call to action essay

What Is a Call to Action in Writing?

Written by Rebecca Turley

How do you inspire readers to take action?

A Call to Action (CTA) in writing is your opportunity to motivate readers to take some type of action. Can your writing and accompanying CTA be compelling enough to motivate your readers to take the next step, make the next move?

That’s the million-dollar question.

Call to Action: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to Successfully Use It in Your Writing

So, what exactly is a Call to Action and how can you best utilize it as a writer?

A CTA in writing is a clear and direct message that should elicit a strong response from readers to do something . In marketing lingo, this something is called a “conversion” – turning observers into doers.

Think of it as a “hook, line, and sinker” moment – you want to inspire the reader to do what you want them to do. Maybe it’s subscribe to your online newsletter, book a service, or buy a product—a CTA is a one-liner that gets the job done. It can be an outstanding marketing tool that keeps your reader engaged and ready to act.

It may be a small, two-word phrase or as long as a sentence, but its goal remains the same: to provide your reader with direction on what to do next. You provided them with compelling, interesting text; now’s not the time to leave them hanging! Finish it off with a great CTA and you’ve accomplished your goal.

CTAs are most often used to make a sale by providing a direct path to the product or service you want them to buy. But they can also be helpful for building your customer base and generating leads for future sales. Most CTAs are used as hyperlinks that take the reader where you want them to go, but they can also motivate the reader to make a phone call, download a brochure, or complete a similar activity.

Creating an Effective Call to Action

Once you understand the goal of the CTA, it becomes rather easy to write one yourself. But there are some tried-and-true rules to follow to ensure your CTA is everything it can be.

A CTA is NOT:

• Overly wordy

Start your CTA with a strong action verb .

A CTA doesn’t take time to get to the point. It accomplishes its goal by telling the reader exactly what to do.

Think “authoritative” when choosing your words for a CTA. Those action verbs should inspire and convince the reader to do something, so now’s not the time to underwhelm them. When choosing that action verb, think about how best to direct your reader:

Use words that excite and motivate the reader.

Get them motivated and curious to make the move. Think about persuasive language here, about intriguing your reader to want to know more or make a move. Persuasive language speaks to saving them money, saving them time, or improving their lives in some way:

• Sign up to join the millions of others who are taking steps to save the planet!
• Click here to start saving money today!
• Call today to book your dream vacation!

Create a sense of urgency.

You can create a sense of urgency in a number of ways. Add an adjective, make a promise, or elicit FOMO.

• Order yours today, while supplies last!
• Get free shipping for a limited time!
• Lose weight in just 4 weeks!
• Call today and enjoy 50% off your purchase!

Eliminate wordiness.

You have one opportunity to capture their attention and motivate them to click. Don’t waste it by overloading your CTA with unnecessary words or confusing text. Think straightforward, clear, concise, and to the point.

If you aren’t getting the response you hoped for, switch it up.

You never really know if your CTA is going to be effective unless you give it a whirl. If you aren’t getting the response you hoped for, it never hurts to try another tactic. Remember that CTAs are not a one-size-fits-all approach, so you may need to experiment to find one that works best for your audience.

Need a little inspiration to create the perfect CTA? Here are popular CTA phrases designed to boost your conversion efforts.

Do you want customers to sign up or subscribe to something?

• Subscribe now
• Don’t miss out
• Get started now
• Stay up-to-date
• Remain in the know

Do you want customers to keep reading your content?

• Find out more
• Discover more
• Become part of our community

Do you want customers to take advantage of a deal or discount?

• Claim your offer
• Claim your discount
• Redeem your discount
• Start your free trial now
• Start shopping now
• Claim our limited time offer

Adding a Secondary Call to Action: Another Tool in the Writer’s Toolkit 

A secondary CTA is not simply reciting the primary CTA twice or rewording the primary CTA. It serves as another option for the reader.

Here’s a good example:

Primary CTA: Donate now to help save endangered white rhinos!

Secondary CTA: Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on conservation efforts for the endangered white rhino.

The primary CTA is a great example of providing the reader with an immediate opportunity to act. But not all readers may be ready to pull out their wallets and make a donation. That’s there the secondary CTA comes in. You’ve captured the interest of the reader enough to inspire them to sign up for your weekly e-newsletter, which could translate into a donation somewhere down the road. Secondary CTAs provide the reader with another opportunity to take action, thereby allowing you to boost your conversion rate.

The secondary CTA should be featured less prominently than the primary CTA because you ultimately want the reader to click on the primary CTA. Remember: The primary CTA should be the most desired action you want your reader to take. A secondary CTA shouldn’t compete with the primary CTA; it should complement it.

But the secondary CTA is certainly an excellent option for those who don’t find the primary CTA appealing. The secondary CTA captures that reader who may have moved on from your website or blog without taking any action at all (i.e., lost conversions). By keeping your reader engaged and returning to your site with the secondary CTA, you’re naturally increasing your chances of enticing the reader to act on the primary CTA in the future.

Secondary CTAs may also be used to simply grow your social reach. A great example of a secondary CTA in this case is to simply encourage the reader to follow you on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. You can also encourage the reader to share your article or blog on their social media platform of choice. Either way, it’s a great way to boost your social media presence.

7 Call to Action Examples You Have Never Seen Before

At great risk to my sanity, I went online with the intention of finding as much advertising as I could.

The goal: to find call to action examples (CTAs) that were fresh, original, unique, and compelling.

My discovery: Almost everyone is using generic CTAs. Safe, boring, and forgettable. The 7 innovative call to action examples I found made those brands stand out immediately.

Your opportunity: By changing 2-3 words of a call to action, brands can stand out in a small way from the hopelessly ordinary competition.

Less than 0.00001% of CTAs Are Unique

This is not a scientific number. I came up with it out of spite after an exhausting search.

Refresh the examples in a listicle about calls to action, my editor said. 

I thought this was going to be easy.

It was a nightmare. 

Websites for brands large and small were universally boring in terms of calls to action. The most tantalizing offer I could find was usually “Free Trial”, which brought me to a page with miles of fine print. 

I thought maybe the aggressive pay-per-click advertisers would put together some compelling calls to action. Nope. The name of the game there is using every conversion hack at once. 

Here’s a typically boring call to action example that most people are using :

I think this offer hits every cliche tactic: the ticking clock, a warning emoji about sell-out risk, money-back guarantee, a steep discount, etc.

Then I tried social media, which was even worse. Facebook gave me nothing in the way of an inventive CTA. Absolutely nothing.

I checked Reddit–as always, a wonderful place, just not for buying things.

On X (fka: Twitter), I was hoping to find some good scammy infoproducts, maybe some clever hardsells. But I was disappointed. I could have made a full quilt that spelled out “unoriginal” with all the thread emojis inviting me to click and read a tweet-storm. Here’s why that trend is played out: 🧵/23

My wife told me that TikTok has been ruined by advertisers and influencers–so I was really excited about that. This is where the real ingenuity must be. 

Nope. It’s a simple SHOP button that overlays influencer videos. That’s it.

But in the end, I prevailed. I found 7 examples of brands actually trying something new with their call to action. They used this small detail to support their brand image or speak to their audience.

7 Truly Unique Call to Action Examples

1. cloudflare.

“Under attack?”

That is a viable button you can click on Cloudflare’s site. 

I love it. 

Cloudflare has positioned themselves as a cybersecurity version of calling 911 when there’s an intruder in your house. And they did it using two words, a question mark, and a construction-zone orange button in the navbar.

I assume the majority of people who click that button are like me: not currently under attack, but curious about what the next steps would be if they were.

I wanted to learn more because of the clever call to action. If the button had said Learn More, I never would have clicked it.

2. Backcountry

The online outdoor retailer Backcountry hires the people who stay up around the fire fighting about which hiking stove weighs less. You know the type: Gearheads.

This is a huge selling point for Backcountry. When people buy kayaks, avalanche beacons, and so on, they really want to know that this gear works.

Call a Gearhead. Text a Gearhead. These are creative, on-brand calls to action nested in a familiar dropdown menu.

You have a question about climbing rope? Now you are talking with a woman who climbs 3 times a week. 

3. LINGs CARS.com

This is actually a fairly tame example of the calls to action on LINGsCARS.com , one of the most successful car leasing services in the UK. 

Ling broke every rule of web design to bring us this masterpiece. I know neons are in right now, but most people aren’t using all of the neons, at once, with a paisley background. 

CrazyEgg will lock me out of WordPress if I actually recommend a call to action that includes three Order Now buttons that blink at random intervals. So I am not going to do that.

I will say with 100% certainty, however, that I have never seen call to action examples quite like this ever before. 

4. Niki Whittle

Niki Whittle is an online personal stylist who has helped thousands of clients find joy instead of anxiety at the prospect of getting dressed and going out into the world.

The text of her CTA button speaks directly to that goal: Help me enjoy getting dressed!

If you swapped out Niki’s personalized text for a basic “Find Out More” button, I think the call to action would suffer. 

Her choice of text is intimate. No adult is going to ask for help getting dressed unless they fully trust the other party to understand where they are coming from. The way that Niki has framed the call to action shows that she understands. 

Due to California regulations, the beverage brand Ceria couldn’t exactly say what their new product was. With the help of the marketing agency Mother, Ceria found a clever way to get their audience to connect.

The call to action they used was a Spotify playlist people could download by scanning a barcode styled like the familiar Spotify audio waveform.

There’s a cool story behind this ad campaign, which appeared online and in-print in California. 

I’m not going to rehash it here because you should go visit the site of the people who did the work , not hear about it third-hand, looking at screenshots I took while I was way behind schedule writing this post.

6. AllTrails

Have you ever seen a limited time offer that isn’t pushy?

AllTrails nails it with this email they sent me. If I go outside, this weekend only , they’ll plant a tree on my behalf.

It’s a positive push, encouraging me to do something for my health, and it won’t cost me a dime. Until AllTrails called me to action, I just had weekend plans. Now I am saving the forest. 

The invitation to “Join In” isn’t super original, I know, even with those cute little tree icons.

But the call to action is social. It’s not “Register” or “Find out more”, it’s about connecting with other people. AllTrails has 50 million users. This is a real community, and AllTrails is smart to frame it that way. 

7. Avocado Green Mattress

Avocado Green Mattress has upcycled bedroom furniture people can buy to complement their organic mattresses.

The call to action is “Shop Zero Waste” is a clear call to the type of buyer who is willing to pay a premium to minimize their impact on the environment. “Shop” would work, but it doesn’t highlight the key selling point of their furniture.

It’s a small detail, but most people buying online have 5-7 tabs open. I know I do. With buyers scanning all these different sites, I think it makes sense to foreground your unique features in the button text.

More Call To Action Examples

Here are some twists on classic calls to action. I can’t say I’d never seen these types of tactics before, but the following examples are well done.

The call to action text speaks to the audience, aligns with the brand image, or is simply more inviting than a generic “Try Now” button.

Kati Curtis Design

Kati Curtis Design opted for a slight variation on the Get In Touch call to action by including her name. 

I’m not going to belabor the point about what’s going on here, but this slight personalization will absolutely stand out.

I think this is a good idea if you are the face of your business as opposed to a brand. “Get In Touch With The Owner” could work, too.

Havenly is an online interior design service company. I liked the invitation for customers to “Find Their Style.” 

They could have stuck with “Learn More” or “Book a Consultation,” but those aren’t personal at all. Those are also fairly passive calls to action, versus “Find Your Style,” which is much more active.

Birchbox , the popular cosmetics subscription box opted to use an invitation style call to action:

“Build Your Box”

It’s intuitive, on-brand, and crisp. 

One issue people have with subscription services is that they get products they don’t want. With this short call to action, Birchbox is countering that objection by offering their customers an active role in building their own box. 

Art & Logic

Art & Logic is a software development company with an approachable call to action.

Yes, they decided to go with “Let’s talk about your project” instead of something sterile or gimmicky.

Building custom business software is insanely complex, but Art & Logic makes the next steps as easy as possible.

Make your website better. Instantly.

Keep reading about copywriting.

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5 Steps To Writing an Effective Call to Action (With Examples)

Table of contents

Laura Jane Bradbury

An effective call to action (CTA) encourages content engagement, converts visitors into leads, and helps people discover your business. It should offer value to the reader and explain what to expect from taking action. 

If a CTA doesn't have a clear message, feels too generic, or isn’t aligned with your audience’s concerns, readers won't act. This could cost you potential customers and income. 

As a professional copywriter with six years of experience, I’ve helped many small businesses reach their goals through calls to action. Here, I'll share the best practices for writing persuasive CTAs.

Key Takeaways

•  A call to action encourages readers to engage with your content, purchase a product, and learn more about your brand.
• It should be short, direct, and enticing. Use action verbs to motivate people to act.
• Ensure you clearly explain the value your audience will get from following your CTA.

Examples of great CTAs and why they work

Below are five CTA examples from high-profile businesses. We'll look at why they work, and what techniques you can apply.

Semrush: Use persuasive language

Cta: “get a free trial” .

Blog posts are a great place to put a CTA, as readers are already interested in the topic and more likely to respond to your suggested action. Engaging and relevant content can also lead to higher clickthrough rates, helping more readers learn about and interact with your business.

Semrush provides a great example of how to write a good call to action in a blog post. After sharing a detailed guide on search engine optimization (SEO) for blogs, they suggest readers sign up for a free trial to begin implementing SEO. Putting the CTA at the end of the post lets readers consume valuable information before discovering how to apply it.

The CTA works because:

• It includes the action verb “Get” — grabbing the reader's attention.
• The CTA is clear and eye-catching: The yellow box separates it from the post's content, while the purple highlights the specific action to take.
• The CTA text highlights the value for the reader immediately : The trial is "free" and Semrush conveniently provides "everything" in "one" place, so busy entrepreneurs and marketers don't need to jump from tool to tool.

Here are some action words and phrases (in bold) to consider for your own CTA. Play around with them and see what works best: 

LOOKFANTASTIC: Create urgency

Cta: “hurry, this offer is for today only”.

There are many CTAs you can use on social media . If you want to increase engagement, for example, you can ask people to comment on, like, or share a post. In this case, LOOKFANTASTIC wants to encourage its followers to shop a specific brand on its site.

• It offers an incentive — 25% off. 
• The use of "Hurry" and “TODAY only” creates urgency : This motivates customers to take advantage of the offer before it's too late.
• LookFantastic addresses the concerns of its customers : The text highlights that the products are "skin-loving."

Career Contessa: Offer an incentive 

Cta: “i’m so in”.

Email newsletters can build customer relationships, drive sales, and be an effective digital marketing channel. However, people are increasingly less willing to share their email addresses.

To encourage people to subscribe, Career Contessa has created a signup form in the middle of its homepage. This gives readers a chance to see what the newsletter is about and what type of content they can expect.

Notice how the CTA banner is clear and concise, explaining what people will receive by signing up.

