17 of The World's Most Powerful Written Persuasion Techniques

 

17 of The World’s Most Powerful Written Persuasion Techniques  by LO U  

“They who influence the thoughts of their times, influence all the times that follow. They have made their impression on eternity.” eternity.”  Influence and the psychology of persuasion. persuasion. Whether you are writing an advertisement, advertisemen t, an email to a friend, an inter-office memo, hoping to change a family  member’s actions, 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, spin-doctors, propaganda writers, lawyers…anybody lawyers…anybody who has to change an individual’s mind–or mind–or groups groups of people’s minds–quickly. minds–quickly.    A person could could use these techn techniques iques to get people to do thi things ngs they wouldn’ wouldn’tt 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 fictitious  Special-J Dog Food  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. paragraphs. That would make the techniques you are using u sing much more powerful.  Here we go:  1. 1. Appeal  Appeal to Their Identity. Identity. Who  Who a person is and and how they see them themselves selves is an incredibly important important influence tool, maybe the most important of them all. If you can tie in what in what you want want with with what  what their their identi identity ty would do in a similar situation, you’d 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 the Appeal to to Their IIdentity  dentity is is the use of Labels 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 (“You’re a natural entrepreneur entrepreneur.”) .”)  * You’re not the type of person who _______. (“You’re (“You’re not the type of person who would lie .” .” The label here? Honest.)  * One thing I really like about you is _______. (“One (“One thing I really like about you is your open-minde open-mindedness. dness.“) “)  * Unlike other ______, you’re ________. (“Unlike (“Unlike other managers, you’re generous.“) 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 conflict with the label label you gave them. So, So, if I used the, “Unlike “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  Pet parents always serve their their dogs Special-J Dog Food  Food .  • Caring pet owners feed their dogs Special-J Dog Food .   While you’re writing, writing, ask yoursel yourself, f, “Who is this per person?” son?” Who does she think she is? is?”” “What roles are important to him?” “What positive, complimentary label can I apply to him or her?”

  Hierarchy of Values 2. Use Their Values.. This technique can tie into the one above. People place a value on practicall practically y 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, attractivene ss, 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 made it appeal to you? What What would have stop stopped ped you from buying it?

 

 What would have had had to happen for you to pay tw twice ice the money fo forr it? Whatever your answers to these questions, they show the values you applied to your purchase 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 Invoke  Emotions. Emotions. As any professional advertising copywriter knows, you sell something by getting the prospective customer customers’ s’ 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 ccharged harged words th that at add impact to yo your ur writing. Try to pull out bland words and head to a thesaurus to find words that have a punch.   An example:  • Show  Show the love for your dog that he or or she shows you you..   Ask yourself, “What “What emotions do I want to invoke, a and nd how can I do it?”  4. Motivate Your Reader Reader.. Why should they do what you ask them? What’s What’s in it for  your reader? What What do they get? What What’s ’s the incentive? W What hat are the maj major or 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 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 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 ask yourself, “How “How can I motivate my reader(s) to act 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 the  Consequences Consequences.. How will your readers lose out by not doing what  you suggest? Paint a word word picture for th them. em. What pain w will ill they experien experience ce 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  Many dog foods are not nutritionally nutritionally balan balanced, ced, especially im imported ported 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 healthy..   An important important point when usin using g this technique is to NOT dwell on the ne negatives gatives 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 “How will they lo lose se out if they don’t ac actt now?” “What p pain ain will they  experience experi ence if they don’t do as I ask.?”  6. Ask  6. Ask  Questions. 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 way to use questions in your writing is to m make ake suggestions rrather ather 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  insert embedded commands commands..  Some examples:  • How  How do you know your dog is getting the proper proper nutrition heshe heshe deserves?   • Why not treat your dog to Special-J Dog Food today? 

  ers involved.   When writing try to put in a few questions questions to get your readers read 7. Reframe Possible Objections. Objections. What would stop someone from doing what you  want them to do? What possible anxiety could th they ey feel about doing wha whatt 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  Special-J Dog Food Food contains micromicro-capsules 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 s ick.. (THE POSSIBLE OBJECTION IS: “All dog food is the same.”) 

 

 What you DON’T want want to do is ignor ignoree any possible obje objections. ctions. By not brin bringing ging them up,  you risk looking like you’re hiding ssomething, omething, or you are m making aking your offer sound too good to be true by leaving those objection objectionss out.   Ask yourself, “What “What would stop tthis his person fr from om doing what I w want?” ant?” “How ca can n I put a more positive spin on this objection? “”What else could this mean?” “What’s not apparent to them?”  8. Use Use  Quotes. Quotes. Authority and Social Proof are incredibly convinc convincing ing ways to persuade. Just by quoting an expert or a celebrity (in the form of quotations), or satisfied customers (in the form of  testimonials) testimonials ) you ramp up the persuasive content of your  writing quite a few notches. notches.   Another benefit benefit of using quotes in yo your ur writing is that th they ey attract the eye when put inside quotation marks.  Example:   • “ Nine out of ten veterinarians veterinarians feed their their dogs Special-J Dog Food .”  • “ My dogs love Special- J  J Dog Food. They’re healthier, healthier, happier, happier, and look great!” great!” ~ Marlin Perkins   When writing your your piece, ask yours yourself elf where you ca can n find quotes and tes testimonials timonials that  will support your case. case.  9. Employ  Metaphor Metaphor.. The use of metaphor (and analogies and similes 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 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? desirable? The classic advertising positioning statement “ ABC is the Rolls-Royce of of printer inks” inks” uses metaphor for this effect.  Here are some examples:  • Special-J  Special-J Dog Food Food is like an imm immunity unity booster shot for yo your ur dog. dog.  • It’s  It’s the canine Fountain Fountain of Youth!   Ask yourself, “What “What is my offer like?” like?”  10. Compliment and Flatter. Flatter. If you can pull it off, make your reader feel special. This technique might be a bit b it 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 the m 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 “What do I apprec appreciate iate about this per person?” son?” “Wha “Whatt do I like about this person?” “How can “How can I compliment them with sounding like a brown-nose?” brown-nose?”  11. Show  No Gray Area. Area. Point out to your readers that there really isn’t any choice choice in  what you have to offer. They have only a ve very ry positive outcom outcomee if they do as you say or a  very negative one if they they don’t. Which one are you going to choose?   You can (or will) do/have/be do/have/be (POSITI (POSITIVE), VE), or (NEGATIV (NEGATIVE). E).   An example of this this technique:  • You can give your dog nutritious, balanced meals, or you can take him to the vet  every month. month.   When you are writing writing your piece, piece, ask yourself how your readers don’t have a choice. It’s only black or white.  12. Belong to a Special Group. 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 belong to a special special group…BUT group…BUT WANT  WANT TO   b) having a mutual enemy  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…. there….   b) Here’s  b)  Here’s how you can become become a a pit  pit bull terrier lover too… too…  c) The State wants to take your pit bull away!  d) If d)  If you own a pit bull terrier, this this is your last chance to join join Pit Bull Owners of   America..   America “ A sharply defined enemy enemy is a far stronger argum argument ent for your side than all the words you could possibly put together.” together.” ~ Robert Greene 

