17 of The World’s Most Powerful Written Persuasion Techniques

by LOU

“They who influence the thoughts of their times, influence all the times that

follow. They have made their impression on eternity.”

 Influence and the psychology of persuasion. Whether you are writing an

advertisement, an email to a friend, an inter-office memo, hoping to change

a family member’s 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 people’s thinking and get them to take action.

 Here is a collection of the most persuasive techniques used by politicians,

advertising copywriters, spin-doctors, propaganda writers, lawyers…

anybody who has to change an individual’s mind–or groups of people’s

minds–quickly.

 A person could use these techniques to get people to do things they

wouldn’t ordinarily do, change their beliefs, get them to change their minds,

get them to take action.

I’ll give some short examples for each technique in an advertisement using

the fictitious Special-J Dog Food. I’ve tried to sum up each technique with a

sentence or two, but you could expand each one into a few sentences or

paragraphs. That would 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 incredibly 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 situation, you’d have a very good chance of getting him or her to

do it. As a matter of fact, if you’re 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 life and how they see themselves. Many of these are fairly universal:

being a good 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 you can use for labeling someone:

* You’re a natural _______. (“You’re a natural entrepreneur.”)

* You’re not the type of person who _______. (“You’re 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

you is your open-mindedness.“)

* Unlike other ______, you’re ________. (“Unlike other managers, you’re

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 request that would cause a conflict with the label you gave

them. So, if I used the, “Unlike other managers, you’re 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 you’re writing, ask yourself, “Who is this person?” Who does she

think she is?” “What roles are important to him?” “What positive,

complimentary label can I apply to him or her?”

2. Use Their Hierarchy of Values. This technique can tie into the one

above. People place a value on practically everything. And that includes

time, goods, ideas, people, etc. But they do have priorities. They will

compare the characteristics of one thing to another to determine which one

is more valuable to them, especially if they have to make a choice. How can

you tie in what you’re 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? What value(s) of yours made it appeal to you? What would have stopped

you from buying it? What would have had to happen for you to pay twice the

money for it? Whatever your answers to these questions, they show the

values you applied to your purchase.

An example:

• What’s more important to you, saving a few bucks or your dog’s health?

Questions to ask yourself while writing: “What’s important to this person?”

“How can I make my offer just as valuable?”

3. Invoke Emotions. As any professional advertising copywriter knows, you

sell something by getting the prospective customers’ emotions involved.

Propagandists and spin-doctors know this too. Positive emotions like hope,

anticipation, love, and 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 punch.

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? What’s

in it for your reader? What do they get? What’s the incentive? What are the

major benefits of doing what you are asking them to do? Make big promises.

Promises you can keep if you don’t 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.

Here’s an example:

• When you feed your dog Special-J Dog Food, you’ll 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 they don’t do as you ask. This doesn’t mean make threats.

That will set up resistance. Just tell them some of the negatives of not doing

what you want, choosing an alternative to what you are offering…or 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 isn’t as healthy.

An important point when using this technique is to NOT dwell on the

negatives for too long. People are exposed to negative news all day long. If

you spend too much time on the consequences, you might lose them. Keep it

short.

Ask yourself, “How will they lose out if they don’t act now?” “What pain will

they experience if they don’t do as I ask.?”

6. Ask Questions. When you ask lots of questions of your readers, you get

them involved. 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 questions 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

“Order 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? Write down all they could possibly reject about your

offer or request. Then take your list of possible objections and reframe

them. Put a spin on them or change their perspective.

Example:

• Special-J Dog Food contains micro-capsules to release nutrients into your

dog’s body all throughout the day, keeping her immune system running at

peak levels, lessening the chance she will get sick. (THE POSSIBLE

OBJECTION IS: “All dog food is the same.”)

What you DON’T want to do is ignore any possible objections. By not

bringing them up, you risk looking like you’re hiding something, or you are

making your offer sound 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 more positive spin on this objection? “”What else could this

mean?” “What’s not apparent to them?”

8. Use Quotes. Authority and Social Proof are incredibly convincing ways

to persuade. Just by quoting an expert or a celebrity (in the form of

quotations), or satisfied customers (in the form of testimonials) you ramp up

the persuasive content of your writing quite a few notches.

Another benefit of using quotes in your writing is that they attract the eye

when put inside quotation marks.

