How I Made $250 in 10 Days by Using These 3 Overlooked Persuasion Techniques

I mastered the psychology behind persuasion in writing (And how you can too)

I didn’t have much expectation from this month. It was another week of writing, pitching, and hoping something would stick.

Then, in a period of 10 days, I made $250 from a mix of content writing gigs and Medium earnings.

It wasn’t much, but to someone who lives on connecting with people, it counted.

I didn’t land a high-paying client or write viral think pieces. I just used three techniques of persuasion that I have figured out in my writing career and that most authors/writers overlook.

And they worked.

Emotional Anchoring

Make people feel before they think

I wrote about the difficulties for new writers once. Instead of listing common roadblocks, I started with:

“I looked at my empty inbox. No responses. No clients. Just another day wondering if my writing would ever materialize.”

The moment I put that out there, readers felt it. Some posted comments about their own frustrations. Others messaged me, saying it was like I had read their minds. That’s because emotions push people more than logic does.

Evidence proves this. Harvard Business Review studies found that emotionally invested customers are 52% more profitable than highly satisfied ones. So is that same reader.

They read on when they can feel it, get engaged, and believe in you.

2. Rhythm and Flow

Make it easy to read.

Writers tend to be concerned with what they write, but not how it reads. I formerly packed too much into paragraphs that were as long as the Constitution, assuming more words meant more content.

Then I started reading my writing aloud. It trudged. Some sentences were speed bumps.

So, I changed gears.

Now, I mix short, punchy sentences and longer ones. Like this.

This matters because the brain operates in patterns. I accepted the fact that rhythmic writing makes readers more attentive and more likely to recall. It’s why we can remember slogans and song lyrics but not awkward, long sentences.

When I posted it on LinkedIn, it was three times as engaged as all my other posts. One of my clients viewed it and requested me to produce a $100 article because they liked how it sounded, nothing more.

3. Agreement Loops

Make the reader say “yes” before proposing your idea.

Human beings dislike being told what to do. But they will agree with something that they already know and deem sensible. And that is the reason why I stopped making grand declarations at first and started taking readers into agreement instead.

For example, instead of saying:
“Using storytelling in writing makes you connect with readers.”

I said:
“Do you notice how great articles read like chats? You’re reading on because it feels right, right? That’s storytelling.”

Each question leads the reader to agree. This technique, referred to as the “Yes Ladder” in psychology, has been used in sales and marketing for decades. This shows small agreements produce higher compliance with larger requests.

I experimented with this in a cold pitch. Rather than saying, “I can make your blog more interesting,” I wrote:

“Do you feel like your blog has great content but not enough readers? You’re not alone. I’ve helped others in the same position, and I’d love to do the same for you.”

That email landed me a $200 gig. Though I am still working on it and it has not been completed, I’m glad I got it.

I understand now that persuasion isn’t just for selling; it’s for writing that works.

These three simple tweaks — getting to the feelings, strengthening rhythm, and creating agreement — had me making $250 in 10 days. Not a fortune, but proof that words do count when used appropriately.

If you’re writing online, your words aren’t just filling a page. They’re leading readers somewhere. The question is, are they following?