Instructions

• 1). Identify your audience. Determine who you are trying to persuade. Your peers, principal, someone in the community or any number of individuals or groups may be your audience. It is your job to decide who you need to persuade.
  
  
• 2). Make a list of arguments that you believe will convince your audience to agree with your perspective.
  
  
• 3). Divide your list into those arguments that are factual and those arguments that are emotional.
  
  
• 4). Determine whether your audience is more likely to be convinced by factual or emotional appeals. You will most likely use a combination of the two in your essay, but you must choose one to engage your audience.
  
  

Factual Appeal

• 1). Choose a statistic, fact, definition or a non-fictional anecdote to write the hook for your essay.
  
  
• 2). Research your topic to be sure that your information is accurate.
  
  
• 3). Write the first or first few sentences of your opening paragraph using the fact, statistic, definition or anecdote you think will have the deepest impact on your reader. Use the rest of the paragraph to add your supporting details and outline your arguments for the rest of the essay.
  
  

Emotional Appeal

• 1). Choose a question, quotation or fictional scenario to write the hook for your essay.
  
  
• 2). Decide what emotions you want your reader to feel as they read your opening paragraph. Do you want them be angry over a situation, feel sympathy for someone or even be happy?
  
  
• 3). Write the first or first few sentences by crafting a question, finding a short quotation or creating an anecdote that will make your reader feel the emotions you want them to feel. Use the rest of the paragraph to outline your arguments in the rest of the essay.