17 of The Worlds Most Powerful Written Persuasion Techniques

by Lou
They who influence the thoughts of their times, influence all the times that foll
ow. They have made their impression on eternity.

Influence and the psychology of persuasion. Whether you are writing an advertise
ment, an email to a friend, an inter-office memo, hoping to change a family memb
ers actions, or trying to convince a group of people to come over to your way of
thinking, you need to know the methods top persuaders use to change peoples think
ing and get them to take action.

Here is a collection of the most persuasive techniques used by politicians, adve
rtising copywriters, spin-doctors, propaganda writers, lawyersanybody who has to
change an individuals mindor groups of peoples mindsquickly.

A person could use these techniques to get people to do things they wouldnt ordin
arily do, change their beliefs, get them to change their minds, get them to take
action.
Ill give some short examples for each technique in an advertisement using the fic
titious Special-J Dog Food. Ive tried to sum up each technique with a sentence or
two, but you could expand each one into a few sentences or paragraphs. That wou
ld make the techniques you are using much more powerful.
Here we go:

1. Appeal to Their Identity. Who a person is and how they see themselves is an i
ncredibly important influence tool, maybe the most important of them all. If you
can tie in what you want with what their identity would do in a similar situati
on, youd have a very good chance of getting him or her to do it. As a matter of f
act, if youre convincing enough, you would cause inner conflict that would compel
them to act in the way you want.
Of course people have more than one identity. They combine with their roles in l
ife and how they see themselves. Many of these are fairly universal: being a goo
d parent, a good friend, a good manager, being interesting, honest, etc.
Another use of the Appeal to Their Identity is the use of Labels. What positive
label could you put on the person(s) you are writing to? Here are some frames yo
u can use for labeling someone:
* Youre a natural _______. (Youre a natural entrepreneur.)
* Youre not the type of person who _______. (Youre not the type of person who would
lie . The label here? Honest.)
* One thing I really like about you is _______. (One thing I really like about yo
u is your open-mindedness.)
* Unlike other ______, youre ________. (Unlike other managers, youre generous.)
The above frames are very useful in buttering a person up before asking them to
do something for you. You would use one of the above frames and then make a requ
est that would cause a conflict with the label you gave them. So, if I used the,
Unlike other managers, youre generous, I would then, later on, ask for a raise or
a loan of some sort.
Here are a couple of examples I might use when selling to dog owners:
Pet parents always serve their dogs Special-J Dog Food.
Caring pet owners feed their dogs Special-J Dog Food.
While youre writing, ask yourself, Who is this person? Who does she think she is? Wha
t roles are important to him? What positive, complimentary label can I apply to hi
m or her?
2. Use Their Hierarchy of Values. This technique can tie into the one above. Peo
ple place a value on practically everything. And that includes time, goods, idea
s, people, etc. But they do have priorities. They will compare the characteristi
cs of one thing to another to determine which one is more valuable to them, espe
cially if they have to make a choice. How can you tie in what youre offering with
one or more of their highest values?
Some of the fairly universal values (at least here in the west) are these: love,
health, attractiveness, security, safety of family, pleasure, impressing others
, happiness.
Think of something fairly expensive you bought recently. Why did you buy it? Wha
t value(s) of yours made it appeal to you? What would have stopped you from buyi
ng it? What would have had to happen for you to pay twice the money for it? What
ever your answers to these questions, they show the values you applied to your p
urchase.
An example:
Whats more important to you, saving a few bucks or your dogs health?
Questions to ask yourself while writing: Whats important to this person? How can I m
ake my offer just as valuable?
3. Invoke Emotions. As any professional advertising copywriter knows, you sell s
omething by getting the prospective customers emotions involved. Propagandists an
d spin-doctors know this too. Positive emotions like hope, anticipation, love, a
nd negative emotions like anger, loneliness, disgust can spur people into action
.
You also need to use emotionally charged words that add impact to your writing.
Try to pull out bland words and head to a thesaurus to find words that have a pu
nch.
