Do you have perfect persuasive skills and can convince anybody that your point of view is the only right one? If yes, then you are lucky as such skills will be helpful when writing a persuasive essay. It is not difficult to guess that the main distinctive feature of this essay type is the necessity to demonstrate your opinion on a certain topic. Your task is to prove the reader that your standpoint is based on the reliable information and can be trusted.
Most students make the common mistake confusing the persuasive and argumentative essay, however, these are two different types of papers. Sure, that they have something in common but it doesn’t mean that it is the same. Writing a persuasive essay you are free to be emotional proving your opinion. Compared to the argumentative essay, the persuasive writing doesn’t require such an in-depth research. If you have been assigned to write a persuasive essay, you are recommended to have a closer look at the effective tips on how to persuade the target audience.
5 Things You Should Do Before Writing a Persuasive Essay
If you are going to write an A-grade persuasive essay, make sure you have taken into account the useful tips below:
- Pick up the topic you are familiar with: When choosing the topic for your essay, keep in mind that you will save time if give preference to the topic you know something about. If you are interested in the sphere of your research and feel enthusiastic, then the success is guaranteed. Look through the topics ideas on the Internet, outline your own ideas, and choose the one, which will help you to demonstrate great persuasive skills.
- Identify your target audience: If you are doing either a college or a university assignment, then your reader is going to be your teacher. That’s why you should think what exactly he expects from you. When you understand the main purpose of this essay writing task, you will be able to create a good work able to meet the expectations of your teacher.
- Make a research on the topic: After having chosen the topic, you should consider the topic thoroughly. Make sure you understand what you should write about. Bear in mind that you will have to find the arguments to support your opinion.
- Find the evidence: Look for the evidence you can use for your essay and think how to organize your ideas in the best possible way.
- Gather the relevant facts: Remember that facts are your most powerful weapon. You can use any facts, look for them not only in books but also from your personal experience. Depending on the chosen topic, you may need to provide statistics. Use only the up-to-date data from the reputable sources. Be ready to give illustrative examples, which could support your point of view.
How to Organize Thoughts in the Proper Way?
When you have finished with the preparatory stage, the next step is the persuasive essay writing itself. Follow the guidelines for the essay structuring:
- Introduction: First, you should think of the attention grasping opening sentence. Make your essay sound original. Create a great thesis statement, which will attract your reader immediately.
- Main body: In the middle part of the essay, you are going to provide a collection of arguments. Stick to the rule: one paragraph-one point. All your arguments should be connected with the thesis.
- Conclusion: In the final part of an essay, restate the statement you wrote in the beginning. Remember that your reader should be convinced in the end.
Smart Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay
- Be logical: It is very important to have transitions between the structural parts and write your evidence in a logical manner.
- Present your standpoint only being well-informed: You can convince the reader that you are right only if you know the topic well on your own. In case there is something unclear, continue your search using the trustworthy information sources.
- Write down all ideas not to miss anything: Taking notes is very useful as it is really difficult to keep everything in the head.
- Provide the well-reasoned opposing evidence: Try to prove that the opposing point of view is mistaken using the facts and data able to demonstrate that your words have sense. Make sure you have reached the goals that were set in the introduction.
- Don’t base your opinion on truths instead of facts: Some people confuse facts and truths being sure that these two words have the same meaning, however, a truth can be a belief that a group of people has while the fact is a much harder argument.
How to Select the Best Topic for a Persuasive Essay?
The choice of a topic is always a responsible task as your success depends on the right chosen a topic idea. Selecting the topic for the persuasive essay, you should be guided by the following principle: Choose the theme that is close to you. The process of writing any academic paper should be done with love and care. What does this mean? If you are interested in the topic and want to learn more, you will do your best making a great research. If the writer isn’t passionate about what he is writing about, the reader will feel this at once.
Choose the topic, which has much space for the research. It is better if the topic will be connected to your personal life in order you are able to base your standpoint on your experience. Pick up the topic, which is able to cause emotions in you. If you feel neutral, you will never be able to persuade anybody in anything. If you understand that choosing a topic isn’t a piece of cake for you, check out the list of actual topics ideas for the persuasive essay below.
