Persuasive Essay Outline - A Guide To Ace Your Grade

A persuasive essay is written to convince the reader of the writer’s point of view. The writer presents relevant and convincing evidence to persuade the reader about the topic and his stance about it.

You can use emotional sentences to persuade the reader, but it becomes more convincing when your case is presented with facts and supporting evidence.

For your paper to be logical and organized, you must learn how to write a persuasive essay outline.

1. Persuasive Essay Outline Template

The outline for a persuasive essay is similar to the typical five-paragraph outline, as followed by other types of essay. Follow this structure to ensure you craft a good persuasive paper.

• Introduction
• Body Paragraph 1
• Body Paragraph 2
• Body Paragraph 3
• Conclusion

The number of body paragraphs can vary according to the chosen topic. Before starting your essay, remember that your goal is to persuade your reader. Make sure that you have chosen a topic that is broad enough to create an argument.

Do not choose a narrow topic for your essay. You cannot convince anyone unless there is a valid and detailed argument in your essay.

The prerequisite of drafting the outline is to have an interesting essay topic to write on. While you can choose any topic for your persuasive essay. It is important that you feel strongly about it and have a solid opinion related to it. Only then you will be able to write a convincing essay.

If you haven't decided on a topic yet, here's our blog on a wide list of persuasive essay topics for you to choose from.

2. How to Write a Persuasive Essay Outline

Writing outline for a persuasive essay can be made easier if you just follow a few easy steps. Following are the three components you need to discuss in your essay.

2.1 Introduction

The outline of a persuasive essay starts with the introductory paragraph. The purpose of a persuasive essay introduction is to both engage and educate the reader. The introduction of your essay should be catchy to grab the attention of readers making them want to read further.

• Start with a Hook

  Start your essay with an interesting hook to grab the reader's attention. You can also start your essay with an interesting fact related to your topic. Facts always create interest regarding the topic and they are concrete proof of your viewpoint. Presenting the facts displays your knowledge and makes your task of persuasion easy.

  Write strong statements and support your case with phrases and words that are forceful and definite. Sometimes, it is necessary to write strong and direct statements to convince your readers. Vague statements and ambiguous words will only confuse your audience; be direct and distinct.

  There are different types of hooks ranging from quotes, anecdotes to rhetorical questions and statistics. It all depends on how you present your case when focusing on persuasive writing. Learn more about enticing opening lines from our detailed blog on hook examples .

• Focus on your Target Audience

  Writing according to the target audience matters a lot. Determine your audience before you start writing. The goal is to persuade the readers; how can you do that if you are not aware of who will be reading your essay?

  Writing for kids and adults is different than writing for elderly people. Similarly, there are certain groups that will be sensitive to some issues and talking to them about those may land you in serious trouble. Choose your topic according to the people you are targeting.

  It will help you address your issue in an effective manner. Also, inform the reader about the topic, present some background information, just enough to build their interest and not bore them with excess information.

• Write a Thesis Statement

  A thesis statement is written at the end of the introduction. This statement summarizes the main idea that you are going to present in your essay and the purpose of choosing that specific topic.

  The thesis statement will form the base of your entire essay, including the points that will be further discussed in the body paragraphs. Write a strong thesis statement that conveys the exact idea of your essay.

  Here is an example of a good persuasive thesis statement:

  “People have become lazier and have stopped thinking for themselves due to being overly dependent on technology.”

  You can find some more interesting examples and tips on how to write a thesis statement on this blog. Go check it out!

2.2 Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs discuss the issue in detail, using facts and supporting evidence. The number of paragraphs depends on the topic and its scope. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea and its supporting claims.

The content written in the body paragraphs will prove your stance and decide whether the readers will support your topic or go against it.

Here is how you can support your arguments in the body paragraphs.

• Provide facts

  It is easy to convince someone if you present credible facts related to that specific issue.

• Statistics

  Just like facts, statistics will also be a solid proof to back your argument. Make sure that you are collecting authentic facts and statistics.

• Use Quotes

  Use quotes from credible sources. This will increase the reliability of your writing, if you have some solid and authentic name mentioned and quoted in your essay, it will display your level of being informed and learned about the respective topic.

• Examples

  Give real-life examples that are relevant to the topic. Real-life examples help readers relate to the situation and see your perspective in HD, high definition.

  Always start your body paragraph with a topic sentence. That topic sentence will be the summary of the idea presented in that particular paragraph. Every paragraph should have a different and relevant idea. Do not add multiple ideas in a single paragraph, it will create confusion and disrupt your essay's structure.

  The body outline of a persuasive essay will look something like:

  Paragraph 1

  Topic sentence 1 - supporting evidence

  Paragraph 2

  Topic sentence 2 - supporting evidence

  .

  .

  .

  Paragraph n

  Topic sentence n - supporting evidence

  The number of paragraphs will depend on the requirements specified by your instructor, or the complexity of your topic.

2.3 Conclusion

By the time you reach the conclusion of your essay, you have already discussed and explained everything in the body paragraphs. The conclusion is written to give closure to the argument by reinforcing what is already discussed in the essay.

Start your conclusion by restating your thesis statement, important points and supporting arguments. Remember to stick to what you have added in the essay and do not try to be creative by introducing new ideas or evidence, it will backfire. Add what has been discussed, and proved, in the essay and stick to it. To make your conclusion more effective, add a personal comment related to the topic and engage readers by leaving something to ponder on.

3. Persuasive Essay Format

To clarify the outline in a detailed manner, here is a sample persuasive essay format you can follow for writing your essay.

Font

12 pt. Times New Roman, 16 pt. for title headlines

Spacing

double-spaced page or 1.5

Alignment

Justified

Persuasive Essay Structure

1. Introduction
   • Hook Sentence
   • Background information
   • Thesis statement
2. Body paragraphs
   • Argument no. 1 – Supporting evidence
   • Argument no. 2 – Supporting evidence
   • Argument no.3 – Supporting evidence
3. Conclusion
   • Summary of the key points
   • Restate thesis statement
   • Importance of argument
   • Call to action

Word count

Minimum 500, depending on the teacher’s requirements

3.1 Persuasive Essay Outline Example (PDF)

3.2 Persuasive Essay Outline Worksheet (PDF)

3.3 Global Warming Persuasive Essay Outline (PDF)

Now you are aware of the basic steps involved in writing persuasive essay outline. To learn about these steps in depth, and for additional information for writing a persuasive essay, head on to our complete guide on how to write a persuasive essay.

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