Transcript Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Writing
AIDA
AIDCA
AIDPPA
DDPC
PPPP
Emphasize Control
“The First USA puts the right person
in charge of your interest rate. You.”
Tap into Fear
“What will you do when you lose
your job or health or…”
Promise to unlock a Puzzle
“Learn how to double your income in
one month”
Promise exclusivity
Our credit card is not for everyone.
Not everyone who applies for
membership is approved.”
Tantalize
“Think how wonderful it would be to
wake up tomorrow knowing you
never have to work again.”
Show what’s in it for me
“Save up to 60% on all your future
purchases on brand name items.”
Use headline grabbers
Learn to develop your own
customized WEB site in less than one
hour.
Paint a Picture
“Imagine spending your Christmas
break relaxing on the balmy, sunny
beaches of some exotic island in
search of Mr./Ms. Rich Right
Stress Convenience
“Never stand in line for another
ticket”
Emphasize the Negative
“Are you making these seven
common mistakes in managing your
office staff?”
Play on the underdog appeal
“They thought I lost my mind when I
invested in ….”
Ask Provocative Questions
“If a disaster strikes your company,
how long would it take you to
recover?”
Use the “barker” techniques
“Call your friends and get ready to
rock…because you are about to
become our next PCH winner!”
Appeal to curiosity/greed
“If you thought you couldn’t get a
car, a boat, a trip, a six figure income
for life, guess again. For only
$22.50…”
Elicit guilt; stress urgency
“In the 10 seconds it took you to read
these words, 10 people died from..”
“In one week companies in your city
will pour thousands of tons of
pollutants into the air you breathe
unless..”
Use Bullets
•People skip-read, so:
•Bullet important points
•Bullets help to clarify information
The Persuasive Business Letter
Action-oriented
Prods the reader to do something
Motivates the reader to expend effort
Three Components of Persuasive
Letters
Attention getter
Explanation of the proposed request
Action getter
Four Categories of Appeals to
Gain Reader Attention
•Health
•Wealth
•Pleasure
•Curiosity
Interest-creating opening with a
problem
“With the recent change of WBCYFM to a hard rock music format,
those of us who enjoy listening to
musicals such as Phantom, Cats, etc.
are stuck. There remains only one
such station in our community. And
because of no competition, there is
little music and increased advertising.
Avoid Running Afoul in
Persuasive Writing
Show the reader what personal
benefit is to be gained for them.
Ex: I must raise $ to win the election
Ex:The amount of $ is what it will
cost to help your rep win the election
Selling Reader Benefits, Not
Product Features
Features simply describe;
Benefits sell
Common Mistakes
This product is the only one on the
market which can do this, that, and
those. (selling the features but failing
to sell the product.)
Features/Benefits
“This machine can do this, that, and
those and what this means to you is
that you can do, save,
Getting the Reader’s Action
Action steps should be what and
when specific
the tone of the action step should be
assumptive (the customer wants what
you have to share.)
Your Task
You work for a company in which
15% of the orders are processed later
than time agreed upon with the
customer. Your department’s service
is the lowest in the division. You are
getting lots of heat from the area
manager. The problem has been
going on for several months with no
apparent solution.
Problem cont.
Your district manager has just hired a
new management trainee to help you.
She hasn’t been assigned any
permanent duties. The company is
planning on paying her out of the
temp/overtime budget. The plan is to
use her only as long as needed.
Problem continued
Two tasks to be accomplished:
1. Keep our customer base intact and
happy. Figure out how to touch base with
our customers to ensure quality customer
service.
2. Send a memo to the district manager’s
office to see if he would be willing to
front half of the new girl’s salary
($15,000)