To persuade means to convince someone to take an action or embrace a belief through the use of argument or reasoning, so it only makes sense that any series on persuasive blogging should include a post on blogging with conviction. In other words, if you want your readers to “get” your message, then you need to stand up and own it.
I’ve talked before about using attention-grabbing titles to bring visitors to your blog, and the importance of piquing their interest in your opening paragraph. Now that you’ve persuaded them to read your post, you need to present a convincing argument or reason for them to take the action you want them to take.
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That “action” may be clicking a button, visiting a link, or it may be that you simply want them to believe you’re an expert when they get done reading your post.
How To Blog With Conviction
Create A Clear Outline
Create a clear, concise outline of all the key points or facts you want to deliver. Use simple language and keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Stay on topic.
Present Both Sides Of The Story
The reason televised debates are so popular is because they present viewers with both sides of the issue and allow them to make their own decision. When you’re trying to persuade your readers to take an action, you need to remember that they are holding up the other side of the debate. Show them both sides of the issue so you eliminate all possibility of the reader saying, “Yes, but what if..?”
Cite Credible Sources
A convincing argument is one that closes all the loopholes. When you’re stating facts and theories, there’s always someone in the crowd who’s going to say, “Oh, yeah? Who says so?” Eliminate that loophole by citing credible sources.
Make It Personal
You’ll make your content even more convincing when you make it personal. Anybody can write a blog post that says, “This works.” But you’re more convincing if you can tell you readers, “This works. I tried it myself. And here’s what happened…”
State The Desired Action
Don’t be afraid to tell your readers exactly what you want them to do and how they’ll benefit from the action. If you’ve written a convincing post they’ll be happy to do whatever you want, but they can’t read your mind.
Placing a banner or an opt-in form or a sharing button at the end of your post isn’t enough. A lot of readers have developed ad blindness. And believe it or not, a lot of non-blogging readers don’t belong to a social network and have no clue what it means to subscribe to a blog or an online newsletter.
You’ve gone to all this trouble to create persuasive content, don’t stop now. Tell your readers exactly what you want them to do and make it as easy as possible for them to complete the action. If it involves more than one step, tell your readers what’s going to happen next.
