persuasive essay powerpoint example

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Effective Persuasion Presentation

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This presentation is designed to introduce your students to a variety of factors that contribute to strong, effective, and ethical persuasion in their writing. The slides presented here are designed to aid the facilitator in an interactive presentation of the elements of persuasive writing and include examples and questions for those viewing the material. This presentation is ideal for any course in which students will be required to write a persuasive document and also helps students think in depth about audience.

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How to Make a Persuasive PowerPoint Presentation (With Powerful Tips + Video)

For most professionals, you'll have to create a PowerPoint presentation at least once in your career. 

Presenting, as with other "soft skills" (like communication, leadership, and negotiation), is now a must-have for most roles in the workplace. This means it's important to learn how to make compelling presentations—even if you're not an experienced presenter, speaker, or designer. 

Discover six steps that will help you level up your presentation game. 

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

But, before you do that, download our free eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's packed with professional strategies to help you master the complete presentation process.

Now let's dig into this tutorial. Learn how to make a more persuasive PowerPoint presentation that will grab your audience's attention and move them to action: 

Top Tips on How to Make a Persuasive PowerPoint Presentation (Video)

Are you in a hurry to get started with your persuasive video? We've got you covered with this quickstart video that includes some of our best persuasive PowerPoint tips:

Do you want to learn even more about how to make a persuasive PowerPoint? Keep reading for even more tips and ideas.

Step 1. Learn How to Start a PowerPoint Presentation Persuasively

One thing you need to keep in mind as you're planning your persuasive presentation is how you'll start it. You don't have to write out the beginning right now, but throughout the planning process, you need to be on the lookout for the hook of your presentation. 

This hook is crucial because with a strong beginning, you can draw your listeners in. Without a hook, it will take them a while to adjust to being receptive to your message. Here are some characteristics that make a strong hook:

1. Grab Your Audience's Attention

When they hear your hook, it should force them to focus on the presentation and wait in anticipation for what you're going to say next. This means it should be brief and to the point.

2. Address Their Wants and Fears

It's also great to start by addressing your audience's most pressing concerns upfront. If you're giving a persuasive presentation to small business owners on how they can get more customers, you can start with something like: 

You're here because at some point, you've looked at your sales and thought, 'I could have done better'.

Addressing their main concerns, especially if it's emotionally strong, reminds them of what's at stake. More importantly, you're suggesting that you do understand where they're coming from.

3. Ask a Question

Starting with a question leads your audience to try to come up with the answer in their heads. It's also a good idea to ask a question that leads people to raise their hands or interact with you in some way so that they feel more involved in the presentation. Given the example above, an alternate beginning would be to ask:

How many of you looked at your sales last month and felt disappointed?

If you want to take a deeper look into creating a strong hook, you can check out this guide for writing attention-grabbing speeches:

Step 2. Put Your Audience First

One common mistake that presenters make is focusing mostly on their own ideas and story. Unless you tie these things with your audience's needs, they might end up bored, distracted, or worse, they might even walk out. 

To prevent this, put your audience first. Before you start writing your persuasive presentation, it's best to clarify who your audience is and what their needs and expectations are. As you write your presentation, ask yourself the following questions:

• Why are they watching your presentation? What do they hope to get out of it? Figure out what their expectations and goals are and how your presentation fits into both these things. If you can conduct a survey or get in touch with your audience beforehand, this can give you a more specific idea of what they're looking for.
• How much knowledge and experience do they have on the subject? If there are any knowledge gaps, be prepared to fill them. Also, avoid spending too much time on the ideas that are too simple for your audience. For example, there's no point in explaining how to use basic Photoshop tools to a room full of advanced graphic designers.
• How would they feel about your primary message?  Are there any concerns or hesitations that your audience might have against the message you're trying to relay? Be prepared to address these concerns throughout your persuasive presentation.
• What possible questions will they have along the way? Answering your audience's internal questions as you go through your presentation lets them know that you're on the same page. Plus, if there's a Q&A portion after you speak, you would have already answered the most basic questions in your presentation, paving the way for more interesting advanced questions in the Q&A.

Answering these questions can help you craft a presentation that's as engaging as possible to your audience.

Step 3. Think in Pictures and Stories

As you flesh out the points of your presentation, keep in mind the old saying "Show, don't tell." Rather than just stating your points matter-of-factly, find ways to deliver them through metaphors or stories. This will make your most important ideas easier to understand and remember. 

Another advantage to thinking in metaphors and stories is that the more visual the metaphor, the easier for you to pick photos and graphics to go with your presentation.

Here are some tips that can help you come up with metaphors and stories you can use:

1. Find Existing Stories

For every crucial point you deliver, think about some stories from history, case studies, or your own experience that can help your audience see the point in a fuller context. 

If you're going to present to your company about the perils of bad customer support, tell your own horror stories of bad customer support that led you to switch brands. 

If you're presenting to a client the dangers of failing to keep their website secure, and how technical errors and client data leaks can harm their business, look for case studies or news items about businesses that closed shop or lost customers because of it.

You can also use historical examples. Books like Robert Greene's "The 33 Strategies of War"  or "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries use stories and figures from history to illustrate their points. "The Lean Startup" also goes the personal route by telling stories from Ries' own experience with his startup.

2. Create a Storyboard

While you're thinking in terms of visuals and stories, it might also help to create a basic storyboard of your entire presentation. This is useful for setting some early plans on how your presentation will look, not just in terms of photos and graphics, but also the layout of the text and how the slides look when shown one after the other.

Step 4.  Pick Your Persuasive PowerPoint Template 

Picking your persuasive PPT template and creating your slides is the fourth step on this list, rather than the first—and for good reason. The content of your presentation should come first. 

