Adverts are the most common form of persuasive writing you'll find. On TV, on websites, in magazines, newspapers, leaflets and on notice boards. People use writing to persuade you to buy things.

Think about the sort of words people use in adverts. Because people are trying to make their products sound good, you'll hear lots of positive, persuasive words such as:

great
free
improved
brilliant
exclusive

People also use persuasive writing to convince you that their point of view on a subject is right, or that another person's point of view is wrong.

Bias

Bias means someone is only putting forward one side of an argument. An advert, for example, will only tell you the good things about a product, and may exaggerate those!

Remember, a writer may only be telling you one side of a story, so always think about what a writer may not be telling you and don't always believe what you read!

Writing persuasively Purpose

Think about what your writing is trying to do. Is it selling something or persuading someone? Choose the words you use carefully so they do the job well.

Audience

Think about who your writing is aimed at and use words they will understand.

Key points

List your key points when planning your writing.

Plain English

Always write clearly and sensibly, even if you are writing about something you feel really strongly about.

Reasoned argument

If you are responding to something someone else has said or written, always stick to the subject. Don't attack someone personally, use reasoned argument to respond to what they have said.

Tell the truth

Even in an advert, always tell the truth! If you have to lie to get your point of view across then you may have the wrong point of view.

	Created by Amanda Tabansi almost 10 years ago

A guide on persuasive writing.