12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12-1
Chapter 12: Writing Persuasive Messages
This chapter completes the section on brief message types with a look at persuasive messages, which we
divide into persuasive business messages and marketing and sales messages. Key points for both
categories including learning how to frame an argument, balancing emotional and logical appeals,
reinforcing one’s position, anticipating objections, and avoiding common mistakes in persuasive
communication.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Using the Three-Step Writing Process for Persuasive Messages
Step 1: Planning Persuasive Messages
Analyzing the Situation
Gathering Information
Selecting the Right Media and Channels
Organizing Your Information
Step 2: Writing Persuasive Messages
Step 3: Completing Persuasive Messages
Developing Persuasive Business Messages
Strategies for Persuasive Business Messages
Framing Your Arguments
Balancing Emotional and Logical Appeals
Reinforcing Your Position
Anticipating Objections
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Persuasive Communication
Common Examples of Persuasive Business Messages
Persuasive Requests for Action
Persuasive Presentations of Ideas
Persuasive Claims and Requests for Adjustments
Developing Marketing and Sales Messages
Planning Marketing and Sales Messages
Writing Conventional Marketing and Sales Messages
Writing Promotional Messages for Social Media
Creating Promotional Messages for Mobile Devices
Maintaining High Standards of Ethics, Legal Compliance, and Etiquette
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12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12-2
LECTURE NOTES
Section 1: Using the Three-Step Writing Process for Persuasive Messages
Learning Objective 1: Apply the three-step writing process to persuasive messages.
Professionals understand that successful businesses rely on persuasive messages for both internal and
external communications.
Step 1: Planning Persuasive Messages
Untold numbers of good ideas go unnoticed and good products go unsold simply because the
messages meant to promote them aren’t compelling enough to be heard above the competitive noise.
Creating successful persuasive messages in these challenging situations demands careful attention to
all four tasks in the planning step, starting with an insightful analysis of your purpose and your
audience.
Analyzing the Situation
To define the message’s purpose, be clear about the goal of the message. The best persuasive
messages are closely connected to your audience’s desires and interests. Consider these important
questions:
• Who is my audience?
• What are my audience members’ needs?
• What do I want them to do?
• How might they resist?
• Are there alternative positions I need to examine?
• What does the decision maker consider to be the most important issue?
• How might the organization’s culture influence my strategy?
To understand and categorize audience needs, refer to specific information, such as:
Changing someone’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions through a persuasive message, requires an
understanding of his or her motivation—the combination of forces that drive people to satisfy
their needs.
The more closely a persuasive message aligns with a recipient’s existing motivation, the more
effective the message is likely to be.
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12-3
Class discussion question: When you try to change someone’s mind or get people to buy into an
idea (in a personal, social, or academic context), how do you approach the challenge? How do you get
people to see things your way, even when their position on an issue might be exactly the opposite of
yours?
Gathering Information
Once the situation analysis is complete, gather the information necessary to create a compelling
persuasive message.
Selecting the Right Media and Channels
Persuasive messages can be found in virtually every communication format.
Different members of the same audience might prefer different media and channels for the same
message.
Organizing Your Information
The most effective main ideas for persuasive messages have one thing in common: they are about
the receiver, not the sender.
Limiting the scope of the message is vital.
Crafting a persuasive message without focusing on the one central problem or opportunity your
audience truly cares about decreases the chances of successfully persuading the audience.
Because the nature of persuasion is to convince people to change their attitudes, beliefs, or
actions, most persuasive messages use the indirect approach.
Explain your reasoning and build interest before asking for a decision or action—or perhaps even
before revealing your purpose.
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Step 2: Writing Persuasive Messages
Encourage a positive response to persuasive messages by:
• Using positive and polite language
Be sure to understand cultural expectations.
Just as social culture affects the success of a persuasive message, so too does the culture within
various organizations.
Some organizations handle disagreement and conflict in an indirect, behind-the-scenes way, whereas
others accept and even encourage open discussion and sharing of differing viewpoints.
Persuasive messages are often unexpected or even unwelcome, so the “you” attitude is crucial. If the
audience is skeptical or hostile, credibility is essential.
Use these techniques to boost your credibility:
• Use simple and clear language to minimize skeptical responses.
• Provide objective evidence for claims and promises.
• Identify sources, especially if your audience already respects those sources.
