Do You Know How to Convince Your Readers?

Our host today is Spyros Panagiotopoulos. If you're interested in getting in front of the readers of Site Sketch 101, check out our guest posting invitation here.

Becoming an authority in your area of expertise, is about making people believe in what you are saying to them. There will be sometimes that you have to communicate very interesting ideas and others where your ideas will just be mediocre. Even the best blogging experts in the world have bad or average ideas.

However, what they know very well is how to disguise their writings so that readers feel enthusiastic, even without any real reason. Journalists are into this game already. It’s the same with lawyers. They need to fully understand and work on the various methods to convince people on any argument. Most times, it’s not the argument that matters, it’s the way you present it to others. Happens with the world, happens with online marketing as well.

6 Really Effective Ways to Convince People

Every one of us has already been convinced on each one of these methods at least once. If you begin to observe, you will notice them all the time. What about using them too ? I can assure you that they will be a great weapon for your blogging arsenal.

1. Providing the expert/authority source

Imagine that there were two arguments about which is the best vegetable to be used as salad seasoning. These arguments belong to two different persons, one being a cook and the other being a food industry salesman. Who would you rather believe? The cook, of course. People always believe the experts. Therefore, if you want to prove something, refer to the authority’s words.

2. Appeal to Reader’s Emotion

A fundamental marketing component is stimulating people’s emotions. Establish awe, compassion or even anger. Isn’t it what news on television or elsewhere always do ? “People are starving while the government is not doing much about it”. Anger and Rage is stimulated and thus people really believe that people around are starving, even if this is massively an exaggeration.

3. Explain Why You Are Trustworthy Using Solid Arguments.Credibility matters.

People feel much better trusting who they already know or buying from well known and trusted vendors. Why would it be different in your case ? If you are trying to convince people about something, they will be much more easier to follow you if you explain to them why you are a credible person.

Proof matters a lot in this occasion. Suppose that you have a hunting related blog and you need to support your claim that “rabbits are easier to hunt than birds” (seriously, I have no idea, I can only hunt cockroaches at night). Show them that you are an experienced hunter. Some images would do wonders at this point.

4. Use Logical Arguments and Proof

This is probably the most straightforward method to convince people. Just use arguments that are so logical that people cannot really argue about them. Statistical data, scientific evidence or published research results would do the trick. Solid proof leads to common convictions.

5. Compliment The Reader

Let’s be a bit cunning now. Who doesn’t like to be complimented ? Raise your hands please. No hands ? Ok, got the point. This method has to be subtle. Convince your readers by complimenting them a bit.

You could do it like : “As an experienced blogger you would recognize that hitting on women publicly is a great way to boost your blog traffic. ” Well, what you say there might not really be the case, but since you think that i am an experienced blogger, you know what ? You are probably right on that argument about blog traffic.

6. Attack Your Opponent

I have to state that this is actually a method that I do not like to use, but I wanted you to at least know about it. This method is not about attacking the argument itself, but the actual person supporting the argument. Think about it a little bit. You will have certainly noticed that in television commercials. A company is attacking another one, based on a single argument.

To illustrate, think of the question : “Which TV network has the most High Definition Channels?” Does that ring any bell ? It is an actual commercial shown in the U.S. currently. A well known TV network company attacks two competitors based on this exact argument, thus convincing the watchers that they are better than them. In the end, it is all about establishing trust and emotions.

Whether you are marketing products, services or plain words (as it so happens for your blog), you need to be trusted and you need to unset people emotions. Do this well and then make a call for action. Ahh, I’m Calling For Action ! Did I do it well in this post ? Was I able to invoke, or even provoke any feelings ? Let’s find out ..

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12 Vibrant Comments

We would love to hear yours!


  1. May 15, 2010

    Ron Leyba said:

    Thanks for this post Spyros Panagiotopoulos. Pretty long name huh! And yeah, I typed it correctly, I think.

    I love the last tip actually from all the above list. It really creates this kind of buzz that come from different angle.
    My Latest Blog Post: Make Money With Twitter


  2. May 15, 2010

    Dev @ Blogging Tips said:

    Hey Spyros :D

    I really like the 3 and 6 point. “Attack Your Opponent” awesome point !!
    Anyways, other tips are good as well. Nice Post.

    Thanks for this great post.
    My Latest Blog Post: Interview with Rob Rammuny – Living Internet Lifestyle


  3. May 15, 2010

    Onibalusi Bamidele said:

    Wow! Great post Spyros!

    No 4 is the easiest, people want proof of what you do. If they could really see you are excelling at it then they will put their trust on you.

    BTW: Your link is not in the author bio, Is it intentional?

    Thanks a lot for the great post,
    -Onibalusi


    • May 15, 2010

      Spyros said:

      Thank you Onibalusi :)

      Yes, 4 is the easiest to do but can sometimes be hard to provide evidence, if you are arguing about something that is kinda subjective.

      About the author bio, it is not intentional, it is a mistake (on my side). I’ve notified Nicholas, i’m sure he will fix that soon.
      My Latest Blog Post: 5 Reasons Why You Need to Outsource


  4. May 15, 2010

    Noah Rainey said:

    Spyros great post. I enjoyed these six points on how you can convince people. I think a great way to convince someone is your 5th point… everyone loves to be complimented.
    My Latest Blog Post: 25 Ways on How to Make Money Online


  5. May 15, 2010

    Jorgen Sundberg said:

    Good post Spyros! I think number 2 is the most powerful of them all but also the hardest to convey in a blog post. And your surname is cool by the way :-)
    My Latest Blog Post: How to Breathe Life into Your Twitter Bio


    • May 15, 2010

      Spyros said:

      Exactly Jorgen, along with providing solid proof, appealing to emotion can be tricky as well. However, if done correctly, it can lead to people really being convinced on what you say.

      And thank you about the remark for my surname. Appreciate that :D (i’m told that kinda scarcely :P )
      My Latest Blog Post: 5 Reasons Why You Need to Outsource