When you're starting out, it's easy to get hung up on choosing templates, fonts, and graphics, and laying out all the elements of your slides. Without strong content that appeals to your audience, however, it doesn't matter how beautiful and well-designed your slides are. 

Presentation design is critical to success though. You need your visuals to compliment the ideas you present.

When you're ready to choose your PPT design template here are some criteria you should look at:

1. Uniqueness

As much as possible, avoid using the most common stock templates that people use. These are typically the ones that come with PowerPoint by default. 

When you use a persuasive PowerPoint template design that everyone's seen over and over again, they might assume that your presentation will be equally predictable and commonplace. Then your audience will stop paying attention as soon as they see the first slide. 

Instead, choose a well-designed, unique template. 

There are new PowerPoint Templates with awesome designs being added to Envato Elements. They give you a number of creative styles and fresh designs options to choose from. 

Discover more great designs: 

2. Readability

When testing out PPT templates, try to reduce their size on the screen. Can you still read the text effortlessly? If you're presenting to a large audience, it's important that everyone can read any text on the slides, especially those people sitting in the back or those who have poor eyesight.

3. Interesting Imagery

Since you'll be using stories and metaphors in your presentation, it's best to accompany those with photos or graphics that fully capture the idea. These images can also break the monotony from too many consecutive slides that are just text. 

If you want a large collection of professional royalty free stock photos to choose from, try searching through Envato Elements or browse through our  PhotoDune  gallery of photography. 

Step 5. Practice and Get Feedback

Now that the visuals and text of your presentation are ready, it's time to practice. You're practicing for several reasons. First, you want to make sure that your presentation fits within your allotted presentation time. Personally, I've spoken in a handful of events where some speakers went overtime, monopolizing the time allotted for other speakers and their Q&A sessions. 

Going overtime might also affect the timing and length of breaks. Consider these costs if you're tempted to make your presentation longer than it should be or if you want to skip practicing altogether. You don't want to be the speaker that everyone in the event ends up resenting. Instead keep your presentation compact.

More importantly, you're practicing to get feedback. Use this opportunity to record a video of yourself speaking. Then, try to evaluate your performance in the video. Consider questions like:

• Do you speak at a good enough pace to be understood? 
• Do you use different tonalities for emphasis? 
• Do you appear confident? 

You can even show the video to some trusted colleagues and get their constructive feedback. It might sound scary to do this, but it's better to make mistakes in a safe space with people you trust rather than in the actual presentation itself.

For each run-through of your presentation, set a specific improvement goal based on your observations or the feedback you get: 

• Should you be speaking slower? 
• Should you speak louder? 
• Would your presentation seem more engaging if you moved your hands? 

By doing this kind of deliberate practice, you'll end up with a greatly improved presentation style—no matter how awkward you were when you started.

Step 6. Polish Your Presentation

Having compelling content and design for your presentation is good, but to make it great, make sure it's polished. Here are some final touches you can apply to your presentation as you're finishing it up:

1. Proper Alignment

Make sure all the elements of each slide are properly aligned. This maintains the balance and symmetry of your text and graphics. Alignments are adjusted one slide at a time. First, for each slide that you want to adjust, select all the objects. Then, from the PowerPoint Format tab, select Align . 

This will bring down a menu of alignment options. Click Align Selected Objects . When the Align menu closes, open it again, then select the type of alignment that works best for that slide. For example, if you want things centered properly, click Align Center .

2. Embedded Fonts

It's possible that the equipment you'll be using on presentation day might not have the same fonts you've used while designing your presentation. To avoid such typographic mess-ups, embed your chosen fonts within the presentation. 

To do this, go to the File  tab then click Options . When the Options  menu launches, click the Save  option from the menu on the left. Scroll down until you see the checkbox marked Embed fonts in the file . 

Check this box and choose the type of embedding you want. This will ensure that when you open your presentation, the text will display as you designed it, even if the device displaying it doesn't have the fonts you used.

3. Export Slides

Another way to ensure that your slides look the same regardless of the device viewing it is to export it to PDF or JPEG . When you send or bring your files to the venue, make sure that you save them in PPT, PDF, and JPG as a contingency plan in case there are some software or hardware problems that prevent your PPT file from displaying correctly.

4. Run Through Your Cues

Do a run through of your cues. For your last practice sessions, make sure you include your slide cues in your rehearsal. It's going to be inconvenient, confusing, or jarring for you and your audience if you've got to keep looking at your slides behind you as you're presenting.

Here are a few tutorials that'll show you how to take your presentation to the next level:

10+ Powerful Persuasion and PowerPoint Presentation Tips

Now that we’ve covered the basics of how to make a persuasive PowerPoint presentation, there are a few more tips you can use to ensure your presentation not only delivers your message but captivates your audience and convinces them to care about your cause or invest in your idea.

The tips below cover both persuasion and PowerPoint tips so you can ensure the design of your presentation matches the delivery. Without further ado, here are 10+ powerful persuasion and PowerPoint presentation tips:

• Know your audience  and what they respond to makes it easier for you to tailor the presentation to their interests and use language and phrases they respond to.
• Use body language  to your advantage. Body language says a lot about you and can do wonders for showing your audience why they should care about the topic of your presentation.
• Remember to address their wants and fears early on so you can capture their attention and remind them what’s at stake
• Use storytelling to make your presentation more relatable and powerful.
• Provide background on the topic of your presentation instead of jumping straight into data and information
• Use a visually attractive template that'll illustrate your story. Customize the persuasive PPT template with your brand assets and use compelling imagery.
• Adhere to the basic design principles  for a presentation that's visually appealing and legible.
• Export your presentation deck as PDF to ensure it appears uniform across all devices and consider giving it to your audience as a handout.
• Establish and maintain eye contact with your audience.
• Practice your speech and the delivery of the persuasive presentation well in advance.
• Get to the venue early and test all the equipment such as the projector, the microphone and the connections to avoid technical difficulties.
• Remember to breathe to avoid running out of breath or talking too fast, which will make it difficult for your audience to understand you.
• Avoid standing still as this can make you appear stiff and cause your audience to tune out.

