The Art and Science of Influential Web Content: Rhetoric

Adapted from Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content (New Riders)

By Colleen Jones

The ancient Greeks knew more than how to wear a toga. They introduced principles of rhetoric, such as persuasive appeals, identification, repetition, and seizing the opportune moment. These principles will help your web content influence results.

...PERSUASION HAPPENS TO BE NOT A SCIENCE, BUT AN ART.
— William Bernbach, advertising mogul

Despite its practical value, rhetoric is a lost art. We don’t get to learn it
in school, especially in the United States. Even worse, rhetoric is sometimes mistaken for a dark art. Politicians abuse it by making empty
promises. Let’s move forward by looking back at what the ancient
Greeks (and other smart rhetoricians) actually had in mind.

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