How to Create a Call to Action: Tips and Examples

You can win AirPods Pro 2 by correcting ten out of ten quizzes on this blog.

We have a thousand AirPods for this quiz campaign, and it’s a first-take-the-quiz, first-served policy.

What would you do? Surely, read the blog and take the quiz on it? 

See how I could incentivize you to act?

Unfortunately, we are not offering any AirPods. 

The only thing we can offer you is killer CTA ideas. In this blog, you’ll learn how to create a call to action, including tips and examples. They’re super easy to follow, and they multiply your leads and conversion rate effortlessly. 

You can also get a call-to-action idea custom-created for your business from us for free. 

Let’s proceed right to it without any more distractions.

What’s a Call to Action

A call to action refers to texts or phrases designed to encourage an audience to take a particular action. They can be embedded into web pages, advertising messages, sales pitches, social media platforms, etc. The strategic placement of a smartly written CTA multiplies the conversion rate, leads, and organic traffic to your site.

How to create a call to action

Call-to-actions are usually placed in the form of buttons. The reason is that viewers are likelier to take action by clicking a simple button, unlike other complicated means. 

CTAs are meant to guide a customer through his or her buyer’s journey. Therefore, the CTA should ask the audience to take specific and relevant action at different stages of the buyer’s journey. 

For example, a CTA on a social media platform should direct a viewer to your landing page. Your landing page should feature certain products or a discount. You ask the viewer to buy or learn more about it through a CTA. 

A website homepage usually contains 3 CTAs. One at the header asks the audience to join the community, and one in the middle asks them to get more information or to buy your product. The last one in the footer asks the audience to submit their email address to get updates from you. 

You often write a copy to go with the CTA. It tells the audience what they are getting by clicking the button. You need to make this CTA copy intriguing enough to evoke an emotion in your audience; it can be a sense of belonging, trust, curiosity, fondness, hope, inspiration, etc.

The design of the CTA is important. It needs to be scannable because your audience won’t spend longer than a few seconds on your pitch. Therefore, an ideal CTA should stand out; it can be a contrasting color, positioning, or size of the CTA.

10 tips to create a compelling call to action

There are many strategies to follow to motivate your audience to take action via a CTA. But the best one is to keep it simple, clean, and minimal. Additionally, the tips here will help you generate more leads and increase conversion. However, creativity has no limits, therefore, you can strive to make your CTAs even catchier with time.

1. Use action-oriented language

Ask your audience to take a specific action through a CTA; that makes it easier for you to lead them in the desired direction. For example, sign up now, join us today, let’s work together, etc. The addition of words like now, today, etc creates a sense of urgency and makes your audience more likely to click the CTA buttons.

2. Take advantage of FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO) works as a great motivator for your customers. It works because no one wants to miss out on an opportunity. You can show a countdown along with the button on your CTA. For example, you can show the time left to grab an opportunity with a clock, the number of products left on sale, the number of people signing up for a contest to win a prize, etc.

3. Offer exclusivity

Everyone loves an exclusive service. Anyone would take a private beach over a crowded one any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. It’s that simple. 

When you offer your customers exclusivity, they tend to buy from you. Learn the psychographics of your target audience, then make your CTA resonate with them. Make everyone feel prioritized and important. Offer them products and services custom-made for their needs.

4. Add striking visual

An image is indeed worth a hundred words. Images are scannable and have the power to create an impact. Use professional photos or illustrations that convey your message. It’s hard to miss the alluring effect of an image well captured, especially if it delivers an emotion.

5. Write a bold CTA copy

Whether someone clicks on your CTA button mostly depends on your CTA copy. Therefore, your CTA copy needs to be strong enough to engage your audience. Make sure it radiates energy. That’s how you make your audience believe in you.

6. Present incentives

When it comes to customer acquisition, offering incentives takes you a long way. Ensure they notice what they are getting from you and decide it’s beneficial. Words like save, win, free, etc. make them acknowledge your pitch. 

Furthermore, numbers work great as an incentive. CTAs with numbers have a significantly higher click rate than those without. Show them how much they are saving by buying from you, how long a certain offer will be on the table, etc. 

However, make sure your actions are not in conflict with your words. If you say an offer ends after June, end it after June; otherwise, you create a reputation as an unreliable business. Besides, try not to make your CTAs look like clickbait; that never works in your favor.

7. A/B testing

If you can’t generate enough leads through the current version of your website, make some changes to it and observe how the variation is performing. 

You can change the positioning of a button, increase the font size of an important text, highlight or bold catchy words, change the layout, experiment with colors to make the important part pop, etc. You can also get professional advice on what changes to make. Another way to get advice is to design two versions of a page or a segment and ask people on social platforms to vote for the one they like. 

After you change your site, observe your clickthrough rates for a month and compare them with the previous ones. This process is continuous, and you can always seek to do better.

8. Optimize for device

The audience browsing your business from different devices usually has different intents. For example, chances are someone looking at your products on their laptop is researching or trying to find out more. On the other hand, someone looking at your site from their mobile device is usually looking to make a purchase. Therefore, make your CTA accommodate both their needs.

Additionally, it’s easier to make calls from mobile devices. Therefore, someone wanting to buy your product might be looking to talk to you before purchasing to get assurances. Make sure they can easily find the Call Now option through the strategic placement of a CTA.

