The Power Of A Thesis In Persuasive Writing

The ability to write persuasively is one of the most
powerful tools in a marketer's arsenal.

And yet most people don't understand persuasive writing.

They'll spend thousands of dollars learning copywriting but
they won't understand the key elements of persuasive
writing. 

For example how to identify your thesis.

Now before you hit delete and think I'm about to start
talking about things you hoped to never think about after
college, stop.

Your ability to find a powerful thesis and prove it will
determine the persuasiveness of your communication. Average
writing is not directed, there is no tension, nothing compelling.
There is no direction, it is all over the place.

Persuasive writing does something else altogether. It allows readers
to instantly grasp how your message applies to them.

No one is better at explaining this than Kalinda Rose
Stevenson, one of the world's foremost experts on religion,
theology and mythology. I review her book "What's Your
Point" http://www.writetopersuade.com/whatsyourpoint every
time I write anything that I need to be clear and persuasive
about.

It reminds me to make my thesis appeal to the reader, no to me. It
reminds me that it is about what is important to them, not
what is important to me. When I write for the reader I get what I
want.

Whether you are writing to persuade an audience of one or
one hundred thousand, know what it is that you want to say,
know how it appeals to your audience and then set about
proving your point.

Focus on being persuasive in all your writing, start with a
powerful thesis and build your argument around that.

By the way, this applies to ads that you create in any
media, it applies to your sales pitches in person or in
print. The thesis is the central starting point.

I'll be expanding on this more in future posts.
Practice identifying and leading with your thesis and
we'll move into some new distinctions shortly.