Step 3: Completing Persuasive Messages
Details can make or break a persuasive message, so don’t skimp on this part of the writing process.
Judge your argument objectively and try not to overestimate your credibility.
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12-5
Class discussion question: How do you react when you sense that someone is trying to persuade you to
agree on an idea or a plan, buy something, or change your perspective on an issue? Do you instinctively
resist or start to question the person’s motives? How do you react in retail settings when store employees
approach you to strike up a conversation or offer to help?
Section 2: Developing Persuasive Business Messages
Learning Objective 2: Describe an effective strategy for developing persuasive business messages, and
identify the three most common categories of persuasive business messages.
Strategies for Persuasive Business Messages
Within the context of the three-step process, effective persuasion involves four essential strategies:
• Framing your arguments
Framing Your Arguments
Most persuasive messages use the indirect approach. One of the best known models for indirect
messages is the AIDA model, which organizes messages into four phases:
• Attention. The first objective is to engage readers or listeners in a way that encourages them
to want to hear the main idea.
• Interest. Emphasize the relevance of the message to the audience. Paint a more detailed
picture of the starting theme.
The AIDA model is tailor-made for using the indirect approach, allowing you to save your main
idea for the action phase.
AIDA can also be used for the direct approach, in which case you use your main idea as an
attention-getter, build interest with your argument, create desire with your evidence, and re-
emphasize your main idea in the action phase with the specific action you want your audience to
take.
With either the direct or indirect approach, AIDA and similar models do have limitations:
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12-6
• It is a unidirectional method that essentially talks at audiences, not with them.
• It is built around a single event, such as asking an audience for a decision, rather than on
building a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship.
Balancing Emotional and Logical Appeals
Generally speaking, persuasive business messages rely more heavily on logical appeals than on
emotional appeals because the main idea is usually regarding some practical, measurable aspect
of business.
To find the optimum balance, consider four factors:
An emotional appeal calls on audience feelings and sympathies rather than facts.
However, emotional appeals in business messages usually aren’t effective by themselves because
the audience wants proof that you can solve a business problem.
A logical appeal calls on reasoning and evidence.
When appealing to the audience’s logic, you can use three types of reasoning:
• Analogy. With analogy, you reason from specific evidence to specific evidence.
• Induction. With inductive reasoning, you work from specific evidence to a general
To guard against faulty logic, follow these guidelines:
• Avoid hasty generalizations.
• Avoid circular reasoning. Circular reasoning is trying to support your claim by restating it in
different words.
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Reinforcing Your Position
Once the basic elements of your argument are established, step back and look for ways to bolster
the strength of your position.
Next, examine your language:
When asking for something, audience members will find it easier to grant a request if they stand
to benefit from it.
Class discussion question: How do you react when you read or hear flowery, over-the-top language
in promotional messages, whether it’s “the best food in town” or “the fastest smartphone on the
market”? Do you dismiss it all as just marketing hype, or do you look for evidence to support the
claims? If you instinctively dismiss promotional messages as mere “fluff,” why do you think so many
advertisers continue to communicate in this style?
Anticipating Objections
Even the most compelling ideas and proposals can be expected to encounter some initial
resistance.
The best way to deal with audience resistance is to anticipate objections in advance.
By bringing up potential problems right away, you demonstrate a broad appreciation of the issue
and imply confidence in your message.
Anticipating objections is particularly important in written messages, when you don’t have the
opportunity to detect and respond to objections on the spot. Find and fill the holes before the
audience does.
When anticipating objections, keep these three strategies in mind:
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Persuasive Communication
Take care to avoid these common mistakes:
• Using a hard sell
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Common Examples of Persuasive Business Messages
Most of these messages can be divided into persuasive requests for action, persuasive presentations of
ideas, and persuasive claims and requests for adjustment.
Persuasive Requests for Action
The majority of persuasive business messages involve requests for action:
Your goals in persuasive request for action are:
Persuasive Presentations of Ideas
You may encounter situations in which you simply want to change attitudes or beliefs about a
particular topic, without asking the audience to decide or do anything—at least not yet.
Persuasive Claim and Requests for Adjustment
Professionals and consumers sometimes encounter situations in which they believe they haven’t
received a fair deal by following normal procedures.
These situations require a more persuasive message.
The key ingredients of a good persuasive claim are a complete and specific review of the facts,
using a confident and positive tone.
