The Introduction
Now that you have begun to brainstorm ideas, you can start putting together the introduction to your persuasive argument. The introduction is very important, because this is where you tell the reader and audience exactly of what you are going to try and convince them. This is also where your goal comes into play, because you have to write out a thesis statement that effectively translates your goal into something the reader can understand and think about.
There are two main points in writing an effective introduction. First, your introduction should be able to hook the attention of the reader almost immediately; and you should provide a brief background concerning your topic. Second, the introductory paragraph should end with a statement that clearly illustrates your main idea and point of view.
You should start off your introduction by stating your views. You don't need to be very specific with this because you will go into more detail later. The introduction just exists to lay out your main idea and the position that you have taken. In your introduction, the first statement or sentence you write will be your thesis statement. The thesis statement holds the basic idea that explains everything you are going to say in your persuasive argument.
After you have written down your opening sentence, you should write another sentence that will show the reader you see both the pros and the cons of the subject matter you are talking about. At this point, you will also want to mention your own point of view if you have not already mentioned it in the thesis statement you wrote at the beginning of the introduction.
Remember that a good introduction should be brief, concise, and end with a closing sentence that will be a transition to the next paragraph.
There are many ways to write your introduction, but to do it effectively, you will want to know your audience. You need to know who you are writing to in terms of their age, how they feel about the subject, and even their demographics. As we have mentioned, this is very important, because you want to ensure that you are speaking to people in an effective manner that will convince them your side is the side they should be on. Failure to know your audience can lead to a nearly immediate failure.