How to Make the Most Out of PowerPoint

We mentioned earlier that your slide deck needs to be attractive in order to help you tell the story behind your presentation. For starters, you need a unique persuasive PowerPoint template that matches your industry or your topic.

Luckily, there are hundreds of presentation templates available on Envato Elements that are suitable for business presentations. Envato Elements is a great choice if you plan on giving presentations regularly and want access to thousands of design elements for one low monthly price.

Throughout your persuasive presentation, use larger font sizes to ensure your presentation is readable. Consider reducing the size of your template on the screen to check readability.

Another tip to remember is to use alignment properly to ensure your slides look balanced and aesthetically pleasing.

Below are a few of our tutorials that'll help you master PowerPoint even more.

Learn How to Make Great Presentations (Download This Free eBook)

Take the tips you learned in this article further with our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations .  Grab it now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business newsletter . 

It'll help walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

All This Prep Work Is Worth It

From planning your hook, to coming up with metaphors, and picking the right PPT template design , creating a persuasive presentation sounds like a lot of work. The good news is that if you do it right, none of that work will go to waste.

In fact, it'll be a bigger waste of an opportunity if you just "wing it." By spending enough time preparing the message, content, design, and delivery of your presentation, you can be sure that your audience will appreciate and be persuaded by your final presentation.

You can save time by choosing a great persuasive PowerPoint template from Envato Elements and customizing it quickly with a professional workflow. 

Editorial Note:  This post was originally published in December of 2015. It's been comprehensively revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special assistance from Brenda Barron . We've also added a video from Nathan Umoh .

How to Make a Persuasive Presentation (+ Examples)

See persuasive presentation examples that show you how to make highly engaging, effective, and converting presentations with persuasive writing and design.

Dominika Krukowska

7 minute read

Short answer

How to make a presentation persuasive?

If you want to make a presentation persuasive, you need to:

Start with a strong hook

Show relevance on the get-go, make it clear who you cannot help, demonstrate value early, showcase your authority, assume your audience’s voice, tell a story, use the rule of three, use the power of repetition, personalize your presentation, tell them what to do next, if your presentation doesn’t persuade, you’re just wasting your time.

Crafting a presentation can be a lot of work. And there's nothing more frustrating than feeling like your message just didn't land, despite all the effort you put in.

The hard truth is that even the most beautifully designed presentation slide can fail to persuade.

What is a message good for if it doesn’t hit home and doesn’t drive action?

Unless you’re satisfied with simply getting in front of an audience, you probably want to bring some sort of transformation to people’s lives , no?

Well, your message is not gonna go past the exit door if it’s not persuasive.

Stick with me for a few minutes and you’ll learn how to write and design persuasive presentations.

Let’s look at some real-life examples that delivered great results, and I’ll even throw in a few templates to get you a good start.

Let’s dive in!

What makes a presentation persuasive?

Let's dive straight into the heart of what makes a presentation truly persuasive. Each element plays a crucial role in ensuring your message not only reaches your audience but deeply resonates with them.

11 weopons of of persuasive presentations:

1) Credibility

People need to believe you in order to agree with you. Just as you'd trust a friend's recommendation, your audience needs to trust what you're sharing.

It's about authenticity and integrity and ensuring they feel you're genuine and have their best interests at heart.

2) Authority

People respect authority figures. Flaunt your credentials subtly. If you're an expert, let it show - use slides that highlight your expertise and experience in the field.

3) Social Proof

People follow the crowd. Include in your presentation testimonials, user statistics, and stories of people like your audience who took you on your offer and experienced success. If everyone's using your product, it must be good, right?

4) Familiarity

If you or your topic are familiar then you’re intuitively less threatening and therefore acceptable. It's that warm feeling that makes you feel at home and among friends.

When your audience sees their own experiences and challenges reflected in your content, it creates an instant bond. It's like recognizing a familiar face in a crowd.

Incorporate names, places, and topics familiar to your audience into your presentation to get into their inner circle.

We say 'yes' to people we like. Be likable. Smile, make jokes, and show enthusiasm. If they like you, they'll like what you're selling. Use humor and storytelling to make yourself more relatable.

When making a reading presentation, include a personal video of you in a casual environment talking directly to your audience as you would a colleague you like and feel comfortable with.

To make people like you want to align your presentation with the 7-38-55 rule which guides you on what contributes to likability.

According to the rule:

“Total Liking = 7% Verbal Liking + 38% Vocal Liking + 55% Facial Liking”

So make sure to write what you feel and feel what you say. Or otherwise learn acting.

6) Reciprocity

People feel obliged to return favors. To use this to your advantage start a physical presentation with a small handout. To make it easy use a QR code slide (you can use a free QR code generator )to give your audience a digital handout.

If you’re creating a digital reading presentation you can offer a coupon with a small taste of what you offer (like a short consultancy, a free audit, studio design time, or a small taste of your product).

Do this and they'll feel like you've given them something, and they'll pay closer attention and be more inclined to 'return the favor.'

7) Relevance

People listen intently when you’re talking about them. Ever heard someone talk about a topic you were concerned about, and your ears perked up? It got your attention like a 3-year-old seeing a chocolate cake, didn’t it?

