Guide to Writing Persuasive Applications

Whether you want to develop a cover letter to apply for a job or submit any other application, you’ll need to possess persuasive writing skills. A strong persuasive argument relies on comprehensive research and careful word choice to express the writer’s opinion in a compelling way and get the reader to agree.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to write a persuasive application. The guide will make more sense to you if you understand persuasive writing first, so let’s begin with what it is.

What Is Persuasive Writing?

Like argumentative writing, persuasive writing aims to influence readers by presenting logical arguments and using an emotional appeal. Persuasive writing differs from its argumentative counterpart only in that the former only includes information that supports a particular stance on the issue, using counterarguments to make its point, while the latter introduces readers to both sides of the debate, leaving the final decision or choice to the readers.

If you look around, you’ll realize that persuasive writing is everywhere, but not all content pieces possess the ability to sway the readers. The reason is straightforward: its writing process demands a lot more than just communicating an opinion. This is particularly true for persuasive applications, in which the quality of writing is crucial for the approval of the application.

Now that you have a fair understanding of persuasive writing, let’s find out how to write persuasive applications:

How to Write Persuasive Applications

Follow these tips to write a persuasive application:

Understand Your Audience

Before anything else, you’ll need know who you’re talking to. Unless you understand the mindset and needs of your targeted reader, there’s no way you can hit their pain points and convince them. Therefore, even if you’re short of time, take the time to know the potential readers. It will help you decide what information to include, where to source that information from, and what supporting details you need to clarify and elaborate your point. The structure and tone of the application will also depend on what your targeted readers look like. Hence, you’ll need to keep all these aspects in mind when writing your application.

Make a Good Case

The next step to writing a high-impact persuasive applications is to determine your immediate and overarching goals. If you’re applying for a job, for instance, your immediate goal might be to advance to the next step, that is, the interview. Whereas, your longer term goal might be to get an offer. Address both these causes in your application. You can share details about your background and experiences that prove why you’re a good candidate. Talk about how you can add value to the company and how your past experiences groomed you for this role. Emphasize your strengths to make a good case.

Grab Readers’ Attention

Once you’ve understood the potential reader, you should also be in a much better position to hook their attention. This involves presenting your opinion in a declarative statement that clearly communicates your point of view. One great strategy is to begin with research findings, facts, or other evidence that supports your standpoint and immediately makes your position clear to the reader. The readers will feel that they can’t argue with stats of facts that prove what you’re saying.

This may require you to take a direct start. For example, if you’re writing a cover letter for a job application, state your intention in the first paragraph. The quicker you move to the point, the better you’ll be able to capture the reader’s interest.

Get the Basics Right

There are things you don’t have under control such as if an employer is looking for someone with different qualifications, you can’t do much. However, writing mistakes like typos, missing words, spelling & grammar mistakes are easily avoidable. Regardless of who you’re writing your persuasive application to or what’s your purpose, errors like these will make it look unprofessional and careless on your part.

If you’re unsure about a spelling or grammar in a sentence, obtain help from Google. Then, have someone read your application. A fresh pair of eyes should spot any errors you may have missed. In addition, read it aloud to someone to ensure that the application has a flow.

Besides, when it comes to using clichés or jargon, be sure to use technical terms appropriately. In the case of a job application or cover letter, for example, the first person it won’t likely be an expert or team leader, but an HR executive. On top of that, acronyms and jargon can have different meanings in different contexts and industries. Unless you’re sure how they will be perceived by the targeted reader, they may cause confusion. Also, avoid using commonplace or over-used terms such as ”think out of the box” because they now drag down the quality of writing.

Also, a lack of consistency diminishes writing quality, thereby damaging your reputation as an applicant. This is the reason why attention to detail is extremely important in persuasive writing. For example, if you choose to capitalize a subject such as “HISTORY”, make sure you capitalize other subjects too. These minor rules are crucial to maintaining high standards of work.

Emphasize Your Point

Another valuable technique in persuasive applications is to use exaggeration to express exclusivity, urgency, or make your point. Depending on what the application is about, you may even use hyperbolic statements to emphasize your point. These are statements that aren’t taken literally, but to communicate an idea in a powerful way. For instance, if you’re filing a complaint to a restaurant owner, you might stress the idea of a delayed home delivery by saying ‘I nearly starved to death’, which isn’t obviously true, yet is a powerful way make your point.

When emphasizing your point, it’s equally important to demonstrate confidence in expressing your stance. Instead of saying that you “feel” or “believe” something, have the courage to assure to reader or say that you’re “certain” about an idea. If it’s a job application, assert that you’re the perfect candidate for the vacant position.

Repeat Your Message

When it comes to persuasive writing, never underestimate the power of repetition. Strategically repeating your core message is a smart way to remind the reader of the point you’re trying to make. This, however, doesn’t mean you copy/paste the same sentence multiple times in the copy. You should leverage different ways to re-emphasize the same point using metaphors, paraphrasing, true stories, or other reinforcing techniques without bothering the reader with repetitive words.

Use Emotional Appeal to Your Benefit

There’s a reason why the most successful brands around the globe are increasingly focusing on creating an emotional connect with customers. Businesses have realized that when it comes to making a point, nothing proves more powerful than influencing customer’s emotions. If you can manage to adopt this technique in your persuasive application, its chances of approval will be very high.

To leverage the emotional appeal, you’ll need to think from their perspective and indirectly convey that you understand their experiences and can relate to them. The purpose of leveraging emotional appeal is to target the sensitivities of your targeted reader, while also giving a logical explanation for why their ideas need to change (if required).

Hire Professional Content Writing Services

Finally, if you wish to expertly incorporate all the aforementioned factors of persuasive writing in your application, simply hire professional content writing services. Since different content writers specialize in different subjects, you want to use a writer who specializes in persuasive application. When choosing an application writer, make sure that they have been writing applications for audiences similar to yours.

For example, if your targeted readers are employers, your chosen application writer should have written compelling cover letters for job applicants that may have helped them acquire their dream jobs. When you approach an application writer, ask for written samples to evaluate their writing quality and ability to influence readers. Check any testimonials from their past clients too.

Conclusion

This was our take on “Guide to Writing Persuasive Applications”. We first introduced you to what persuasive writing is all about and then shared some tips on writing a compelling application. A persuasive application presents ideas in a convincing and structured way. It’s powerful in a way that it influences readers to believe in a certain cause.

Following the aforementioned tips should help you get your application approved and achieve your goals. If it’s a job application that you’re preparing, we truly hope that this article helps you land your dream job. If you lack what it takes to write a persuasive application, it’s best to hire a professional application writer instead.