9. Get creative

People admire creativity. They feel good to be doing business with someone creative. It’s because the aesthetics they choose speak volumes about who they are. 

Besides, with ingenious CTA, you can recognize your customers’ pain points even before they do. Your CTA tells them what they want and why they want it. And once they decide to get it, you never have to look back.

10. Maintain relevance

It’s best to keep your CTA relevant to your industry. There are some specific requirements specific to each sector. For example, healthy goes with food, next-generation goes with technology, etc. Learn what your audience wants from you and offer it to them. 

Additionally, some general concepts can be included as well, like environment-friendly, recyclable, charitable deeds, raising awareness, etc.

Let’s see how some of the popular businesses created their CTAs to get an even better idea of what you can do with your CTAs.

13 powerful call-to-action examples

1. Netflix

Netflix keeps it short and sweet. In the first line, you see what they’re offering you. In the second, you see the price and your terms of agreement with them. You learn that it’s not a lot of money, and you’re not under any obligation to keep continuing with them. 

It gives you enough freedom to consider them as your medium of entertainment. You find yourself trying the platform without giving it much thought.

2. International Rescue Committee

See how the International Rescue Community uses the power of visuals to raise donations. They’re also using a color for the CTAs that’s contrasting to the background and pops. The use of the word donate makes the CTA even more convincing. You know what you’re doing, where your donation is going, who you’re saving, etc., which makes you much more comfortable making a donation.

3. Vogue

Vogue uses a countdown to a hyped event like the Met Gala to create a sense of urgency among its audience. Everyone wants to participate in the post-Met Gala discussion and therefore needs to witness the event while it’s live. That’s what Vogue is banking on. 

Additionally, they offer exclusivity if you sign up for their newsletter. And to learn what happens in the entertainment world before anyone beats you to it, you subscribe to their channel.

4. Valentino

Instead of common phrases like buy or see more, Valentino uses FOR HIM as their CTA button. This takes the monotony out of their CTA, making it more clickable. This, coupled with a classic black-and-white background image, gives them a higher clickthrough rate.

5. KFC

KFC offers one of three options in its CTA buttons. So when a potential customer visits their website, they’re motivated to order takeout, delivery, or dine-in. Additionally, they create a sense of urgency by using the phrase limited time offer on one of their CTAs. They further motivate you by showing how much you’re saving by ordering a combination.

6. Microsoft

Microsoft makes you feel confident about yourself in their CTA copy. It makes you want to find out what you can achieve once you unlock your full potential. It’s out of that curiosity and hope that you attempt to download the Copilot app.

7. Bank of Singapore

The Bank of Singapore utilizes the power of the word partner in their CTA. It makes you trust that they’ll be working with you along the way. They’re also targeting both local and global clients by choosing their words carefully.

Check out this ad they put on top of Forbes’ website. It makes you believe in yourself. You feel that you can build your own legacy. And you consider working with them because they made you believe in yourself.

8. Louvre

The Louvre invites you to visit it to get inspired. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to get inspired? Their phrasing instantly makes them stand out. They’re not just another museum you visit to observe art, but one that inspires you to create art yourself. It’s an idea you instantly fall for.

9. Fluent Forms

Fluent Forms tells you exactly what you’re getting in their CTA, the fastest form-building plugin. Additionally, they tell you how many businesses they’re empowering, which makes you trust them with your business. 

Create beautiful contact forms for your WordPress website with Fluent Forms. Download the smartest form builder plugin to be a part of four hundred thousand successful businesses.

10. Quaker Oats

You go for oats when you’re thinking of healthier meal choices. And when you’re looking for a healthier diet, you want to avoid the unhealthy ingredients used in conventional recipes. Quaker Oats knows your pain point, and they offer you a solution.

They bring you healthier ingredient substitutes, and since you find what you’re looking for on their website, you’re more likely to purchase from them.

11. Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo knows how much you care about your pets. That’s how they know you’re careful about what you feed your pets. Therefore, they ask you to compare the nutrition in your current pet food with the one they’re offering.

Of course, you take a free, effortless test to find out how you can better take care of your pets. And if they’re offering a healthier choice, you switch your current brand to them.

12. Twinings

Twinings used the power of striking visuals and the allure of rewards and updates on upcoming tea flavors to lure their customers. The theme of the image goes perfectly with their primary color, gold, yet it makes the buttons pop. And let’s be honest. Which tea lover doesn’t want to try out a new tea flavor, especially when it looks this good in the image?

13. Lagunitas

Last but not least, this site came to our attention from Pinterest. Look at how they used humor to intrigue customers. And if you try to cross this date of birth tab, they take you to this YouTube video that says “Act Your Age.” Their ingenuity makes you want to purchase from them. And just like that, now you know you can never go wrong with a little humor.

What’s next

Your CTA is how you communicate with your audience. It needs to be strong and bold. When you radiate energy and confidence, your audience picks on it and feels good about doing business with you. However, being bold doesn’t mean that it can’t be light in mood. Use humor, get creative, and see the magic.

Use our tips on how to create a call to action to write the perfect CTA for your business and multiply your leads and conversions overnight. Let us know if you find these tips and examples helpful, and share your insights with us. Let’s bring innovation to the world together.

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