Tailor your message to your audience's current needs or challenges to ensure they feel you're speaking directly to them.

8) Memorability

People make decisions based on what they remember. You will only ever persuade people of something they remember you said.

To make your presentation memorable give it substance - show what you offer in images or videos, provide concrete examples of your key concepts in action, and tell detailed stories about you, your team, your solution, and the audience you serve.

9) Consistency

Once people commit, they like to stay consistent. Get your audience to agree with you early on.

Maybe ask them to raise their hand if they've ever experienced a problem that you solve. Maybe tell them a story of someone in their situation and ask if it resonates with them.

In reading presentations, use rhetorical questions or interactive slides to get early commitments.

10) Scarcity

Limited availability increases appeal. Create a sense of urgency. Maybe offer a limited number of seats in an event.

Maybe offer a discount for the first 100 subscribers. Maybe tell them they can schedule a meeting with you for 2 weeks before you leave for another destination.

For a reading presentation use a countdown timer or "limited seats available" to create this sense of urgency.

11) Feasibility

The harder a thing is to do the less likely people will do it. Whatever you decide to ask from your audience, keep it simple to do.

Ask for small concessions rather than big commitments. You only need them to take the first step, and then you’ve got a relationship going, which positions you to ask for the next step, and the next after that, till you reach your goal.

Note: Reciprocity, Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority, and Scarcity were taken from Robert Cialdini’s seminal book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

Here’s a summary of the book.

How to write your presentation persuasively?

Writing persuasively is all about connecting with your audience on a deeper level. With these techniques in your toolkit, you're all set to craft presentations that not only inform but inspire and motivate.

Beginnings matter. Think of your opening as the first impression. You want to grab your audience's attention right from the get-go.

Whether it's a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a relatable story, make sure it's something that makes your audience lean in and think, "Tell me more!"

Here's a presentation that hooks people in right from the start:

Don’t beat around the bush. Get to the point fast. Give your audience a quick overview of what you have in store for them and how you can change their life for the better.

Make sure to be clear about who you are talking to. Define your target audience the way they would describe themselves and let them know you are speaking to them on a topic they care about.

Don’t take a one-shoe-fits-all approach. You can’t serve everyone well. Do everyone a favor and tell them who your message, solution, or advice (or whatever it is you offer) is not meant for.

They won’t resent it. They will appreciate it, and it will lend you integrity, credibility, and persuasive power.

Don’t let people guess what you can do for them. Introduce the value you offer as soon as you can. Give your value shape and concrete detail.

If it’s a product - show it in action, if it’s an intangible prize like money - show them what they can do with it, and if it’s an emotional outcome - tell them the story of someone you’ve helped.

Most of us get our information through authority figures. If you demonstrate your authority your words will encounter less skepticism and less push-back.

Show what you or your team have achieved in your field, and show some acknowledgment of your achievements by established and well-known authorities, whether people or organizations.

Just be very careful not to come off as boastful or cocky, unless these traits resonate with your target audience (yes, I am talking about you - sales crowd).

Talk to your audience in their own words, use the phrases they use, and tell stories and allegories that appeal to them and fit into their life.

Do the research. Hang out where they hang out, physically or on the web, listen and read what they say and who they say it to.

I know you’ve heard this one too many times before, so let me be clear: tell stories, plural. Short anecdotes or examples that give substance to what you’re talking about.

Fill your little stories with details about who did something where, when, what, and why. Make it mostly familiar but at the same time a bit surprising and unexpected.

If it’s too outlandish it’s not credible, and if it’s too familiar it's not interesting.

There's something satisfying about things that come in threes. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", "of the people, by the people, for the people"... you get the point.

This is called the rule of tree . Simply put it means grouping your points or ideas in threes which makes your message more rhythmic, elegant, and sticky.

Repetition can be a powerful tool to emphasize your key points. Just think about Martin Luther King Jr's " I have a dream ".

By repeating key phrases, you not only drive your message home but also give it a predictable structure that lets your audience unconsciously chant the words with you .

Everyone loves feeling special. Tailor your content to resonate with your particular audience. Whether it's addressing their unique challenges or using examples they can relate to, personalization builds a deeper connection and rapport.

In this case, personalize more thoroughly. Use their name, and their specific details, like their company, city, product, or (if you met each other) where you met.

Just don’t overdo it and cross into creep-land. Keep any personalization unmistakably within the context of your presentation. (Unless you’re selling a bed, don’t reference how beautiful they look when they sleep 😜).

Here's an example of a personalized sales pitch presentation:

Note: Notice the dynamic variables they’ve added in their Storydoc deck. WiseStamp actually shows a ready-made email signature with the prospect’s name, image, and company logo in it. They personalized their product demo! How crazy is that?

Check out their full deck here.

Finish strong! After sharing your insights, guide your audience on what to do next. Whether it's trying out a new tool, adopting a mindset, or simply reflecting on what they've learned, a clear call to action gives direction and purpose.

Here's what it should look like:

How to design a presentation for persuasion?

While words are the heart of your presentation, design is its soul. A well-designed presentation not only captivates but also amplifies your message.

Let's dive into the world of persuasive design and uncover the secrets that make a presentation truly stand out:

Visual hook

First impressions count. Start with a captivating visual that immediately grabs attention. This could be a bold graphic, a striking image, or even an intriguing layout. It's like the cover of a book; it invites the audience to delve deeper.

Here's a great example of a presentation with a visual hook:

Social proof

As humans, we often look to others to validate our choices. Dr. Robert Cialdini defines social proof as people doing what they observe others doing. It's the idea that if other people are doing it, it must be good.

In the context of your presentation, this could mean showcasing testimonials, endorsements, or even user reviews. It's a nod to the audience that others have been here and found value.

