Corey/Messenger
Assignments
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English 302
Persuasive Letter/
Visual Enclosure Document
Tips for Persuasive Letters:
Some tips for writing a good persuasive letter include answering the following questions:
1. What is the name or description of the product or business service that you are trying to
persuade your readers to accept? Alternatively, what is the goal/project in which you
want your employees to participate?
2. What negative points could your readers find in your proposal? Can you agree there is a
downside, but persuade them it is minimal in face of the many benefits they will gain?
3. What specific action should the readers take if they accept what you are persuading them
to do? When and how should they do it? Is there a deadline?
4. What details, specifications, features, or limitations of your proposed product or business
service would your readers immediately question?
5.
Provide that information in your persuasion letter.
6. What are your credentials or past successes and accomplishments? What facts can you
produce to persuade your readers that you yourself are knowledgeable, trustworthy, and
reliable?
7.
What statistics, testimonials, documented evidence, or other proof do you have to
persuade your readers that what you are promoting is essential, invaluable, and promises
to be of great worth to them?
You have two tasks:
1. Write a Persuasive letter using your business as the "author".
Your letter should try to convince customers/clients to do one of the following:
 Try your new service (lawn application; new workout equipment; new style of
checking/savings account; home delivery of medication, etc.)
 Try your new product (new line of pastries, specialty bows and arrows, new clothing line;
new perfume line, etc.)
 Develop a fund-raising drive using a product you offer regularly (sell frozen pizzas, candy,
donuts, etc. to make money for their organization)
 Raise funds for your organization (if you qualify. . . money for animal adoptions;
inoculations for animals; a new bus for your clients; etc.)
 Raise funds for another organization (you want to convince your company to host a blood
drive to benefit a person/organization; or to host a fund-raising drive to raise money for a
person/organization, etc.)
2. Create an Enclosure -- visual document
Your flyer or other type of enclosure will accompany your persuasive letter. This creative
component will need to be just as persuasive as the letter, but will combine both written and
visual elements. Any pictures/photos you use MUST be cited if they come from a source other
than your personal collection or a "free" site. All visuals need to be labeled (below picture caption)
and clearly reflect the persuasive message. Visual may take a form of your choice -- flyer;
bookmark; site map; application form; brief brochure; description (visual and written) of product;
mail back to you card; stickers; etc. I will provide some examples of inserts.
Consider offering an incentive in your persuasion letter (this can be part of your visual enclosure)
such as:
 A time-limited discount



An after-purchase rebate
A no-strings-attached free gift
A generous product guarantee
This visual component should demonstrate the following characteristics:
 Persuasive material
 Appropriate written text
 Appropriate visuals -- photos, charts, tables, clip-art, etc.
 Appropriate and Adequate Information: for example, how to apply for service or product
-- perhaps a tear-off section of the flyer/visual for audience members to fill in and mail to
you.
What to include with your letter and insert:
 Discuss with your group how you intend to construct the letter; what types of techniques
appeal to your customers; what tone do you wish to convey? (rhetorical analysis)
 Write down all your possible suggestions (good and bad), your thoughts, and your final
decision. Hand these notes in with your letter (this is similar to minutes of a meeting)
 Fill out an Audience and Use Profile and hand in with letter.
 Once you have reached a decision, write the sales letter you will send to your customers
 Use your company’s letterhead for the letter
 Look over pages 500-502 in your handbook for help with the structure of the letter.
 Proofread!
Your letter, like all business letters, should use the AIDA plan.
A – Attention
 Make intro paragraph personalized, you-organized. straightforward and relevant
I – Interest
 Continue the opening theme in greater detail and relate what the benefits specifically to
the attention getter. (Emily needs blood to ...)
D – Desire
 Provide proof of your claim and draw attention to your enclosure
A – Action
 Suggest specific steps the audience can take as you restate the audience benefit. Make the
action easy.
Hard copy of Letter and brochure are due Friday Feb. 24