One way to grab the attention of your reader is by implementing a statistic that's relevant to your essay's topic and is rather surprising to your reader. Shocking statistics can be effective in persuasive essays when readers may not have thought about all aspects of one side of the argument...
Grab the reader's attention. If you are writing for class, you assume that the intended audience (your instructor) is going to keep reading no matter what, because he/she has to give you a grade. But try to envision your target reader as someone who does not have to read your paper....
The introduction to an academic persuasive essay should start with something to catch the reader's attention. This may be a shocking statistic, a quotation or a controversial question. The opening paragraph should also include a thesis statement, which is the main point of the entire essay. This...