30 Killer Persuasive Topics Ideas for College Students
- Educational opportunities online aren’t less effective than the traditional learning.
- Religion is the effective method to manage people.
- Past of a person always will influence his future.
- Each person has a right to express his thoughts without any restrictions.
- The successful marriage is the one where a wife and a husband both are well-educated people.
- Getting diploma doesn’t mean that you will be successful in life.
- To become a good sportsman you must sacrifice your personal life.
- The system of education should be changed.
- Kids shouldn’t be allowed to register on social networks.
- People decide to divorce because they don’t have feelings anymore.
- E-books must substitute the standard textbooks at all.
- Drinking Coca-Cola you kill yourself slowly.
- In the age of information technologies, people don’t read paper books anymore.
- Men shouldn’t stay at home with small kids instead of women.
- The government should encourage young people to go in for sports.
- Each citizen of the country must vote in the elections.
- The salaries of all family members should be combined to decide what should be bought.
- Children can listen to parents’ opinion but take their own decision.
- You shouldn’t live according to the stereotypes, which exist in the society.
- Different points of view shouldn’t destroy the real friendship.
- Political beliefs can become the cause of conflicts in the family.
- Vegans are healthier than those who eat meat.
- Films containing scenes of violence shouldn’t be on TV until night hours.
- Everyone should take the responsibility for his actions and their consequences.
- Students should earn for personal needs instead of asking parents for money.
- Medicine should be cheap everywhere.
- Teachers shouldn’t make friends with students in social networks.
- Kids shouldn’t be allowed to play computer games for long hours.
- Not each person can become the leader.
- It is impossible to become rich if you don’t work hard.
Choose the topic, which is able to raise interest in you and express your point of view after making a research and providing a persuasive evidence of your words. Before you get started, have a closer look at the essay sample paying attention to the format of the template.
Check Out the Persuasive Essay Example
Look at the sample of the persuasive essay example on the topic “Social Networks Make You An Internet Addicted Man”
«Have you ever thought about social networks like about thieves of your time? If you have always considered networks to be beneficial for communication, you have been mistaken. Some people are sure that social networks are harmless but they are a real threat to the modern society.
Social networks devour time. Time is the most valuable resource. And we often spend it on all sorts of nonsense. Of course, you also need to rest and have fun. But if we stick to social networks to the detriment of something important and useful, then the harm is obvious. What to do? Limit the time that we spend on the social network. Although often restrictions are not the best solution. Develop, improve, leave the comfort zone and try a new one – and you will definitely find something, after which it will be a pity to waste your time.
Social networks teach to consume. The output is an ideal consumer – the dream of all marketers and sales managers. The fact is that social networks can be used in different ways. You can be a creator, that is, create something new. And you can be an ordinary consumer of information. Of course, in this life, all of us are to some extent consumers. But if a person does only what he likes, reposts, comments (and does it on a huge scale), then by doing so he kills the spark of the creator in himself as behavior in social networks shapes behavior in reality.
Social networks cause dependence. And you even don’t notice how this occurs. Suddenly you will In any case, sooner or later the use of social remain without the Internet and feel an irresistible craving for your favorite social network.
Social networks give freedom – the freedom to communicate, receive and exchange information – but at the same time this freedom is taken away. By the way, the problem of youth dependence on social networks is especially acute.”
The example of an essay above has an intriguing title, an introduction containing the thesis about the main point of view of the author, which he supports throughout the paper. Each paragraph of the main body contains new evidence proving the main essay idea. If you want to create a high-quality persuasive essay, then don’t postpone its writing for long as this type of an essay requires to spend a certain amount of time to choose your position and find the good reasoning able to persuade that you are right. The success is guaranteed if you write the well-informed essay and don’t ignore the requirements to the structure and formatting. Read also Gun Control Persuasive Essay.
I agree that the persuasive essay requires much time, which is why I prefer to start looking for the relevant information the day I am assigned to write it. Thanks for sharing useful tips for essay writing.
I have never written this type of an essay. Perhaps, that’s why it seems too difficult for me. Is there any secret giving 100% guarantee to persuade the reader?
Just use hard facts and stick to one point of view without changing your mind throughout the essay.
Reading it I have managed to write a good essay and even exceed the teacher’s expectations.