• It uses language that's relatable to its audience: The site’s young, female readers will identify "Level up" as advancing their careers.
• It makes people feel included : "I'm so in" creates the feeling of joining an exclusive group or club.
• There’s an incentive to join : The text offers readers "a shortcut to success." 

Uniqlo: Consider the buying stages

Cta: “learn more” .

Customers want to know what they’re signing up for before downloading an app. Uniqlo knows this and tells their customers exactly what to expect from their new app. So, rather than telling people to “Download now,” the CTA suggests readers “LEARN MORE.” 

• It’s short and direct , making it easy to understand and follow.
• Customers understand the value — the accompanying illustrations and copy convey the benefits of the app.
• There’s lots of action verbs — “Get”, “Download”, “Sign up”, “Scan + Shop”.

Tip: Before adding a CTA, consider where your customers are in the buying stages. While a regular buyer may instantly click to “shop now,” a new customer may need more information. New products might also require additional context in order to help customers understand their value.

New York Magazine: Use bold visuals

Cta: “subscribe now” .

Most consumers prefer a brand to contact them via email . New York Magazine is a great example of how to write a call to action for email,. You’re immediately drawn in by the newsletter’s image emphasizing that it’s the “LAST CHANCE” to take advantage of its offer. 

This encourages readers to take action by triggering the fear of missing out. The publication then describes all the benefits of joining — including its free tote bag — to entice users to click the “SUBSCRIBE NOW” button.

• It creates urgency: “SUBSCRIBE NOW” emphasizes that you should take action immediately.
• The accompanying text is descriptive: “award-winning,” “exciting,” “fresh,” “sharp.” These adjectives suggest the content is unique and high quality, helping convince readers that the magazine is worth investing in. ‍
• The CTA is visually bold: The black button stands out against the white background and contrasts with the colorful main image.

5 key elements to include in your CTA:

Based on the above examples, here are five critical aspects of a great CTA to include in your own:

1. Use simple and direct language

‍ This ensures people understand the desired action. For example, “Subscribe now” is easier to follow than “You can subscribe now by clicking this link.” Make sure the accompanying text promoting your CTA is clear and easy to read .

2. Provide value to your readers

‍ Who is your target audience and how can your CTA solve their concerns? Will a discount code save them money, or can you offer useful expertise and advice? Demonstrate exactly what your CTA will deliver and how.

3. Create a sense of urgency

‍ Include phrases like “limited time offer” and “for today only” to motivate users to act. Pair these with action-oriented words like “subscribe” and “download” to encourage a particular action.

4. Consider your target audience

‍ While “Visit this link” may suit a formal, professional audience, “Check out this link” works for a younger demographic. Be sure to use language and a tone of voice that your customers will understand and relate to.

5. Make your CTA stand out

‍ Your CTA should be eye-catching and easily noticeable so your audience doesn't scroll past it. Use contrasting colors, emojis, bold fonts, and buttons to draw people in.

How AI can help you write better CTAs

Now you know how to write a great call to action, let’s look at how Wordtune’s AI tools  can speed up the process.

Shorten text without losing the meaning

A call to action needs to be short and direct, succinctly telling the reader what action to take. Many CTAs are also written on a button, meaning you can only use a few words.

Using the Shorten button in Wordtune Editor can help you create a punchy CTA.

Get Wordtune for Free > Get Wordtune for Free >

Click on the sentence you would like to edit, and press Shorten . The Editor instantly generates alternatives. Notice how Wordtune’s suggestions are more direct, making them easier to understand. 

Find alternative words

Whether you’re stuck on which action verb to use or you want to make your CTA’s benefits more descriptive, Wordtune can provide suggestions. 

To find alternative synonyms, highlight a particular word and click Rewrite , Casual , or Formal . In this example, I wanted a casual tone for social media, so clicked Casual to generate a list of alternative, informal words.

Use prompts to generate text

Wordtune's Create tool can help you brainstorm and plan your CTA copy.

To generate text, click Create and type in your prompt — no more than 1,000 characters.

AI Prompt: Create persuasive copy to entice customers to download our app to receive 10% off, with a direct call to action.

Using this prompt, Wordtune quickly created an enticing paragraph for me: 

Wordtune can generate a specific CTA — “Download our app now” — which can be made into a CTA button. It can also create accompanying text to entice readers. Using the AI-generated copy, you can choose individual sentences to include such as, “With just a few clicks, you can browse our wide selection of products.”

Adjust tone of voice

In addition to suggesting synonyms, Wordtune’s Casual and Formal buttons can alter sentences to match your desired tone.

Here, I clicked the Formal button. In response, Wordtune removed the contraction “you’ll” and made its suggestions more direct, precise, and easy for readers to consume. 

Conclusion:

A powerful call to action encourages readers to act, whether that’s by engaging with your content, buying your products, or learning more about your services. This can increase website views, sales, and bookings.

Keep your CTA short and direct, explaining in simple language how it will provide value. Ensure the tone aligns with your target audience, and create a sense of urgency to motivate readers to act quickly. Help your CTA stand out against your text by using contrasting colors, emojis, and bold fonts. Follow these simple steps and you’ll be writing eye-catching CTAs in no time.  

Want to learn more? Check out our guides on how to create an effective tone of voice to reach your target audience and how to boost readability to write clear, succinct CTAs.  

What type of content should include a call to action?

Any content can be an ideal opportunity for a CTA. From social media and blog posts to landing pages, ads, emails and videos. 

Where should you place a call to action?

Calls to action are typically placed at the top, bottom, or side of a webpage. Take into account what your readers need to know before acting to find the best placement. For example, place a discount code at the top of your homepage. Or, if you want readers to share your content, it’s best at the end of the page. 

Can you use multiple calls to action on a webpage?

With care, multiple calls to action can be used on the same webpage. For example, ask people to subscribe to your email list via a button while also adding a link to download an ebook. The key is to ensure your calls to action are spread out and organized in a way that doesn't overload the reader. 

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How To Write a Call to Action That Works [Tips + 6 Examples]

Ready for your marketing campaigns to actually drive results? We’ll show you how to motivate your audience with a killer call to action.

Table of Contents

You know how they say a closed mouth doesn’t get fed? If you want someone to do something, you gotta ask for it. Writing a killer call to action (CTA) is one strategy to get what you want.

Whether you’re trying to get people to buy your products, sign up for your emails, or join your cult, crafting the perfect call to action is essential for success.

But how do you write a call to action that stands out from the crowd and actually drives results? In this blog post, we’ll show you how to motivate with some powerful examples of moving calls to action and tips on writing them yourself.

Bonus: Download a free guide to social advertising and learn the 5 steps to building effective campaigns. No tricks or boring tips—just simple, easy-to-follow instructions that really work.

What is a call to action?

A call to action is a word or phrase that prompts action. It is a marketing term to describe urging your audience to act in a certain way.

A call to action can appear as a clickable button or simply as a piece of text. Call-to-action buttons and phrases can appear at any place in the user journey that you want to direct your audience.

Let’s say you’re trying to sell a pair of shoes on Instagram, and you’re crafting clear social media CTAs . You might have a call to action at the end of your social post caption that says, “Click the link in our bio.” The link in your bio could lead to a product page with information about the shoes on it. The call to action on this page would be an “Add to shopping cart” button.

CTAs aren’t just for social media. They can also appear in emails for an email marketing campaign, on paid ads, at the end of a blog post, and on landing pages.

CTAs are common in print marketing, too — think billboards or flyers that scream “Call Now!”

Examples of common CTAs

You’ll see plenty of CTAs around, but there are a few tried and tested phrases on repeat.

These common CTAs are uncomplicated phrases that tell your user exactly what to do and what they can expect once they follow through. There’s power in simplicity, which is why you’ll see these words used over and over again.

Some of the most common CTAs are:

• Try for free
• Add to cart
• Get started

Why is a good CTA important?

A well-crafted call to action serves as a bridge or a well-lit path. It guides your user where you want them to go. Which, if your business plan is in the right place, will be toward your goals.

A strong CTA will grab customers’ attention and incentivize them to take the decisive step necessary to achieve their goals. Effective CTAs give customers confidence in your business. They can communicate security, trustworthiness, and convenience, all of which can increase conversions or drive traffic where you want it to go.

Calls to action can also combat decision fatigue. When someone has too many options, they can become overwhelmed by choice. CTAs can help cut through decision confusion by giving your reader a direct command. Now, go read the best practices for creating effective CTAs.

Best practices for creating effective CTAs

Much like cutting your bangs, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about creating CTAs. You’ll need to consider things like copywriting, design, visuals, and placement on a webpage.

It might seem like a lot, but we’ve got you covered with the handy best practice list below!

Make it concise and clear

The CTA should be concise and lay out a clear request for the customer, whether that be for them to join a mailing list or purchase a product or service. Don’t write your reader a paragraph with the CTA buried within it; you want them to be able to immediately know where they should go.

Source: Squarespac e

Make it visible

People don’t scour your web page. They don’t read every word, and they certainly don’t like searching for something. If your CTA isn’t immediately obvious, you will lose your viewer’s interest in seconds. Remember, a competitor is likely doing the same thing you are, and your customers are spoilt for choice.

Make your call-to-action buttons or phrases clearly visible on your page. You can tailor your imagery or site design to point to the CTA for added visibility. Take Fashion Nova, for example. Here, the banner model’s body points toward the Shop Now CTA.

Source: Fashion Nova

Use white space

A great way to make sure people can see your CTA is to surround it with white space.

Don’t be scared of white space on your website! It allows your viewers to breathe in between content and can highlight important information.

Surrounding your button CTA with white space makes it pop.

Source: West Elm

Use contrasting or bold colors

Stop signs are red for a reason. They pop out among cityscapes or the countryside because that bright, arresting red isn’t at risk of blending in. Do the same for your CTA button colors.

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t veer away from your brand colors. A secondary brand color can do the job well. (And if you want to know more about brand colors and a consistent style guide , we’ve got you covered.)

Source: McDonald’s

Have well-considered page placement

Where you place your call-to-action buttons matters a great deal. You want to consider the natural flow of your user’s journey. You’ll have some users who immediately want to get shopping or head to the next page, and you’ll have users who want to scroll through your landing page before moving on.

A call to action should be placed under your header and at the bottom of your page. You want to capture people immediately (if they’re willing) and give those who need a bit more time another opportunity to hit that CTA at the bottom.

Source: Squarespace

Write benefit-forward supporting text

Supporting text is the content that comes before or in between your CTAs. It can be blog content, email body copy, the text on your website, or any copy that supports your CTA.

This extra information is your opportunity to show your audience the benefit that befalls them when they click your CTA.

For example, maybe you’re trying to get an audience to sign up for your email newsletter. If you want to convince people to hand over their email addresses, you’ll have to tell them what that newsletter will do for them.

A copywriting newsletter might say something like, “We sift through thousands of copywriting samples and pull only the best for you to repurpose for your own use. Plus, we tell you exactly why they work, so you don’t have to spend time puzzling through strategy. Impress your clients, save time, and look like an expert. Sign up today.”

The supporting copy highlights benefits so the call to action feels extra compelling. The reader knows exactly what to expect when they sign up for the email newsletter and how it will benefit them.

Create thoughtful copywriting

Aside from benefit-forward supporting text, the rest of your copywriting needs to be on point. Everything, from your site headers to your social posts, needs to be in your brand voice and speak directly to your audience.

Don’t forget to pay attention to the language you’re using both in and around your calls to action. Powerful words strike a chord with your audience’s emotions. White-hot CTA copy is an explosive way to skyrocket your ROI. (See what I did there?)

That being said, don’t confuse your audience. While your surrounding text can be full of powerful language, your CTAs need to be clear so your audience knows where they are headed. “Take the Quiz” or “Shop Now” gives your audience everything they need to know about where the button leads.

Source: Qunol

Test, test, and test again

The only way to really know if you’re using the best version of your CTA is to test it. Running A/B tests on your calls to action will show you which strategy performs the best.

It’s a simple method: You change one element (like your copy, placement, or colors) and let it run for a set amount of time. Then, see how it compares to the previous version.

6 great call-to-action examples

Now that you know what to do, it’s time to check out what others are doing! Get inspiration for your next CTA from the examples below.

Oh, how we love a good mystery! Whether it’s a cheesy crime drama or a surprise gift from a company, there’s something about not knowing what you might get that is just so enticing.

Glossier’s “It’s a mystery!” CTA makes us itchy to click that button just to see what’s on the other side.

Source: Glossier

Article uses color to its advantage with the website’s call-to-action buttons. Their secondary brand color is a bright coral, which you can see is used for the “Add to cart” CTA button.

It’s clear, eye-catching, and concise, everything a great CTA button should be.

Source: Article

Coco & Eve

Coco & Eve’s email marketing campaign uses a discount code as a CTA. Who doesn’t love saving money? Incorporating your discount code into your CTA is a clever way to get people to click.

Source: Coco & Eve’s email campaign

While this strategy worked well in Coco & Eve’s email campaign, they ran into CTA limitations on other platforms, like Facebook. If you’re advertising on LinkedIn or Facebook, you’ll know that the apps force you to use a set of standard CTA copy on the buttons.

While this poses some limitations, you can still add supporting text that motivates your audience to click. Below, Coco & Eve included the discount code on the imagery instead, which is just one of many clever ways to go about Facebook advertising .

Source: Coco & Eve on Facebook

Twitter’s “Tweet” CTA uses its own brand-specific language. Before the rise of social media, if you had told someone to tweet something, you’d be met with a blank stare. (We’ve come since 2006, truly.)

To do this yourself, just create a globally-used platform that makes birdsong synonymous with snippets of thought. Easy.

Source: Twitter

Tushy uses social proof as supporting text in its Instagram story ad . The “100,000+ 5 Star reviews” statement below serves to motivate others to grab a Tushy. Social proof is one of those marketing tactics that just works. People look to other people to determine what’s hot and what’s not.

Social proof works a lot like the bandwagon effect , a kind of cognitive bias. The bandwagon effect is pretty much exactly like it sounds; when a majority of people like or endorse something, it’s often picked up by others. And, with 100,000 5-star reviews called out, Tushy is using the bandwagon effect to its full advantage below.

Source: Tushy on Instagram

NatGeo dangles a free trial in its Instagram ad, one of many effective call-to-action ideas you can shamelessly steal. Although, when so many people are doing it and finding success, is it really stealing?

Source: NatGeo on Instagram

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Colleen Christison is a freelance copywriter, copy editor, and brand communications specialist. She spent the first six years of her career in award-winning agencies like Major Tom, writing for social media and websites and developing branding campaigns. Following her agency career, Colleen built her own writing practice, working with brands like Mission Hill Winery, The Prevail Project, and AntiSocial Media.

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• Writing Tips

How to Write a Call to Action (with Examples)

• By  Bethan McGloin
• Aug 13, 2023

Share this article:

If you’re pursuing a career as a content writer or looking to land more freelance clients, you’ll need to understand how to write a call to action.

