Do you recall downloading or signing up for something on the internet? Each of these downloads and sign-ups were most likely accompanied by a strong call-to-action to entice you to proceed.

Whether you’re looking to grow your email list, convert leads, or sell your product/service, you need a strong call-to-action to seal the deal. So, what makes a great call-to-action? Stay until the end to learn more about CTAs plus a few examples!

What Is a Call to Action (CTA)?

A call to action, or CTA, is an element of persuasive writing that urges the reader to take a specific course of action. A CTA can be as simple as a sentence urging the reader to buy now! Or click here to learn more.

However, effective CTAs go beyond simply telling the reader what to do. They must also be well-crafted and relevant to the piece’s overall message. For example, a CTA for a blog post about saving money on groceries would be more effective if it offered specific tips rather than simply telling the reader to save money on groceries.

The best CTAs are clear, concise, and relevant to the reader’s needs. They can be a powerful tool for persuading readers to take action when used effectively.

Why You Should Improve Your CTA

There are many reasons why you should improve your call to action (CTA). A CTA is an essential element of any marketing campaign and the hero section of your homepage. This element can make the difference between a successful campaign and one that falls flat. Here are 5 reasons why you should improve your CTA:

1. Give Directions to Your Visitor on Where You Want Them to Visit

The average internet user has a brief attention span. In fact, studies have shown that most people only spend a few seconds on a given website before moving on to something else. This is one of the main reasons why web design is important.

This means you only have a brief window of opportunity to capture your visitors’ attention and persuade them to stay on your site. One of the best ways to do this is by using a strong call-to-action (CTA). By giving your visitors clear directions on what you want them to do, you can significantly increase the likelihood that they’ll take the desired action.

2. A Strong CTA Can Increase Conversion Rates

A well-designed call to action (CTA) is a powerful marketing tool that can encourage your website visitors to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for an email list. Ultimately, your CTA aims to increase conversions by providing visitors with a clear path to taking the desired action.

3. To Make a Strong First Impression 

Your call-to-action is one of the most critical elements on your website or landing page. A strong CTA will make a good first impression and encourage your visitors to take action.

Visitors may not stick around long enough to learn more about your product or service if your CTA is weak or confusing. A well-crafted CTA, on the other hand, will grab attention and convert.

4. Increases Brand Awareness and Recognition 

The beauty of a well-crafted call-to-action (CTA) is that you can use it in various marketing materials. Including a CTA in your ads increases the likelihood of getting customers to take the desired action and improves brand awareness and recognition.

After all, customers are more likely to remember a brand that has an easy-to-understand CTA. In addition, by including a CTA in your ads, you’re giving customers a clear idea of what you want them to do next.

Whether you want them to visit your website, sign up for a discount, or make a purchase, a CTA makes it easy for customers to take action.

5. Improve Your User Experience

A compelling call-to-action (CTA) is an essential element of any successful website. CTAs are often designed to be eye-catching and easy to understand, with clear and concise text encouraging users to take action.

How to Write a Converting Call to Action

There are many different ways to write a CTA, but not all of them will be effective in driving conversions. In order to write an effective CTA, you will need to keep a few things in mind.

Make Your CTA a Button

The first thing you want to do is make your CTA a button! Buttons stand out more and need to be clicked. You want your CTA to be as visible as possible and obvious to click.

Make sure the button is big and noticeable. You don’t want it to blend in too much, or people will miss it. And make sure the text on the button is clear and concise.

Write a Good Copy Phrase

Your CTA button should have a good copy phrase. Copy phrase is the text that will convince people to click on your button. So make it count! Some things to keep in mind when writing your copy:

“Yes, I want X” or “Send me my X” are two good examples of copy phrases. Ideally you want the next step to be apparent to your visitors.

Use a Bright and Contrasting Color

Your CTA button should be a bright, contrasting color to the rest of your page. This will make it more visible and more likely to be clicked on.

Keep in mind which color button converts best for your business. For example, red promotes excitement while blue signifies trust and dependability.

At the same token, Hubspot found that using a contrasting color that stands out from the rest of the page is proven to convert better.

Placement Is Important

The placement of your CTA button is also important. You want to make sure it’s in a spot where it stands out yet makes sense. There are three points to consider when placing your CTA:

• Your first CTA should be on the top right of any webpage. It has been shown that people read webpages in a Z-pattern or F-pattern.
• Your second CTA could be placed in the hero section of your homepage or landing page. The only exception to not include a CTA above the fold is if you need to educate your visitor first.
• Lastly, put your CTA where it makes sense. Submitting a form, after listing out benefits, near the bottom of the page, these are all places you’d ideally want your visitor to take the next step.

Be Specific

Your CTA should specify what people will get if they click on it. If you’re offering a free ebook, say so in the CTA. Don’t just say, click here to download. Try, Send My Free Ebook!

