How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Have you ever tried to get somebody round to your way of thinking? Then you should know how daunting the task is. Still, if your persuasion is successful, the result is emotionally rewarding.

A persuasive essay is a type of writing that uses facts and logic to argument and substantiate such or another point of view. The purpose is to assure the reader that the author’s position is viable. In this article by Custom-writing experts, you can find a guide on persuasive writing, compelling examples, and outline structure. Continue reading and learn how to write a persuasive essay!

⚖️ Argumentative vs. Persuasive Essay

An argumentative essay intends to attack the opposing point of view, discussing its drawbacks and inconsistencies. A persuasive essay describes only the writer’s opinion, explaining why it is a believable one. In other words, you are not an opponent; you are an advocate.

A persuasive essay primarily resorts to emotions and personal ideas on a deeper level of meaning, while an argumentative one invokes logic reasoning. Despite the superficial similarity of these two genres, argumentative speech presupposes intense research of the subject, while persuasive speech requires a good knowledge of the audience.

🐾 How to Write a Persuasive Essay Step by Step

These nine steps are the closest thing you will find to a shortcut for writing to persuade. With practice, you may get through these steps quickly—or even figure out new techniques in persuasive writing.

✔️	Step 1: Pick a Familiar Topic	This approach gives you two tremendous advantages. First, you will already have an opinion and an understanding of the arguments for and against your perspective. Second, you can go through the writing process more quickly.
✔️	Step 2: Research	The more research you can do, the better. A great idea is to set a deadline for stopping research. Immerse yourself until then. This way, you can stay on pace to finish before your final deadline. By the end of this research process, you should crystalize your position on the topic.
✔️	Step 3: Focus on the Opinions in Favor of Your Position	Here, you are going to want to read at least one or two expert persuasive essay samples that agree with your position. They will show you good ways to structure your argument. Simultaneously, it can reveal any apparent holes in your position. Take notes on the most convincing lines of support. And always cite your sources correctly.
✔️	Step 4: Focus on the Opinions against Your Position	If Step 3 didn’t reveal flaws in your position, this step certainly will. Look for examples of persuasive essays that defend a point of view opposite to yours. Study them carefully. Use this knowledge to strengthen your research and essay.
✔️	Step 5: Make a Persuasive Essay Outline	Many writers skip outlining. And then spend hours staring at a blank page. Don’t do that! Make your persuasive essay outline! Professional writers will tell you that it is easier to make an outline than it is to “just start writing.” Note that the next section of this article contains detailed instructions on how to make a persuasive essay outline.
✔️	Step 6: Write a Rough Draft	Since you have your persuasive essay structure now, this should be the easiest step of all. At this point, don’t think—just write! You’ve already thought a lot. Furthermore, you’ll do plenty more thinking. Don’t waste time deciding what to write. Just turn each of your ideas into grammatical sentences.
✔️	Step 7: Reread and Revise	When you complete a rough draft, give yourself a break before rereading your essay. Later, read your draft, correcting typos, and making small improvements as you go. If you like your essay, great! If you dislike your essay, take notes. Use those notes as you begin the process of revising and editing your essay. Repeat this as many times as necessary.
✔️	Step 8: Get Feedback	Asking for help is not easy. But still, if you have the opportunity, give your essay to a friend and ask for feedback. Good feedback can greatly improve your text.
✔️	Step 9:Finalize Your Essay	You’ll most likely make minimal (if any) edits to your content on this stage. Now it’s time to take care of the format. Make your persuasive essay shine!

📑 Persuasive Essay Outline

Below you’ll find an example of a persuasive essay outline. Remember: papers in this genre are more flexible than argumentative essays are. You don’t need to build a perfectly logical structure here. Your goal is to persuade your reader.

Note that the next section contains a sample written in accordance with this outline.

Persuasive Essay Introduction

• Hook: start with an intriguing sentence.
• Background: describe the context of the discussed issue and familiarize the reader with the argument.
• Definitions: if your essay dwells upon a theoretical subject matter, be sure to explain the complicated terms.
• Thesis statement: state the purpose of your piece of writing clearly and concisely. This is the most substantial sentence of the entire essay, so take your time formulating it.

Persuasive Essay Body

Use the following template for each paragraph.

• Topic sentence: linking each new idea to the thesis, it introduces a paragraph. Use only one separate argument for each section, stating it in the topic sentence.
• Evidence: substantiate the previous sentence with reliable information. If it is your personal opinion, give the reasons why you think so.
• Analysis: build the argument, explaining how the evidence supports your thesis.

Persuasive Essay Conclusion

• Summary: briefly list the main points of the essay in a couple of sentences.
• Significance: connect your essay to a broader idea.
• Future: how can your argument be developed?

⭐ Persuasive Essay Examples

In this section, there are three great persuasive essay examples. The first one is written in accordance with the outline above, will the components indicated. Two others are downloadable.

