Have you ever thought about why some people are persuasive, and others are not? Why do some companies get more applicants than others, and candidates are attracted to them like hotcakes and others don't? Why do some job ads work and others don't?
Let's go back to the 5th century BC in Ancient Greece when there were a lot of philosophers around. One of them was Aristoletes, who was good at rhetoric and persuasion and many other things.
He believed there was a more practical approach to persuading people without resorting to excessive poetry and fanciful language (bloated testimonials, yellow highlighted, false scarcity), thus developing new persuasion principles.
The 3 Fundamental Persuasive Elements in Copywriting
I talked to a friend of mine who is a very successful copywriter.
You've heard the phrase, "ethos, pathos, and logos." You know, the 3 P's of persuasion. It's a practical term in marketing, advertising, and sales. But, in fact, there's a school of thought that says that a company's ethos, pathos, and logos should be the three most important things they do.
Why is this?
Because it's true.
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are three concepts introduced by Aristoteles and have been used for centuries to persuade an audience.
These rhetorical devices are often referred to as the 'three pillars of persuasion.'
Ethos: establishing trust ("Can I trust you?")
Before you can have pathos and logos, you must first have ethos.
Ethos is the most crucial element that people look for in your organization, and it is what will draw them in first. A company's reputation and you as a writer are only as good as their authority.
If you're offering something, you have to have a reputation and authority for being honest and ethical. Ethos will demonstrate your capacity to persuade your reader to believe in you. This is how you persuade your audience of your qualifications. Because unless you create credibility, your audience will not pay attention or believe what you're saying.
How to use it...
Show you're personally experienced in what you say you can do. (Prove you know what your audience is going through.)
Use testimonials, citations, citing sources, publish case studies, set up a portfolio, and other forms of social proof to show that you are credible.
Offer a privacy policy, guarantee, and other things to build trust.
Borrow credibility from someone who has more ethos than you, like a friend or family member (e.g., guest post, co-host a webinar or a meet-up, have them post about your company).
Avoiding inaccessible language. (Forget jargon or fancy speak. Just use plain talk, please.)
Use words and phrases from your field, but don't use too many big words or long sentences. Write in the same way you would speak if you were giving your copy aloud.
Done using, e.g., metaphors, humour, style, and layout of your message, by using {Name}
Pathos: establishing credibility ("Do I care?")
Pathos is the second most crucial factor after ethos. Pathos-driven writing seeks to persuade the audience by appealing to nostalgia, the senses, memories, or shared experiences to provoke happiness, sadness, fear, or anger.
Your credibility is based on pathos. It's your pitch to your target audience. Do they care what you're saying?
People apply to companies and respond to people they believe in. They only do that from those they trust. Pathos is one of the reasons people want to work with your organisation. Pathos is related to typical emotional appeals such as sympathy, apathy, pathetic, and empathy.
How to use it...
Use stories to enhance visualisation. (Be descriptive about your readers' pain or problem and use vivid examples of what their life could be like.)
Use stories and pictures to get a sense of the future (e.g. at your company). You have a company that people want to apply to. How will life be after that? When the problem you just reminded them of goes away, what will life be like for them and everyone else?
Ask questions to engage. (This is particularly useful when a response proves your argument or gets them to articulate their problem.)
Pathos is an emotional trigger to your text all over, but save the best for a start and the end of your copy. What will make your visitors feel so strongly that they will have no choice but to do what you want them to do?
Done through descriptive language, emotional stories, dramatic storytelling, repetition, exaggeration, praise, flattery, imaginary visuals, and emotional words and phrases.
Make your writing flow naturally. (Write in your own voice, build suspense, and pull your reader's attention.)
Logos: establishing the value ("Does it sound right?")
After ethos and pathos, logos are the third most important thing.
The logos is the value of your message. With logos, you convince your audience that your message is worth the price. So how does it benefit your reader? How does it help your reader to apply?
How to use it…
Support the problem you're solving with factual proof. Let's say you're developing an app that wants to help with sleepless nights. How many developers don't get a whole night of sleep? How many reports of waking up in the night, bad backs the following day, or constantly moving husbands who can't get comfortable?
Support your solution with factual proof. Why does it work? What makes it more unique than the next sleep app? Who has it worked for? What were their results? Where are they now?
Be clear because clarity converts. Don't use hyperbole. No one believes signing up for your job alert will change their life. Don't tell them their life will be incredible after joining your company. Inform them about what they will actually be about and what they will be able to do there.
Don't be vague. Be specific about the proof, the numbers, and the facts. Don't leave any room for doubt (don't write "things" and "stuff." Write concrete details, and swap out superlatives for rock-solid benefits and results.)
This element uses a variety of factors - facts, charts, graphs, statistics, and the like. You can post a video showcasing the company, your office, or your team in action. Create an infographic, conduct a survey, and publish the results - done through reasoning, brevity, and perspective.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we showed you how to create a compelling recruitment message that will get your prospects to respond to your offering in this post.
When persuasion is appropriately done, your message triggers in order ethos - pathos - logos or as we in wearebridge.io call it hunch - heart - head, then you message results are emotive and inventive answers of your candidate towards your offering.
In conclusion, In a persuasive message, you need to focus on three things: the problem you're solving for your candidate, the benefits of your company, and your company's reputation. As a rule, the most effective messages are the ones that are focused on a single problem, have a clear call to action, and contain a compelling offer.
Using ethos, pathos, and logos in your brand communications – particularly on your career pages – creates a powerful concoction that will deliver the strongest persuasive message.