Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-1
CHAPTER 9: Writing Persuasive Messages
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 9 focuses on writing effective persuasive messages by applying the three-step writing
process introduced in earlier chapters. The messages addressed in this chapter are often more
suitable for the indirect approach, but most persuasive messages go beyond the indirect approach
used for negative messages. This chapter introduces the AIDA model, a more intense plan for
persuasive messages in which a writer grabs the audience’s attention and proceeds to develop
interest and desire before the close motivates the audience to take action. Readers also learn how
to distinguish between emotional and logical appeals and how to balance them in their writing.
Common mistakes in persuasive writing are also discussed. Whether the employee needs to write
a persuasive request for action or a persuasive claim for adjustment, this chapter provides
guidance for writing messages effectively. Guidelines for writing promotional messages for
social media and mobile devices are also addressed. Finally, the chapter provides strategies for
maintaining high ethical and legal standards in persuasive and marketing messages. Studying and
applying the suggestions in this chapter will assist writers in creating effective persuasive
messages.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Using the Three-Step Writing Process for Persuasive Messages
Step 1: Planning Persuasive Messages
Analyzing the Situation
Gathering Information
Selecting the Right Combination of Medium and Channel
Organizing Your Information
Step 2: Writing Persuasive Messages
Step 3: Completing Persuasive Messages
Developing Persuasive Business Messages
Framing Your Arguments
Balancing the Three Types of Persuasive Appeals
Reinforcing Your Position
Anticipating Objections
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Persuasive Communication
Common Examples of Persuasive Business Messages
Persuasive Requests for Action
Persuasive Presentation 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 Ethical and Legal Standards
The Future of Communication: Gestural Computing
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-2
What’s Your Prediction?
Chapter Review and Activities
TEACHING NOTES
Using the Three-Step Writing Process for Persuasive Messages
Persuasion is the attempt to change your audience’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions.
It may seem like a specialized skill that is required only by salespeople or marketing specialists,
but virtually all business professionals can benefit from knowing how to apply persuasive
Many 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:
1. Analyzing the Situation
The best persuasive messages are closely connected to your audience’s desires and
interests. Consider these important questions when planning your message:
• 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?
2. Gathering Information
When you’ve finished analyzing your situation, the next step is to gather the necessary
3. Selecting the Right Combination of Medium and Channel
Media choices are always important, of course, but these decisions are particularly
4. Organizing Your Information
Most persuasive messages use an indirect approach. Explain your reasons and build
interest before asking for a decision or action. The choice of approach is influenced by
your position (or authority within the organization) relative to your audience’s.
When writing your message you should:
Persuasive messages are often unexpected or even unwelcome, so the “you” attitude is crucial.
Some of the best ways to gain credibility include:
• Using simple language
• Providing objective evidence for the claims and promises you make
When completing persuasive messages, you must make sure that you:
• Judge your argument objectively and try not to overestimate your credibility.
• Carefully match the purpose and organization to audience needs.
Developing Persuasive Business Messages
One’s success in business is related to an ability to convince others to accept new ideas, change
old habits, or act on your recommendations.
Persuasive business messages are designed to elicit a preferred response in a nonsales situation.
Effective persuasion involves four strategies:
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-4
When framing a persuasive argument, effective businesspeople use the AIDA model:
• Attention. Your first objective is to encourage your audience to want to hear about your
problem, idea, or new product—whatever your main idea is. Be sure to find some
common ground on which to build your case.
When using the AIDA model, you can:
• Use either the indirect or the direct approach (though it is tailor-made for the indirect
approach).
• Make subject lines interesting without revealing your proposal.
There are two limitations to the AIDA model:
Persuasive communication is based on three types of appeals:
Ethos—the ethical dimension, particularly your credibility as the writer.
Pathos—appeals to emotion.
Logos—argumentation based on logic and evidence.
The ethos element of persuasion depends on how much trust your readers or listeners have in
your expertise, character, and reliability. Within the message itself, you have the task of
balancing emotional and logical appeals.
An emotional appeal calls on feelings or audience sympathies.
Remember that people need to find rational support for an attitude they’ve already embraced
emotionally; therefore, to be truly effective, emotional appeals should be accompanied by logical
appeals.
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-5
• Deduction: reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
• Analogy: reasoning from specific evidence to specific evidence.
Be sure to avoid faulty logic, especially the following:
• Hasty generalizations: have plenty of evidence before drawing conclusions.
• Circular reasoning: supporting claims by restating them using different words.
After the basic elements are complete, consider how you can reinforce your position. If you
choose to use vivid language and abstractions, do so carefully and honestly. You also should
consider using metaphors and other figures of speech.
