essay, you sell your ideas and your target is to have someone believe them.