An example:
Show the love for your dog that he or she shows you.
Ask yourself, What emotions do I want to invoke, and how can I do it?
4. Motivate Your Reader. Why should they do what you ask them? Whats in it for yo
ur reader? What do they get? Whats the incentive? What are the major benefits of
doing what you are asking them to do? Make big promises. Promises you can keep i
f you dont want major fallout later. A great way to get your readers motivated is
to use a list of benefits, just pile on all the great benefits of what you are
offering or what they will get when they do what you are asking.
Heres an example:
When you feed your dog Special-J Dog Food, youll notice your dog will :
* Be more content and happier
* Sleep better
* Have a shinier, healthier coat
* Be less likely to get sick
* Recover from injuries faster
* Have cleaner breath
While writing, ask yourself, How can I motivate my reader(s) to act now? How can
I light a fire under them? What are all the benefits they will get if they act?
5. Show Them the Consequences. How will your readers lose out by not doing what
you suggest? Paint a word picture for them. What pain will they experience if th
ey dont do as you ask. This doesnt mean make threats. That will set up resistance.
Just tell them some of the negatives of not doing what you want, choosing an al
ternative to what you are offeringor doing nothing.
An example:
Many dog foods are not nutritionally balanced, especially imported dog food. The
last thing you need is for your dog to get sick, start losing his or her hair,
becoming listless, just because you have been serving your dog canned food that
isnt as healthy.
An important point when using this technique is to NOT dwell on the negatives fo
r too long. People are exposed to negative news all day long. If you spend too m
uch time on the consequences, you might lose them. Keep it short.
Ask yourself, How will they lose out if they dont act now? What pain will they exper
ience if they dont do as I ask.?
6. Ask Questions. When you ask lots of questions of your readers, you get them i
nvolved. And once they are involved, you can lead them where you want them to go
. One old time use of questions in sales and copywriting is to ask several quest
ions in a row that get the prospective customer to say Yes. This will, more often
than not, get them into a positive mood and more receptive to your request.
Another good way to use questions in your writing is to make suggestions rather
than orders.
Why not order now while you are still on this website,: instead of just using Orde
r now!!. Questions are an ideal way to insert embedded commands.
Some examples:
How do you know your dog is getting the proper nutrition heshe deserves?
Why not treat your dog to Special-J Dog Food today?
When writing try to put in a few questions to get your readers involved.
7. Reframe Possible Objections. What would stop someone from doing what you want
them to do? What possible anxiety could they feel about doing what you ask? Wri
te down all they could possibly reject about your offer or request. Then take yo
ur list of possible objections and reframe them. Put a spin on them or change th
eir perspective.
Example:
Special-J Dog Food contains micro-capsules to release nutrients into your dogs bo
dy all throughout the day, keeping her immune system running at peak levels, les
sening the chance she will get sick. (THE POSSIBLE OBJECTION IS: All dog food is
the same.)
What you DONT want to do is ignore any possible objections. By not bringing them
up, you risk looking like youre hiding something, or you are making your offer so
und too good to be true by leaving those objections out.
Ask yourself, What would stop this person from doing what I want? How can I put a m
ore positive spin on this objection? What else could this mean? Whats not apparent to
them?
8. Use Quotes. Authority and Social Proof are incredibly convincing ways to pers
uade. Just by quoting an expert or a celebrity (in the form of quotations), or s
atisfied customers (in the form of testimonials) you ramp up the persuasive cont
ent of your writing quite a few notches.
Another benefit of using quotes in your writing is that they attract the eye whe
n put inside quotation marks.
Example:
Nine out of ten veterinarians feed their dogs Special-J Dog Food.
My dogs love Special-J Dog Food. Theyre healthier, happier, and look great! ~ Marli
n Perkins
When writing your piece, ask yourself where you can find quotes and testimonials
that will support your case.
9. Employ Metaphor. The use of metaphor (and analogies and similes) have been us
ed to influence, persuade, educate, and convince for thousands of years. Most of
the Bible and other religious books are written in metaphor. Its another powerfu
l technique. How is what you want them to do like something they love to do? Wha
t are the parallels between the two?