Here's an example of a social proof slide:

Recognized people and places

Including familiar faces or landmarks can be a game-changer. When your audience sees someone they recognize or a place they relate to, it builds an instant connection and trust. It's like seeing a friend in a crowd; it feels familiar and safe.

Original visuals lend you credibility and status. They show that you put in the effort. They show that you can afford to invest in your content and that you’re not some shmo working from his mom’s basement.

Quality original visuals

Stock photos have their place, but nothing beats original, high-quality visuals. Whether it's custom graphics, original photographs, or tailored illustrations, unique visuals make your presentation memorable and authentic.

Here's a great example of a presentation with high-quality visuals:

Emotion-driven imagery

Think about those commercials that tug at your heartstrings or make you laugh. They stay with you, right? Using images that evoke emotions can make your message resonate more deeply with your audience.

Consistency

Just like a catchy jingle in a commercial, maintaining a consistent design theme throughout your presentation creates a rhythm and flow. It ensures your audience remains hooked and can easily follow along.

Here's a great example of a visually cohesive presentation:

End with a call to action

After taking your audience on a journey, guide them on the next steps. Whether it's trying a new product, exploring a concept further, or simply reflecting on the insights shared, a clear call to action gives direction.

More importantly, make your call-to-action super easy to act on. Make it something they can do immediately with as little friction as possible.

Note: In Storydoc, there’s a handy little design feature that lets you embed your calendar app direction into your presentation. This way whenever you share it, your reader can simply access your calendar and set a meeting.

Here's an example of a calendar slide:

Persuasive presentation templates

When it comes to persuasive presentations, having a structure that's been tried and tested can be a game-changer.

We built our persuasive presentation templates based on insights from more than 100,000 presentation sessions and the world of neuroscience. They’re all designed with storytelling in mind and tested to look flawless on every device.

It's like having a seasoned presenter whispering tips in your ear, guiding your content to truly resonate.

Pick a template from our library and use it to create your presentation.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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Can You Convince Me? Developing Persuasive Writing

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Persuasive writing is an important skill that can seem intimidating to elementary students. This lesson encourages students to use skills and knowledge they may not realize they already have. A classroom game introduces students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them (or that they want) and making persuasive arguments. Students then choose their own persuasive piece to analyze and learn some of the definitions associated with persuasive writing. Once students become aware of the techniques used in oral arguments, they then apply them to independent persuasive writing activities and analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques.

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

• Students can discover for themselves how much they already know about constructing persuasive arguments by participating in an exercise that is not intimidating.  
• Progressing from spoken to written arguments will help students become better readers of persuasive texts.

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

• 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.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Materials and Technology

• Computers with Internet access  
• PowerPoint  
• LCD projector (optional)  
• Chart paper or chalkboard  
• Sticky notes  
• Persuasive Strategy Presentation
• Persuasion Is All Around You  
• Persuasive Strategy Definitions  
• Check the Strategies  
• Check the Strategy  
• Observations and Notes  
• Persuasive Writing Assessment

Preparation

Student Objectives

Students will

• Work in cooperative groups to brainstorm ideas and organize them into a cohesive argument to be presented to the class  
• Gain knowledge of the different strategies that are used in effective persuasive writing  
• Use a graphic organizer to help them begin organizing their ideas into written form  
• Apply what they have learned to write a persuasive piece that expresses their stance and reasoning in a clear, logical sequence  
• Develop oral presentation skills by presenting their persuasive writing pieces to the class  
• Analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques

Session 1: The Game of Persuasion

Home/School Connection: Distribute Persuasion Is All Around You . Students are to find an example of a persuasive piece from the newspaper, television, radio, magazine, or billboards around town and be ready to report back to class during Session 2. Provide a selection of magazines or newspapers with advertisements for students who may not have materials at home. For English-language learners (ELLs), it may be helpful to show examples of advertisements and articles in newspapers and magazines.

Session 2: Analysis of an Argument

Home/School Connection: Ask students to revisit their persuasive piece from Persuasion Is All Around You . This time they will use Check the Strategies to look for the persuasive strategies that the creator of the piece incorporated. Check for understanding with your ELLs and any special needs students. It may be helpful for them to talk through their persuasive piece with you or a peer before taking it home for homework. Arrange a time for any student who may not have the opportunity to complete assignments outside of school to work with you, a volunteer, or another adult at school on the assignment.

Session 3: Persuasive Writing

Session 4: Presenting the Persuasive Writing

• Endangered Species: Persuasive Writing offers a way to integrate science with persuasive writing. Have students pretend that they are reporters and have to convince people to think the way they do. Have them pick issues related to endangered species, use the Persuasion Map as a prewriting exercise, and write essays trying to convince others of their points of view. In addition, the lesson “Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues” can be adapted for your students as part of this exercise.  
• Have students write persuasive arguments for a special class event, such as an educational field trip or an in-class educational movie. Reward the class by arranging for the class event suggested in one of the essays.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Compare your Observations and Notes from Session 4 and Session 1 to see if students understand the persuasive strategies, use any new persuasive strategies, seem to be overusing a strategy, or need more practice refining the use of a strategy. Offer them guidance and practice as needed.  
• Collect both homework assignments and the Check the Strategy sheets and assess how well students understand the different elements of persuasive writing and how they are applied.  
• Collect students’ Persuasion Maps and use them and your discussions during conferences to see how well students understand how to use the persuasive strategies and are able to plan their essays. You want to look also at how well they are able to make changes from the map to their finished essays.  
• Use the Persuasive Writing Assessment to evaluate the essays students wrote during Session 3.
• Calendar Activities
• Strategy Guides
• Lesson Plans
• Student Interactives

The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

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

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Persuasive Essay Outline – Examples, Templates & Structure

Amanda Green was born in a small town in the west of Scotland, where everyone knows everyone. I joined the Toastmasters 15 years ago, and I served in nearly every office in the club since then. I love helping others gain confidence and skills they can apply in every day life.

