As Calvino’s pen teaches us in the incipit of “If on a winter’s night a traveler”, for persuasive writing it is first of all necessary to make the reader feel at the centre , to make him the protagonist in the reading and in the choices that follow from it.

Relax. Collect yourself. Remove all other thoughts from you. […] It is better to close the door; in there the television is always on. Tell the others right away: «I am reading! I do not want to be disturbed […] I am starting to read the new novel by Italo Calvino!» […]

Get into the most comfortable position: sitting, lying down, curled up, lying down. Lying on your back, on your side, on your stomach. In an armchair, on the sofa, in a rocking chair, in a deck chair, on a pouf. In a hammock if you have a hammock. On the bed, of course, or in the bed. You can also lie upside down, in a yoga position. With the book upside down, of course. […]

That said, the rest of the persuasion effort is entrusted to the word and the order of ideas.

Persuasive Writing for the Web and Beyond

We have not invented anything new with copywriting for the web, Cicero (106-43 BC) already listed in his De inventione (without any reference viber database to the web, obviously!) the 5 fundamental phases of the art of speaking :

1. inventio : the ability to find convincing arguments;
2. dispositio : their distribution in the speech;
3. elocutio : the careful choice of the most appropriate words and phrases;
4. memory : the tenacious and coherent presence of arguments and words in thought;
5. pronuntiatio : the ability to regulate one’s voice, tone, appearance, and gesture in a pleasant way.

The purchase of a product, as well as the reasons that lead to a choice, the approval of an idea or the acceptance of imposed conditions/rules cannot be separated from the satisfaction of a need/necessity or the resolution of a problem .

This also means putting people at the center.

The choice of terminology and tone advanced management for retail with multiple stores of voice must always go hand in hand with the impression we want to give of ourselves , of the brand or of the product, but also and above all with the target of our reader.

Too often, the search for complex sentences takes more time than it gains , simplicity – in its complexity – represents perfection.

Less is more – It’s hard to be simple.

Paul Le Roux: Persuasive Writing and Landing Pages

In 1988 Paul Le Roux presented to the public the book “Presenting to Convince. Presentation Strategies ” in which he set out his theory of the 7 stages of conviction .

7 phases just as there were 7 rules of lack data persuasive communication by Robert Cialdini, but more than rules in this case it is about text structure, argumentation and timing; dispositio we could say.

Le Roux recommends a textual structure called “funnel” which includes – in order – 7 consecutive phases:

1. OVERVIEW . Framing the problem and placing it in context.
2. PROBLEM/NEED . From the general to the particular,
3. IDEA/SOLUTION . Explanation of the idea or proposed solution.
4. EVIDENCE . Facts, statistics, objective data, expert opinions, specific cases, examples… social proof.
5. ADVANTAGES . From the general to the specific, highlighting the advantages – consequent to the action – for the individual reader.
6. SUMMARY . Brief summary of what has been said.
7. ACTION (CTA and Call To Action)

The final goal, to reach which we have established the whole discourse.