In this post, we’ll be sharing:

• What a call to action is
• Five tips on writing a call to action
• Three examples of effective calls to action at work

Let’s get started!

What Is a Call to Action?

In content marketing and copywriting, a call to action (often abbreviated to CTA) refers to a short line or phrase that prompts the audience to perform an action.

A call to action might encourage readers to:

• Purchase a product or service
• Visit a web page
• Download an ebook
• Subscribe to a mailing list or newsletter
• Make a lifestyle change

Calls to action can appear anywhere within a piece of content, though they’re usually placed toward the end and often take the form of a button, an image, or a link embedded in the text.

But in order for a call to action to succeed in converting readers , it needs to attract attention and give them a reason for following through.

Read on to discover how you can craft an effective call to action.

How to Write a Call to Action

1. keep context in mind.

First and foremost, keep in mind that the length and style of a call to action will depend on its context.

A call to action within a blog post, for example, will tend to be a sentence or two that follows naturally from the rest of the piece.

On the other hand, emails, product descriptions, or social media ads will rely on a single word or phrase, often presented as a button to click.

So, when writing your call to action, make sure you tailor it to the content it’s part of.

2. Make Use of FOMO

In order to encourage your audience to respond to a call to action, you need to appeal to their emotions.

One of the strongest emotions is fear – specifically, fear of missing out (FOMO) . FOMO can be a powerful tool for converting readers into customers or clients.

You can make use of FOMO by providing a call to action that:

• Emphasizes exclusivity

Sign up now to receive your unique members-only discount.

Click that subscription button for access to top-secret recipes!

• Suggests urgency

Seats are selling out fast – secure yours now!

For the next 24 hours only, receive a free ebook when you sign up.

By appealing to your audience’s emotions, you give them more of a reason to act on your call to action.

3. Propose a Solution to a Problem

Another way to hook an audience with a powerful call to action is by promising solutions and concrete results.

Start by identifying a problem, then make it clear how following through with the call to action will solve that problem.

And don’t forget to include numbers, figures, and other statistics to back up what you’re promising!

Sick of pesky pests and annoying insects? Order the new sound-based repellent and enjoy a bug-free home in just one week!

4. Pick Strong Verbs

The power of a call to action lies in the verbs you choose to use. This is especially true for a shorter call to action, such as a button in an email, where you don’t have as much space to rely on appeals to your audience’s emotions.

Strong, imperative verbs often found in calls to action include:

Pair these verbs with a relevant subject or embellish them with an expressive adverb, and you’ve got a snappy call to action for your audience to follow through on.

5. Provide a Clear Course of Action

In order for your audience to follow through on the action you want them to take, they need to know exactly what that action is and how to do it.

You could write a masterful piece of copy explaining exactly why your readers should subscribe to your newsletter, but that won’t do much good if you don’t tell them how to!

This is where instructions, links, pop-ups, and buttons that allow your readers to easily take the next step are essential.

Three Great Call-to-Action Examples

Now that we’ve discussed how to write an effective call to action, here are three real-world examples to help inspire your own.

1. Converse

This call to action on the Converse store’s landing page attracts attention with its bold headline, then targets readers’ FOMO with the phrase “be the first to hear.”

If that wasn’t enough, it adds an extra incentive for customers to sign up (with a 15% off deal) and a handy button that opens a pop-up window where you can enter your email address.

Cinema chain ODEON promotes its myLIMITLESS cinema pass with a call to action listing the many benefits customers can expect for signing up.

Complete with facts and figures, this call to action also highlights “exclusive invites” to appeal to readers’ FOMO.

Proofreading and editing provider Proofed demonstrates this call to action on their page for authors .

The targeted headline and copy show they know their audience, while the button takes you directly to their document submission page. The use of the imperative “try” and the promise of a free trial is certain to pique some interest, too!

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Copyblogger

Powerful Calls to Action: How to Get Your Reader to Take the Next Step

A note: My first book will be out soon! Here’s an excerpt from one of the chapters.

What was the first thing you ever had to sell? For me, it was Girl Scout cookies.

I was ten years old, dressed in my distinctly unfashionable Girl Scout vest, skirt, and knee socks, walking along the side of the road listening to the gravel crunch under my sneakers. The sun beat down on our neighborhood, and I could smell the melting tar on the road.

I was in a state of abject terror, my sweaty hands clutching a wrinkled order form.

I didn’t even know the people whose porches I stood on and whose doorbells I was about to ring: how could I possibly ask them to buy something ?

It was horrifying.

I was just a kid who lived on their street. What right did I have to show up and offer something for sale?

It turns out that this lesson from my past taught me almost everything I needed to know about how to use the right mindset when asking someone to take action.

At the time, I didn’t realize that people love Girl Scout cookies. They want to buy them. They actually look forward to ordering them.

Back then, I didn’t know any of that. If I had, I might have ended up being one of the top sellers in my troop. Instead, I was lucky if I could fill in the first ten lines of my order form each year.

Why calls to action matter

Our content — ultimately — has a business purpose . Oh sure, we’re writing to attract an audience and build trust. We want to inform and — if possible — entertain. But for our efforts to have a measurable effect on our businesses, we have to take that final step.

We have to ask our readers to take action based on what they’ve read. And we have to sell them on the idea.

That’s the job of your call to action. Your call to action is the part of your content where you’re going to ask the reader to do something.

The action might be to:

• Sign up for your free course
• Buy a product
• Call for an appointment
• Register to vote
• Take a short quiz
• Download a white paper
• Make a small purchase

In this article, we’re going to talk about two components of your call to action: the verbal and the visual. But first, let’s talk psychology.

The psychology of the call to action

What’s going through your head as you think about writing a call to action for your content?

You might be thinking things like, “I don’t want to turn people off by asking them to do something.” Or, “My readers might unsubscribe from my email list if I start selling them things.” Or, “What if I come across as pushy and annoying?”

All common fears. Those are the kinds of thoughts I had when I was trying to sell Girl Scout cookies!

Your readers, on the other hand, are enjoying your content, and they’re thinking things like, “This is really helpful. Where can I sign up to get updates from this website?” Or, “I trust this person — they know what they’re talking about. I wonder if I can hire them to help me?” Or, “I want to apply what I’m learning on this site to my own business. Is there a product I can buy that will help me do that?”

There are two things happening here — and they’re in direct competition with one another. On one side there’s you, feeling embarrassed about making an offer. On the other side, there’s your audience — wanting to do business with you!

How do we bridge that gap?

It starts with confidence — your confidence.

If you want to create an effective call to action, it should come from a place of knowing your offer is valuable, useful, and helpful to the customer. If you can’t honestly say that, work on improving your offer first.

I want you to stand tall and have pride that you have something amazing to offer people. Something they’ll enjoy and benefit from.

You owe it to your readers to craft a call to action that will make them want to try your product or service.

To do this successfully, you’ll need to pay attention to two aspects: the verbal and the visual. Let’s start with the words first.

Your verbal call to action

Calls to action consist of two parts: the words used to make the offer (the verbal part) and the graphic treatment of the call to action (the visual part).

The best calls to action are strong on both levels. They use the right words and combine them with a graphic treatment that makes the call to action stand out visually, so your reader stops and pays attention to it.

When we talk about a call to action, we’re not referring to all the content on a sales page. Calls to action are a specific section of a larger piece of content. That content could be a sales page, but it could also be a blog post, About page, or your bio.

The call to action is the place where you ask people to act on the information that comes before it. They’re usually about 100 words or less. And because the verbal part of your call to action is short, every word needs to count.

There are three parts to a standard call to action: the headline, the offer copy, and the button or link.

The headline: emphasize benefits, not features . The headline should reflect the specific benefits the reader will experience when they take action.

This is an important marketing concept that trips up even the most experienced marketers.

Your first impulse will be to talk about features, but effective calls to action talk about benefits. What’s the difference?

Take a look at this call to action headline that focuses on features:

Get Everyday Citrus Recipes, a 164-page ebook with 100 recipes for using oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and clementines at every meal. Click here to buy.

Now take a look at a call to action for the same product that is written to focus on specific benefits:

Bolster your immune system, protect your heart and eyes, and enjoy clearer skin while enjoying the taste of delicious citrus at every meal! Click to get healthy and delicious Everyday Citrus Recipes.

It’s tough to pinpoint the benefits, I know. One trick I’ve used is to ask, “Why?” In the example above, you could ask, “Why incorporate citrus at every meal?” The answer is, “Because it’s good for you.”

Follow that question up. Ask, “Why is it good for you?” The answer is, “It’s good for your immune system, heart, eyes, and skin.”

These are specific benefits you can highlight in your headline and body copy. They’ll resonate with readers because they touch on what I like to call the “magic five” benefits: Health, Wealth, Relationships, Success, and Peace of Mind.

In the end, what you’re offering readers is a better version of themselves in one of these five categories. That means:

• Improved health
• More wealth
• Closer relationships
• Greater success
• More peace of mind and serenity

Tell the reader how your offer’s features will benefit them specifically in one of those five ways and you can’t miss.

The offer copy: be clear, not clever . As you write the copy that will go below your call to action headline, remember — you only have 100 or so words and each one must count. This isn’t the time to make a joke or use a clever play on words.

Your reader is making an important decision, and you should be ultra clear about why they should take action. If they’re at all confused, they won’t take action.

Once you’ve established the specific benefits of taking action, you can weave in features to your call to action. Your benefits will resonate with your readers on an emotional level. Weaving in features will help bring logic into the picture.

Let’s use the same example. In the first sentence, we’re highlighting the benefits. In the second sentence, we’re backing it up with a mention of the features. It’s a powerful emotion + logic combination.

Bolster your immune system, protect your heart and eyes, and enjoy clearer skin while enjoying the taste of delicious citrus! Click to buy Everyday Citrus Recipes — more than 100 recipes for using oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and clementines at every meal.

The button: “I want to ___.” At the end of your call to action, you’ll find a button or a link. This is the physical location on your page or in your email where you’re asking the reader to rise to the occasion and take action. It’s the moment of truth!

Your button copy makes a difference . Please, please don’t wimp out and use the word “Submit” or “Buy” here. Your button or link copy is an opportunity to reinforce the benefits of your offer. Don’t miss out.

To write this copy, I like to use the tip I learned from Joanna Wiebe from Copyhackers.com . Joanna recommends you put yourself in your readers’ shoes and think about the phrase “I want to ____” when writing your button copy. Fill in the blank with whatever words your reader might use to describe the benefit they’ll experience from taking action.

To use our example above, we might write, “I want to …”

Button copy: “Get Healthy and Delicious Citrus Recipes”

You might wonder if writing a call to action is overkill for a blog post. For some pieces of content, a subtle call to action like “Share your favorite ways to use citrus in the comments section” will suffice.

But a great piece of content deserves a stronger, more confident call to action. Why not ask people to sign up for your email list when you’ve given them a valuable piece of content? Why not tell them about your ebook or your services? Don’t be afraid to ask for an action at the end of every piece of content you create.

You might think about it as a spectrum: on the low-commitment end of the spectrum, you may ask them to add a comment or click to read another piece of content on your site. And on the high-commitment end of the spectrum, you may ask them to buy a product or call to make an appointment.

And remember, when you’ve got a great product to sell (like Girl Scout cookies) don’t be shy about making your offer.

No matter where your call to action falls on the spectrum, people won’t act on it if they don’t see it. That’s what we’ll talk about next — how to make your call to action stand out visually.

Your visual call to action

If a call to action is beautifully written but no one sees it, did it ever really happen?

Calls to action, as we’ve talked about, are short — maybe 100 words at the most. And they usually “live” on a page with hundreds — sometimes thousands — of other words. Your little call to action is outnumbered — it’s surrounded by your content.

How can you ensure it gets seen?

The key to creating a call to action that doesn’t get overlooked is to make it visually different from all the other words on your page.

It needs a unique graphic treatment that will stop readers in their tracks and tell them, “This is something you should pay attention to.” You don’t have to be a designer to make your call to action stand out.

Here are the areas to work on.

Use a different color palette. Grab a color wheel, and look at the colors on your website. ( Get a free color wheel at Big Brand System .) For your call-to-action text, background color, or border (more on this below), use colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel from the colors people usually see on your site. If your site is all reds and oranges, use blues and greens for your call to action. If it’s blues and purples, use gold and orange in your call to action. You may not like how it looks at first. It’s going to stick out like a sore thumb! But that’s exactly the effect you want.

Make it larger and bolder. Look at the size of your body text. For your call-to-action headline, use at least subhead-size text. For the body copy where you share details of your offer, consider using larger-than-usual text, or making it bold. Warning: it will not be subtle and beautiful like the rest of your page. And that’s a plus.

Surround it with space. Be careful not to bury your call to action inside your page copy. Add space above, below, and to the left and right of your call to action so it floats in the middle of open white space. Doing this will put your call to action on a visual pedestal and help it stand out.

Use a background or a border. Want to really draw attention to your call to action visually? Add a border or background color to this part of your content. This is a subtle but effective visual trick: by surrounding your call to action with a different color, you’re saying, “This is something different: pay attention.” Use your color wheel to choose colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel from what people usually see on your site. Your text needs to be readable, so don’t run it on an overly bright or too dark background. Instead, use pale versions of colors. Instead of navy blue, use a light blue tint. Instead of orange, use a light peach tint.

Repeat your call to action, especially if your page is long. If your page is quite long (1,500 words or more), don’t be afraid to repeat your call to action.

When deciding where to place repeated calls to action, think in terms of screen real estate. When someone arrives on your page, how many “screens” do they have to scroll through to get to the end? (Yes, I know this will vary according to the screen size, but that doesn’t matter for this exercise.)

Count how many “screens” worth of information they have to page through and make sure your reader sees a call to action on every couple of “screens.”

Remember, people scan text on the web . On a long page, if you don’t feature your call to action more than once, many people will miss it. They’ll never scan all the way to the bottom to see your visually prominent call to action sitting like a beacon at the bottom of your page. Call them to action — and don’t be afraid to call them more than once.

Give some love to your call to action

Think about your call to action like an on-site salesperson who’s representing the best of what your business offers. Spend time making this important element stand out both verbally and visually.

It may seem like a lot of work, but your call to action truly is where business happens!

Take care to ensure it’s as strong and convincing as it can be so it will work for you day and night, drawing prospects and customers to your business.

Wise owl art by the amazing D.J. Billings .

Pamela Wilson

Pamela Wilson coaches people in mid-career to build profitable online businesses. Apply for her Offer Accelerator program here . Have you read her Master Content books ?

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Reader Interactions

Reader comments (13).

October 10, 2016 at 7:55 pm

Great post pamela. You went into very little details and explain all the details. But comparison of different call to action would make it little better. Well overall it was very useful.

