In this blog post, we will be discussing 20 persuasive essay topics. These are great for academic writing and can also be used in essays or speeches that you give in school. If you’re having trouble coming up with a topic to write about yourself, use one of these!

What is a Persuasive Essay?

Definition of a persuasive essay is a piece of writing that aims to convince the reader that your point of view is correct. Why would you need one? Many students are asked to write essays for their academics, job interviews, presentations, and even when communicating with coworkers.

20 Persuasive Essay Topics

Examples of Persuasive Essays

Business proposals:

If you seek funding from your boss for a new project, you will need to do some convincing. This is especially true if the business proposal entails any risk to the company or costs money. In this case, a good persuasive essay makes the reader believe that making such an investment is worthwhile and will bring more benefits than risks.

Blogs:

If you are blogging about a particular topic, you may want to persuade readers in the comments section to be convinced by your points of view. This is different from an argumentative essay, and you will have to do more than present evidence that supports your point of view.

Advertising:

If you have been working at an advertising agency for a while now, it goes without saying that you are persuasive enough to convince your clients to spend their money on your services.

Newspaper editorial:

In this case, you will be writing a persuasive essay for an audience of one–the newspaper editor. If you want to get your opinion published in the newspaper, you need to convince the editor that your view is worth publishing. Also, suppose you are submitting material through email or via some online form. In that case, it also serves as a persuasive essay since it aims at influencing someone else into making a change.

Letter to the bank:

If you need a bank loan or your salary has been delayed, and you communicate with the bank via letters, then a persuasive essay is what you will write for them. Remember that banks are more willing to help those who can make good arguments for why they deserve the money. If all else fails, at least try making an emotional appeal since you have nothing to lose anyway.

Persuasive Essay Writing Help

20+ Persuasive Essay Topics

Here are some ideas for writing a persuasive essay:

1. Abortion is an important public issue that affects everyone since the debate on whether it should be legal or not goes back as far as the very first days of human history. Although things have become better with time in terms of rights and legislation, there are still countries around the world where abortion remains illegal to this day regardless of the circumstances. Write about how you feel about the right to life vs. the right to choose when it comes to this topic.
2. Do you think that women and men should be paid equally? Give reasons why raising awareness regarding pay inequality between genders is crucial for society and show why your opinion makes sense by giving examples from real-life experience rather than just your imagination.
3. The ideal size of a country is what?  Should the U.S. be broken up into smaller countries? Is it overpopulated, and should people move elsewhere? Should citizens emigrate to other countries as permanent residents or make their life savings in return for temporary work visas? Discuss all these questions and more by giving examples from daily life, news, and research studies you may find online about immigration issues, etc.
4. Teenagers should have the freedom to choose what they want to do with their lives, including who they want to date/marry (if anyone), whether they want to go out partying or spend time at home, or if they even need parental supervision. What are your views on this? Give examples from your own experience to support your opinion and show why it is so important for teenagers to have freedom.
5. Should all visible tattoos be banned in public places such as offices, schools, and government premises? Some people say that they are not good for children – especially when placed on their faces or hands where the general public can see them. Others feel that everyone should have the freedom of expression no matter what.
6. Children brought up in homes with both parents tend to do better than those adopted by single parents or raised by just one parent due to different skills they learn in a two-parent household (or environment). Do you agree/disagree? What are some other factors that make a difference?
7. Students need to be motivated and not just by money to succeed in their studies. While some parents may go to great lengths trying to get their children ahead of the pack with expensive training programs, tutors, etc., others do not agree with using financial rewards towards achieving academic progress at the expense of good behavior.
8. This essay topic is related to question 8 above and asks: Should schools reward academic achievements or promote the idea that hard work will eventually pay off without offering any cash incentives? Give examples from daily life/your own experience or incidents you have read about recently in newspapers etc.
9. Should students be allowed as much choice in selecting their classes as possible? Or should they be kept on a tight leash and forced to follow certain courses? Give your opinion and support it with examples of how students could benefit from being given as much freedom as possible when making their education plans.
10. Should parents get involved in school activities such as concerts, plays, etc.? Or should they let the kids manage those things for themselves? Explain why you feel one way or another about this topic and give reasons why you think so.
11. Is higher education overrated in today’s world of knowledge at everyone’s fingertips? Form an opinion based on your own experience studying/not studying formally, comparing the advantages/disadvantages of each situation, and explain what you feel is best suited for young people leaving high school.
12. Do you think parents are responsible for teaching their children how to open a checking account, use debit/credit cards, and other banking privileges? Should they do that before or after the kids start working (if any), or is it up to them to learn on their own in today’s world of technological advancements? Explain your answer by giving examples from the daily life of situations where young people needed financial supervision and how their parents dealt with such issues.
13. Children should be protected from all exposure to alcohol as pre-teens seem unable to distinguish between peer pressure and common sense, leading them into serious trouble at an early age when consuming this social drug. Some examples show why you hold this opinion and support it with your views and experience.
14. Should children be allowed to use cell phones when driving, or shouldn’t the law forbid all drivers from using this convenience? What is your opinion on this issue? Why do you feel one way or the other about it?
15. Some parents think teenagers need more freedom to raise kids because it will help them learn many things early in life. After all, not every teenager can afford additional education later in life. But some people disagree that teens should have more freedom and say that parents should keep their rights to control teens activities as much as possible until they are adults (If you live in the USA: This topic might cause some controversy so please don’t mention a specific number of years you think is appropriate to keep teenagers under parental control)
16. Children nowadays grow up way too fast, often faster than they can deal with their new responsibilities, and some must often take care of themselves while still in high school. What kind of responsibility should be accepted by a 17-year-old, starting from financial aspects (staying alone without any allowances), being legally allowed to work for money, and last but not least – getting permission to buy a car? Why do you agree/disagree with the things you have chosen as examples? Give examples from daily life/your own experience or incidents you have read about recently in newspapers etc.
17. Today’s society is much more complex than decades ago, making it very hard for young people to discover themselves and what they want for their future careers. What advice should be given to teens (with age from 14-16) on making the right decisions in life? Give examples of situations where you have been involved when looking for your future occupation or internship project, or give regular examples from daily life where someone else has made the wrong decisions regarding their profession.
18. Children are becoming too much attached to different electronic gadgets such as cell phones, computers, laptops, etc., making them less active when spending time with friends or family members or even doing some physical activity, such as playing outside. Explain how adults should deal with this issue by giving specific rules that parents can set up to keep their kids active and happy.
19. In the modern era of HDTV technology, some parents allow their children to watch inappropriate shows because they want to be “cool” for their kids. Still, they are harming them by exposing them to too much information that is not appropriate for a certain age group. Legal responsibilities (in your country) exist that forbid such actions from adults on behalf of minors. Still, it is very hard to find the culprits as most of these harmful images/videos come from foreign countries with more liberal laws on media content. Explain how you feel about this issue and name some strong points and weak points of what we have now regarding parent’s responsibility when allowing young people to watch T.V. shows or internet news etc.