Begin persuasive claims by outlining the problem and continue by reviewing what has been done
about it so far, if anything.
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12-9
Copyright © 2018 Bovée and Thill LLC
• Don’t get carried away, don’t complain too much, and don’t make threats. People generally
respond most favorably to requests that are both calm and reasonable.
• Close on a positive note that reflects how a successful resolution of the situation will repair or
maintain a mutually beneficial working relationship.
Section 3: Developing Marketing and Sales Messages
Learning Objective 3: Describe an effective strategy for developing marketing and sales messages and
explain how to modify your approach when writing promotional messages for social media.
Marketing and sales messages use the same basic techniques as other persuasive messages, with the added
emphasis of encouraging someone to participate in a commercial transaction.
Although the terms marketing message and sales message are often used interchangeably, they are
slightly different:
Most marketing and sales messages, particularly in larger companies, are created and delivered by
professionals with specialized training.
However, as a manager, you may be called on to review the work of these specialists or even to write
such messages in smaller companies.
Planning Marketing and Sales Messages
The essential panning steps include:
• Assessing customer needs
Writing Conventional Marketing and Sales Messages
Most marketing and sales messages are prepared according to the AIDA model or some variation of
it. A typical AIDA-organized message:
• Begins with an attention-getting introduction
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–10
Writing Promotional Messages for Social Media
The AIDA model has long been successful with marketing and sales messages. However,
communicating with customers in the social media landscape requires a different approach. Follow
these guidelines:
• Facilitate community building.
• Listen at least as much as you talk.
Class discussion question: How do you react when you come across promotional messages in your
social media streams? Do you find some of these messages to be entertaining or informative, or do you
tend to ignore them as useless and intrusive? From the marketer’s perspective, how would you try to get
the attention of social media users without being perceived as intrusive or phony?
Creating Promotional Messages for Mobile Devices
Mobile advertising and mobile commerce (sometimes referred to as m-commerce) are two of the
hottest developments in marketing communications.
The types of marketing and sales messages created for mobile audiences range from short, simple text
ads that appear next to search engine results to mobile-optimized video.
Companies emphasize mobile marketing because mobile devices now play such a big role in
consumer buying behavior.
If you are involved with creating mobile marketing or sales messages, keep two essential points in
mind:
Section 4: Maintaining High Standards of Ethics, Legal Compliance, and Etiquette
Learning Objective 4: Identify steps you can take to avoid ethical lapses in marketing and sales messages.
The word persuasion has negative connotations for some people, especially in a marketing or sales
context.
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–11
Marketing and sales messages are covered by a variety of laws and regulations. Keep the following legal
considerations in mind:
• Marketing and sales messages must be truthful and nondeceptive.
• You must back up your claims with evidence.
Meeting your ethical and legal obligations will go a long way toward maintaining good communication
etiquette.
However, you may still face etiquette decisions within ethical and legal boundaries.
HIGHLIGHT BOX: ETHICS DETECTIVE
Solving the Case of the Incredible Credibility
Here are a dozen problematic claims in the message:
1. “I am considered” (By whom?)
2-4. “The country’s foremost” (Who judges which authority is “foremost,” how is this party qualified
5. “authority on employee health-insurance programs” (Employee health insurance is a vast and
6. “universally positive feedback” (No one has ever been dissatisfied about any aspect of service?
8. “hundreds and hundreds of hours” (This is vague; is it two hundred or nine hundred? Does every
10. “every degree of savings possible” (This essentially promises perfect service; what expert can
11. “Best advice ever!” (The best advice ever received on any topic?)
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–12
Here is one possible revised version of the message:
America’s Health Insurance Plans recently acknowledged my success in helping clients implement
employee health insurance programs by awarding me their Advisor of the Year award. I would also
be pleased to provide copies of client testimonials about my work, including specific information
This broad experience ensures the perspective and insight needed to thoroughly analyze your
company’s needs and create a portfolio that will offer you substantial savings. I invite you to
HIGHLIGHT BOX: THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION
Emotion Recognition Software
You might encourage students to consider how well they can recognize emotions and then ponder how a
computer might do in comparison. Given how difficult it is for a human with decades of experience to
correctly gauge emotions in every situation, how accurate are computers likely to be? Of course, a system
that uses artificial intelligence to teach itself may well learn how to read emotions correctly.
