Another 12-dollar margarita? Sure, why not?… Persuasion: the art of convincing someone to spend money on the extra 100-dollar protection plan (that they just need to have) to convincing someone to add on the extra side of fries at the restaurant. The power of persuasion is the key to success in today’s society. One can see it plastered over social media, television, and on a simple trip to the super market. Nearly every human encounter includes an attempt to gain influence or to persuade others into our own individual ways of thinking. The ability to persuade is power. As Malcom Gladwell put it in, Why the revolution will not be tweeted:
"The world, we are told, is in the midst of a revolution. The new tools of social media have reinvented social activism. With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coördinate, and give voice to their concerns."
“We Don’t Just Teach Content Marketing — It’s How We Built Our Company”
Founder, Brian Clark was building business with online content since 1998—in the age where online company’s were still a little taboo. After seven years and building an empire of business, Brian made a decision to share his knowledge with the world!
Copyblogger was born.
“Copyblogger started as a simple one-man blog. It evolved into highly profitable company with 8 figures in annual revenue thanks to useful content, smart copywriting, and exceptional products and services. No advertising. No venture capital. No outbound sales team. Just $1,000 in seed cash and a whole lot of time and effort spent teaching others how to do online marketing that works.” (Clark)
Copyblogger now consists of numerous blogs written by different marketing sales consultants. They persuade people to create better (or the best) online content for personal or business purposes.
Clark also states, “Every product we’ve released was conceived from the practical, real-world needs we see every day in our audience. But our mission has never changed: We’re here to help you create the kind of audience-focused content that helps you reach your business goals.”
***
Since Copyblogger consists of multiple bloggers, I chose one specific blog by a woman named Henneke Duistermaat. The blog post is titled: 58 Ways to Create Persuasive Content Your Audience Will Love.
Link to her blog: https://www.copyblogger.com/persuasive-content-marketing/
So, it’s basically a blog post to persuade you to be a more persuasive writer.
Duistermaat starts her post with a savvy question for her audience : Would you like to become a better writer?
My mind was shouting like a wrestling crowd when Daniel Bryan steps into the ring: YES YES YES! Henneke automatically hooks any reader who wants to improve their writing skills and anyone who wants to learn how to be more persuasive. Students would appeal to this blog in order to write better persuasive essays for school. Business owners would benefit from the marketing aspect of writing persuasively. For example, some small business might want to improve the content of their website or the text they use in the emails or flyers they send out.
Duistermaat quotes, “You are about to become a writer that’s incredibly persuasive and completely unforgettable. Ready?”
She eludes the audience with a simple promise: THEY WILL be a more persuasive writer by the end of her blog post.
She goes over seven main topics in her post and breaks down the 58 “items” under the main categories. Now, I don’t want to bore anyone by listing off each category with a point she proves. Go read the blog for yourself (it’s mostly bullet points and very interesting). Duistermaat begins her post by teaching someone how to streamline their content. She persuades the point of ending the content with an energizing closing paragraph. She states that “a few kick-ass lines” at the end of content will inspire readers or customers to change their beliefs. This leads her into the ideas that a writer must “command attention” and “be specific” with their audience.
Throughout the blog post Duistermaat is teaching the reader how to use persuasion techniques in writing (that’s kind of what she wants you to think). However, the reader doesn’t realize is that Duisermaat is really persuading her audience to be a better writer! While she does include a lot of valuable pointers and content about persuasive writing, she also provides valid reasons of why everyone should be writing this way.
She wraps up the article with the topic of “How to self-edit so you don’t look dumb”. Now, I know there are students in my English classes that still don’t proof read their own papers (I have overheard them). Although proof reading might not be for everyone, Duistermaat dedicates points 45-59 all to proof reading one’s own work. She ends the post:
"The harsh reality of becoming a very good writer:
You’re smart. You have good ideas. And to spread your ideas you need mind-blowingly good content, because too much information is out there.
I’m not saying you can become a remarkable writer instantly. You need to practice each day. You need to focus. And you need to be prepared for criticism.
But if you persevere, if you focus on becoming enchanting, persuasive, and memorable, you can succeed.
Set your goals. Just do it.”
She ends the blog posts encouraging feedback and comments from the audience, which is incredibly inviting and interactive. I will definitely be reading more bloggers from Copyblogger and I will look out for specific posts by Duistermaat, herself. The blog intrigues me because I have a passion for writing and public relations. It persuades me to have a stronger writing style and motivates me to reach my goals in an online marketing career.
About the author.
Link to Copyblogger: https://www.copyblogger.com
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