How to Write a Persuasive Essay - Step by Step Guide

Do you need to write a persuasive essay but don’t know where to begin?

Whether you are enrolled in a college or studying in high school, you will have to write a persuasive essay at some point.

In addition, knowing how to write a persuasive essay is useful apart from academic studies as well. So knowing how to write this type of essay is an important skill that everyone should have.

Don’t worry if you don’t know how to write it yet, we’ve got what you need to start!

This guide will help you write a good persuasive essay with simple steps and example essays. So read on to find out how to write the best persuasive essay yourself!

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

As per the persuasive essay definition:

It is a type of essay where a writer chooses a position and convinces the audience about it. Such a particular point of view is supported by strong evidence throughout the body of the essay.

Moreover, it demonstrates why the author’s viewpoint is correct and discusses why the opposing argument is incorrect. You need to support your arguments through solid evidence.

Similarly, the following aspects are required to write a good persuasive essay.

• In-depth research
• Knowledge about the target audience
• A clear understanding of both sides of the issue

It may seem like a difficult task, but it can be made quite manageable and easy.

Simply conduct the research, understand the reader’s biases, and gain a solid grip on both sides of the product. Notably, persuasive writing is not just found in academics but also graces newspapers, advertisements, blogs, and speeches.

Let’s find out what the elements of a persuasive essay are before diving into its format and writing steps.

Elements of a Persuasive Essay

Persuasion is an essential part of communication. It can be used to influence decision-making and shape opinions. There are three primary elements of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. 

• Ethos

The first element is ethos. Ethos refers to the credibility or trustworthiness of a speaker or argument. A persuasive speaker must be perceived as reliable, honest, and knowledgeable in order to be persuasive.

For example, a doctor must first establish their credibility through their education and experience before suggesting medication.

• Pathos

The second element of persuasion is pathos. Pathos refers to an appeal to emotion. It is used to connect with the audience and evoke an emotional reaction. 

This can be done through storytelling or by presenting facts in a way that is relatable and meaningful to the audience.

• Logos

The third element of persuasion is logos. Logos refers to logic-based arguments or appeals to reason. It involves presenting facts, evidence, and data in order to make a logical argument. A successful logos-based approach requires the speaker to be well-informed and organized in their presentation of facts and data.

When used together, these three elements can be effective tools for persuasion. By utilizing all three elements, the speaker increases the chances of influencing their audience. You can read more about ethos, pathos, and logos here. 

Here is a video you can watch about the three persuasive techniques:

How to Write a Persuasive Essay?

To write a persuasive essay, follow the steps below. It will help in making the writing process easier.

Prewriting the Essay

It is the first step where you will plan the essay and make pointers. It is the foremost technique to get the desired result of your writing piece.

• Selecting a Good Persuasive Essay Topic

First, select an interesting topic to write on.

After planning your essay, select an interesting topic to write on. You should think of a topic that can grab the attention of your audience and motivate them to read further. 

You should also choose something that interests you, as this will make it easier for you to write about the topic. Remember to narrow down the scope of your persuasive essay so it's not too broad or overwhelming. 

• Choosing Your Perspective 

You need to have a clear direction to choose your stance on the issue. Thus, state your perspective from the beginning and restate it throughout the essay. Also, discuss what solution you are going to offer.

Do the necessary research and decide on the side you want to take. Moreover, the audience should also clearly understand your stance from the start.

Make sure to have a solid reason to be on either of the sides. It is because the reader will not be convinced unless you will justify your viewpoint with compelling evidence.

• Understanding the Target Audience 

It is better to understand your audience before starting writing, as every reader has its own needs, wants, and beliefs. Similarly, some topics may be sensitive to a specific group. Therefore, to convey your viewpoint effectively, it is better to determine them beforehand.

In schools and colleges, the primary audience is the teacher and the students. You can communicate with them to find out their stance on the issue. Moreover, you will also be able to develop an argument that can function in the real world.

• Identifying the Strongest Evidence

After choosing a position, it's time to conduct thorough research. It will help in finding out various themes of discussion on the topic. However, it is not possible to cover all of them in your essay at a time. 

Thus, for making people believe and understand your viewpoint, choose the topic with convincing evidence. You may need scholarly articles, quotes from experts, facts, and personal experience to support your thesis. 

