Seth Godin: Persuade vs. convince

This is a repost from Seth Godin’s blog, Persuade vs. convince

An anonymous copyeditor working on my new book unilaterally changed each usage of “persuade” to “convince.”

I had to change them all back.

Marketers don’t convince. Engineers convince. Marketers persuade. Persuasion appeals to the emotions and to fear and to the imagination. Convincing requires a spreadsheet or some other rational device.

It’s much easier to persuade someone if they’re already convinced, if they already know the facts. But it’s impossible to change someone’s mind merely by convincing them of your point.

If you’re spending a lot of your time trying to convince people, it’s no wonder it’s not working.

More here.

Are we trying to persuade or convince people that veganism is the better option?

What are your thoughts?