If you are selling a product, how is your product like something else very desir
able? The classic advertising positioning statement ABC is the Rolls-Royce of pri
nter inks uses metaphor for this effect.
Here are some examples:
Special-J Dog Food is like an immunity booster shot for your dog.
Its the canine Fountain of Youth!
Ask yourself, What is my offer like?
10. Compliment and Flatter. If you can pull it off, make your reader feel specia
l. This technique might be a bit transparent when writing to cold audiences (peo
ple you dont know), but if you know them or you know the type of people they are
(like a certain car owner), you should compliment them, especially if you have s
omething negative to tell them.
If you cant think of anything nice to tell your reader (Cmon!), you can always do
what Joe Gerard (Guinness Book of Records Worlds Greatest Salesman used to do: mai
l them cards that said I like you! inside. He swore that this technique worked mir
acles.
It also ties in quite well with Technique 1 (Appeal to Their Identity).
Ask yourself, What do I appreciate about this person? What do I like about this per
son? How can I compliment them with sounding like a brown-nose?
11. Show No Gray Area. Point out to your readers that there really isnt any choic
e in what you have to offer. They have only a very positive outcome if they do a
s you say or a very negative one if they dont. Which one are you going to choose?
You can (or will) do/have/be (POSITIVE), or (NEGATIVE).
An example of this technique:
You can give your dog nutritious, balanced meals, or you can take him to the vet
every month.
When you are writing your piece, ask yourself how your readers dont have a choice
. Its only black or white.
12. Belong to a Special Group. Because of our tribal nature, we almost always se
ek out people who are similar to us. Veterans, collectors, artists, even people
who have the same illnesses are all groups that come together in rapport.
There are a few variations on this technique that you can use alone or in combin
ation:
a) people who already belong to a special, desirable group
b) people who dont belong to a special groupBUT WANT TO
b) having a mutual enemy
c) getting on the bandwagon or being left out
Each one would require a different approach.
Here are some examples using each of the variations above:
a) To all you pit bull owners out there.
b) Heres how you can become a pit bull terrier lover too
c) The State wants to take your pit bull away!
d) If you own a pit bull terrier, this is your last chance to join Pit Bull Owne
rs of America.
A sharply defined enemy is a far stronger argument for your side than all the wor
ds you could possibly put together. ~ Robert Greene
Of course this technique works well with Technique 1 (Appeal to Their Identity) be
cause when you are part of a group, its also a party or your identity or a role y
ou take on.
When using this, ask yourself, What groups of people does my offer appeal to? Wha
t are their interests and desires? What group of people would my target want to
belong to? Can I start a desirable group of my own?
13. Have Them Make a Commitment. When people make a commitment to an idea, they
tend to find it very difficult to change their minds without creating conflict o
r anxiety (called, Cognitive Dissonance). This is a little more difficult to do
in one-way writing (say an advertisement or a sales letter), but it can be done.
For an advertisement, You would first ask your readers a question where they wou
ld most likely say yes. Then youd continue with your writing. Finally, youd remind
them of what they said yes to.
For example:
Do you love your dog? (THEN ID CONTINUE WITH THE BODY COPY OF THE AD.) Earlier in
this article (letter/ad), I asked you if you loved your dog. What better way to
show your love for her by giving her a delicious and nutritious meal...
For a more personal correspondence, say an email, online chatting, or a letter,
you could ask one of these questions:
I thought you said you were.,
I thought you said you were a Conservative. Thats not what a Conservative would sa
y.
Didnt you say you,
Didnt you say you loved animals? Why would you eat meat
Dont you think (UNDESIRABLE TRAIT or TYPE OF PERSON) is (NEGATIVE LABEL)? IF THEY
AGREELATER FOLLOW UP.
YOU:Dont you think being a cheapskate is a horrible?
HE: Yeah, sure.
LATER
YOU: Hey, can I borrow twenty bucks?
