Anyone who’s shed a tear (or a thousand) during Sarah McLachlan’s ASPCA commercial knows that as much as we might like to think of ourselves as purely logical beings, we’re often driven by our feelings. From targeted ads to political campaigns, an emotional appeal is the way to your audience’s hearts.
Pathos is a rhetorical tool in which someone strives to get an audience to feel ALL the feels in order to convince them of something.
The concept traces back to Ancient Greece, where Aristotle’s treatise “Rhetoric” established the three pillars of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos. While ethos establishes credibility and logos appeals to logic, pathos taps into the emotional response that often drives decision-making.
Writers and speakers can appeal to emotions in various ways:
- Emotionally loaded language: Words and phrases with strong implications that trigger reactions beyond their literal meaning.
- Tone: The overall mood that helps bring the audience into the proper emotional state.
- Vivid descriptions: Detailed accounts of scenes and feelings that resonate with the audience.
- Stories and anecdotes: Personal experiences that create emotional connections.
- Multimedia elements: Images, videos, and music that evoke powerful emotions like fear, compassion, or joy.
Ethos, Pathos, Logos: How to Use the Modes of PersuasionThe line between powerful persuasion and manipulation is thin. Strong communicators understand their ethical obligation to appeal to emotions honestly—not only because it’s right, but because audiences quickly detect manipulation, causing arguments to crumble.
1. Determine which emotion is the most appropriate.
Assess your rhetorical context and determine which emotions best fit. Do you want your audience to feel joy, urgency, or the fear of missing out? The emotion should align with your message and desired outcome.
For example, while a PSA about climate change might rely on hopeful concern, the aforementioned McLachlan commercial invokes a sense of brutal melancholy.
2. Balance mood and reaction.
The pathos appeal works in two ways: eliciting specific emotions from your audience and creating a mood within your piece that influences their overall state. A carefully crafted argument considers both aspects.
Think of how Apple balanced excitement about the latest and greatest i-product with calm assurance regarding quality and specs in the iPhone X trailer. The juxtaposition of immediate exhilaration and long-lasting confidence was key to building anticipation with its customers.
3. Craft tone through structure and word choice.
Use language and form that create the appropriate tone and nuance for your audience. Tell jokes, cite concerning statistics, tell a strong personal anecdote—whatever the case for an argument’s emotionality. It’s up to you to ensure the methods for creating those moments are fully explored.
Influencer Rocky Barnes provides a sense of familial comfort and delight in this ad for Toms shoes by starting with the word “embrace,” using the word “joy” twice, and throwing in a heart emoji for good measure.
4. Don’t go overboard.
Pathos is a powerful tool, but it can easily become overwrought. Audiences can tell when someone is laying on the schmaltz, so avoid using language or imagery that might come across as too much. With great (pathos) power comes great (emotional) responsibility, so be wary of manipulation—especially when targeting vulnerable audiences.
Here are examples of effective emotional appeals that persuade audiences through their feelings:
Political campaigns: Pathos is clearly present in political campaigns, which tend to hyper-fixate on all the good a candidate will do (often alongside everything terrible the other candidate might do). By speaking directly to the audience’s hopes and/or fears for the future, political campaigns cut straight to the core of constituents.
Remember former President Barack Obama’s “Hope” campaign in 2008? His ads, like “Signs of Hope & Change,” were infused with inspiring rhetoric, optimistic imagery, and hopeful music, creating a potent emotional reaction for viewers.
Social media influencers: Most influencers, particularly ones who rely on authenticity such as UGC creators and microinfluencers, maintain their followers by cultivating strong emotional connections.
For instance, travel influencer Kiersten Rich posts aspirational content that makes her followers yearn for luxury experiences themselves—like this post about a vacation with “a crewed catamaran with a gourmet chef, a stewardess, and a captain that cook, clean and sail for you during 7 days of adventure, turquoise water, white sanded beaches, and quality time.”