October 11, 2016 at 5:28 am

CTA is important that we have already known it. But, how to use it perfectly we lack a knowledge of it. Thanks a ton to copyblogger to share the views and techniques among us.

October 11, 2016 at 10:54 am

These are some great tips on how to make the most of your calls to action. You want your calls to action to make the reader want to engage with your offer. This is why I agree that making them stand out is important. You also share good advice on how to promote the benefits of the offer. Thanks for sharing Pamela!

October 11, 2016 at 4:09 pm

Great post Pamela, I look forward to getting to read the rest of your book!

October 12, 2016 at 4:30 pm

Thank you, Walter!

October 11, 2016 at 9:14 pm

Thanks for the post Pamela. You touched on multiple details and explain all of them very well. Now I have some more studying to do regarding different call to action. Thanks again for the useful information.

October 12, 2016 at 5:48 am

Call to Actions plays major role in traffic conversion. Here conversions means not only sales but these are the various actions that you want user to opt, for example subscribe, download, read more etc. Using CTA is in affecting manner is significant in fascinating users. Your guide definitely helps in this. Thanks for the post.

October 12, 2016 at 4:31 pm

Thanks, Manju. And yes: conversion isn’t always sales. Sometimes it’s literally “taking an action,” like subscribing or leaving a comment. 🙂

October 13, 2016 at 8:10 am

Great article.. I think a good call to action is vital actually to traffic conversion. But for some reason i never seem to get it right on my website. I have no idea what i am doing wrong..

Again, great job PAMELA WILSON

October 13, 2016 at 8:38 am

What a great post. I love the Girl Scout cookies sales story. I had the same experience. I hated every minute of going door-to-door. I was so embarrassed! Little did I know. And it’s amazing how back then we COULD go door-to-door and the only thing we feared was the sales pitch (or lack of one).

My call to action is exactly reversed of what you recommend – so I’m going to change it. Thanks for the advise.

October 13, 2016 at 1:57 pm

That was a great Post. I am new to Blogging and finding out new things that I need to be doing everyday. I just today added a call to action button on my post, wish I would have read this first. I will print it out so I don’t forget anything for my next Post. I also plan on subscribing to the Book Factory, can’t wait to read your book. Thanks for sharing, Donna

October 17, 2016 at 4:03 am

I remember that girl scout cookie terror. After reading this, I realize I am still wearing that uniform with the feelings that went with it.

I’ll be reading this one over and over again.

Thanks, Pamela!

October 17, 2016 at 6:08 am

I’m glad it was helpful, Beca. When we have a great product that people want or need, we can’t be afraid to make a compelling offer. (But I know it’s tough: that’s why I wrote this chapter.)

This article's comments are closed.

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• 17 Call To Action Examples (+ How to Write the Perfect Social CTA)

October 21, 2022 46 Comments Mark Quadros

A call to action can make or break the success of your social media campaign. If you use the right words, your CTA will inspire your audience to take action — click on your ad, download your ebook, add an item to cart… you name it. On the other hand, if your CTA isn’t catchy and persuasive, your audience will simply scroll past without noticing it.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about social media calls to action : what they are, what makes a CTA successful, and how to craft a persuasive CTA for your next campaign. We’ve also included 17 call to action examples (from social media and beyond) to get you inspired. That’s right: we’ve also included great examples from email campaigns and landing pages — because a good CTA is a good CTA, regardless of where it’s placed.

Let’s jump in!

What is a call to action (CTA)?

A call to action (or CTA) is a text prompt designed to inspire the target audience of a marketing campaign to take a desired action. For example, a call to action can encourage people to click on a link, leave a social media comment, visit an online store, make a purchase, etc.

A call to action can take up different forms:

• Plain text with no link

“Buy Now” or “Download Now” are typical examples of simple calls to action.

But a CTA can run longer, too, such as “Subscribe today so you’ll never miss a post.” The possibilities are endless.

Call to action examples from AdEspresso

A good CTA can help with decision fatigue and give meaning to your content. Even if it’s just a two-word phrase, users need some direction to know what to do next.

CTAs that create a sense of urgency will also help increase conversions .

As long as it encourages potential customers to stay engaged on your site, then your call to action has done its job.

Note that having one CTA highlighted is the most common way. At the same time, some marketers use both primary and secondary call to actions in their marketing. We’ll review some best practices of this later on.

How to write an effective CTA for social media (and beyond)

Social media is all about getting users to click on your posts and ads and engage. However, it’s no longer as easy as it sounds. 22.3% of people using ad blockers say there are “too many ads.”

It’s tough out there.

To combat this, increase your conversions and engagement with a compelling call to action on your ads and elsewhere on the web. Let’s see how you can achieve this.

Use strong action words

Writing short and strong CTAs is not only more persuasive, but it’s also necessary due to the character limits on ads. Start with a verb (“buy”) and follow with an adverb (“now”) or a subject (“ebook”) or both.

Here are two call to action examples to the above statement: “Buy Now” or “Download this ebook now.”

Below are some of the most common call to action verbs broken down by intention. Simply pair them with the offering of your business.

Tip: check your call to action against the LIFT Model (see below).

If we took our example from above, it would look something like this:

Download = relevance

this ebook = clarity

now = urgency

Download this ebook = value proposition

Use the text surrounding your call to action to:

• Reduce distractions (i.e., remove unnecessary links, images, etc.)
• Ease anxiety (e.g., add the disclaimer “no credit card required”)

Provoke emotion or enthusiasm

If you want to evoke an emotional response in your users, opt for a longer CTA. You’ll need to incorporate more modifiers in this case to get the desired effect.

Here are some examples:

• Add numbers: “Buy now and get 50% off!”
• Add adjectives: “Find your dream home with us!”
• Make a promise: “Lose weight in just 6 weeks!”
• Influence their FOMO: “Limited time offer. Get free shipping!”
• Play up your USP: “Order a hand-made soap now!”

Think up your own

You don’t need to stick to the good old examples, though. Get creative and make up your own call to actions.

First, verbalize to yourself what your company does for its customers (or simply look at your mission statement). For example, I run a spa where people get facial treatments.

Next, transform the verbs and modifiers into a 2-5 word call to action. Add relevant information where necessary → “ Get a free mud mask” or “ Treat yourself today!”

“Period better” – Thinx opted for the unique use of the word “period” as a verb in their CTA.

Tip: nobody gets their CTAs right the first time. Run at least one A/B test (but preferably more) on your ad to evaluate the strength of your call to action.

13 of the Best Call to Action Examples for 2022

In the following section, you’ll see what the techniques mentioned above look like in practice. Steal and customize the best CTA examples for your campaigns!

Facebook Ad CTAs

We’ll examine some Facebook ads with classic call to action examples. They may seem simple at first, but there’s more to uncover than what you see on the surface.

This ad from ClickUp is likely part of a retargeting campaign . Even if you don’t watch the video, the ad copy offers plenty of calls to action on its own.

Why it works

• Same CTA in the headline and the first sentence of the ad = the offer is clear (“Get 15% off”)
• The CTA is supported by objection-handling statements, such as “save 1 day a week”, “guaranteed,” and a list of features
• The “Learn More” call to action button assures the audience that they’ll get more info before committing

2. Shaw Academy

Can you spot all the call to actions in this Facebook ad? Hint: there are at least seven. Every element is coordinated here to instill a sense of urgency in the audience. Take note of the exploding colors, the alarm emoji, the many exclamation marks, and the multiple CTAs.

• Beautiful, contrasting colors with a CTA that stands out
• Multiple call to actions
• Sense of urgency to take action

Babbel is a language learning app that comes at you strong with various CTAs for their Facebook offer. It works because even if you don’t know this app, it quickly establishes a trust factor (“over 500,000 5-star reviews”). The post then draws you in with an attractive offer.

• The primary call to action is clear and direct: “Get up to 60% off!”
• They use the “Get Offer” CTA button to instill a sense of gratification in the audience
• Including the action word “join” + the number of reviews in the same sentence is a way to evoke the feeling of belonging to a community

4. Hootsuite

Hootsuite keeps it brief and concise with a few very targeted CTAs.

• All the call to actions are focused at the bottom while benefits are at the top of the post
• The “Learn More” CTA button leaves any extra info for the landing page

Instagram Ad CTAs

Sure, “swipe up” is available on Instagram ads, but you can get more clever than that. Below are some creative call to action examples for your Insta campaigns.

5. Headspace

Headspace’s Instagram ad is the perfect example of a custom-made call to action. “Snuggle up to Headspace” evokes a cozy feeling in users and personalizes the brand. Words like “snuggle” fit into the category of sensory words .

• They (smartly) opt to draw attention to the custom-made CTA and leave the “Get 30% off” as a secondary CTA
• They use the CTA button “Subscribe” after that to make it clear how that snuggling up will happen
• Coupled with a sweet, serene image, the whole CTA experience feels more like a gentle nudge for meditation and less like an ad

6. Elementor

As an event-type ad, Elementor gets it right. It displays all the key information regarding the event (name, speakers, date, and time).

Why it works:

• The two most eye-catching elements on the ad are the headline and the call to action button. They both have the same contrasting colors that stand out against the dark background.
• Both call to action buttons (‘Save Your Seat’ and ‘Book now’) are very concise and direct
• The old-school flair of the ‘save’ icon next to the CTA button works well with the target audience (likely consisting of more technical people)

7. Nøie Skincare

You have probably seen call to action examples like this in the advertising strategy of ecommerce brands. The main goal is to sell. At the same time, the ad focuses on the experience instead of rushing to take the user to a web page. In this case, “Shop Now” is the type of CTA that is direct, yet, the ad copy does most of the selling.

• The emphasis is on the product experience, which makes having just one call to action sufficient
• “Shop Now” is direct and to the point. The prospective customers know where they will be taken from the post

8. VAI Course

Esther Inman’s VAI Course ad keeps it fresh with the colors and a simple call to action button.

• The CTA text on the ad itself boasts about its main USP: the user gets a remote job pack every Friday
• The “See More” call to action button leaves the audience at ease knowing that they can still learn more about the product before signing up

Email conversion rates can soar as high as 15% . Take a look at the following email call to action examples from some brands who are doing it right.

9. Black Illustrations

Design agency, Black Illustrations prefers to use multiple CTAs in their email marketing. You can run your own test on this strategy, but it makes sense to include a few secondary call to action buttons if you have a relatively long email. Black Illustrations also adds a hyperlinked CTA to further help guide users to take action.

• Multiple CTA buttons (and hyperlinks) in a long email can increase your conversion rates.
• “Free with a subscription” stands out and keeps the main message clear for the user
• The color choice for the button works well with the brand yet still stands out

10. Audiense

The audience analysis tool, Audiense, prefers the long CTA route in their email marketing. Phrases like “show me…” or “take me to…” create a clear value proposition and helps the user feel in control.

• Using multiple words and first-person phrasing in your call to action could increase your relatability and CTR
• Users get a better sense of the type of page that awaits them after clicking
• When using a long-form CTA, you get to test a wider variety of versions

Landing page CTAs

Landing pages are great subjects to run a CTA test or two on. Below are some great call to action examples for your next campaign.

11. Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss’s email sign-up landing page is as minimalistic as it gets. No top menu, no links, or other distracting web components.

• The distraction-free page keeps the focus on the main CTA: to sign up for the newsletter
• The black headline and black CTA button provide a striking contrast to the white background
• “Get access” is a great call to action to use if you want to establish the feeling of receiving exclusive content in the user

Joy is a Canadian company that offers a razor subscription service for women. Their landing page is concise and fits all information to the visible area. The CTA button stands out as it’s the darkest element on the page.

• The contrasting color of the button helps users easily navigate to the next step
• The CTA copy itself follows ecommerce best practices: “add to cart” is an easy-to-recognize button in the industry
• The small-cap lettering (which fits the brand) lends a unique look to an otherwise highly used CTA

13. Leadfeeder

Leadfeeder’s own lead-generation landing page is simple with a clear value proposition. On the left, you get a summary of the ebook. On the right, you will need to provide some basic info and then click “Get the Guide” to submit your request.

• The CTA button is the only green item on the page
• “Get the Guide” engages the users with a clear offer

Website CTAs

Your landing pages may be the focus of your ad strategy. Still, it’s necessary to create a homepage with just as much converting power. Meet a few thought-out CTA examples below for your website!

14. Touchland

Touchland is here to sanitize your hands without making a mess. The “checklist” on the left (keys, wallet, phone, touchland) is cheeky. It’s a clever storytelling technique to place visitors into a familiar scenario while introducing the product.

• “Get yours” implies that a lot of people already have one – you will only fit in if you get yours
• The transparent call to action button gives the website an airy feel to it, which is on track for a business that sells a mist

With COVID-19 restrictions coming and going, travel sites like Airbnb have to develop ways to stay top of mind. They achieve this by featuring a wishlist of outdoor spaces and a dreamy illustration on their website.

• “Get inspired” is a soft CTA that invites the user to explore ideas for future travel (and remarketing)
• The call to action button itself stands out against the pastel-colored background

16. Smartlook

Smartlook is a user behavior analysis tool. They closely follow website best practices by placing a “hero” section above the fold (tagline+description+CTA). The main goal of the site is to prompt visitors to sign up for a free trial.

• The colorful call to action button provides a stark contrast against the grey and blue background – an immediate eye-catcher
• Using red and yellow colors on the button evokes a mixture of excitement and optimism in hesitant visitors
• The copy on the button says “Create free account” and the supporting text underneath is “No credit card required.” Both copies aim to overcome the subconscious objections of prospective users (Will it cost me anything? Will they charge my credit card?)

17. Ecom World

Ecom World is the website for “The World’s Largest Ecommerce Event.” They placed all of the most important info above the fold: what+when+where+the CTA.

• The call to action button coordinates well with the rest of the design elements. Throughout the site, the most crucial info tends to be highlighted in black.
• Multiple CTAs could increase conversions . Here, the “Buy Tickets” CTA appears three times above the fold alone (main navigation, in the hero, and in the sticky nanobar)

CTA buttons: Why they matter & how to use them

You can — and should — use CTAs on all types of marketing materials and on every platform you’re marketing on. This includes PPC ads of course, but it also includes landing pages, websites, blogs, newsletters, emails, and more. Sometimes, this means that you just need to stick to a plain-text CTA that’s possibly hyperlinked.

In plenty of cases, though, there’s a good chance that you would benefit significantly from clickable CTA buttons.

That’s why even Facebook has short, clickable CTA buttons that you can add to every ad campaign, and why you’ll see so many landing pages with bright “Sign Up Now!” text in a big yellow button. Clickable CTA buttons specifically have been proven many times over to increase conversion rates significantly. One study found that adding a CTA button to their article templates increased conversions by 83%, and it boosted ecommerce conversions by 22%.  Copyblogger found something similar; when their CTAs looked like buttons instead of plain text, they saw a conversion rate increase of 45% .

