1. To Write a Persuasive Piece
Effective Writing Skills

2. Write an engaging introduction that clearly states you position
Have an interesting and engaging lead. Start with a question, an exclamation, a quotation
Describe the topic and your position on the topic, clearly and simply.
Use vivid descriptive verbs and specific nouns

3. Example:
The regal, black wolf effortlessly glides down the snowy slope of the Alaskan tundra. The sight snatches the breath away from the onlookers. Wouldn’t it be horrible if that sight were blotted off the earth forever? In Alaska, hunters have been given permission to hunt these royal animals in an unsportsmanlike manner, using high-powered rifles and shooting them like cowards from airplane. This ignoble practice must be stopped.

4. Be sure to include clear reasons for your position
Make sure to write a topic sentence for the next paragraph.
Make sure all the sentences that follow clearly support the topic sentence.
Make sure to cite specific examples, not vague, general ideas.
Make sure to write a closing sentence that summarizes your position, clearly and convincingly.
Make sure you write in an engaging and entertaining or powerful manner.

5. Example:
Saving the wolf from hunters who don’t have the courage to confront them on the ground is everyone’s responsibility. Without the wolf, the fragile ecosystem of Alaska will be thrown off balance. Wolves are the primary predators of the caribou herds. Without the wolf, the herds will overpopulate and die slow, painful, drawn out deaths caused by starvation. Another reason this type of hunting should be stopped is the fact that it is unsportsmanlike. When a man hunts from the ground, at least the wolf has a fighting chance. He can outsmart the hunter, or out run the hunter. If a wolf is hunted by airplane, he has no chance to escape the technological hunter. No chance to run, no chance to hide. Hunting from the ground at least requires the hunter to have some skill. Any idiot can ride in a plane and fire a gun. Finally, when hunting wolves from planes, the hunters cannot distinguish the alpha or lead wolves from the rest of the pack. Hunters who hunt from the ground are more aware of the pack dynamics. They know that killing the wrong wolf can destroy the entire pack. Hunting from the air requires no such study. As you can see, hunting from the air is a very unsavory sport.

6. Be sure to address concerns or counter arguments.
Why might someone disagree with you?
State: Some people may feel… or Others may disagree because they think… but
Then clearly show them why that position or thought is wrong, or not worth considering.
Summarize the paragraph with a statement supporting your point of view. So you see it would be….

7. Example
Some people believe that wolves are pests that should be destroyed, but the wolves in Alaska serve a necessary function. Not to mention how their beauty enhances the wilderness landscape.The Innuit people revere the wolf and think of him as their brother. Would you be happy if someone shot your brother from an airplane? Other people state that the state of Alaska needs the money the air hunters bring in. This money is blood money. Tainted as it is spent. And hunters who hunt from the ground spend the same amount of money as air hunters. So these arguments do not lend strength to the greedy desire of some government officials to continue this despicable practice.

8. Have a clear conclusion that restates your ideas and opinions in a new a memorable manner.
In conclusion….
State your position, with added insight or wisdom.
For example: if in the beginning you state that wolves should not be hunted from airplanes, in the end you might say:
Our regal brothers the wolves deserve more respect than an ignoble death from an anonymous metal monster in the sky. They deserve to live free, as a vital part of the Alaskan ecosystem. Write a letter to the governor of Alaska. Pressure him to change the law that makes hunting from the air legal.