Teaching Persuasive Writing with Frankenstories

Sales pitch

A commercial sales message. Works best for what are known as “high-involvement purchase decisions” such as a vehicle, pet, or home.

Sales consultation 

A variation that positions the speaker as wanting to understand the customer’s needs and help them make the right decision, as opposed to achieving a specific sales goal.

Long-form ad (Luxury)

A throwback to magazine advertising, where copywriters would sell luxury holidays, watches, and other experiences & status symbols.

Long-form ad (Retail)

The kind of advertising you’d find today in YouTube or Spotify ads and infomercials.

Micro-copy ads (Luxury & Retail)

A chance to play with 1-2 line “headline & tag” ad variations.

Editorial (Making a point)

Typical of a newspaper, magazine, or TV editorial polemic about a situation or trend in the community.

Editorial (Considering all sides)

A version of the editorial that is more measured and considered (could be trying to understand an issue or avoid committing to a course of action!).

White paper

White papers tend to be written by professionals for a niche, interested audience. They lean more heavily on logic than emotion, and like to use credentials to establish character.

Political speech (Rousing the audience)

Like an editorial, the political speech focuses on a policy issue, but it’s more spoken word—and these prompts challenge players to blend persuasive modes in more complex ways.

Political speech (Running for office)

Where “rousing the audience” focuses on building enthusiasm for a cause, this variation focuses on an election message.

Comes in friendly and hostile audience variations.

Political speech (Propaganda)

Not trying to win the audience over, but flat-out mind-control them with naked propaganda.

Comes in positive “Everything’s great!” and negative “They’re coming to get you!” variations.

Personal persuasive letter

Sometimes all we want to do is convince a friend, family member, or coworker. These prompts invite players into a more small-scale, intimate persuasive context.