Let’s take a look at a few best practices for CTA buttons and how to use them in ads and on your site (including site pages, landing pages, and even your blog.

Facebook Ads

You know we had to start with Facebook Ads!

For a few years now, Facebook has had clickable CTA buttons built into the native interface. Button options include “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” “Download,” “Send Message,” and more. The idea is that you can use these CTA buttons to reinforce your ads, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

You should absolutely always include a CTA button on your ad campaigns in addition to using a CTA in the headline and/or description copy, too. Users intuitively are more likely to click when they see that button prompting them to take action without even realizing it.

Remember to tailor your CTA based on the ad that you’re running and the stage of the funnel that you’re targeting. Opting for “learn more” for users earlier in the funnel can feel lower-risk and less pressure than starting with a “Shop Now,” but this depends on the ad and the audience.

And if you’re wondering if these CTAs matter, know that they most definitely do. AdEspresso recently ran a $1000 experiment testing different types of CTA buttons on Facebook Ads to see what was most successful – and the result was astounding.

Overall, the top performer (Download) gained 49 conversions for $5.10 each, while the worst performing CTA (no button at all) achieved only 20 conversions at $12.50.

This means that you can end up paying more than twice as much for a conversion depending on the CTA you choose – something we would have never figured out without split testing.

We recommend testing out your CTA buttons using our internal split test engine to see which your audience responds to. This will allow you to test every possible combination of CTAs, and allow you to easily determine which is giving you the most conversions for the cheapest price.

 AdEspresso can even automatically pause your underperforming combinations using our Automatic Optimization feature , taking the guesswork out of campaign management altogether.

Your Website & Landing Pages

It’s always a good idea to use clickable CTA buttons to help users navigate through your site and to take certain actions. This is important both for your general website and your landing pages, too.

You can use these buttons to prioritize certain actions or to take users through typical paths that users follow when they’re most likely to convert. (On my site, for example, Google Analytics has shown that people who visit my portfolio page first are 6x more likely to get in touch with me than those who just view my contact page first.)

On landing pages and the home page of your website, you’ll want to make sure that the CTA button meets the following criteria:

• It uses contrasting colors to jump out at the user.
• It’s clearly a clickable button designed to improve navigation.
• It utilizes brief copy on the button itself but is often surrounded by copy that adds context and makes it more persuasive (like the example above).
• It should appear above the fold on the page, meaning that users can see at least one CTA button before they’d need to scroll down to see more information on the page. Make sure you take this into account on both desktop and mobile sites.

When you’re creating landing pages and site pages, remember to test them. Most people don’t realize that you can test site pages just like you would PPC campaigns when you’re using tools like Unbounce . Test different types of CTA copy, different placements, or even different colored buttons. Look for what works best, and optimize your pages accordingly. You can learn more about how to do this by checking out our $1000 case study here .

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February 21, 2018 at 9:03 pm

March 14, 2018 at 1:14 am

What a list! Huge! Thanks for sharing such an incredible list. Either way, keep doing good work!

July 10, 2018 at 2:14 pm

My name is Kevin and I am a Senior Project Manager at IdeaPros, a company that turns ideas into real life businesses – similar to an incubator. Our team consists of experienced professionals, which have the capacity to turn any idea into a successful business. There is one aspect that we are lacking, which is the copywriting and compelling call to actions for landing pages/websites. We need someone that has experience in creating compelling call to actions and copywriting in order to intrigue customers/visitors to purchase a product.

Our company has over 120 clients, which is growing everyday. We are a high-caliber company with constantly growing client list.

We are looking for a marketing professional to refine the copy and call to actions on the websites that we make. From describing the product to creating simple sentences, we need someone to produce this content. There will be numerous projects a week and the work will never end, hence we will negotiate a price that is fair for the long run. Please let me know.

Warm Regards, Kevin Nguyen IdeaPros | Senior Project Manager [email protected]

July 11, 2018 at 11:18 am

Hey Kevin, I think this FREE webinar can be very helpful More Than Words: How To Write the Perfect Facebook Ads Copy It will go live on Tuesday, July 17th, at 10 am (PST). Mark it on your calendar and reserve your spot now by clicking here !

August 9, 2018 at 9:38 pm

Great!! nice to read!! thanks for sharing it Dth Button Bits Exporters

September 15, 2018 at 4:01 am

The information you’ve got shared is extremely attention-grabbing. this may extremely useful for users. Thanks for sharing such a meaty weblog

November 15, 2018 at 9:33 am

Very informative article with good reference. Very useful and informative for front end designers. Keep up the good work.

October 10, 2021 at 2:53 am

Can we have updated version of this article. Web has changed a lot since this was published first. Thanks

November 29, 2018 at 10:44 am

Thanks much, practical suggestions.

December 15, 2018 at 10:28 am

Thanks for the nice article, Ana. Just wondering whether the rules are sort of persisting or a fashion thing. If everyone is doing it the same way, won’t readers get fed up with it and resist the CTA? By the way, Happy New Year!

December 29, 2018 at 3:42 pm

Excellent article! Thanks for sharing exceptional value-added content.

January 8, 2019 at 1:33 am

thanks to sharing this very good article about call to action good examples ..good job

January 8, 2019 at 1:35 am

the wonderful information call to action thank you so much great job thank you

January 16, 2019 at 8:01 am

Thanks for sharing!

January 17, 2019 at 7:29 am

Hi Buddy, thanks for the nice and informational post… Loved it!

February 3, 2019 at 7:29 am

Thank you for sharing this valuable information which is easy to implement.

March 2, 2019 at 4:17 am

Excellent information

April 9, 2019 at 11:45 pm

great post on CTA

April 11, 2019 at 11:53 pm

These CTA examples are very useful.

April 15, 2019 at 10:45 am

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April 17, 2019 at 10:09 am

Loved your article!!! Very detail explanation, thanks for sharing the information! I need to try it now 🙂

April 20, 2019 at 4:31 am

I am continually browsing online for ideas that can help me. Thank you! http://rahuldigital.org

April 21, 2019 at 10:48 pm

Nice information. Thanks

April 30, 2019 at 4:41 am

Amazing article – it is good to know, that other websites also name small details as the most crucial ones. We can see, that every step requires personalization, that is the reason why we created unique CTA phrases generator – http://www.ctagenerator.com

July 4, 2019 at 1:36 am

Hey Ana, I want to thank you for shariing your knowledge with us. I really appreciate you for such a great post. You have provided lots of information in an easy and understandable way.

September 20, 2019 at 10:33 am

Thanks for sharing such awesome call to action examples just loved it. definitely going to try these example in our next campagin.

November 9, 2019 at 4:10 am

A call to action is an invitation for a user to take some desired action. You often see call to action examples in persuasive writing. Once a brand has made its case in a blog post or video, for instance, they’ll often include a call to action at the end.

November 30, 2019 at 6:53 am

One of the best uses of FOMO in your CTA is to mention a sale or promotion that your company is holding, and which won’t last forever. You probably get emails with this sort of messaging all the time, I know I sure do. I’m talking about messaging like “Shop today! Sale ends on Monday,” perhaps during a three-day weekend. Or even “buy now while supplies last!” during the holiday season. It’s tough to ignore a prompt like that, especially during a time-sensitive, under-the-gun type of situation (e.g. the Christmas season). Similar to provoking enthusiasm as we discussed earlier, provoking fear of missing out in your CTA is sure to get you some additional clicks.

December 21, 2019 at 2:00 am

Getting the balance of ‘you’ and ‘us’ is important everywhere else in your website (and emails!). (Re #37 above)

January 24, 2020 at 3:14 am

Great post always testing different CTA on both Facebook and Adwords to see what can improve CTR and Conversions. The examples above are highly useful to get me thinking more creatively.

March 7, 2020 at 12:53 pm

Do you have a preferred call-to-action, or perhaps one that surprised you with how well it did? What about one that you were hoping would perform well but ended up bombing? I’d love to hear about it, so feel free to sound off below!

May 20, 2020 at 6:02 pm

I used CRO based CTR label variations with button colors and it helped me to improve leads.

June 7, 2020 at 11:31 am

informative article, thanks for sharing this article.

June 11, 2020 at 10:02 pm

Nice post I learned a lot here thanks.

June 19, 2020 at 2:20 am

Thanks for sharing such awesome call to action examples. you have explained it very will. i have also written on same you can visit my website: Hestabit

July 24, 2020 at 9:01 pm

This list is just what I was looking for. I was in need of a CTA for my ad I was doing so this was timely. Thanks!

January 26, 2021 at 10:38 pm

Absolutely useful article, I’m crafting my first landing page and I so need it.

February 13, 2021 at 2:42 am

You have a very good list of CTA examples here. Thank for working hard to provide these example with great explanations.

May 16, 2021 at 12:51 am

Very much useful article, I have been using this, But in different industries it’s very much useful.

Thanks again.

May 18, 2021 at 6:36 am

Having the right CTA can make all the difference to your business’s bottom line.

May 18, 2021 at 8:23 am

CTAs have always been a weak spot, but this is super helpful. Thanks!

[…] Almost all of your marketing content should have a well-crafted call to actions meant to encourage action. https://adespresso.com/blog/call-to-action-examples/ […]

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[…] to https://adespresso.com/blog/call-to-action-examples/  you cant just have any call to action, it must be strong enough so people will be convinced enough […]

[…] put a cap on this, without a call to action on your visual content, you risk drawing zero leads to your brand. Your CTA must not be less than three words. Even more […]

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16 call to action examples (and how to write a CTA)

What comes to mind when I try to think of a powerful CTA (call to action) is the one my dad expertly executed daily by bellowing at me to get a job . Fresh from a college experience that promised the world but mainly delivered a mountain of student debt, I was under the assumption that adulthood was supposed to be full of quirky adventures and unexpected meet-cutes, not unsolicited career advice from a man who still struggles to connect to Bluetooth.

Eventually, his CTA successfully motivated me to become a productive member of society. And  that's the magic of a compelling CTA—it jolts you out of your passiveness and into action. In my case, I got a job despite a lifelong belief that work is something to avoid unless absolutely necessary. (Look at me now, Dad!) 

Just as personal CTAs can lead to transformative life decisions, marketing CTAs have the potential to significantly impact user engagement and conversion. Want to craft your own magnetic calls to action? Keep reading for tips and examples of what makes great CTAs, well, great.

Table of contents:

Why calls to action work

How to write a call to action, how to design a call to action, call to action testing and iteration, 16 call to action examples (and why they work), what is a call to action.

A call to action is a prompt or message, usually formatted as a button or link, that encourages the audience to take a specific action. 

CTAs are commonly used in marketing and sales contexts to guide users toward the next step in their journey, whether that's purchasing a product, signing up for a newsletter, or forwarding that chain email to all of their friends to avoid eight years of bad luck.

I know what you're thinking: "I'm a human adult with a brain. I'm not going to let a shiny button on the internet tell me what to do." But the reality is that the psychology behind CTAs taps into our innate desires and instincts, making us more inclined to follow through. Remember that one time you got lost down a YouTube rabbit hole, and six hours later, you're watching a documentary on bioluminescence in deep sea creatures? You have a few "Watch next" or "Smash that like button!" CTAs to thank.

Types of CTAs

You should calibrate your call to action with the relevant stage of a customer's journey. From the curious browser lured in by a "Learn more" button, to the nearly convinced shopper beckoned with a "Why choose us?" link, and finally to the ready-to-purchase consumer presented with a decisive "Buy now" directive—you want to ensure the user is always met with a suitable and enticing invitation, guiding them seamlessly down the funnel. Here's a primer on some of the most common types of CTAs.

The effectiveness of a CTA depends on its copy, design, placement, and relevance to the user. The choice of words can significantly impact user engagement, as phrases like "Snag your copy" might resonate more than a generic "Download now," depending on your audience. Identify which action(s) will bring the most value to your business, then use your CTA to steer users in the right direction.

As a user of the beloved internet, you've absolutely seen calls to action that were pushy or patronizing, begging the question: "do I really need someone to tell me where to click?" But just like the difference between an aggressive sales rep and a sales rep that actually listens, a CTA that's written with care can get you a conversion without the negative connotations. 

Why? Because having a strong CTA in your online sales pitch fits the psychology of your visitors. 

For starters, having a clickable link or button coincides with the Action > Reward system our brains love so much. It's the extension of the childlike joy in pressing an elevator button: humans crave interaction, and our curiosity alone is often enough for us to push and click things. 

But more than that, a call to action—like any good sales closer—acts as a climax to the pitch. It serves the same function as a joke's punchline, and without a CTA, the visitor is left in a sort of directionless limbo. 

A good CTA not only signals that the pitch is over; it also recommends the next course of action. One core tenet of digital design is Steve Krug's rule : don't make the user think. By providing a suggestive call to action, the user doesn't have to wonder what to do next. They see the next step in front of them, and all they have to do is take it. 

All in all, the call to action is the best online equivalent we can get to a personalized, face-to-face sales closer. We may not be able to tailor our final pitch to a particular customer, but we can use the same techniques and strategies on a broader, more inclusive scale. And therein lies the art of writing a CTA. 

Your calls to action should be unique, specific to where it's featured as well as your particular audience and targets. That said, the best CTAs do share some characteristics that you can apply wherever they may be. 

If you're looking for one secret to effective CTAs, here it is: give them a reason to click, share, or hand over their email address . More important than the wording, placement, or color of your CTA is the underlying incentive a person has to follow it. How will answering your call to action help them? 

A good call to action restates its benefit bluntly and succinctly. 

If you're offering a discount, remind them what percentage. 

If they're getting a free PDF, mention the words "free" and "PDF." 

Here's where you can borrow from traditional sales techniques, such as adding urgency with a time limit or bringing up the pain point they're trying to avoid. Just remember the CTA shouldn't be too wordy, so stick to the highlights and keep it brief. 

If you're using a standard link, typically you write the incentive in your CTA's anchor text (the clickable text). In the case of social media posts and ads, you should reserve the last line in your message for your call to action, so mention any benefits there.

If you're using a button CTA, you have to limit the number of characters you use, so it's better to add secondary text. While the button can say something basic like "buy now," nearby you should include a line or two to remind visitors about the advantages to clicking. 

Transparency

One of the biggest reasons CTAs fail is because people don't trust them. Most web users have a healthy suspicion when clicking links online, especially on new or unfamiliar sites. You can mitigate this fear, and increase conversions, by being open and honest. 

For starters, say exactly what will happen when you click. Remove all mystery with specifics. For example, saying "start your download automatically" is more descriptive than "click here to download." (For button CTAs, with limited space, you can include secondary text nearby.)

You want to acknowledge any user doubts and assuage their fears. If visitors are worried about security, they're not going to click, so reassure them that you understand their concerns. One of the big fears, in the case of email signups, is spam. You might want to gently remind visitors that you won't share their information and that you'll only email them once a week, twice a month, or whatever the case is, to keep their imagination in check.  