If you’re addressing a hostile audience, be sure to present all sides of the situation and present
other options before your own. Try to involve your audience in the design of your solution.
When developing your persuasive message, avoid these common mistakes:
• Using a hard sell
• Resisting compromise
Common Examples of Persuasive Business Messages
When writing persuasive requests for action, you want to:
• Begin with an attention-getting device (showing readers you know something of their
concerns).
• Give facts, explain benefits, and enhance your appeal in the interest and desire sections.
When writing persuasive requests for action, your goals are to gain credibility (for yourself and
your request) and make your readers believe that helping you will indeed help solve a significant
problem.
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-6
Some persuasive messages aren’t action-oriented; you might need to change attitudes or beliefs
about particular topics. At times, you may need to be persuasive in presenting your ideas to get
audiences to change attitudes or beliefs immediately without asking them to decide or do
• Introducing new brands to the public
• Encouraging customers to visit websites for more information
Sales messages make a specific request for people to place an order for a particular product or
service.
Basic strategies to consider when planning marketing and sales messages:
• Assessing audience needs
As with every other business message, successful marketing and sales messages start with an
understanding of audience needs.
When writing conventional marketing and sales messages, the AIDA model (or some variation
of it) is often used. Here are the key points of using the AIDA model for these messages:
• Getting the reader’s attention
Writing Promotional Messages for Social Media
Conversation marketing occurs when companies initiate and facilitate conversations in a
networked community of customers, journalists, bloggers, and other interested parties.
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-7
To write persuasive messages for social media, follow these guidelines:
• Facilitate community building.
• Listen at least as much as you talk.
Creating Promotional Messages for Mobile Devices
Companies today are emphasizing mobile marketing because mobile devices play such a large
role in consumer buying behavior. Smartphone owners use their devices to search for product
reviews, find stores/services, look for coupons/promotions, do in-store price comparisons.
Successful promotional messages aimed at mobile audiences should be:
Maintaining High Ethical and Legal Standards
Because the concept of persuasion is often associated with dishonesty and unethical practices,
you must strive for high ethical standards to overcome this stigma.
The best businesspeople make persuasion a positive activity, influencing the members of their
audience by:
Pay close attention to the following legal aspects of marketing and sales communication:
▪ Marketing and sales messages must be truthful and nondeceptive.
▪ You must back up your claims with evidence.
▪ “Bait and switch” advertising is illegal.
Before launching a marketing or sales campaign, make sure you are up to date on the latest
regulations on spam (unsolicited bulk mail), customer privacy, and data security.
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-8
THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICAITON: GESTURAL COMPUTING
The aim of gestural computing is to let users control computers and other digital devices through
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE
The limited business experience of many students will increase the challenge of writing effective
persuasive messages. Conducting a careful audience analysis will be essential as students prepare
to write the messages that this chapter focuses on. Remind students again of the importance of all
establish their own credibility. Discuss with students why credibility becomes important in
persuasive messages, and refer them to some of the ways the chapter suggests to do this.
Most students will have experience with persuasive arguments that focus almost entirely on
emotional appeals. However, they will need to modify this approach when writing persuasive
messages. Emphasize that most persuasive messages need a balance between emotional and
closing paragraph should motivate the audience to action. Provide plenty of examples of
ineffective and effective persuasive messages to illustrate your points.
Assist students in differentiating between selling points (for example, product or service
features) and benefits (that is, advantages the audience will realize). Point out the differences in
sample chapter documents or in documents you pull from your files.
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-9
Students will often question how persuasive claims and requests for adjustment differ from the
claim letters they prepared as routine letters (Chapter 7). When discussing these letters, point out
differences in the examples.
Legality and ethics issues always present challenges in the study of persuasive writing. Involve
students in a discussion of how consumers can be deceived and what legal and ethical
responsibilities the advertiser has. Emphasize the fact that sales letters are considered legally
binding documents in many states.
