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Persuasive Essay Outline: Guide on Structure & Examples

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A persuasive essay is a type of academic writing that implies convincing a reader to accept the arguments. Students may use an emotional style that will make readers follow your ideas. But an organized persuasive essay outline is required as well. It will help to develop a clear position and divide your paper into theses that will look persuasive. You should draw some basic paper’s structure up before you start writing. This way, you will have an organized outline in front and won’t miss any important details. In this guide, we will tell you why it is important to make an outline for any persuasive essay, and what parts it consists of. Besides, you will find several templates and examples prepared by our essay writers.  

What Is a Persuasive Essay Outline and Why Is It Important?

A persuasive essay outline is a basic map of your writing that shows the number of paragraphs and how your arguments will be organized. It maps out the order your paragraphs will appear and gives a hint on what information should be included in each section. There are many ways to organize your key ideas in your outline:

  • Bulletin points
  • Numbered list
  • Checklist.

A persuasive essay is where students should prove their point of view. For this very reason, drafting an outline for a persuasive essay allows for an emotional component and helps not to get confused in your supporting proofs.

Besides, an outline allows you to save your precious time. In fact, after drawing up a plan, an essay writing process is limited to just expanding your ready-made arguments. Therefore, this paper’s plan is an excellent way to systematize knowledge and focus on key points. Find various persuasive essay examples for a better understanding.

How to Write Persuasive Essay Outline

Before you write a persuasive essay outline, shape the topic and the main statement of your paper. Next, determine key arguments which you will convince readers in. Make sure that you have sufficient research materials to use.

Usually, the essay plan consists of these 3 components:  

  1. Introduction presenting your topic.
  2. Text body offering and supporting your arguments.
  3. Conclusion giving some food for thought.

Follow these easy steps to make the right plan and get a high-quality persuasive essay. Further, we will discuss each step in more detail based on our experience and skills. At this point, you can simply buy persuasive essay from our writers to avoid any writing hassle.

Introduction for Your Persuasive Essay Outline

A persuasive essay introduction outline is usually drawn up following a standard structure. Here’s what you should include:  

  • Hook
  • Background information
  • Thesis statement

Start with a good hook so that you can grasp reader’s attention from the very beginning. It may be any brief statistical information, some quote on the topic, or even a joke – everything that will help to start your essay in an interesting manner. Then, familiarize your readers with some context.

You should also have an effective thesis statement. To create such try to use Thesis Statement Maker. Later on, you will provide arguments that will prove it. For now, you should write a persuasive statement that will briefly present 3 main arguments. Don’t disclose all your ideas too early. Here, you should just jot down your main opinion and how you will prove it. Following such structure ensures that you write an intriguing introduction.  

Body Paragraphs in Your Outline of Persuasive Essay

Always keep in mind that a persuasive essay body paragraph outline is the gist of your writing. Therefore, choose three arguments, back them up with facts, and compile a synergy. That is, achieve a smooth topic presentation. Thanks to our template, you will be able to provide facts and explain each point in detail. Follow this structure to validate your opinion.

Outline for each body paragraph:

  • Topic sentence of a paragraph presenting your argument and reasoning.
  • Supporting facts that prove your point.
  • Counterargument and rebuttal of an opposite opinion.
  • Further discussion.
  • Transition sentence.

Don’t hesitate to include an opposite point of view in reasoning and use transitional sentences as well. This will make your presentation more coherent, and if you add a little bit of statistics, the paper will look more illustrative and informative. Be sure to double-check each paragraph to detect and correct any grammar or stylistic mistakes.

Conclusion: Outline of Persuasive Essay

After you have revealed key arguments, it’s just about time to summarize what you have said in a persuasive essay conclusion. Here, you will mention what you have discussed and explained before and shape your final thoughts. Rephrase a thesis presented in your introduction and repeat the arguments to achieve the information coherence. Here’s how an outline will look:

  • Summary of key points
  • Rephrased thesis
  • Implications or call to action.

