4 P's of Persuasion

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What are the 4 P's of Persuasion? Meaning.

4 P's of Persuasion is a framework to formulate persuasive written messages.

The 4 P's of Persuasion consist of a framework designed for written communication typically used by journalists although also applied in marketing, advertising and corporate communication. It might be used also in oral communication such as video or audio messages. The 4 P's of Persuasion are a persuasive technique that suggests to stress some critical points, the 4P's, to generate convincing, forceful, powerful, seductive and strong messages. See also: Persuasion Theory and Persuasion Principles.

The 4P's stand for Promise, Picture, Proof, and Push:

• Promise: the first part or phase of a text has to grasp the attention of target receivers. The promise should be contained in the headline and then continued in the aperture of a message. The promise, and thus the headline of a written message, is the most important part because it is the first chance to bring a reader to read your message. The promise should contain the most important reasons why a reader should read your text.
• Picture: in this stage the promise and its benefits are explained in more detail with a descriptive language that should stimulate visual memorization: a reader starts imagining pictures representing the content of the message. An effective way is to describe benefits and let the reader imagine them in his specific context; for example, if the text is promoting an armchair, the reader imagines himself sitting in a comfortable armchair. In the Picture phase a writer leverages images description to keep a reader emotionally interested in the content.
• Proof: here the reasoning is supported with proof, using statistics, research, graphs, charts, testimonials or any other supporting tool. Preferably provided by third parties. Here it is fundamental to demonstrate that the benefits that were  promised will be truly delivered. In the reader’s mind the focus shifts from an emotional to a rational interest needed to achieve a full acceptance of the message . The acceptance could be the purchase of a product, the endorsement of an attitude or a behavior, etc… Many commercial messages fail at this stage because they lack credible proof that can support the first two phases of the message.
• Push: this phase should deliver an exceptional offer, and then ask in a direct way for a purchase or action by the reader. The push is obviously a key part of any persuasive written message. In this final part of the message the reader should realize the business sense of your proposal as it has been meant by the writer. Any persuasive message must take the push-ending into consideration from the beginning. And when it is time to push, at the closing, it is needed to draw connection lines between your promise, its benefits, glowing pictures, strong supporting evidence and the concrete actions required to start enjoying the benefits. The push phase is aimed at explaining once again and, in a more explicit way, why the reader should do what your asking. The key of persuasion is understanding: so make sure your target has really understood what you are trying to tell. If a text is delivered to the right target and the arguments supporting the message are strong and understood, the acceptance is likely to follow. A common mistake of many sales and marketing people is to assume their prospect have understood.

Forum Forum about the Four Ps of Persuasion. Below you can ask a question about this topic, share your experiences, report a new development, or explain something. Start a new topic about Four Ps of Persuasion Share your knowledge here (or ask a question)   🔥 NEW Four Characteristics of Persuasive Writing Almost all of us had to write at a point in time a persuasive paper, such as a dissertation, white paper, or sales proposition. Generally, a persuasive paper 1. Should achieve a goal 2. By covering... 6   Execution of the 4 P's of Persuasion Makes it Work I agree with the wonderful presentation of these 4 P principles. The only problem I see often, is people don't implement the same or falsely believe they are following it, but in reality they don't. ... 6   1 comments Should Push in 4 Ps of Persuasion be Excluded? I do see the difference between proof and push. When proofing, I should advance convincing evidence and statistics in a compelling manner. Once that is done why do I need to push? The pushing makes ro... 6   2 comments How to Write an Outstanding Sales Introduction Email On one hand, the first introduction email to potential customers should be concise and direct. On the other hand you need to make it genuine and different and not something the client sees everyday i... 5   Four Ps of Persuasion are Too Logical It seems these 4 steps rely heavily on building up a logical reason for action. When "want" battles "need" for supremecy you can double down on your bets for "want". Wants are so rarely logical and ye... 4   4 P's of Persuasion also for Negotiation? Do those 4 Ps work for negotiation as well?... 3   1 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about the Four Ps of Persuasion. Here you will find professional advices by experts. How to Persuade Venture Capitalists? Stage Presence Storytelling, Corporate Pitch, Pitching an Idea, Entrepreneurship, Assessing Pitches, Showrunners, Artists, Neophytes How do you deliver a very good pitch for some business idea or venture you want to sell? Kimberly D. Elsbach, who has a... How to Learn to Persuade Other People Persuasion, Teaching Persuasion Strategy With reference to learning persuasion strategy, I would like to suggest that with the four stages of persuasion (Promise...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding the Four Ps of Persuasion. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. 40 Proven Ways to Be Persuasive Persuasion Techniques, Persuasion Theory Interesting presentation that describes 50 scientifically proven ways to be persuasive. 1. Six Universal Principles of ...

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Compare with: Pyramid Principle  |  Bait and Switch  |  Validity Effect

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