PEEL Approach: Persuasive Writing
Main means of Persuasion:
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Reason
o Appealing to audience’s rationality and logic. Giving your point of view in an
informed and fair manner.
Emotion
o Creating feelings in your audience that lead them to your point of view.
Beliefs
o Using values and beliefs of your audience to build your argument.
PEEL: Point, Evidence, Evaluation, Link
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Makes writing more persuasive and easier to read
Makes argument flow easily and helps the reader see that your point of view is fair and
balanced
Point:
o In the opening sentence, make your point. (Topic sentence)
o Introduces the topic you are about to discuss
Evidence:
o Give evidence to expand upon and support the point you made.
o Includes statistics, research findings, quoting an authority or a primary text, such as
research journals or classic literature.
o Depending on the type of writing and the target audience, you may also use anecdotes
and stories from history or your own experiences to further elaborate your point
Evaluation:
o Evaluate the merits of your point and any evidence against it.
o Shows that you acknowledge and are willing to engage with other points of view
o Rather than undermining your argument, it serves to further strengthen it
o Weighing merits of your point vs others
Link:
o Link your point of the paragraph to your next point.
o Gives good flow to writing and helps create a good overall structure as paragraphs on
similar themes naturally end up together.