What does it mean for a text to be "persuasive"?

A persuasive text is specifically crafted to convince the reader to adopt a particular viewpoint or to take a specific action. This genre of writing employs various techniques, such as logic, emotional appeals, and rhetorical questions, to strengthen the argument being presented. The primary goal is to influence the reader's thoughts or behaviors on a subject.

For instance, an advertisement encouraging people to recycle uses persuasive language to highlight the benefits of recycling and urges the audience to change their habits. This distinguishes persuasive writing from other genres, like informative texts, which aim simply to provide knowledge, or narratives that seek to engage and entertain readers through storytelling.