As you see, you can also add a call to action or some question to reflect on. You may refer to any scholarly work so that readers see your contribution. Likewise, you can share predictions on your topic – make your conclusion memorable or use Conclusion Generator by StudyCrumb to find more ideas. Try the college essay writing service if you already feel tired from reading.

Persuasive Essay Outline Format

Still, a persuasive essay is a formal paper, so it is important to stick to the persuasive essay format outline. Even though there are no clear criteria, academic experts suggest to keep your plan well-organized. Here’re several useful suggestions:

  1. Font We recommend choosing the one that will be convenient for you to read. One of the most popular is Times New Roman. Georgia and Arial are also often used.
  2. Spacing For most academic tasks, double line spacing will be sufficient – this is a common requirement.
  3. Alignment Instead of aligning the text on the left side, format it edgewise. This will make your outline look more harmonious. However, this rule doesn’t apply to essays.
  4. Word count You need to discuss this matter with your teacher or research advisor. But usually, 500-2000 words are enough for your essay. Consider this when outlining your ideas.

Formatting will make any text look attractive and organized. After all, you will use this structure during the writing process, and you surely don’t want to get lost in some messy draft.

Persuasive Essay Outline Template

With the outline template for a persuasive essay before your eyes, you can start compiling your paper faster. Usually, a catchy structure is used, which doesn’t change depending on the topic. It successfully defines the purpose of an essay, and a seemingly bulky plan will be easy to master.

  • Introduction Hook, context of the topic, definitions, and thesis.
  • Main body Main arguments related to your thesis, proof of your view point, results of your personal analysis.
  • Conclusion Summarize key arguments presented in the main body, restate your position, and add questions or statements that will make your reader think.

This structure will help you write a persuasive essay for any college or university. It may come in handy for professional publications or even as a public speech draft.

4-Paragraph Persuasive Essay Outline Template

Usually, little depends on a number of paragraphs. This brief form is often preferred to cover smaller theses. For a 4-paragraph persuasive essay outline template, standard structure will be suitable. All you need is to include enough relevant information.

Here’s an example you can consider:  

  1. Introduction (5-6 sentences)
    1. Cast a hook
    2. Provide background on the subject
    3. Present a thesis statement and arguments
  2. Argument #1 (7-9 sentences)
    1. Share your point of view on this argument
    2. Complement your viewpoint with supporting examples
    3. Transition sentence
  3. Argument #2 (7-9 sentences)
    1. Integrate all elements specified above
  4. Conclusion (5-6 sentences)
    1. Sum up your main arguments
    2. Restate your thesis and mention that it was proved
    3. Include call to action

5-Paragraph Persuasive Essay Outline Template

Most often, students use a five-paragraph persuasive essay outline. In this case, the reader will be able to learn more details. There are more paragraphs here than in the previous version. Therefore, you can expand your idea and provide more details on the thesis and your arguments.

  1. Introduction
    1. Captivating hook
    2. Context on the subject
    3. Thesis statement with arguments listed
  2. Argument #1
    1. Topic sentence introducing your reasoning
    2. Proofs that back up your point
    3. Opposing opinion and its rebuttal
    4. In-depth analysis
    5. Transition sentence
  3. Argument #2
    1. Include all elements mentioned above
  4. Argument #3
    1. Include all elements mentioned above
  5. Conclusion
    1. Summarize your key points
    2. Restate your thesis
    3. Provide food for thought

Persuasive Essay Outline Example

Above, we have suggested schematic examples of a persuasive essay outline, which are suitable for compiling any essay. We recommend choosing a better idea, which will be revealed in the text using arguments. This will be impossible without an in-depth study of the topic. Here’s an outline example for an essay on Reasons for Displaying Compassion.

Persuasive essay outline example

Persuasive Essay Outline Worksheet

When compiling a persuasive essay outline worksheet, it is important to start the plan with a schematic representation. Select keywords and use them as a basis to write logical paragraphs. To make it clear, we have prepared an essay outline on the topic Need to Renew the Bus Fleet.

Persuasive essay outline worksheet

Argumentative Persuasive Essay Outline

Argumentative persuasive essay outline doesn’t differ much from a classic persuasive essay, but you should provide a strong argument. The reader will get not only an emotional component, but also facts that will further convince him. Usually, this scheme is used for scientific and deep essays, for which emotions alone won’t be enough.

