Now I’ve figured out that ego is just another name for our defence mechanism (and a reminder of what scares me about life), I can see it has great potential for persuasive copy.

Knowing that an audience cares deeply about something, and then stepping into their ego from a defensive point of view could add  a lot of weight to any piece of persuasive writing.

For example, if an audience is supremely proud of something, knowing what would it feel like if that something was attacked may bring about a quicker “that’s right!” response.

If your article involved any kind of hero/villain relationship, knowing how that villain would affect the audience’s ego will give you new angles to get them on your side.