Writing a good persuasive essay can help convince others of a point that means a lot to you. It can be anything from an environmental crisis to something as simple as the importance of ebooks to the modern reader. But how do you write a persuasive essay? Where do you even start? Right here! I’ll explain everything you need to know and even show you an example of a persuasive essay.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

Persuasive essays are meant to convince someone or a group of people to agree with you on a certain topic or point of view. As the writer, you’ll use definitive evidence, simple reasoning, and even examples to support your argument and persuade them to understand the point of the essay.

Why Write a Persuasive Essay?

Believe it or not, you’ll have to form convincing arguments throughout real life. This could be in the form of college essays or academic essays, speeches for debate club that requires a valid argument, or even presenting an idea for change to your town council.

Argumentative vs. Persuasive Essay

An argumentative essay presents an argument on a specific topic and tries to persuade people to accept that argument as valid. It uses evidence, logic, and sometimes counterarguments to support the main point.

A persuasive essay is similar but presents an argument and focuses more on appealing to the reader’s emotions and values to convince them of your point of view. Think of it as convincing vs. persuading. And, yes, persuasive essays can also use evidence, but they often rely more on personal anecdotes and moral appeals to plead their case.

Let me give you an example. I’m a content writer, but I’m also a published author. If I were going to write an argumentative essay, I’d probably choose a topic like “Do you think authors should self-edit their work?”

But if I were doing a persuasive essay with a similar angle, the topic would look more like “The benefits of self-editing for authors.” Make sense?

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Basically, the main difference between argumentative and persuasive essays is all in the emphasis placed on logic and emotion.

How Many Paragraphs in a Persuasive Essay?

A decent persuasive essay should be around five or six paragraphs with double line spacing, depending on the topic, and can range from 500-2000 words in length. This includes your introduction and conclusion.

Introduction of a Persuasive Essay Example

Our world is facing a crisis, and that crisis is plastic pollution! Every day, a disgusting amount of plastic waste is just dumped into our oceans, killing and harming innocent marine life and ultimately affecting the entire food chain, including us.

Even though there is a clear and present danger that plastic presents, there are still a lot of people and corporations that continue to use single-use plastics with zero regards for their impact on our environment. It’s time for people to really look around and take some responsibility.

We can make a change by learning and using environmentally friendly alternatives in our everyday lives. So, in this essay, I’ll argue that using reusable bags, water bottles, and containers is not only necessary for the health of our precious planet but also a simple and effective way to make a real difference.

A Persuasive Essay Structure

As persuasive essay writers, you can write it however you like, but to follow a traditional persuasive essay structure, use this basic layout to get an effective paper:

• An Introduction: You need a good hook to grab the reader’s attention, a thesis statement presenting the main argument, and a roadmap of the essay, so they know what to expect.
• The Body Paragraphs: 2-3 paragraphs should suffice to provide strong evidence, examples, and any reasoning to support the thesis statement. Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea. 
• The Counterargument: This section acknowledges and refutes the opposing viewpoint, strengthening your argument but still without being as forward as an argumentative essay.
• A Conclusion or Closing Statement: Here is where you would summarize the main points of the essay and a restatement of the thesis, including a call to action for the reader and/or a final thought.

In the end, a persuasive essay usually consists of 5-6 paragraphs and needs to be clear, concise, and logically structured to really persuade the reader on the point.

Tips for Persuasive Writing

• Choose a strong, clear thesis statement that presents your argument well.
• Know your audience and tailor your language and arguments to them. You’ll need a different approach if you’re speaking to a group of teenagers versus a team of adults.
• Use credible and reliable sources to support your argument so no one can second guess your point.
• Expect that people will have counterarguments and prepare a few talking points to address them.
• Use strong pieces of evidence and back them up with facts, statistics, examples, and personal anecdotes. Putting a personal touch on it helps ground the essay and lets people know you’re serious about the topic.
• Use an emotional appeal to engage the reader and make a personal connection to your argument. Basically, tug at their heartstrings and play into their guilt.
• Use clear and concise wordage. Try and avoid confusing technical jargon that might confuse people, and maintain a consistent tone throughout the essay.
• Make sure you’re confident and use an assertive tone but avoid being overly aggressive or confrontational. That will just spark a fight.
• Finish up with a powerful call to action or a final thought that leaves a lasting impact on the reader or listener.
• Use the same font throughout your essay, even for headings and titles. Go with easy-to-read fonts like Calibri, Times New Roman, or Garamond.
• Proofread and edit your essay for clarity, grammar, and style. I cannot stress this one enough. If you’re not confident, use programs like Grammarly to help spot typos and inconsistencies.

Persuasive Essay Topic Ideas

If you’re stuck on some ideas of what to form your essay around, here’s a list of some popular topics to inspire you.

• Importance of recycling and reducing waste in today’s climate.
• The need for stricter gun control laws all over the world.
• A paper on abortion rights in today’s age.
• Benefits of alternative energy sources over fossil fuels and how we can be using them.
• How social media has negative impacts on mental health in kids.
• Key benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet and how it can help the planet.
• The value of a college education.
• Rise of plastic pollution on the environment and sea life and how it is affecting us.
• Why physical exercise and leading an active lifestyle are important.
• The dangers of texting while driving.
• How our public schools need better funding.
• Benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace both online and in-person.