Example #1: Being a Millionaire is a Bad Thing

Introduction

Hook	Could a glass of good wine on a private airplane have a bitter taste?
Background	People tend to idealize the life they do not have. Money resolves many issues: leisure, education, and often even health problems. But when basic needs are met, new and more exquisite desires appear. Wealth does not guarantee happiness. Moreover, it can become a malediction.
Definition	A millionaire is a person whose fortune makes up a million dollars or more, but the word is used for any wealthy individual for the purpose of the essay.
Thesis	This text intends to prove that being a millionaire is a dubious pleasure through objective reasons.

Main Body

Paragraph #1

Topic Sentence	Millionaires spend the first part of their lives accumulating the assets, and the second half trying to keep them.
Evidence	It may sound motivating only for those who have never lived it through. People who have spent their lifetime running for a fortune admit in their old days that life has passed by, and they did not engage in really important activities. Instead of intensive work, meetings, and interviews, they would have spent time with their families and friends.
Analysis	Thus, no money can buy back the lost time for earning it.

Paragraph #2

Topic Sentence	Moreover, the continuous striving for fortune and fear of losing it provokes high stress.
Evidence	Running a business is always a risk, and being rich and famous attracts much attention to the family and lifestyle. Being wealthy is also a full-time job that can drain the emotional and physical forces. Even if a millionaire in question is a workaholic and enjoys round-the-clock attention, such a way of life undermines their health, forcing them to spend much time and monetary resources on medical treatment. Personal relationships are also harmed because wealthy people cannot spend much time with their families.
Analysis	Nothing comes without cost, and it happens that the cost is more valuable than the gain.

Paragraph #3

Topic Sentence	Finally, large fortune imposes responsibility.
Evidence	It may seem that money can buy you the possibility to do whatever you want, and sometimes it is really so. A millionaire can afford a month-long vacation if their business runs smoothly, and they have trusted deputies. However, practice shows that success requires supervision. Furthermore, employees, business investors, and family depend on business owners. Besides, people expect a wealthy person to share with the poor and sick.
Analysis	A wrong decision can ruin many lives, making a millionaire’s life even more stressful.

Conclusion

Summary	Having considered everything mentioned above, the life of a wealthy person is anything but easy. They have to waste years earning a fortune, and then suffer stress in fear of losing it. They cannot give up to their discretion because many people depend on them. This pressure undermines their health and relationships.
Significance	This information is not intended to demotivate the reader from striving to earn more. Instead, the idea is that nothing comes without a price.
Future	Therefore, knowing the outcomes and the stakes you have the choice of what to dedicate your life to.

Example #2: Teachers or Doctors?

Example #3: Is Online or Homeschool More Effective?

Persuasive Essay Topics

1. Why do managers hate the performance evaluation?
2. Why human cloning should be prohibited.
3. Social media have negative physical and psychological effect on teenagers.
4. Using cell phones while driving should be completely forbidden.  
5. Why is business ethics important?
6. Media should change its negative representation of ageing and older people.
7. What is going on with the world? 
8. Good communication skills are critical for successful business.
9. Why capitalism is the best economic system.  
10. Sleep is extremely important for human health and wellbeing.
11. Face-to-face education is more effective than online education.
12. Why video games can be beneficial for teenagers.
13. Bullies should be expelled from school as they encroach on the school safety.
14. Why accountancy is a great occupation and more people should consider it as a future career.
15. The reasons art and music therapy should be included in basic health insurance.
16. Impact of climate change on the indoor environment.
17. Parents should vaccinate their children to prevent the spread of deadly diseases.
18. Why celebrities should pay more attention to the values they promote.
19. What is wrong with realism? 
20. Why water recycling should be every government’s priority.
21. Media spreads fear and panic among people.
22. Why e-business is very important for modern organizations.
23. People should own guns for self-protection.  
24. The neccessity of container deposit legislation.
25. We must save crocodiles to protect ecological balance.
26. Why we should pay more attention to renewable energy projects.
27. Anthropology is a critically relevant science.  
28. Why it’s important to create a new global financial order.
29. Why biodiversity is crucial for the environment?
30. Why process safety management is crucial for every organization.
31. Speed limits must not be increased.
32. What’s wrong with grades at school?
33. Why tattoos should be considered as a form of fine art.  
34. Using all-natural bath and body products is the best choice for human health and safety.
35. What is cancel culture?
36. Why the Internet has become a problem of modern society.
37. Illegal immigrants should be provided with basic social services.
38. Smoking in public places must be banned for people’s safety and comfort.
39. Why it is essential to control our nutrition.
40. How to stimulate economic growth? 
41. Why exercise is beneficial for people.  
42. Studying history is decisive for the modern world.
43. We must decrease fuel consumption to stop global warming.
44. Why fighting social inequality is necessary.
45. Why should businesses welcome remote work? 
46. Social media harms communication within families.
47. College athletes should be paid for their achievements.
48. Electronic books should replace print books.
49. People should stop cutting down rainforest.  
50. Why every company should have a web page.

🔗 References

1. Tips To Write An Effective Persuasive Essay: The College Puzzle, Stanford University
2. 31 Powerful Persuasive Writing Techniques: Writtent
3. Persuasive Essay Outline: Houston Community College System
4. Essays that Worked: Hamilton College
5. Argumentative Essays // Purdue Writing Lab
6. Persuasion – Writing for Success (University of Minnesota)
7. Persuasive Writing (Manitoba Education)