 

Of course this technique works well with Technique 1 (“Appeal to Their Identity”)  because when you you are part of a group, it’s also a party or or your identity or a role role you take on.   When using this, 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 Commitment.. When people make a commitment to an idea, they tend to find it very difficult to change their minds without creating conflict conflict or anxiety (called, Cognitive Dissonance). Dissonance). This is a little more difficult to do in one-way   writing (say an advertisement advertisement or a sales letter), but it ccan an 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  Do you love your dog?  (THEN I’D CONTINUE WITH THE THE BODY COPY OF THE  AD.) Earlier  AD.)  Earlier in this article article (letter/ad), (letter/ad), I  I asked you if you loved your dog. dog. What better way to show your love l ove for her by giving her a delicious and nutritious meal... meal...  For a more personal correspondence, say an email, online chatting, or a letter, you could ask one of these questions:  • I  I thought you said you w were…. ere….,,  “I thought you said you were a Conservative Conservative.. That’s not what a Conservative would say.”  • Didn’t  Didn’t you you say you… you…,,  “Didn’t you say you loved animals? Why would you eat meat…”   D

•  on’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 chea cheapskate pskate is a horri horrible? ble?  HE: Yeah, sure.  …LATER…   YOU: Hey, can can I borrow twen twenty ty bucks?   When writing your your piece, find out how you ccan an get your reader to make a commi commitment, tment, even a small one: donating a little money, trying something, even saying “yes” to something, etc. 

 

14. Change their life. life. Most people are unhappy with their lives…or at least a some aspect of it. Many of them want them want change. But they they don’t know how tto o 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 people are looking for is the Magic Pill. Something Something where they they wake up and their lives are magically different.  • As  As you know, your dog’s life affects affects your whole family. You, your your spouse, especially your kids are affected by the health of your beloved dog. dog.   Your offer can probably probably change change your readers’ lives for for the better someway, someway, somehow. somehow. How?  15. Overcome Inertia. 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 Consequences”). ”).  Top persuaders often create urgency by telling their readers how scarce their offer has  become. You can can use a time deadline, deadline, a limited quantity quantity,, a limited supply of a freebie/bonus/premium, 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  Receive a bottle of Special-J Special-J Puppy Sham Shampoo poo with every ca case se of Special-J Dog Food.  But please hurry, we only have have 53 bottles left .   Ask, “How can can I increase the urgency of my offer?” offer?” “How can I add a deadline?”  16. Add 16.  Add Presuppositio Presuppositions ns.. These are compelling ways to put thoughts into people’s more re on presuppositions presuppositions and heads without even verbalizing the thought.  thought.  You You can find mo here.. Here’s a quick way to incorporate presuppositions  what they are here 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 d og food that makes your dog healthier than Special-J Dog  Food? (NOTE:  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  How are you going to handle your dog’s newfound vitality and playfulness?    When writing, ask ask yourself how you you are going to imply your your claims.  17. Use Rhetorical Questions to Make Claims. Claims. This one is used a lot by the mass media. Why? Because it lets claims slip into into readers’ minds without resistance. If I say, “ XYZ tablets let you lose weight weight while you sleep sleep,” ,” you probably won’t really believe it;  you’ve heard claims claims like this all the ttime. ime. But if I ask, “ How  How has XYZ tablets helped  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  How does Special-J Dog Dog Food help your dog live a longer, longer, healthier life?    When you are writing, writing, ask yourself, yourself, “How can I put some some of my claims 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 tec techniques hniques dependi depending ng on your project. The U US S mi military’s litary’s Psychologicall Operations (PSY-OPS) has had a lot of success with Psychologica with  leaflet drops  drops over enemy territory. territory. They are often quite small in size and need to get the job done quickly. They tend to use u se Technique 3 (“Invoke Emotions”), Technique 4 (“Motivate Your Reader”), and Technique 5 (“Show Them the Consequences” Consequences”). ). For something like a  billboard, demonstration demonstration plac placards, ards, or bumper sstickers, tickers, you ccould ould use Technique 6 (“Ask  Questions”) Que stions”) or Technique 9 (“Employ Metaphor”).   You now have a ton of power power in your hand hands. s. You’ve turned your p pen en (or keyboard) in into to 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 discipline to con control trol the influence, th thee power you have over ot other her  people’s lives.” 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.