Any of these could be used as logical arguments. Still, to make a persuasive argument from either of them, just follow the basic persuasive essay outline examples I’ve given you.

Example of a Persuasive Essay

Introduction.

In today’s age of ever-changing technology, the way we consume and experience books have changed dramatically in just a short time. While physical books were once the only option, ebooks have grown increasingly popular in recent years. In my essay, I’ll argue that, while we all still love paperbacks and hardcovers, ebooks offer so many benefits over physical books, making them the number one choice for most readers today.

Body Paragraph 1: Convenience

Ebooks are convenient; there’s just no denying it. They’re easily accessible through devices like smartphones, tablets, and e-readers, and they allow readers to carry hundreds of books with them at all times. This makes them perfect for traveling or heading to work, or even going to the gym. Readers can now have an entire library with them without the added weight of physical books. Plus, ebooks are easily bought online with just the click of a button, further adding to their convenience.

Body Paragraph 2: Customization

Ebooks offer a level of customization that physical books just can’t match. For one, the font size can be adjusted for easier reading, which is great for those who have eyesight problems. The background color can also be changed from light to dark to reduce eye strain. Personally, as someone who suffers from Meniere’s disease, this is a great feature. All of these options make ebooks a great choice for people with visual impairments, neurological disorders, or reading difficulties.

Body Paragraph 3: Affordability

Ebooks are often far cheaper than physical books, especially when purchased in bulk. You can get an entire series for a fraction of the cost of one paperback. This makes them a more accessible option for budget-conscious readers and people who simply don’t have the disposable funds for books. Also, tons of ebooks are available for free, which is a great option for readers that are looking for ways to save money but keep up with their reading habits.

Body Paragraph 4: Environmentally Friendly

626,000 tons of paper is used to produce all the books we see published every year. That’s a scary number when you consider the rate of deforestation and the state of our world in terms of global warming. We simply can’t afford to move ahead at a rate like that. Ebooks help tackle the issue because they require zero trees to produce.

In conclusion, ebooks offer endless benefits over physical books, including convenience, customization, and affordability. While physical books will always hold a special place in our hearts, you have to admit that the benefits of ebooks just can’t be ignored. For modern, busy, on-the-go readers, ebooks are the preferred choice. It’s time to embrace the digital age and make the switch to ebooks.

Now Write Your Persuasive Essay!

I hope this guide has helped you figure out persuasive essay writing and how to put together powerful arguments. Just stick to the facts and ease the reader into your point with gentle arguments that continue to prove your point. Don’t be afraid to get personal if it can help the essay and convince the reader.

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Persuasive Essay Sample

Composition

Sample Argument

Thesis: All schools should educate students not only about abstinence, but also about safe sex practices and pregnancy prevention methods.

Who is the audience?

• Religious leaders/followers who oppose sex education
• People who feel that sex education promotes sex
• People who feel that sex education prevents pregnancies and STDs

Introduction Paragraph

• Transition sentence(s) connecting hook to background
• Explain necessary background information, including the controversy (7-8 sentences).
• Transition sentence(s) preparing for the thesis
• Thesis statement – your stand on the issue.

Introduction

Sex education is important, but many students finish sex education classes with a distorted view of sexuality and without a good understanding of contraception and safe-sex practices.

Instead, children only learn that they should not have sex until they are married.

Sex education, first introduced in public schools as social hygiene education in the early 1900s, expanded in scope over several decades in an effort to reduce the rate of venereal diseases (Brown). Controversy over contraception options began in 1960 with the advent of the birth control pill (Goraliski). Curriculum in the 1970s aimed to reduce teenage pregnancy rates while awareness of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) shifted the focus to safe sex in the 1980s (Brown). The Adolescent Family Life Act in 1981 introduced abstinence-only programs that gained momentum in the late 1990s (Brown).

These programs have the good intention of persuading young people to wait until marriage before having sex, but abstinence-only programs are not achieving this goal and are flawed by the distorted and biased perspective that they promote.

All schools should educate students not only about abstinence, but also about safe sex practices and pregnancy prevention methods.

Transition to background

Background information

Transition to thesis

Rhetorical Appeals

• Effective persuasive writers use varied persuasive strategies to convince their audiences.

Rhetorical Appeals - Sample

• Statistics/facts on teen pregnancy and STDs with and without sex education
• Expert testimony on effectiveness of sex education
• True stories of teen pregnancy
• True stories of STDs
• True accounts of parents of teens affected- negatively
• Establish common ground with audience (introduction)
• Fair coverage of opposing arguments (concessions)
• Possible benefits of abstinence education
• Consideration of drawbacks of sex education

When to Counter Argue

• Counter arguments/rebuttals should appear as a quick move within a paragraph, where you imagine a counter-argument not to your main idea but to the sub-idea that the paragraph is arguing or is about to argue.
• Counter arguments may appear just after a topic sentence, or within the paragraph when a possible objection may arise.
• Not every paragraph will include a counter argument; however, make sure that all valid counter arguments to your thesis are addressed within the body of the essay.

The Turn Against

• First imagine a skeptical reader, or cite an actual source, who might resist your argument by pointing out:
• one or more disadvantages or practical drawbacks to what you propose.
• an alternative explanation or proposal that makes more sense.
• Introduce this turn against with phrases such as:
• One might object here that... or It might seem that... or It's true that... or Admittedly,... or Of course.
• State the case against you as briefly but as clearly and forcefully as you can, pointing to evidence where possible.

The Turn Back

• Return to your own argument—which you announce with a but, yet, however, nevertheless.
• In reasoning about the proposed counter-argument, you may use research to :
• Refute it, showing why it is mistaken—an apparent but not real problem;
• Acknowledge its validity or strength, but suggest why it's relatively less important or less likely than what you propose, and thus doesn't overturn it;
• Concede the force of the argument and restate your thesis in a more exact, way that takes account of the objection.