You can build trust just by being upfront about everything from the beginning. You'll find people are more receptive to your CTA pitches when they know precisely what to expect. 

Command and wording

Don't be shy about calls to action! Some people soften their language to avoid being pushy, but CTAs should be strong and unapologetic. After all, if you followed rule #1 (incentive), then what you're offering is beneficial to the visitor. 

That's not to say you should be rude or demanding (please don't); there's a perfect balance somewhere in there between a strong suggestion and a forceful command. Above all, the reader must always feel they have a choice; your call to action is there to convince them of the choice you think they should make. 

In practical terms, calls to action should be imperative sentences , which is the grammatical term for commands. A best practice is to start CTAs with an actionable verb :

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This makes the statement sound stronger, and at the same time, clearly communicates what the user should do. 

Likewise, avoid wording that weakens your call to action, including "please" (no matter what Grammarly tells you) and modifiers like "could" and "would." There's a time and place for gentle language, but calls to action are not one of them.

Word choice is important to CTAs, not only for making a persuasive argument, but also for fitting the space allotted.

So which words should you choose? The consensus among professional copywriters is that certain words work better than others for sales and persuasive writing. And while there's no official collection, the words below generally end up on most copywriters' lists: 

They're not foolproof, but in my experience, these words tend to improve CTA performance and the effectiveness of most sales copy. And because most of them are short, you should have no problem fitting them into your CTA space. 

Now that we've covered the writing, let's talk about how your CTA should look. The design, layout, and typography of your call to action all play major roles in its success. 

CTA design best practices

If you're placing your call to action on a web page or other content you design yourself, you want to place it at the top of your visual hierarchy. Your CTA should be the most noticeable element on the page. To achieve this, you want to pull out all your design tricks:

Contrasting colors: CTAs should generally contrast with the rest of the page's design. Visitors shouldn't have to work to find what to do next. Use a vibrant color for your CTA, especially against a dull background. Can you spot it from six feet away? Good.

Optimal size: Make the button and text larger than the surrounding elements but not so large that it overwhelms other content. It should also be easily clickable, especially on mobile devices.

Clear typography: Use a legible font that complements your brand. Ensure the text is large enough to read but doesn't crowd the button. You can play with typography to emphasize key words. Commonly, operative words like "free" are set in a different color or sometimes even a different font to attract more attention.

Negative space: Surround your call to action with plenty of negative, or empty, space. Setting your CTA apart from the other elements makes it more noticeable and gives it more importance in the eyes of your visitors.

Emoji use: Some brands find success with emojis, but if you choose that approach, remember that a little goes a long way.

Consistent styling: While CTAs should stand out, they should still align with your brand's overall design aesthetic. Consistency in design builds trust.

Last but not least, you should evaluate how successful your final call to action is and identify room for improvement. Creating your CTA may feel like a lot of guesswork and shooting in the dark—because it is. Testing it is much more clear cut. 

To get a basic idea of your CTA's performance, take a look at your analytics. Compare the page traffic to the number of conversions, and see what percentage of your total visitors clicked. 

Don't be alarmed if your conversion rate percentage feels low. Although there's no universal figure that applies to everyone in every industry, a reliable general metric is around 4% . If your conversion rate is higher than 4% but you're still not hitting your goals, try focusing on improving traffic to the site or page rather than tweaking the call to action. 

If your conversion rate is significantly lower, it's worth doing an A/B test on your design and copy. Try two different versions of your call to action, experimenting with different phrasing, colors, or fonts, and see which one performs better with your target audience. It's the most efficient way to reveal what works and what doesn't with concrete, empirical data, ensuring your CTA resonates with the target audience and drives the desired action.

Let's dissect some real-life CTA examples to learn how to use strategic copy, design, and placement to transform an ordinary CTA into a magnetic, can't-resist-clicking force.

1. JD + Kate Industries

CTA placement: Exit intent popup

CTA type: Lead to purchase

What it does right: Attention-grabbing, offers a valuable incentive, humorous and lighthearted

The brazen use of "WAIT" isn't a gentle suggestion; it's a command. Like someone grabbing your elbow just as you're about to duck out without a goodbye. It's intrusive, but in a way that makes you think, "Alright, what did I miss?"

Combine that with the sheer audacity of telling someone they've forgotten to buy not just one candle but HUNDREDS of candles. It's dramatic, it's over-the-top, and frankly, it's memorable. With copy like that, it's hard to resist giving away your email address because one can only wonder what their emails would be like.

2. Giftwrap.ai

CTA placement: Display ad

CTA type: Lead generation

What it does right: Engaging, personalized, visually appealing

It's refreshing to see something that doesn't pretend to know you better than you know yourself. Instead of telling you what your significant other might want, it's asking you to fill in the blanks. A little bit of personalization without the personal touch. Clever, really.

As for the CTA button, the emoji is a nice touch. Plus, the use of "show" rather than "buy" or "see" is like a little magic trick. "Voila! Here are your gift options."

3. Who Gives A Crap

CTA placement: Facebook ad

What it does right: Benefit-oriented language makes the CTA more appealing to users and encourages them to take action 

By comparing "Us" and "Them," they're not only offering a quantitative argument (385 sheets versus a paltry 299), but they're also injecting a bit of humor. And while I've never been one to count sheets, if you're telling me I get more for my money and it'll look cute next to my collection of HUNDREDS of candles, I'm sold. Also, describing the competitor as "objectively very boring" is a sentiment I've often used to describe my social life, but to see it on toilet paper? Well, that's something.

"28% cheaper than Charmin," followed by a "Shop Now" button isn't just a call to action; it's a call to revolution! A revolution of, well, saving on toilet paper and perhaps bringing a touch of flair to a decidedly unglamorous aspect of life.

CTA placement: Homepage header

What it does right: Creates curiosity, addresses pain points, social proof

There's something oddly reassuring about a direct, no-nonsense headline promising exactly what every website on this overcrowded internet wants: visibility.

The name-dropping of heavy-hitter customers serves as a strong endorsement. It's not saying, "Look who trusts us," but rather, "Look who you'd be in company with." And that "17,961 users joined Ahrefs in the last 7 days" is a nice touch. It's not boastful, but it's certainly not modest. It's a subtle prod to the undecided that says, "While you're contemplating, thousands have already decided."

This CTA is a perfect blend of self-assuredness, social proof, and just the right amount of peer pressure.

5. Ruggable

CTA placement: eCommerce email

CTA type: Limited-time offer

What it does right: Straightforward, creates a sense of urgency, sparks curiosity

There's something unapologetically direct about this ad. "Final hours to save until next week Black Friday"—it's not asking you, it's telling you. Time's running out, and if you're the type who thrives on the thrill of a last-minute decision, this is your moment.

The CTA is a master class in suspense. That "% OFF" lurking behind the button is like when someone says they've got news, but they'll tell you later—except instead of being left alone with your intrusive thoughts, conjuring up worst-case scenarios, you get a sweet discount on a cute, machine-washable rug.

CTA type: Product demo

What it does right: Solution-oriented, benefit-driven, relatable

"Email sucked for years. Not anymore—we fixed it." You mean that thing everyone's been complaining about since the dawn of the internet? It's about time, and I'm all ears.

The rest of the copy succinctly addresses customer pain points and aspirational desires. It paints a picture of a world where checking your email might feel more like reading a postcard from a friend rather than sifting through a pile of bills.

The CTA button, "See how HEY works," is straightforward. No flowery language, no over-the-top promises. Just a simple invitation.

7. Big Blanket Co

What it does right: Creates a sense of urgency, visually appealing, reassuring

The urgency of "limited quantities available...Reserve yours now before it's too late" is classic retail psychology. It's both an announcement and a challenge, like when a kid hears the whistle signaling the end of adult swim and races to be the first one to cannonball into the pool.

The "Limited Restock [Massive 10'x10' Blankets] 100 Night Guarantee + Free Shipping" is the clincher. It promises a combination of rarity, quality, reliability, and convenience, like a call to action Megazord.

What it does right: Addresses pain points, benefit-oriented, actionable

The genius of this homepage lies not just in its promises but in its initial question—a direct prod at the pain point of its target audience that immediately evokes a visceral response. Most, if not all, travelers will mentally answer "yes" to this, recalling their own airport nightmares. It's a calculated reminder of a situation everyone wants to avoid, making the solution they offer even more enticing.

"Get up to $700 compensation per passenger, no matter the ticket price." The clarity here is commendable. They're not promising the world, but a very tangible, specific amount. And the Trustpilot rating is a nod to credibility. It's like a friend vouching for a restaurant they swear by, but in this case, it's 157,892 friends.

The two fields for the departure and destination airports are a clever touch. It's interactive, pulling me in, like when a quiz promises to tell me which '90s sitcom character I am based on my questionable life choices. (I'm George Costanza.) The button, with its sharp contrast to the rest of the page, effectively captures attention while still aligning with the brand's colors and aesthetic. "Check compensation" offers an inviting, low-effort action, subtly guiding users toward their potential relief without overwhelming them.

In a world where we're constantly sold solutions to problems we didn't know we had, this CTA addresses a very real grievance with a straightforward promise. And in the often convoluted world of travel woes, that's a breath of fresh, cabin-pressurized air.

9. Crazy Egg

What it does right: Actionable, benefit-oriented, simple

Crazy Egg's CTA isn't trying too hard to impress. It's just good—well thought out, concise, and to the point.

First, the headline: "Make your website better. Instantly." A rather bold proclamation but commendably straightforward. Its use of the word "instantly" suggests that Crazy Egg has the answers, and they're not going to waste your time.

The "Show me my Heatmap" CTA button is, once again, admirably direct. It's not pleading for a click or asking for a moment of your time. It's telling you, in no uncertain terms, what's on the other side of that click.

What it does right: Clear and concise, visually appealing, strong call to action verb

First off, big ups to Zappos for not making me do math. Half off? I'm already intrigued and haven't even seen the shoes yet.

"Reveal today's deals" feels like a game show moment. What's behind door number one? A pair of boots? New house slippers? It's that momentary thrill, like unwrapping a gift—even if you end up paying for it yourself.

In an endless sea of emails screaming for attention, this one from Zappos does what it needs to do: it grabs you, shakes you gently by the shoulders, and says, "Hey, want something good for half off?" And in this economy, who can say no?

CTA placement: Landing page header

What it does right: Interactive and dynamic, personalized, sparks curiosity

By providing three clear choices (drive or deliver, eat, and ride), Uber shows that they understand and cater to the diverse needs of their users. This personalized approach instantly makes the user feel valued and attended to, whether they need a ride to the airport or just want to stuff their face.

The interactive nature of this dynamic content creates a sense of empowerment and involvement for the user. Even the tens of people unfamiliar with all of Uber's offerings will be intrigued by the distinct options, sparking curiosity and potentially leading them to explore other services beyond their original intention.

12. CareerBuilder

What it does right: Clear and concise, click-worthy secondary CTA

"Find your next job…fast!" Who are you, my dad? Although I suppose if someone's clicking their way onto a job-finding website, they're there for one reason: to snag a job, and preferably one that doesn't make them want to put a campfire out with their face.

CareerBuilder doesn't dilly-dally—they allow you to type in your wildly specific and/or desperate job requirements. And who's going to turn down the resume help offered in the secondary CTA? Talk about a lead magnet.

13. Airtable

CTA type: Gated content

What it does right: Social proof, sneak preview, clear and concise

You may be wondering why I included a very basic "submit" button in a CTA showcase, but pairing a straightforward button with great supporting elements like the headline, social proof, and sneak preview, is like sipping top-shelf wine from an old jelly jar. Sometimes, the simple stuff just ties everything together.

The large headline is as direct as my comments on whether a hotdog is a sandwich. (It's not.) Aimed at the so-called professionals in campaign planning, it speaks to a certain crowd, much like literally anything speaks to Swifties looking for Taylor's latest Easter egg.

The mention of leading companies like Shopify, Time magazine, Spotify, and Hearst adds credibility and trustworthiness. It's basically saying, "If these giants trust us, maybe you, in your comparatively minuscule existence, should, too."

The bullet list detailing what's inside the eBook provides clarity on the content, letting users know exactly what to expect, including insider tidbits from recognized brands. So, not only do you get smarter, but you also get to casually name-drop at the next girls' night. "I've been implementing campaign planning strategies inspired by Equinox and Taylor Guitars. NBD."

CTA type: Closing the sale

What it does right: Showcases diverse selection, clear and concise, highlights affordability

Max presents an impactful CTA through the Neapolitan ice cream of hero images, featuring Anderson Cooper, Ketel Marte, and Margot Robbie with Ryan Gosling. Collectively, these three flavors depict a panoramic view of Max's offerings, emphasizing a wide variety of choices only rivaled by the Cheesecake Factory menu. 

In a world drowning in content, they've managed, quite succinctly, to sum it all up with "It's all here. Plans start at $9.99/month." The ensuing "Sign up now" button invites visitors to subscribe, anchoring the CTA by providing a straightforward pathway to accessing all the consumable content your heart desires.

15. Adobe Stock

CTA placement: Google Search ad

CTA type: Free trial

What it does right: Benefit-oriented, actionable, relevant to the target audience

This paid search ad nails the CTA with a clear and easy-to-understand message. The headline "Free trial - Find the right image faster" immediately grabs attention by offering a low-risk way to experience the service. It also addresses a common pain point for users, highlighting the platform's efficiency. 

In very few words, Adobe found a way to combine attention-grabbing language, address user concerns, highlight the platform's strengths, and offer a valuable deal, making for a cleverly crafted CTA. If I were into such things, I might even click on it. But I have people for that.

CTA placement: Email

CTA type: Event promotion

What it does right: Multiple engagement opportunities, attention-grabbing, personalized

Much like the free sample stations at Costco, the strategic placement of three CTA buttons ensures the reader has multiple opportunities to engage, regardless of how far they wander (or scroll).

The header image immediately grabs attention with its vibrant graphic detailing key event highlights. This provides a quick snapshot of what to expect and builds anticipation.

Personalizing the body of the email to address readers by name creates a sense of intimacy. Instantly, they're all ears and feeling special.

Improve your CTAs now, free! 

While my dad's approach might have lacked the finesse of a well-designed button or the allure of clever copy, the sentiment was clear. And that's the heart of every good CTA. Whether you're nudging a visitor to make a purchase or nudging your offspring out of the nest, the principle remains the same. CTAs are about engaging your audience, prompting action, and, occasionally, a very pointed reminder to update your LinkedIn profile.

Now it's our turn to practice what we preach— try Zapier for free !

Related reading:

How to write great copy

eCommerce email marketing: A beginner's guide

How to write better

How to treat and prevent common marketing copy maladies

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Allisa Boulette

Based in New England, Allisa is a content marketer and small business owner who hopes to make the internet a more interesting place than she found it. When she’s not working, you can find her lying very still not doing anything.