Example:

• “Nine out of ten veterinarians feed their dogs Special-J Dog Food.”

• “My dogs love Special-J Dog Food. They’re healthier, happier, and look

great!” ~ Marlin 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 used to influence, persuade, educate, and convince for thousands

of years. Most of the Bible and other religious books are written in

metaphor. It’s another powerful technique. How is what you want them to

do like something they love to do? What are the parallels between the two?

If you are selling a product, how is your product like something else very

desirable? The classic advertising positioning statement “ABC is the Rolls-

Royce of printer inks” uses metaphor for this effect.

Here are some examples:

• Special-J Dog Food is like an immunity booster shot for your dog.

• It’s 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

special. This technique might be a bit transparent when writing to cold

audiences (people you don’t 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 something negative to tell them.

If you can’t think of anything nice to tell your reader (C’mon!), you can

always do what Joe Gerard (Guinness Book of Records’ World’s Greatest

Salesman used to do: mail them cards that said “I like you!” inside. He

swore that this technique worked miracles.

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 person?” “How can I compliment them with sounding like a

brown-nose?”

11. Show No Gray Area. Point out to your readers that there really isn’t

any choice in what you have to offer. They have only a very positive

outcome if they do as you say or a very negative one if they don’t. 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 don’t have

a choice. It’s only black or white.

12. Belong to a Special Group. Because of our tribal nature, we almost

always seek 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

combination:

a) people who already belong to a special, desirable group

b) people who don’t belong to a special group…BUT 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) Here’s 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

Owners of America.

“A sharply defined enemy is a far stronger argument for your side than all

the words you could possibly put together.” ~ Robert Greene

Of course this technique works well with Technique 1 (“Appeal to Their

Identity”) because when you are part of a group, it’s also a party or your

identity or a role you take on.

When using this, ask yourself, “What groups of people does my offer appeal

to? What 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 or 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 would most likely say yes. Then you’d continue with your writing.

Finally, you’d remind them of what they said yes to.

For example:

• Do you love your dog? (THEN I’D 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. That’s not what a Conservative

would say.”

• Didn’t you say you…,

“Didn’t you say you loved animals? Why would you eat meat…”

• Don’t you think (UNDESIRABLE TRAIT or TYPE OF PERSON) is

(NEGATIVE LABEL)? IF THEY AGREE…LATER FOLLOW UP.

YOU:Don’t 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

commitment, even a small one: donating a little money, trying something,

even saying “yes” to something, etc.

14. Change their life. Most people are unhappy with their lives…or at

least a some aspect of it. Many of them want change. But they don’t 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 target’s life for the better? Your

offer must do more than change lives though, it has to change lives with the

least amount of effort. What many people are looking for is the Magic Pill.

Something where they wake up and their lives are magically different.

• As you know, your dog’s life affects your whole family. You, your spouse,

especially 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. Don’t go into too much detail as to what they have to do. Narrow

their choices or options down. It’s been proven that people won’t 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 “Show Them the Consequences”).

Top persuaders often create urgency by telling their readers how scarce

their offer has become. You can use a time deadline, a limited quantity, a

limited supply of a freebie/bonus/premium, or a soon-to-arrive price

increase to get your readers 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 Food. 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

people’s heads without even verbalizing the thought. You can find more on

presuppositions and what they are here. Here’s a quick way to incorporate

presuppositions into your writing: Use questions. This requires a little more

thought than Technique 6 (“Ask Questions”) presented above. Just think of

what you want your readers to believe 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 Dog Food? (NOTE: Whether they answer yes or no, by answering

the question they imply that Special-J Dog Food will make their dog

healthy.)

• How are you going to handle your dog’s 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 won’t really believe it; you’ve heard claims like this all

the time. But if I ask, “How has XYZ tablets 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 quite often in ads and other forms of persuasive writing is sentences

that are too long. The longer your sentences, the more difficult they are too

read, and the more likely they will be ignored.

You can mix and match these techniques depending on your project. The US

military’s 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 job done quickly. They tend to use Technique 3 (“Invoke

Emotions”), Technique 4 (“Motivate 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. You’ve turned your pen (or

keyboard) into a formidable weapon. Please use this power ethically. I don’t

know if you’ve already 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 people’s lives.” ~ Clint Eastwood

In the next post, I’m going to be turning this article into a free PDF

workbook that includes about 10 more powerful persuasion techniques.