How to write a persuasive essay introduction and structure

1 A Set of Instructions: How to Write a Persuasive Essay Introduction Whenever you set out to write any type of paper, the first and most important thing to do is identify your audience. That is especially true in the case of writing a persuasive essay—primarily because your audience will consist of the ones you’re supposed to be persuading. If you don’t know anything about your audience, you will be hard pressed to figure out ways to persuade them effectively. So find out your audience and then tailor your paper, your thesis, your argument, and you style so that it suits them. That’s the first thing to do. But before covering the rest of the steps, an explanation of exactly what a persuasive essay is will help set the stage. What is a Persuasive Essay? A persuasive essay is simply a type of paper written to persuade an audience to accept the writer’s point of view about a specific topic, issue or argument. It is a very common type of essay—so the better you know how to do it, the more likely you are to have greater academic success. How to Start Picture your audience, first. Second, identify your main argument. This is what is called a thesis: it is the main point you want to make in your writing. Here are some hints on how to formulate an argument, if you don’t have one already. Pick some topics or subjects that are either important (you feel passionately about them) or that are very controversial today—such as building a wall between Mexico and the U.S., illegal immigration, or whether Russian collusion helped throw the U.S. election. You may not have an opinion one way or the other, but these are controversial topics for a reason—i.e., lots of people have opinions on them. That means, you can take one side or another of the argument, and try to convince your audience why the side you selected is right. Once you’ve selected your thesis—what you’re going to persuasively argue in your paper—you’ve next got to support your argument. Third, research the subject you’ve selected and identify facts, reasons or compelling examples to help make your argument more forceful. Try to identify at least three points that you can use to argue your case. Lead with the least effective one. Follow that with the next effective. End with the most effective support for why your point of view is the right one. Fourth, create an outline that you can use when writing your persuasive essay. The outline is a simple map that guides you when you are writing. Sometimes, it is easy to go of course onto a tangent and forget what you trying to say in the first place. That’s why having an outline is important: it serves as a reminder of what you were trying to accomplish in the first place. The Writing Process The writing process begins with the outline. Here is an example of what an outline might look like. Let’s say your thesis is that everyone should adopt a dog from an animal shelter. You’ll want to support your thesis by having one paragraph with a main idea that acts as a pillar for your overall argument. Here is what your outline would look like:

I. Introduction a. Hook: Every year, thousands of dogs are put to sleep because no one wants them. b. But dogs are really man’s best friend! c. To help renew the relationship between man and his best friend, everyone should adopt a dog from the animal shelter. II. Body a. Dogs truly are man’s best friend. i. They are loyal. ii. They are great companions. iii. They never judge you. b. Dogs can help you make human friends, too. i. They are cute. ii. Lots of humans go to dog parks to socialize. iii. You can find a new mate. c. Dogs will give you lasting memories. i. No one ever forgets the dog they had growing up. ii. Your family will love the dog. iii. The dog will be with you even long after it’s gone. III. Conclusion a. Adopt a dog today. b. You won’t regret it.