There is no question what you’re getting on the second CTA and it engages the visitor more. You can use this infographic from Coschedule to create an engaging CTA that’s straight to the point:

How to Write a Call-to-Action in Email

Creating a call-to-action in email has a couple of layers. For instance, the primary concern is the intent of the email. Are you providing content? Looking for feedback? Or are you promoting a sale? Each of these elements determines how your CTA will play out.

Hyperlink Your CTA

If you are providing content via email and you want to guide your audience to your long form content whether it’s a blog, podcast, or YouTube, then you’d want to hyperlink your destination.

Ideally you’d want to say something along the lines of, “Watch to find out X” or “Listen to this week’s episode about X” or “Read/learn more about X”. Bolding and increasing the size of this text can increase the chances of your audience clicking your CTA by standing out more and having a clear intent to click.

Avoid Fancy Email

Now, why hyperlink the text rather than use a button or html? Well, gmail has this intuitive feature that organizes your Primary inbox. This feature prioritizes personal and conversational email while pushing all other salesy to the Promotions tab.

One way Google dictates which email is promotional is by determining if the email contains any special code. For instance, this could include fancy html, loads of images/GIFs, lots of links, and even buttons.

If you’re trying to get in the Primary inbox of one of Google’s 1.8 billion active gmail users, it’s best to lay off the fancy looking emails and be conversational to your readers.

How to Write a Call-to-Action in Social Media

Oh social media, the place to turn your boredom into entertainment. But that’s just it… No one wants to go to social media and be told what to do.

Create Attention Grabbing Content

Creating eye-catching content is the first hurdle. If you’re not making your audience pause, then you failed. Using bright colors and great copy in your content is a great first step to convert your audience. Video is another great way to keep your audience from scrolling past you.

Crafting the CTA

Once you’ve caught their eyes, you need to seal the deal with the CTA. Whether you’re offering a deal, a download, or simply want the click, you need to nail three things with your CTA:

1. Provoke Enthusiasm
2. Invoke Urgency
3. Use Strong Action Words

Enthusiasm

Your main goal is keeping your audience happy and directing them where they need to go. Provoking enthusiasm can trigger an emotional response in your users that can get them to opt-in to your CTA.

Here are a few examples:

• Add numbers: “Buy Now, Get 65% OFF”
• Make a promise: “Get 10 Easy-to-Make Recipes for FREE”
• Use Urgency: “Last Day to Get 85% OFF”

Urgency

Urgency is the most important element when writing a CTA on social media. Creating a sense of urgency prompts users to act NOW.

However, urgency doesn’t work if your offer is full of distractions. Make your offer clear and use these 5 precursors that make urgency effective.

Strong Action Words

Using strong action words is highly effective since it persuades users and is straight to the point. Start with a verb followed by an adverb or a subject to get a compelling CTA. Here are a few examples:

• Grab (verb) Your FREE Resource (subject) Today (adverb)!
• Download (verb) This Contract (subject) Now (adverb)!
• Start (verb) Your Weight-loss Journey (subject) Today (adverb)!

The table below shows commonly used action words in calls to action in relation with the type of business:

Business Use	CTA
General	Learn More, See More, See How, Start, Find Out, Check Out, Click here
Free	Snag, Grab, Get, Claim, Take Advantage of
Newsletter	Sign up, Join, Subscribe
SaaS	Get Started, Try, Sign up, Subscribe
Ecommerce	Buy, Add to Cart, Order, Reserve, Shop, Save, View

How to Write a Call-to-Action on a Website

Homepages and landing pages absolutely need a converting CTA! Here are a few examples of great calls to action:

Hims

Hims is an online personal wellness company that focuses on the needs of men. There are many CTAs on this homepage since it is an ecommerce company. Up top offers a freebie, to the right is a button that guides you to find a treatment, and the real meat of the homepage are the products.

Why This Works

• Everyone is looking for freebies. Highlighting the free offer in a unique color makes visitors shift their focus.
• The copy on the button, “Find my treatment” is tailored to the visitor using a first-person voice. The button is also accompanied with a copy-phrase that’s ensuring and targeting a pain point, “Finding what works can be hard. Our online process and medical experts make it simple.”
• The actual products are contained in boxes with soft color and a button. It shows what the product can help with and how to take the next step.

Lively

Lively is an HSA company that allows people to easily save and invest their healthcare savings account. The only CTA on the homepage is “Open Account” and it obviously directs visitors to start an account.

Why This Works

• The hero section shows the simplicity of the product.
• The CTA stands out and makes it obvious that the next step for the visitor is to open an account.

Honeybook

Honeybook is a project management system that helps small business stay organize and manage projects easily. They utilize two CTAs that serve the same purpose but both are equally effective.

Why This Works

• The homepage is dark so bright colors stand out a lot easier.
• Both CTA include the phrase “Start Free Trial” to guide visitors to try the product for free.
• There is supporting text under the button stating “No credit card required”. This allows visitors not to question whether or not they need to cancel the free trial if they do not like the product.

Call-To-Action Made Easier!

Converting call-to-actions can be difficult, but at Curious Laiman Digital we know how to write good copy that will get results. If you need help crafting a call to action that converts, schedule a call with us today.