SUGGESTED CLASSROOM EXERCISES
1. Examining persuasive sales messages. A week before you present this chapter, ask students
to bring in samples of persuasive advertising materials they receive in the mail. Also be sure
2. Learning how business writers prepare successful persuasive messages. Invite someone from
an advertising firm to visit the class and share insights on the art of persuasion in written
3. Writing an ineffective persuasive message. Invite students to come up with a product or
service they can write about. Instruct them to write the worst persuasive message they can
4. Critiquing persuasive requests for action and persuasive claims. Provide students with
examples of persuasive messages that are not well organized. Guide students through a
5. Writing effective message components. Students often benefit from exercises requiring them
to write only a portion of a complete message. Provide a variety of scenarios. Instruct
6. Writing persuasive messages. Assign students to write persuasive requests, persuasive
claims, and sales letters. Provide your own scenarios or select from the cases at the end of the
chapter. Students should work at computers (if available) to facilitate writing, rewriting, and
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
7. Some quick research on spam. Ask students to check the laws in the state they reside in
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
9-1. Demographics include characteristics such as age, gender, occupation, income, and
9-3. Emotional appeals address human feelings by basing the argument on audience needs or
9-4. Three types of reasoning that work in logical appeals are analogy (reasoning from specific
9.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
9-6. Promotional messages aimed at mobile audiences need to be short, simple, and easy to
respond to. The mobile experience needs to be fast and straightforward. Mobile users are
often time-constrained, and they will quickly abandon websites that don’t load quickly or
are confusing to navigate. (LO 9.4; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
9-7. Persuasive messages are sent to people who are displeased, uninterested, unwilling, and
even hostile; therefore, identifying audience needs and having a specific purpose are
9-8. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
9-9. Starting a promotional message immediately with a call to action would not result in the
best possible outcome. Promotional messages should include planning steps to ensure that
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
9-11. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
Exercises for Perfecting Your Writing
9-12. The email gets the reader’s attention with a provocative question. (LO 9.2; AACSB Tag:
Written and oral communication)
9-14. The subject line is relevant and effective because it addresses the issue of competing with
9-15. The writer establishes credibility by using simple language and supporting his claims. (LO
9-16. The writer appeals on an emotional level by focusing on the frustration the company is
9-17. The reader benefits are gaining a unique value proposition and getting out of bean
sourcing.(LO 9.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
9-18. The writer reinforces his position with strong word choices (the endless challenges, its
9-20. Imagine, a Meal That Everyone Likes! (LO 9.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
9-22. Original sentence focuses on features. Revision to focus on benefits: Clean-up is easy
9-23. Original sentence focuses on benefits. (LO 9.4; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
9-24. Original sentence focuses on benefits. (LO 9.4; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
Activities
9-25. Whatever suggestions the students offer, they should specifically reference guidelines for
effective persuasive messages and the advice in Chapter 6 on successful podcasting. (LO
9-26. The message is vague and unprofessional overall. In addition, it exhibits the following
problems:
2. The last sentence of the first paragraph insults the reader.
4. The writer’s general complaints have nothing to do with the claim.
6. The point of the message is almost entirely lost.
Here is a revised version of the message:
Dear Customer Service Representative:
On June 1, 2015, I purchased a multimedia PC display (model KX-4200) from you.
9-27. This message suffers from poor organization. The writer has used a threatening phrase in
the subject line and bluntly finds fault with the reader’s company in the second paragraph
and elsewhere in the letter. The rude tone evident throughout the letter will not convince
the reader to take action. The writer needs to follow the basic AIDA model. The action the
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-13
presenting hard-hitting facts about the dangers of ETS. Detail specific costs to CMSI, both
human and financial, which could become Kukyendahl’s liability. Be careful not to make
threats, but mention legal precedents as one of the strongest benefits of compliance.
Request specific action with a tone of positive expectation. Provide contact information,
and end with another cost benefit.
Here is a revised version of the letter:
CMSI
Contract Management Services, Inc.
3638 University Blvd., Suite 302, Houston, Texas 77005-3396
(832) 768-3899 fax: (832) 768-3803 www.cmsi.com
March 22, 2019
Mr. Robert Bechtold, Manager
Kukyendahl Joint, Inc.
88 North Park Road
Group A toxins is safe. ETS is linked to many forms of cancer, including lung, breast,
cervical, and endocrine.
We lost one of our top-producing employees last week when she had to quit because the
smoke was reactivating her childhood asthma. This loss is a serious blow to our bottom
line. Another of our employees is in a high-risk category for heart attack, which has also
9: Writing Persuasive Messages
9-14
related court cases in which landlords and owners were held responsible for providing
toxin-free air for their tenants. In most of these cases, owners were also required to
reimburse rents and pay damages for the harm done before the problem was remedied.
Please resolve this problem immediately. Please provide us with healthy air, refund the
9-28. This message reflects poor organization and a “we” attitude. The following problems are
also evident:
2. The second sentence is blunt, as is the tone of the rest of the letter.
4. Imperative sentences are rude when making requests.
6. Writing may not be the most effective way to get the needed information.
Here is a revised version of the letter:
We appreciate your business this past year. As any of our repeat customers will tell you,
your satisfaction is our goal. To help us serve you even better, please take a moment to