Body Paragraphs: T(R)IQA+C x 3

Follow the T(R)IQA+C pattern for b ody paragraphs :

T Topic sentence with transition between paragraphs

R Introduce and offer a rebuttal to opposing arguments

I Transition, introduce evidence #1

Q Paraphrase/quote evidence #1

A Analyze evidence #1

T Transition,

I Introduce evidence #2

Q Paraphrase/quote evidence #2

A Analyze evidence #2

C Clincher (emphasize topic sentence)

Body Paragraph

Studies show that abstinence-only programs do not reduce sexual activity by young people.

Some parents or others may object that teaching sex education to students encourages youth to engage in sexual activities.

Those in opposition believe that sex before marriage is wrong and abstinence is the only safe sex (ProQuest Staff).

However, the research overwhelmingly suggests that simply teaching students how to abstain from sex will not prevent students from engaging in sex before marriage.

In 2007, the United States Department of Health and Human Services released a study of abstinence programs.

This government-funded study involved more than 2000 students. The authors discovered that findings from this study provide no evidence that abstinence programs implemented in upper elementary and middle schools are effective in reducing the rate of teen sexual activity (“Impacts”). The authors concluded that findings indicate that youth in the abstinence-only programs were no more likely than students not in the programs to have abstained from sex (“Impacts”). In addition, among those who reported having had sex, they had similar numbers of sexual partners and had initiated sex at the same mean age (“Impacts”).

Apparently, students did not benefit from all of the effort and the millions of dollars that have gone into these programs. These ineffective programs are leaving students without the knowledge they need when they make certain choices; this type of education is failing today’s teenagers. Therefore, schools need to provide comprehensive sexual education classes.

Topic sentence

Set up evidence

Evidence #1

Paraphrase the concession

Concession Rebuttal

Another study by Peter Bearman of Columbia University shows that 88 percent of middle and high schoolers who pledge to stay virgins until marriage end up having premarital sex anyway (Kelly).

He adds that “the bad news is that they are less likely to use contraception the first time they have intercourse” (Kelly).

Although students may have good intentions in signing virginity contracts while enrolled in an abstinence program, the reality is that teaching abstinence does not prevent those students from engaging in sexual activities. While contracts like these may help students make good plans, the students also need education to help them know what to do if their plans change.

Additionally, Dr. S. Paige Hertweck, a doctor who contributed to an American Academy of Pediatrics report on teen sexual activity,

states that “teaching abstinence but not birth control makes it more likely that once teenagers initiate sexual activity they will have unsafe sex and contract sexually transmitted diseases” (“Doctors Slam Abstinence”).

In abstinence-only programs, students are taught to “just say no” to sex. They are not taught the information that they need to know about safe sex and contraception if they later choose to say “yes,” as many of them are doing. Schools need to close this gap and provide students with all the knowledge they will need in their adult lives.

Since abstinence-only programs have proven ineffective in reducing the number of young people engaging in sex, schools must provide sex education to protect students from diseases and pregnancy.

Evidence #3

Transition, set up evidence #3

Transition, set up evidence #2

Evidence #2

• Restate the thesis in different wording
• Transition, Summary of Body Paragraph #1 (2-4 sentences)
• Transition, Summary of Body Paragraph #2 (2-4 sentences)
• Transition, Summary of Body Paragraph #3 (2-4 sentences)
• Transition, Summary of Body Paragraph #4 (2-4 sentences)
• Transition, Summary of Body Paragraph #5 (2-4 sentences)
• Transition, Firmly restate your position on the issue.
• End strongly by connecting back to the hook.

Schools need to educate students on both abstinence and safe sex practices.

Sexual activity by young people is an important concern. In an ideal world, maybe everyone would wait until marriage before having sex and would then remain in a single, monogamous relationship. But this is not the reality. It might be a good goal to try to convince young people to wait until marriage before having sex, but taking this approach alone to sex education is not working. After ten years and a half of a billion dollars in federal funding, abstinence-only programs have not had a positive impact on the sexual behavior of teenagers. The programs may even cause harm because of the distorted and biased views that they promote and because of the information about safe sex and contraception that they do not teach.

It is time to put an end to abstinence-only programs and to give students more comprehensive sex-education programs that better prepare them for the future.

Restate Thesis

Summarize body paragraphs

Final clincher

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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.” ADVERTISEMENT

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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Persuasive Essay Outline Example - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Persuasive Essay Outline Example

Here we present a basis for your persuasive essay outline on a specific topic "should marijuana be legalized". the whole article is presented on our website – powerpoint ppt presentation.

• Created by Essay-Academy.com
• Here is an example of persuasive essay on a very popular topicMedicinal marijuana should be legalized in Pennsylvania.
• Writing tips
• Outline is just the first step of the writing process. Moreover, outline is not fixed. It should be modified in the process of writing and research.
• Once you find new ideas or strong piece of evidence, you can and should add a new point to your outline.
• It is not uncommon when you make the other side on the issue in the result of exposure to very strong evidence or supporting claims.
• Do not be afraid to re-write your paper.
• It is the biggest mistake made by many students to rush through writing.
• To create a strong persuasive essay, believe in what you are writing about.
• There are situations when you are not given the freedom to choose the side on the issue and the teacher assigns the specific topic. In such cases, you need to focus on locating the strongest arguments.
• Proofread your essay thoroughly for grammar mistakes and for strength of the argument.
• Give your essay to friends and ask them for their opinion. Did they find your arguments convincing?
• They may also share many good creative ideas or recommendations for improvement!

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