Writing effective persuasive essays is a key skill that you can use to get your voice heard, whether in the newspaper, around the community, or among professional organizations. Like all forms of writing, there is a certain degree of finesse that comes only with practice. However, there are a few key points to keep in mind that can help you to craft a powerful essay even with a minimum of experience. Clear, strong written communication gets you recognized no matter who you are or what your level of education may be – and anyone can become a good writer with dedication.

The Parts of a Good Persuasive Essay

In persuasive writing, there are three key elements to keep in mind.

The point of your essay is the central reason why you are writing. For example, if you are writing in support of local Amendment 5 to enforce a neighborhood curfew on teenagers, your point might be that this curfew would drastically improve conditions in the community.

The purpose of your essay is decided mainly by who you're writing to – the intended audience. While your point would be that the Amendment is good or bad and why, your purpose would be to persuade, to inform, or to otherwise affect your audience.

Your support, commonly known as the “argument,” consists of statements that reinforce the point and purpose of your essay. Ample, objective support is key to success in persuasive writing, and is more effective than opinions or limited, anecdotal evidence. Most of your writing will concern how to organize and express your support.

The audience is, simply, the people you hope to impact by writing. It is important to tailor your argument and use of language to the needs of your audience. The essay you write to your local town council will be different than the one you may write to the opinion column of the tri-county newspaper, and will be very different indeed from one you write to the mayor.