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Persuasive Techniques
ELA
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Would this technique
get your attention?
 Read
each sentence.
 Would
it get your attention? Would it make you
think about it?
 Rate
it on a scale from 1-9 with 1 being most likely
to get your attention and 9 being no, not likely to
get your attention.
 When
you are done, quietly talk with your group
about the items that you marked as 1 or 2 and
discuss why.
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Media and Persuasion
Some
materials you read are
deliberately written to persuade you
to be for or against something. The
writer of such materials is trying to
lead you to react favorably or
unfavorably toward the subject of
material.
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Propaganda
Propaganda
is the spreading of ideas,
information, or rumors for the
purpose of influencing people to be
in favor of or against someone or
something.
Much
of the advertising you read is
propaganda—its major purpose is to
influence you to buy something.
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Faulty Reasoning
Faulty
reasoning is defective
reasoning. Propaganda will often
use faulty reasoning to try to
persuade you to be for or against
someone or something.
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Persuasive Techniques
Persuasive techniques can be grouped into the following
categories:
 Appeal
to Logic
 Appeal
to Admiration
 Appeal
to Emotions
 Appeal
to Readers’ Senses
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Appeal to Logic
 Authors
try to make readers identify and analyze
the point of view taken and its rationale
 This
technique includes posing a problem and
then suggesting a solution using accurate, logically
organized facts
Subgenres include
 Editorials
 Campaign
 Debates
Speeches
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Appeal to Admiration
 Readers
can identify with a spokesperson
or group such as a celebrity or attractive,
successful people
 Authors hope that readers will also see
themselves as well-known, attractive,
wealthy, or successful if they buy services
or products or accept ideas presented
Subgenres include
 Display advertisements
 Classified advertisements
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Appeal to Emotions
 Author
presents information in such a way to make
readers believe that many others feel the same
way
 Often a sense of urgency to take action is
presented
 Often uses animals, rewards, and rhetorical
questions
Subgenres include
 Display advertisements
 Campaign speeches
 Letters of protest
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Appeal to Readers’ Senses
 Authors
hope that slogans and catchy
sayings, music and sound effects, and
repetition of claims and product names
catch readers’ attention
Subgenres include
 Billboards
 Posters
 Advertisements
 Movie
and Music Reviews
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Persuasive Techniques
Writers use many different techniques in advertising
materials.
 Bandwagon
 Testimonial
 Transfer
 Repetition
 Emotional Words
 Plain Folk
 Red Herring
 Yellow Journalism
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Bandwagon (appeals to emotions)
 Writer
tries to persuade people to buy
something because a large number of
other people are buying it. (Everybody is
doing it. Jump on the bandwagon.)
 Example:
“Thousands of people are using
Dazzling Bright Toothpaste…“
 Example: McDonalds
advertises that
billions have been served.
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False Authority (appeals to admiration)
use of authority instead of
evidence


Testimonial

Transfer
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Testimonial (appeal to admiration)
 Makes
use of a statement by some famous
person recommending the product being
sold. A well known star recommends the
products verbally.
 Example:
Joe Jonas is holding a glass of orange
juice and says, “I start each day with orange juice.”
 Example:
Proactive commercials showing P-Diddy,
Jessica Simpson, Katy Perry, etc. talking about the
product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyET522rKMA&feature=channel
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Transfer (appeal to admiration)
 Famous
person doesn’t make a statement
about a product. He/she is just shown with
the product.
 Example:
The “Got Milk?” posters in the
cafeteria.
 Example:
Gatorade commercials in which
famous athletes are drinking Gatorade. Not
SAYING anything about it…just drinking it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0AGiq9j_Ak
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Repetition (appeal to senses)
 Repeating
certain words several times to
help listeners remember products when
they go shopping.
 Example:
Gallery Furniture’s “Mattress
Mack” always says, “Saves you money!”
 Example:
“Beef…it’s what’s for dinner.”
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Repetition:
(appeal to senses)
The name of a product is repeated many
times
HEAD ON
Apply directly to
the forehead
HEAD ON
Apply directly to
the forehead
HEAD ON
Apply directly to
the forehead
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Emotional Words (appeal to emotions)
 Writers
choose particular words that they
think will cause people to have strong
feelings for or against something. (Strong
adjectives.) May also use emotional
images.
 Example:
ASPCA commercials: really sad
pictures of animals while a sad song is
playing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eXfvRcllV8&feature=related
 Example:
Dairy Queen blizzard. “Sweet,
creamy, crunchy– and G-O-O-O-DDD.”
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Plain Folk (appeal to logic)
 Used
in political advertising. Candidates will say
he/she recognizes and understands problems of
average, working middle class citizens.
 Example:
A candidate for office appears in a
commercial with his entire family speaking on his
experiences as a father.
 Example:
Hilton furniture: The entire Hilton family
appears on the commercials. The children even
give information about the product. These things
are shown in order to make customers feel like The
Hiltons are just like their own family.
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Red Herring (appeal to logic)
A
diversion intended to distract attention
from the real issue. (In fox hunting, hunters
would drag a red herring across a trail to
destroy the scent for opponent’s dogs.)
 Example:
H.W. Baldwin said, “There are
many false issues, straw men and red
herrings.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exdK7Lirngg&feature=related
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Journalism (appeal to
logic)
 Slanted
news articles—positive or negative.
Exaggerations, corruptions and false
rumors.
 Example:
A candidate talks about the
private information of their opponent in a
campaign advertisement in order to
convince voters they’re more qualified.
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What persuasive
technique did they use?
 Look
back over the items you rated 1-9.
 What
persuasive techniques did they use to get
your attention?
 Using
your notes and your partner, write down the
name of the persuasive technique used to get your
attention by each item.
 Remember, if
they can get your attention, they have
a better chance at influencing you.