Explore the perยญsuaยญsion definยญiยญtion, meanยญing, and ethics.
Persuasion is a funยญdaยญmentยญal pubยญlic relaยญtions (PR) concept, serving as the cornerยญstone of many PR strategies and campaigns.
Persuasion is the art and sciยญence of influยญenยญcing peopleโs attiยญtudes, beliefs, and behaยญviours towards a parยญticยญuยญlar idea, cause, or product.
Here we go:
Persuasion Definition
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Persuasion Definition
Persuasion is a term with negยญatยญive conยญnotaยญtions. However, we must all be perยญsuasยญive to get our mesยญsage across.
Persuasion = the delibยญerยญate effort to influยญence attiยญtudes, beliefs, behaยญviours, or decisions through reasยญonยญing, emoยญtionยญal appeal, or othยญer straยญtegic comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion methods.
Please note: Persuasion is not about coaxยญing anyยญone into comยญpliยญance because thatโs manipยญuยญlaยญtion or coerยญcion, not persuasion.
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Persuasion Meaning
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Persuasion Meaning (With Examples from PR)
Persuasion in pubยญlic relaยญtions (PR) is not about manipยญuยญlaยญtion or decepยญtion; instead, itโs about presentยญing comยญpelยญling arguยญments and informยญaยญtion that resยญonยญate with the tarยญget audiยญence, encourยญaging them to see things from a parยญticยญuยญlar perยญspectยญive. Itโs about creยญatยญing an engaยญging and conยญvinยญcing narยญratยญive that aligns with the audienceโs valยญues and interests while advanยญcing an organisationโs goals.
PR proยญfesยญsionยญals employ perยญsuaยญsion as a critยญicยญal tool to influยญence pubยญlic opinยญion. We careยญfully craft mesยญsages that appeal to the emoยญtions, valยญues, and needs of our stakeยญholdยญers, influยญenยญcers, and pubยญlics. We use storytelling, comยญpelยญling visuยญals, and othยญer perยญsuaยญsion techยญniques to make these mesยญsages more impactยญful. We also leverยญage the power of social proof, showยญcasยญing endorseยญments from respecยญted figยญures or testiยญmoยญniยญals from satยญisยญfied cusยญtomยญers to enhance the credยญibยญilยญity of our message.
Moreover, PR proยญfesยญsionยญals use straยญtegic timยญing and placeยญment to ensure that our mesยญsages reach the audiยญence when they are most receptยญive. By skillยญfully applyยญing these and othยญer perยญsuasยญive techยญniques, we can sway pubยญlic opinยญion in favour of an organยญisaยญtion, enhanยญcing its repuยญtaยญtion and influence.
Example: โReal Beautyโ by Dove
One of the most sucยญcessยญful PR camยญpaigns that effectยญively used perยญsuaยญsion is Doveโs โReal Beautyโ camยญpaign. Launched in 2004, the camยญpaign sought to chalยญlenge the traยญdiยญtionยญal beauty standยญards porยญtrayed in the media and proยญmote a more inclusยญive definยญiยญtion of beauty.
By feaยญturยญing women of difยญferยญent sizes, ages, and ethยญniยญcitยญies in their advertยญiseยญments, Dove appealed to the emoยญtions (pathos) of the audiยญence and sparked a globยญal conยญverยญsaยญtion about body posยญitยญivยญity and self-esteem.
The camยญpaign also demonยญstrated Doveโs comยญmitยญment to its brand valยญues (ethยญos) and presenยญted a comยญpelยญling arguยญment (logos) for redeยญfinยญing beauty.
The sucยญcess of the โReal Beautyโ camยญpaign can be attribยญuted to sevยญerยญal factors:
Example: โShare a Cokeโ by Coca-Cola
Another notยญable example is the โShare a Cokeโ camยญpaign by Coca-Cola.
Launched in 2011 in Australia and later rolled out globยญally, the camยญpaign involved replaยญcing the Coca-Cola logo on bottles and cans with famยญous names, invitยญing conยญsumers to โShare a Cokeโ with someone they know. This camยญpaign effectยญively used pathos by creยญatยญing a perยญsonยญal conยญnecยญtion with conยญsumers and logos by encourยญaging sharยญing, which aligns with the brandโs valยญues of bringยญing people together.
The โShare a Cokeโ camยญpaign was sucยญcessยญful due to its innovยญatยญive and perยญsonยญalยญised approach:
Persuasion and Professional Integrity
To sucยญceed with perยญsuaยญsion techยญniques in pubยญlic relaยญtions, abide by these principles:
The power of perยญsuaยญsion lies in its abilยญity to conยญnect, engage, and influยญence. The tool transยญforms mesยญsages into comยญpelยญling narยญratยญives, brands into trusยญted names, and audiยญences into loyยญal communities.
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Persuasion Ethics
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Persuasion Ethics
Persuasion is about getยญting someone to comยญply because they want to. A manipยญuยญlatยญor always has his best self-interest in mind, whereยญas a perยญsuader must see the world through the eyes of others.
โPR means telling the truth and workยญing ethยญicยญallyโโโeven when all the media want is headยญlines and all the pubยญlic wants is scapeยญgoats. Public relaยญtions fails when there is no integยญrity.โ
โ Viv Segal
Please note: Persuasion is not about coaxยญing anyยญone into comยญpliยญance because thatโs manipยญuยญlaยญtion or coerยญcion, not persuasion.