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107 Call to Action Examples You Can Steal Now 

Every once in a while, I notice myself hitting a writing rut. My blog posts titles have all been done before. My tagline options all sound the same. My calls to action are forgettable. My introductions get repetitive. (Too meta?)

It’s easy to fall into this rut—it’s much harder to jolt yourself out of it and bring your copy back to life.

Your  call to action  is probably the most high-stakes copy you have, so you can’t afford to get stale. Nobody enjoys a boring CTA. That’s why we put together this huge list of all the best CTAs we’ve seen around—to give over 100 call to action examples that you can use and make your own whenever you need them. So read through or bookmark for later just in case, or even both.

Let’s get into it. 

What is a call to action?

A call to action is the copy that prompts users to take an immediate action. It’s a simple definition, but the stakes are incredibly high—you need your calls to action, or CTAs, to effectively direct and motivate website visitors to convert.

That means the language that you use needs to be clear and you should communicate the post-click value to your target audience. Often, these CTAs are limited by space, appearing on a button or pop-up, so being clear and compelling can be a challenge.

Here’s an example of a call to action on Unstack’s site:

On the homepage above, “Try it free” is the CTA, which appears on a pink button. We’re not going to be getting into button colors in this guide, but we’re skeptical of any one-button-color-fits-all pronouncements. A best practice is to  A/B test anything , including your copy

The best call to action examples

There are common CTAs that you’ll recognize on the list below, and that’s because sometimes standard and expected is effective. There are also lots of call to action examples that surprised us with  engaging language , a sense of urgency, super-specific actions, and more. So take a look and learn from these—take these examples and make them your own.

These are the best CTAs we’ve seen around the internet, broken into the relevant categories so that you can use this as a guide whenever you need CTA inspiration. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Website call to action examples
• Ecommerce call to action examples
• Content and blog call to action examples
• Video call to action examples
• Podcast call to action examples
• Webinar and event call to action examples
• Sales call to action examples

Now, to the CTAs.

Website call to action examples

Across your website, you should have multiple CTAs for making a purchase, signing up for an  email  list, exploring more of your offering, keeping in touch with your company, and, if you offer one, getting started with a free trial. Here are some good cta examples to get you started.

1. Join the Revolution

This is a great CTA example from Boston Content —with the copy and button text, this reads more like an invitation.

3. Work With Us

4. Write a Review

6. Open an Account Today

8. Tell Us How We Did

9. Start Building

11. Get This Dashboard for Free

This is a great example of including value in the CTA from Databox .

12. View Plans

13. Connect Your Account

14. Connect With Us

15. Find a Location Near Me

16. Follow Us

17. Get Updates

18. Explore

19. Explore Now

20. Explore Benefits

21. Join Our Village

22. See Your Options

23. Check Out the App

24. Try the App 

25. Find Out More

26. Crunch the Numbers

27. Visit Now

28. Learn How

29. Create Yours Now

30. Create My Account

31. Schedule a Visit

32. See My Results

33. Give Me More

34. Enter Now

35. Stop Wasting Time

36. Check Out Now

37. Apply Now

38. Support

39. Become a Member

40. Donate Now

41. Try It Out

Website CTAs can be conversational, like this one from Candlebuilders . 

Ecommerce call to action examples

If your business offers ecommerce options, you’ll probably have some of the website CTAs above and more specific prompts to encourage potential customers to purchase. Use these options below to inspire better CTAs—ones that help boost conversion rates for you. 

42. Buy Now

43. Send One Instantly

44. Claim My Discount

45. Get This Limited Time Offer

46. Add to Cart

47. Checkout Now

Simple, sufficient. And, since it’s Jeni’s , also delicious.

48. Treat Yourself

49. Shop New Arrivals

50. Choose Your Box

The direct address and personalization here? Well done, Mombox .

Content and blog call to action examples

Your  content  should be informative and provide value for your site visitors, but it should also include CTAs to generate leads for your business. Here are some calls to action that prompt reading more, returning, and interacting with content. There are also some that motivate users to subscribe to the  blog  or newsletter, download an ebook, and more.

51. Read More

52. Learn More

53. Use This Template

Canva  prompts users to get started with its product.

54. Get My Guide

55. Get the Guide

56. Keep Reading

57. Read Our Tips

58. Download Now

59. Subscribe Now

60. Subscribe to the Blog

61. See More

62. Be the First to Know

63. Submit 

64. Start Reading

65. Share This Article 

Simple, effective CTA from Intercom .

66. Check It Out

67. Get Early Access

68. Claim My Free Copy

69. Get the Cheat Sheet

Bonus points for getting super-specific like HootSuite .

Video call to action examples

Here’s a great reason to spend some extra time on there: A CTA that appears in a video gets  380% more clicks  than sidebar  CTAs . Appealing, right?  Video   CTAs  can prompt  prospects  to sign up for a  free trial , as well as these examples below.

70. See More

71. See How It Works 

72. Join the Movement

73. Start Sharing

Podcast call to action examples

Last year, over 155 million people listened to podcasts weekly. That’s a ton of listeners. Even better, they’re committed—over 80% listen to the whole podcast episode or most of it. If your company has a podcast, make sure you’re including effective CTAs that direct users to listen.

74. Listen Now

75. Subscribe to the Podcast

76. Don’t Miss an Episode

77. Add to Playlist

78. Catch Up Now

79. New Episodes

Webinar and event call to action examples

If you’re hosting a webinar or a marketing event, then you want to make sure you’re prompting the specific action you want: registration. 

80. I Want In

82. Count Me In

83. Save My Seat

84. Reserve My Spot

85. Add Me to the List

86. Join Now

87. Get the Details

Sales call to action examples

A CTA that makes the sale is probably the most important of all. But not every sales cycle supports a simple “buy now.” Instead, you might prompt a free trial, an installation, a demo. Check out these call to action examples below to jumpstart your brainstorm .

88. Get Started

89. Start Free Trial

90. Help Me

91. Schedule a Call

92. Schedule a Demo

93. Start Your Free Trial Now

94. Install Now

95. Sign Up

96. Sign Up Now

97. See a Demo

Using “see” in this CTA makes it clear that you won’t be talking directly to a sales rep—much softer.

98. Order Now

99. Contact Us

100. Request a Demo

101. Upgrade and Save

102. Upgrade My Team

103. Speak to an Expert

This CTA in action on Klaviyo’s website .

104. Compare Plans

105. Contact Sales

106. Let’s Talk

107. Get in Touch

Don’t settle on CTAs—steal these call to action examples 

Your calls to action are too important to get boring. And why even go there when you have plenty of options to switch it up and see what works?

Take these call to action examples above and make them your own in your marketing campaigns. Promote your podcast. Add specifics to prompt your  content downloads . Include a discount in your ad CTA to motivate a sale and capture an email. It’s not exactly stealing that way—just consider this a resource to get you inspired and get you started!

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15 Great Call to Action Examples That Simply Work

May 18, 2021

by Nathan Ojaokomo

In this post

• Why create a call to action?

Best practices for creating CTAs that work

• 15 call-to-action examples to draw inspiration from

Your ability to write ads, landing pages, or emails that make readers take action – whether it’s to buy something, download an eBook, join your email list, or something else – is one of the keys to becoming a successful marketer. 

While it’s one thing to write headlines or introductions that hook a reader, it’s an entirely different ball game to make these readers take action after reading your copy. To make your audience or readers take action, you need to pay more than the usual attention to creating a compelling call to action (CTA) . 

We’re going to share real-life examples of CTAs you can use to improve your conversions and grow your business. You’ll also learn why you need a strong call to action and how to write CTAs that work.

A call to action is used to prompt an audience to take a specific action. 

When you think about the last time you downloaded an eBook, enrolled for an email course, or signed up for a software’s free trial, you will discover that a CTA was the final nudge that made you take action. 

Common examples of CTAs you can find on websites, landing pages, emails, and ads are “Buy now,” “Subscribe,” “Sign Up,” and “Learn More”. These CTAs serve as a bridge between your audience and conversion.

Why should you create a strong call to action?

Many marketers make the mistake of thinking that CTAs are not necessary, especially since a call to action only takes up a small part of their website, email, or landing page. They also imagine that slapping common CTA examples like “Buy Now” or “Subscribe” on their copy would convert well for them. 

But the truth is that your conversions would tank if you don’t create strong CTAs. Why? The average daily time spent on social media in 2020 was 145 minutes compared to only 111 minutes in 2015 – meaning people now consume more content than ever before. As a marketer, this means you’re literally in direct competition for people’s attention against Zoom calls, TikTok, Netflix, Instagram, and other social platforms. 

In a world where attention spans are lower because of the many content and information channels available today, you’d be doing a disservice to your readers if you don’t use strong CTAs. A good CTA should grab people’s attention , make them notice what they stand to gain, and prompt them to take action. 

So how can you create a strong call to action? First, you need to set the right foundation.

Before you write a CTA

No builder sets out to build a house without having a plan or laying the foundation. Similarly, you need to set the foundation for your CTAs before you begin writing.

Here are two questions that can help you lay the groundwork: 

• What is your goal? 
• Who is your audience? 

What is your goal?

When writing CTAs, start with an end goal in mind. What action do you want your audience to take? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter? Book a demo? Buy your products?

Whatever the goal is, it should be specific and straightforward. Don’t bombard your audience with too many options at once. Offering several choices confuses the audience and hurts your conversion rate opportunity. 

Who is your audience?

Knowing your audience goes deeper than creating a random “Marketing Mary” persona. You need to understand your audience’s fears and desires well. Once you’ve identified who your audience is and what you want them to do, it’s time to start writing your CTA.

While there are no set or rigid rules when creating CTAs, a few principles can help you write strong CTAs. These principles work whether you’re writing a call to action for your websites, ads, social media captions, or emails. 

Keep your CTA above the fold

A fold is the part of your website that visitors see before they start scrolling. 

It’d be a waste of website real estate to hide your call to action in a place other than the first part of your website that visitors see. You can still use images, logos, and other graphics along with your CTA above the fold.

Don’t just tell people to do something

In 1978, Harvard professor Ellen Langer carried out a study that showed the power of using the word “because” . The study was conducted in front of a busy copy machine on the Harvard College campus. 

Participants were asked to try to skip the queue using three different pitches: 

• “Excuse me. I have five pages. May I use the xerox machine?”
• “Excuse me. I have five pages. May I use the xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”
• “Excuse me. I have five pages. May I use the xerox machine because I have to make copies?”

The results?

The first statement without “because” got a 60% favorable response. But that response was dwarfed by the 94% and 93% favorable responses from the other two pitches that used “because”.

Instead of just telling people to do something, tell them why they should do it. 

Use a call to value instead of a call to action

Like telling your audience why they should do something, a call to value helps hammer on the benefits your audience can get from taking a particular action. Don’t say “Shop now” when you could say “Shop now and get 30% off of your order.”

Create a sense of urgency

Remember how you always rushed your assignment the night before you had to submit it? Without a submission deadline, you probably wouldn’t have completed as many assignments as you did in high school. The same thing happens with your marketing messages.

Without a sense of urgency, your audience would most likely not take any form of action. To create a sense of urgency, you can use phrases like “limited offer,” “now,” “XXX seats left” in your CTAs.

Your CTA should also make your audience fear that they’ll miss out on something if they don’t act quickly.

Strike a balance between creativity and simplicity 

Don’t try to be too smart or witty by using phrases or words your audience doesn’t know. Nobody is going to hand you a medal for lacing your call to action and messaging with big words. Instead, use words, phrases, and terms that your audience uses in their daily conversations.

Use power words and phrases 

A compelling call to action uses powerful words and phrases. Here’s a list of powerful words and phrases you can use in your CTA: 

• Deadline 
• Freebie 
• On-demand 
• Seize 
• Try for free
• Start your free trial

Adjust CTAs to different devices

The way your call to action appears on a mobile phone differs from how it appears on a desktop. Make sure you optimize your CTA buttons to match the different devices your audience uses.

Employ social proof

Social proof, no matter how small, goes a long way into making your CTAs work. In a world where everyone claims to be the best, social proof helps your audience see that you’re not the one tooting your horn.

Social proof could be in the form of big company or client logos, star ratings from review sites, testimonials from customers, or some stats like the number of email subscribers you have.

Consider your CTA length

No rule book says that your CTA needs to be a specific length. The length of your call to action often depends on your offer and understanding of your audience. So don’t sweat it. Besides, you can always test which length works best for you. 

Always keep testing

One exciting thing about CTAs is that you can test almost everything about them to see what works. You can test your call to action’s copy, button, button size, placement, and even the colors using an effective CTA conversion strategy . 

15 call-to-action examples to draw inspiration from 

You don’t always have to start from scratch or reinvent the wheel when creating a call to action. Here are some CTA examples that can inspire you, spanning across website, email, landing page, and ad CTA examples. 

1. Get a free savings assessment

Even though G2’s homepage has a couple of good CTAs, the one on the header navigation bar stands out for many reasons. 

First, it catches the eye immediately because its color scheme contrasts with the background and the rest of the page. It also contains the word “Free,” a word everyone loves to hear. 

The use of figures and a clear benefit in the “Reduce your software costs by 18% overnight” line also makes clicking the CTA a no-brainer. 

2. Start a 7-day trial for $7

Customers want to know what they’ll be getting before they click anything on your site. Ahrefs could have conveniently made their CTA read “Start a 7-day trial” without mentioning the $7 part. 

While this can cause more visitors to click on the CTA, only a small percentage of them would proceed after hitting a paywall. If your audience has to pay before using your tool, clarify it in the call to action.

3. Learn more

“Learn more” is one of the most common CTAs on websites. While it may not work for everyone, it works well for Apple...well, because they’re Apple. Since they’re already on top of their audiences’ minds, Apple doesn’t need to say much to move people to action. 

You’d also notice that although the call to action isn’t a button, it’s still easily identifiable because its color differs from the rest of the text.

4. Plant now

Click A Tree’s website design looks clean and on-brand. The image choice clearly shows what the organization is all about. The use of brown (earth) and green (leaves) as their colors also points to the organization’s mission to plant more trees. 

All these elements combine to make the “Plant now” CTA work. “Now” also creates a sense of urgency.

5. Get started – it’s free

Many company websites, especially SaaS companies, use the “Get started” CTA. However, Webflow takes it a step further by adding “ it’s free” at the end of their CTA. 

This little addition helps resolve some objections around pricing that may come up in a visitor’s mind.

6. See how addictive email can be

Over the years, Tarzan Kay has built a successful business through email marketing. And with her website headline, she shows visitors what they would get when they click the CTA button. 

Yes, that giant CTA button. Although the button is hard to miss, it’s not pushy or salesy. Instead, it gives visitors the feeling that they would be gaining front seat rows to see how email marketing can work for them.