• Developing a Well-Structured Outline 

In this stage of essay writing, give a proper structure to your persuasive paper. The idea is to organize all the evidence and compile a strong argument. 

Typically, a persuasive essay outline consists of the following three parts. 

• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs
• Conclusion

Have a look at the below outline format to understand the proper persuasive essay structure.  

Steps to Writing a Persuasive Essay

• Write the Introduction:

The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide background information about the topic. It should also include a thesis statement that presents the main idea of your essay.

• Write Body Paragraphs:
  

Each body paragraph should focus on one main idea and provide evidence to support it. Make sure the ideas are logically ordered and connected to each other.

• Write a Conclusion:

Finally, the conclusion should provide a summary of the essay’s main points while also showing why they matter. It should also offer an insightful comment or call to action to leave the reader thinking about the topic.

Finalizing Your Essay

A good thorough read will help refine your essay. Revise the paper by following the few tips given below.

• Is the essay making your point clear?
• Are the quotes and stats that you have used relevant?
• Is the introduction paragraph worth grabbing the audience’s attention?
• Is the opposing point used and explained well?
• Is the concluding paragraph adding value?
  
• Is readability good?

Proofreading is essential when it comes to writing an essay. If your essay has spelling, grammatical, or punctuation mistakes, it will leave a bad impression on the reader. Thus, read your paper aloud at least twice before the final submission. 

Also, format your essay correctly. Read on to find out how to do it

Persuasive Essay Format

Here are the important parts of a persuasive essay that are included in the essay format:

Introduction

• Hook
• Thesis Statement
• Background Information

Body Paragraphs (3-5 paragraphs)

• Argument 1 with supporting evidence
• Argument 2 with supporting evidence
• Antithesis paragraph with supporting evidence

Conclusion

• Summary of main points
• Restate thesis statement
• Call to action
• Recommendation

Moreover, you should format your essay according to these common guidelines:

• Font: Times New Roman.
• Font Size: 16pt for the headlines and 12pt for the rest of the essay’s text.
• Line Spacing: Double line spacing.
• Alignment: Justified.
• Word Count: Between 500-2000 words.

Persuasive Essay Examples

The main idea while writing a persuasive essay is not just to convey the message. However, the focus is to deliver your opinion and convince the audience to change their perspective.

Below are examples and a template to help you understand things in a better manner.

Do you need more examples to improve your writing skills? We’ve got you covered! Head to the persuasive essay examples blog to find great examples on many different topics.

Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Below are some interesting persuasive essay prompts that you can choose from. 

• The internet is a great invention, but it affects society.
• Should all the kids who participate in a competition receive trophies?
• Is it necessary to protect human rights?
• Should marijuana be allowed for medicinal use?
• Should there be a ban on using phones in high school?
• Should same-sex marriages be given the same rights as straight marriage?
• What is the reason behind the popularity of Apple products?
• Is censorship on the internet effective?
• Should bullying be made illegal in the United States?
• Why do some people refuse to use internet technology?
  

These persuasive essay ideas will help you understand the unique topics to argue about in your paper. 

If you need more ideas, we have also compiled a list of some easy persuasive essay topics for you.

Tips for Writing a Persuasive Essay

Below are some useful tips for writing a persuasive essay. 

• State your position clearly in the introduction.
• Be aware of all the opposition arguments. Make a list of them and highlight the strongest ones.
• Take enough time to conduct thorough research work.
• Find strong evidence from credible sources to refute the counter-arguments.
• Present the opposing views in neutral language that does not demonstrate judgment.
• Repeat your main point in a variety of ways to attract the readers.
• Use emotive and strong language to provoke the audience’s emotions.
• Write your persuasive essays in the present tense.
• Use persuasion techniques and logical transitions between paragraphs.
• Add credibility and reasoning to make your essay even more authentic.

These steps will help you write the perfect essay and get a good grade. However, there are cases when you feel that you don’t possess good writing skills and need more guidance. For this, many online services can help you in that matter. 

Simply hire a persuasive essay writer at MyPerfectWords.com to seek guidance and essay help. Moreover, our best essay writing service can help you with all your academic needs. 

All you have to do is to provide the essay’s specifications. We guarantee to assign a subject specialist from our professional writers to work on your paper. Similarly, we will also provide you a persuasive essay example to get a better idea.

Order an essay from our persuasive essay writing service today, and we will deliver a paper that would help you improve your grades.