Hover over the elements of this example to get an overall idea.  

  1. Introduction
    1. Introduce the problem
    2. Give an interesting fact
    3. Provide arguments supporting your main thesis
  2. Paragraphs 1-3
    1. Write a topic sentence presenting your argument
    2. Back it up with your personal opinion and reliable information
    3. Unite body paragraphs with transitions
  3. Conclusion
    1. Give a reworded thesis, change the arguments as well
    2. Work out a clincher section.

Abortion Persuasive Essay Outline

The problem of abortion has several debetable aspects, so abortion persuasive essay online should be compiled based on your personal beliefs. Most often, you should mention the value of people's lives and then develop arguments leaning towards emotional aspects.

Look through this example and find out how structure your paper on abortion.  

Example of abortion persuasive essay outline

Global Warming Persuasive Essay Outline

When compiling a global warming persuasive essay outline, you should pay special attention to the facts and researchers’ forecasts. Be sure to write about the live situation and what it will result in. All of these are included in our schematic plan below.

Example of global warming persuasive essay outline

Outline for a Persuasive Essay: Final Thoughts

Outline for persuasive essay is an important part during preparation of any convincing text. Keep the reader involved and write using the emotional component, which in this case is allowed. The introductory thesis must be analyzed based on the arguments with references to statistics and scientific research. This is the only way to write a high-quality persuasive essay full of topic-related information.

If you are not sure how to enhance your persuasive essay with supporting facts, get in touch with our professional writers. They are experienced in writing all sorts of academic papers with quality in mind. Don’t worry if you have an urgents order – as our customer you can enjoy a timely essay turnaround.  

FAQ About Persuasive Essay Outlines

1. How long is a persuasive essay outline?

In most cases, a persuasive essay outline size depends on the thoroughness of the described problem and the number of arguments. An average plan has 5 paragraphs, including an introduction, the main text consisting of 3 paragraphs with arguments, and a conclusion. We recommend writing short but succinct sentences. Don’t dilute the essence and promote a particular argument in a comprehensible way.

2. What comes first in a persuasive essay?

The first step in any persuasive essay is the introduction that doesn’t vary in types. It describes the problem discussed in your paper and the reason why the reader should pay attention to your text. Besides, an introductory paragraph presents a student’s point of view on the situation. Additionally, the arguments supporting the position should be briefly described here. Usually, 5 sentences or 100 words are enough for this task.

Article posted on:Apr 28, 2022
Article updated on:Mar 24, 2024

Comments

Leave your comment here:
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Steve
6/22/2022 1:19 PM
I've read your article and all I can say is that it is very helpful! However, I'd like to know a little about transition words suitable for a persuasive essay. What transition words for a persuasive essay can you advise?
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StudyCrumb
6/23/2022 11:40 AM
Hi Steve,

Good question! When writing a persuasive essay you should use transition words to provide a smooth flow. Each transition between sentences and paragraphs should be logical If you have these transition words in your persuasive essay, you will have higher percent to get a better grade:

To add an idea use words like: first, second, third, next, in addition, moreover, furthermore, besides, as well.
To give an example: for example, for instance, as an illustration, to illustrate, as a case in point, in particular, in general, specifically.
To qualify a point: perhaps, probably, for the most part, many if not all.
To concede a point: granted, certainly, of course, no doubt, surely, naturally, although this may be true.
To emphasize a point: above all, in fact, especially, most importantly, equally important, primarily, mainly, most significant.
To summarize: overall, all in all, finally, in brief, on the whole, in summary, in other words, in conclusion.

Hope you will like this
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Steve
6/23/2022 11:55 AM
Thank you for such a detailed response! I'll definitely use your recommendations next time I have to use transition words in an essay.
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min Wang
5/15/2023 8:11 PM
good text!
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StudyCrumb
5/15/2023 8:16 PM
Hi Min,

We are glad you found this blog post valuable. Don;t hesitate to browse our blog for more suggestions.