Be a perยญsuader. Not a manipulator.
Learn more: Persuasion Definition, Meaning, and Ethics
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The Golden Rule of Persuasion
The Golden Rule of Persuasion
The golden rule for being perยญsuasยญive is straightforward:
You have to put in the work, period.
Learn more: The Golden Rule of Persuasion
Persuasion Techniques
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Persuasion Techniques
Persuasion techยญniques can be applied in variยญous conยญtexts, includยญing pubยญlic relaยญtions, marยญketยญing, sales, politยญics, and interยญperยญsonยญal comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion, to perยญsuade othยญers effectively.
Here are examples of perยญsuaยญsion techniques:
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Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Persuasion
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Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Three Classical Modes of Persuasion
โAristotleโs three modes of rhetยญorยญicยญal perยญsuaยญsion are ethยญos, pathos, and logos, which are based on morยญal comยญpetยญence, emoยญtionยญal appeal, and reasยญon.โ
Source: Sino-US English Teaching 7Lin, W. (2019). Three Modes of Rhetorical Persuasion. Sino-US English Teaching. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ7โ2โ6โ5โ/โ1โ539โโโ8072โ2019.03.003
Ethos, pathos, and logos are three modes of perยญsuaยญsion recogยญnised since ancient Greece, and they play an essenยญtial role in pubยญlic relations.
In PR, these three modes of perยญsuaยญsion are often comยญbined to creยญate comยญpelยญling mesยญsages that resยญonยญate with the audiยญence on mulยญtiple levels. 8Modes of perยญsuaยญsion. (2023, September 27). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โMโoโdโeโsโ_โoโfโ_โpโeโrโsโuโaโsโion
By underยญstandยญing and applyยญing the prinยญciples of ethยญos, pathos, and logos, PR proยญfesยญsionยญals can craft mesยญsages that resยญonยญate deeply with their audiยญence, drivยญing action and fosยญterยญing lastยญing relationships.
Learn more: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Public Relations
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Robert Cialdini: Six Principles of Persuasion
Influence
Robert B. Cialdini pubยญlished โInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasionโ in 1984, and his prinยญciples of influยญence are widely cited. They provide a frameยญwork for underยญstandยญing how people are perยญsuaded, and pubยญlic relaยญtions, advertยญising, and sales proยญfesยญsionยญals often use them. 9Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: The psyยญchoยญlogy of perยญsuaยญsion (Rev. ed.). HarperCollins.
Here are Cialdiniโs six principles:
These prinยญciples are powerยญful tools for perยญsuaยญsion and can be used indiยญviduยญally or in comยญbinยญaยญtion to influยญence perยญcepยญtions and behaviours.
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Jonah Berger: Word-of-Mouth Concepts
Contagious
Jonah Berger, a marยญketยญing proยญfessยญor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, proยญposed six key conยญcepts in his book โContagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Ageโ (also known as โContagious: Why Things Catch Onโ) that make ideas or products go virยญal or โstick.โ 10Berger, J. (2014). Contagious: How to build word of mouth in the digitยญal age. Simon & Schuster.
These conยญcepts are:
These conยญcepts can be used to craft mesยญsages and camยญpaigns more likely to be shared and spread, leadยญing to more effectยญive comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion and marยญketยญing efforts.
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PR Resource: Persuasion
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Spinโs PR School: Free Persuasion PR Course
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Persuasion in Public Relations
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Annotations
1 | Silfwer, J. (2019, July 26). The Power of Artificial Scarcity. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โaโrโtโiโfโiโcโiโaโlโ-โsโcโaโrโcโiโty/ |
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2 | Silfwer, J. (2023, December 17). The Halo Effect: Why Attractiveness Matters in PR. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โhโaโlโoโ-โeโfโfโeโct/ |
3 | Silfwer, J. (2023, December 3). Framing in PR: How To Bypass Confirmation Bias. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โfโrโaโmโiโnโgโ-โiโnโ-โpr/ |
4 | Silfwer, J. (2023, December 3). Priming in PR: The Subtle Art of Pre-Suasion. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โpโrโiโmโiโnโgโ-โiโnโ-โpr/ |
5 | Silfwer, J. (2013, February 7). 10 Storytelling Elements (Found in Almost All Great Stories). Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โsโtโoโrโyโtโeโlโlโiโnโgโ-โeโlโeโmโeโnโts/ |
6 | Silfwer, J. (2023, December 4). The Bandwagon Effect: Momentum Is Everything | PR Theory. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โbโaโnโdโwโaโgโoโnโ-โeโfโfโeโct/ |
7 | Lin, W. (2019). Three Modes of Rhetorical Persuasion. Sino-US English Teaching. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ7โ2โ6โ5โ/โ1โ539โโโ8072โ2019.03.003 |
8 | Modes of perยญsuaยญsion. (2023, September 27). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โMโoโdโeโsโ_โoโfโ_โpโeโrโsโuโaโsโion |
9 | Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: The psyยญchoยญlogy of perยญsuaยญsion (Rev. ed.). HarperCollins. |
10 | Berger, J. (2014). Contagious: How to build word of mouth in the digitยญal age. Simon & Schuster. |