When writing your piece, find out how you can get your reader to make a commitme
nt, even a small one: donating a little money, trying something, even saying yes t
o something, etc.
14. Change their life. Most people are unhappy with their livesor at least a some
aspect of it. Many of them want change. But they dont know how to change, or if
they do, they are too afraid or lazy to do so.
How can what you are offering change your targets life for the better? Your offer
must do more than change lives though, it has to change lives with the least am
ount of effort. What many people are looking for is the Magic Pill. Something wh
ere they wake up and their lives are magically different.
As you know, your dogs life affects your whole family. You, your spouse, especial
ly your kids are affected by the health of your beloved dog.
Your offer can probably change your readers lives for the better someway, somehow
. How?
15. Overcome Inertia. The first rule here is to simplify the steps they need to
take. Dont go into too much detail as to what they have to do. Narrow their choic
es or options down. Its been proven that people wont take action if they have too
many choices available to them.
It also helps to show them the consequences of not acting now (See Technique 5 Sh
ow Them the Consequences).
Top persuaders often create urgency by telling their readers how scarce their of
fer has become. You can use a time deadline, a limited quantity, a limited suppl
y of a freebie/bonus/premium, or a soon-to-arrive price increase to get your rea
ders off their butts.
Some examples:
Get a 25% discount of Special-J Dog Food before November 10th.
Receive a bottle of Special-J Puppy Shampoo with every case of Special-J Dog Foo
d. But please hurry, we only have 53 bottles left.
Ask, How can I increase the urgency of my offer? How can I add a deadline?
16. Add Presuppositions. These are compelling ways to put thoughts into peoples h
eads without even verbalizing the thought. You can find more on presuppositions
and what they are here. Heres a quick way to incorporate presuppositions into you
r writing: Use questions. This requires a little more thought than Technique 6 (A
sk Questions) presented above. Just think of what you want your readers to believ
e about your offer or product. Then put it into a question form.
Some examples:
Do you know of any other dog food that makes your dog healthier than Special-J D
og Food? (NOTE: Whether they answer yes or no, by answering the question they im
ply that Special-J Dog Food will make their dog healthy.)
How are you going to handle your dogs newfound vitality and playfulness?
When writing, ask yourself how you are going to imply your claims.
17. Use Rhetorical Questions to Make Claims. This one is used a lot by the mass
media. Why? Because it lets claims slip into readers minds without resistance. If
I say, XYZ tablets let you lose weight while you sleep, you probably wont really b
elieve it; youve heard claims like this all the time. But if I ask, How has XYZ ta
blets helped thousands of people across the USA lose weight while they sleep?, it
has a better chance of being accepted without resistance.
Take a claim that you want to make, and try out different types of questions to
frame it in.
Example:
How does Special-J Dog Food help your dog live a longer, healthier life?
When you are writing, ask yourself, How can I put some of my claims into question
form?
There you have seventeen ways to influence and persuade.
When working on your project, keep sentences fairly short. One mistake I see quit
e often in ads and other forms of persuasive writing is sentences that are too l
ong. The longer your sentences, the more difficult they are too read, and the mo
re likely they will be ignored.
You can mix and match these techniques depending on your project. The US militar
ys Psychological Operations (PSY-OPS) has had a lot of success with leaflet drops
over enemy territory. They are often quite small in size and need to get the jo
b done quickly. They tend to use Technique 3 (Invoke Emotions), Technique 4 (Motiva
te Your Reader), and Technique 5 (Show Them the Consequences). For something like a
billboard, demonstration placards, or bumper stickers, you could use Technique
6 (Ask Questions) or Technique 9 (Employ Metaphor).
You now have a ton of power in your hands. Youve turned your pen (or keyboard) in
to a formidable weapon. Please use this power ethically. I dont know if youve alre
ady begun to notice how great you feel because of this power.
Thanks for reading this post. Clearly, you are an incredibly intelligent person.
And I like you, I really do.
It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over
other peoples lives. ~ Clint Eastwood