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT RED ANTS PANTS
Individual Challenge
Here is one possible way to address the price concern (74 words):
What’s more annoying than spending money when your work clothes wear out? How about
spending it over and over again because the clothes keep wearing out over and over again. Yes,
you might pay more to put a pair of Red Ants Pants on your bod, but they’ll stay there for a good
long time—and not only because they fit better. With tough fabric and expert production, these
pants are built to last.
Team Challenge
Here is a 103-word capsule on the company’s founding:
If you’ve ever cleared a trail, dug a ditch, or repaired a truck, you know how rough these jobs can
be on your clothes. If you’re of the male persuasion, well lucky you—companies made rugged
clothes just for you. But a woman? If you wanted tough clothes, well tough luck. You had a
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–13
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
12.1. To build credibility with an audience when planning a persuasive message, the communicator can
12.2. The AIDA model stands for (1) attention, (2) interest, (3) desire, and (4) action. The limitations of
12.3. Emotional appeals address audience feelings by basing the argument of a message on audience
12.4. Three types of reasoning that work in logical appeals are analogy (reasoning from specific
12.5. Conversation marketing occurs when companies initiate and facilitate conversations in a
12.6. Marketing messages move potential buyers along the path toward a purchase without asking them
to make a specific purchase decision. For example, a television commercial might encourage
12.7. The best way to deal with audience objections is to anticipate and address as many objections as
you can in your initial message. If you wait until people raise the concern after reading your
12.8. Features are the selling points of an idea or product. In contrast, benefits are the particular
12.9. Promotional messages on mobile devices need to be short and simple because messages in
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–15
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
12.16. Message 12.A: Message Strategies: Persuasive Claims and Requests for Adjustment
The letter suffers from overall vagueness. In addition, note the following communication barriers:
• The tone of the letter is not professional or businesslike.
12.17. Message 12. B: Message Strategies: Sales Messages
This letter suffers from uneven organization, vagueness, and the following specific problems:
• Some readers might be offended by the insulting opening sentence. Moreover, if cooperation is
12.18. Message 12.C: Media Skills: Podcasting [LO-2]
This promotional podcast suffers from several flaws:
• The speaker is arrogant and self-focused instead of being audience-focused.
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–16
Exercises
Choosing a Message Strategy Here are suggested strategies: [LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral
communication
12.19. Because it’s unsolicited, the boss will most likely not be receptive to the message. The
12.20. This message includes components of negative and persuasive messages, and both would
12.21. This message is negative as it conveys bad news to the customer, however the direct
12.22. Because it delivers (great) good news, this message is positive. It should begin directly
12.24. The message uses a combination the direct and indirect approaches. “What if we did the
exact opposite of what we’ve been doing?” in the opening paragraph is a dramatic
12.25. Yes, the subject line is effective because it raises a vital issue (how to compete with
12.26. The writer uses mostly logical appeals, such as the information about analyzing the
12.27. The key reader benefit is the possibility of saving the company from the relentless
12: Writing Persuasive Messages 12–18
• Pro Audio
• More
CASE SOLUTIONS
Here are sample solutions for this chapter’s cases.
12.37. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: Here are three high-profile executives who use Twitter to reach their stakeholders.
Twitter lets top CEOs connect directly and personally with customers and others instantly, in 140
characters or less.
Richard Branson uses Twitter to focus on Virgin’s CSR efforts and to connect on a personal level. See
http://twitter.com/richardbranson
12.38. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: Students may use catchy texting language to grab the reader’s attention, as this sample solution
does. This informality, however, should not carry throughout the message as its misuse in the workplace
is the main message. To better make the case against inappropriate writing, students should take extra
care to ensure professional, clean, concise writing for this message.
Copyright © 2018 Bovée and Thill LLC
to the style and quality of communication. Many of us seem to have interpreted “authentic and
conversational” to mean “anything goes.” And the first to go have been grammar and spelling, closely
followed by common sense and common courtesy. txtg language, acronyms, ALL CAPS, unedited
videos, internal disagreements, crude language—all this and more have been evident in the social media
communication environment of our company.
12.39. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: This sample solution devotes one paragraph to each stage of the AIDA model. The idea that
experienced employees are considering leaving is a definite attention-getter, then the next two
paragraphs introduce and expand on the solution of job sharing. Note that a full-blown proposal would