7. Get 30 days free

Want to know what’s better than getting a week-long free trial? Getting 30 days free. 

Peloton uses the “Get 30 days free” CTA to attract and convert visitors who want to get fit. This CTA is excellent because 30 days is more than enough time for a person to tell whether Peleton’s program is working for them or not. 

8. Start winning more

It’s not only in your homepage headline that you can highlight your products or services’ most significant benefits. You can and should use these benefits in your call-to-action copy too. Winning is something anyone who plays games wants to achieve. And Metafy here brilliantly highlights this with their “Start winning more” CTA. 

9. Schedule your free strategy session

Like we mentioned earlier, knowing your audience is vital to writing strong CTAs. Here, Pedro clearly defines that he serves SaaS companies that have trouble converting visitors into customers. 

SaaS business owners know that a small percentage change (say 5% uptick) in their conversions can blow their revenue out of the water. Pedro knows this too, and that’s why his CTA offering a free strategy session (emphasis on free) looks like a steal.

10. Subscribe to our newsletter

Let’s start with the classic “Subscribe to our newsletter”.

Although many companies have email sign-up boxes that use this CTA, these companies often offer zero motivation to make their audience actually subscribe. Really Good Emails gives their visitors compelling reasons why they should subscribe to their email list. 

11. Start saving

Black Friday deals come and go every year, and almost everyone with an email gets bombarded by deals from different companies. 

To help their customers make the most of these deals, Bluehost uses a simple “Start saving” CTA. This call to action works because it offers a clear benefit. Thanks to the button’s deep blue color on a lighter background, it’s also hard to miss. 

12. Go pro yearly and save 45%

Many customers would rather pay $10 monthly instead of $100 per year, even though the yearly subscription cost less in the long run. 

In this email CTA example, Bannersnack not only highlights that customers would be saving 45% if they move to a yearly subscription. But they also mention other benefits like “No more missed payment” and “no more worries”. 

13. Start streaming

HBOmax is a video streaming platform . And it’s only right that they use a “Start streaming” CTA in their emails. 

While the CTA is not super creative, they did make it stand out by using different colors for the CTA button and the background.

14. Get more time

ClickUp is a time and project management tool for big and small businesses. 

Their email pop-up box decided to ditch the traditional “join our newsletter” and use “Get more time” instead.

Why does this work? Anyone interested in gaining back more time would be interested in the “Get more time” CTA. Besides bringing their value upfront, ClickUp also uses social proof (by displaying company logos) and a cheeky “No, I want to waste one day per week” line beside their call to action. 

15. Start creating

In this email, Vimeo announces its new features that allow users to create and showcase videos online. 

Instead of focusing on themselves, Vimeo used a CTA that focuses on the reason why people use Vimeo in the first place: to create.

It’s time to get to work, now that you’ve seen CTA examples that can inspire you to create a call to action that converts more of your audience into leads and customers. 

Before you write, keep in mind to know your audience well and the specific action you want them to take. Your CTAs should be above the fold, start with powerful words, create a sense of urgency, have some form of social proof, and tell people why they need to take action.

Extend your reach

Use marketing software to help elevate your call to action game, acquire more leads, and close more sales.

Nathan is a B2B SaaS content writer . When he’s not helping software brands build more authority, generate better traffic, or convert more leads, you’ll find him binging on Marvel’s latest movies.

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5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action

Yet many speakers miss a fantastic opportunity with a call-to-action that is wishy-washy, hypothetical, or ill-constructed. Even worse, some speakers omit the call-to-action entirely.

A poor call-to-action undermines the effectiveness of your speech; a great call-to-action stirs your audience to act enthusiastically.

In this article, we reveal the qualities of a strong speech call-to-action which will lead your audience to act.

What is a Speech Call-To-Action?

A speech call-to-action is an explicit appeal to your audience to take a specific action following your speech. A call-to-action is most often made at the conclusion of a persuasive speech.

“ If you have been persuasive and your audience is emotionally invested, the best time for action is now. ”

For example, you might call on your audience to…

• … adopt a new business process
• … sponsor an event
• … attend an event
• … fund a research initiative
• … register to vote
• … join a club
• … train for a marathon
• … read out loud to their children
• … donate money to a charity
• … travel to Saskatchewan
• … buy a fire extinguisher
• … eat more vegetables
• … use public transit

Guidelines for a Strong Speech Call-to-Action

Your call-to-action and your approach to delivering it may vary according to your audience and your speaking style. While there is no rigid formula, there are a number of  guidelines which will improve the effectiveness of your call-to-action.

• Make your call-to-action clear and direct.
• Have your audience act quickly.
• Lower barriers to action.
• Focus on benefits for your audience.
• Customize your call-to-action for each person.

1. Make your call-to-action clear and direct.

Don’t hint. Don’t imply. Don’t suggest.

It’s not a whisper-to-think-about- action; it’s a call-to -action.

Use direct language, and eliminate wishy-washy phrases.

• Instead of “Maybe you could think about joining…”, say “Join…”
• Instead of “It would be good to train for…”, say “Train for… “

Don’t assume that your audience will “figure out” what needs to be done. (I have made this mistake in the past and regretted it.) If members of your audience walk out of the room thinking “Wow, this sounds great, but I’m just not sure what to do…”, your call-to-action was not clear enough.

2. Have your audience act quickly.

If you have been persuasive and your audience is emotionally invested, the best time for action is now. The longer it takes to initiate the action, the more likely that your audience will lose motivation.

So, an ideal call-to-action is one which your audience can act on immediately, perhaps even before they leave the room. If this isn’t feasible, then aim for actions which can reasonably be completed (or at least started) within hours or a day or two.

3. Lower barriers to action.

To help your audience act quickly, eliminate as many (trivial or non-trivial) barriers as you can.

For example, ask the following questions about your audience.

• Do they need to sign up? Bring forms and pens and pass them out.
• Do they need to read additional information? Bring handouts, or copies of books, or website references.
• Do they need approval before they can act? Make the first call-to-action to organize the meeting with stakeholders.
• Do they need to pay? Accept as many forms of payment as possible.

A common psychological barrier is the perception that the suggested action is too big or too risky. This is a legitimate concern, and is often best handled by dividing the call-to-action into several small (less risky) actions.

For example, “train for a marathon” may be too large of a call-to-action for a non-runner. A better call-to-action would be to join a running club or train for a shorter race.

4. Focus on benefits for your audience.

“ A poor call-to-action undermines the effectiveness of your speech; a great call-to-action stirs your audience to act enthusiastically. ”

Always frame your call-to-action in the audience’s best interest.

For example, don’t say this:

• What I’d really like you to do is…
• It would make me so happy if you…
• My foundation has set a target of X that we can reach with your help…

Making you (the speaker) happy is (probably) not highly motivating for your audience.

Instead, say this:

• Build your financial wealth by…
• Make your community a safer place to live for yourself and your children by…
• When you volunteer, you build your skills and gain valuable experience…

Surround the call-to-action with a description of how their lives will be improved when they act. Paint a prosperous vision.

5. Customize your call-to-action for each person.

Audiences don’t act; individuals act. Rather than addressing the group as a whole, focus your call-to-action on each individual in your audience.

Suppose your goal is to have a new business process adopted. Each individual in the room may play a different role in accomplishing this.

• For the person who controls the budget, the call-to-action is to allocate the necessary funds.
• For the personnel manager, the call-to-action is to delegate staff to work on the initiative.
• For others, the call-to-action may be to attend in-depth training about the new process.

Audience analysis is critical . If you know who is in your audience, and understand their motivations and capabilities, you will be able to personalize the call-to-action for them.

Put it into Practice

By working on the planning and execution of the call-to-action in your speeches, you’ll become a more persuasive and effective speaker.

Look back to your last persuasive speech.

• Did you make a clear and direct call-to-action?
• Was your audience able to act quickly on it?
• Did you make an extra effort to lower barriers to action?
• Did you highlight the benefits for your audience?
• Did you address individuals rather than the group with a personal call-to-action?

If the answer to any of the above questions was “no”, then how could your call-to-action have been improved?

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11 comments.

This is a great article. I found in it very useful tactics. thanks a lot.

Brilliant!… can’t wait to put into action. thank you

I really like your tips #3 & 4 about focusing on audience benefits and lowering barriers to action.

Not sure how the tip about personalising the call-to-action should work though. Might you have (say) 3 calls to action if there are 3 decision-makers in the audience?

Very useful to my line of work. Thanks. Keep it up

What would be a good call to action for drug abuse?

Thank you, I found this very helpful in some situations. I definitely recommend this.

My teacher sent me here It really helped. Thank you for taking your precious time to make something to help others even though you didn’t have to. It is very much appreciated

Thank you soooo much it really helped me on my essay for school thank you so much .😊😊😊

I am working on reframing a call to action for a speech THANK YOU for the help ahead of time

How do you write a call-to-action about global warming?

I appreciate your six minute articles Thank you

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5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action https://t.co/vkMpPLLHwK by @6minutes — Marcie Hill (@Marcie_Hill) Sep 17th, 2018

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5 Examples of Concluding Words for Essays

4-minute read

• 19th September 2022

If you’re a student writing an essay or research paper, it’s important to make sure your points flow together well. You’ll want to use connecting words (known formally as transition signals) to do this. Transition signals like thus , also , and furthermore link different ideas, and when you get to the end of your work, you need to use these to mark your conclusion. Read on to learn more about transition signals and how to use them to conclude your essays.

Transition Signals

Transition signals link sentences together cohesively, enabling easy reading and comprehension. They are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and separated from the remaining words with a comma. There are several types of transition signals, including those to:

●  show the order of a sequence of events (e.g., first, then, next)

●  introduce an example (e.g., specifically, for instance)

●  indicate a contrasting idea (e.g., but, however, although)

●  present an additional idea (e.g., also, in addition, plus)

●  indicate time (e.g., beforehand, meanwhile, later)

●  compare (e.g., likewise, similarly)

●  show cause and effect (e.g., thus, as a result)

●  mark the conclusion – which we’ll focus on in this guide.

When you reach the end of an essay, you should start the concluding paragraph with a transition signal that acts as a bridge to the summary of your key points. Check out some concluding transition signals below and learn how you can use them in your writing.

To Conclude…

This is a particularly versatile closing statement that can be used for almost any kind of essay, including both formal and informal academic writing. It signals to the reader that you will briefly restate the main idea. As an alternative, you can begin the summary with “to close” or “in conclusion.” In an argumentative piece, you can use this phrase to indicate a call to action or opinion:

To conclude, Abraham Lincoln was the best president because he abolished slavery.

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As Has Been Demonstrated…

To describe how the evidence presented in your essay supports your argument or main idea, begin the concluding paragraph with “as has been demonstrated.” This phrase is best used for research papers or articles with heavy empirical or statistical evidence.

As has been demonstrated by the study presented above, human activities are negatively altering the climate system.

The Above Points Illustrate…

As another transitional phrase for formal or academic work, “the above points illustrate” indicates that you are reiterating your argument and that the conclusion will include an assessment of the evidence you’ve presented.

The above points illustrate that children prefer chocolate over broccoli.

In a Nutshell…

A simple and informal metaphor to begin a conclusion, “in a nutshell” prepares the reader for a summary of your paper. It can work in narratives and speeches but should be avoided in formal situations.

In a nutshell, the Beatles had an impact on musicians for generations to come.

Overall, It Can Be Said…

To recap an idea at the end of a critical or descriptive essay, you can use this phrase at the beginning of the concluding paragraph. “Overall” means “taking everything into account,” and it sums up your essay in a formal way. You can use “overall” on its own as a transition signal, or you can use it as part of a phrase.

Overall, it can be said that art has had a positive impact on humanity.

Proofreading and Editing

Transition signals are crucial to crafting a well-written and cohesive essay. For your next writing assignment, make sure you include plenty of transition signals, and check out this post for more tips on how to improve your writing. And before you turn in your paper, don’t forget to have someone proofread your work. Our expert editors will make sure your essay includes all the transition signals necessary for your writing to flow seamlessly. Send in a free 500-word sample today!

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✍️ Write Smarter, not Harder with NeuralText.

How do you create a good call to action.

Your website is finally gaining a lot of attention. Congratulations!

It would be even better if users interacted with it. A good call to action (CTA) can be just what you need. 

An effective marketing campaign is led by a written directive called a call to action. Visitor behavior can be influenced by this.

What the user is trying to accomplish is outlined in your call to action. CTAs are commonly used on product pages or in social media marketing posts when businesses slap the phrase "Buy Now" or “Download now” at the end. 

However, you won't always get someone to click your button or link with just a few words. Efforts should be focused and short. 

The banners and the buttons should clarify, however, why someone should click on them. 

Our free website call-to-action generator can be used by anyone, regardless of experience level. Whether you're new to calls-to-action or a seasoned veteran looking for ideas, you can make the most of these powerful tools.

With our free copywriting generator you can create a call to action in seconds. Here’s how:

Step 1 - Describe the product and your company

Input your brand name and an outline of your product into the call-to-action form. We will determine potential CTA text based on this information. In addition to selling products, calls to action can also be used in other ways.

Make sure that you clearly state what you want visitors to do in the "Description" field, for example, if they are supposed to download a white paper or schedule a demo.

When you are done, click on "Generate" button.

Step 2 - Pick generated CTA ideas

You will see a list of call-to-action ideas just a few seconds after you input your data.

If you're satisfied with the results click the clipboard icon to copy the generated texts or press Generate to generate more.

What is a good example of a call to action?

Providing motivation and rationale for the audience to take action is the key to the section leading up to that action.

Calls to action are not subject to any rigid rules. For brands to figure out what type of call to action is most effective, they need to test numerous options. To get started with CTAs, you'll want to follow a few tried-and-true principles.

We'll examine some examples of strong calls to action specific to the insurance industry to illustrate the benefits of these guidelines.

CTAs are extremely crucial for eCommerce brands. eCommerce brands rely heavily on action-oriented CTAs. An eCommerce website will typically display CTAs such as "Buy, Order, Add to Cart.".

In this example, Ray-Ban is going beyond the classic "Shop Now" call to action by adding a clear benefit: having this product will help you to immortalize the best moments.

Normally, CTAs for subscription-based training and courses include words like "Join, Subscribe, Sign Up Now, Get Started." The surrounding text emphasizes the sense of community to demonstrate that learners will receive support.

In this example from Pluralsight, you can see how taking a course is visiting as an investment in your future, highlighting the pain point and the benefit for your organization.

Should every post have a CTA?

It's important to ask your audience to take action, or in marketing speak, to add a call-to-action to tell people what to do, whether you're trying to increase sales, grow your email list, or get higher engagement rates on your posts. Every post should be accompanied by them.

Why is call to action important?

‍ Any web page should include a call to action. Users can understand what needs to be done next by clicking on buttons and links with call to actions. If CTAs aren't clear, users may have difficulty understanding the process of signing up or purchasing a product.

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