Top 10 Tips On How To Choose The Best Persuasive Essay Topics And How To Write Effectively

Before even starting to pick a topic for your persuasive essay, it is important to understand what it is all about. This will guide you in writing this particular type of essay and become successful on it. Persuasive essay requires you to choose your position on a specific issue and persuade readers to agree with you and disagree with the other side. If you were asked by your teacher or professor to write a persuasive essay, don’t fret, as these guidelines will help you in choosing the best persuasive essay topics to write and how to effectively write one.

10. Brainstorm on Ideas

You might be overwhelmed by the task that has been given to you. But breathe, relax and tell yourself that you can do it. Other students have succeeded in writing effective persuasive essays, so you can also do the same. The first thing you need to do is to brainstorm on topics that you can write about. List down all the topics that you could use on your essay. This could be issue that you are interested about and that you think will spark the interest of readers. To make your essay fresh, stay away from overused topics. Search the web for these overused topics so you would know what to remove from your list. You may also search for good topics to write so you will get great ideas that you may include on your topic list.

9. Ask Others for Input

Once done with your list, choose the topics that you would really love to write about. This would be your final topic list. To make it easier for you to choose the best topic for your essay, ask your friends, family and people that you think will give you a good advice. Get their input and see what they have to say on your topics. You may also ask their sides on the specific topic that they picked and get the reasons why they chose it. This will give you more ideas and it will make you understand better about the subjects on your list. Plus, there could be things that you might discover from their answers, which will give you a clearer view on the topics to choose from.

8. Choose Your Final Topic and Decide on the Side to Support

After considering the inputs of people you trust, it’s time to deliberate on which topic to use for your persuasive essay. Once done with selecting the topic to write, choose which side you will support. You can be on the “pro” or “anti” side. You need to take a stand that you believe in so you can defend it. Do not pick a side just because someone told you to do so. Each person has his own opinion. And in writing a persuasive essay, the most important opinion that you need to consider is yours. The ideas that you got from others by asking them will help you in pointing out why the reader’s must side with you and not with the other.

7. Determine Your Audience

Determining your audience and their position on the topic will help you in writing a good essay. For instance, if your target audience is senior students, you may conduct an interview on them and determine their take on the issue. Ideas from students that are on the same side as you can be used for strengthening your arguments. Comments from those that support the opposite side can also help you. By learning about their stand on the issue, you can find ways on how to prove to them why they are wrong and persuade them into changing their minds, which is the main goal of writing the essay.

6. Start Your Research

Once you have a clear idea on what topic to write, which side to choose and got helpful ideas from your prospective readers, start your research. Learn about the issue that you are writing about. Diligent research is needed, as this will determine the content that you will write on your paper. Get to know everything that there is to know about the subject.

5. Get Facts

Search for facts that will support your stand on the topic. This is needed, as this will make your position stronger. Look for studies, researches and documents that support your claim. Readers are more likely to believe you if there are facts that would back up your claims.

4. Separate Arguments Based on Values

This does not mean that everything should always be based on facts. There are arguments that you may include on your essay that are based on your values. For instance, if the topic is about “pre-marital sex”, you may say that it is better to save your virginity for the person that you will marry. This is something that is based on your value, but you may include this on your argument. Make sure to separate those that are based on facts and those that are based on values. Also, include an explanation that will backup these arguments.

3. Make a Draft of the Essay

Now that you have a deeper knowledge on the topic and you have the facts and arguments to include, it is time to write the draft of the essay. Ask for the format from your teacher or professor. If you were asked to follow your own format, you may search online for standard formats that you can follow in writing persuasive essay. Most persuasive essays have the introductory paragraph, which gets the readers’ attention, as well as provide an overview of the content. Next is the body, which contains the facts and supporting information. Next will be the opposing view part, in which views of the opposition will be listed then countered. The last part is the concluding paragraph, which reiterates your side and its evidences.

2. Edit the Essay

Read your essay once more and revise anything that needs to be changed. This is your chance to correct all the errors including spelling and grammar. You want your paper to be free from any of these mistakes as a poorly written essay may affect its effectiveness.

1. Have Someone to Proofread It

Though you have the revised essay on your own, it is still better to ask someone that is good on this area to proofread your work. There could be errors that the person would see, which you overlooked. Through this, you can be sure that your essay is perfectly written.