The Simple Formula for Irresistible Calls To Action

Ever felt ghosted by your own audience? A “Hello, can you see me?” moment. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, posting a piece of content we think everyone will jump on and follow the call to action but it doesn’t happen. 

While us marketers and content writers bang on about including calls to action in your content, there is a little more nuance to securing the follow through. 

To clarify:

A call to action (or CTA) is an ask, usually at the end of a piece of content, that encourages readers to keep interacting. 

We use them both to add value to the customer journey the lead is on (such as reading a blog for more information) and continue the interaction (such as leaving a comment). This allows us to build relationships with our audience, a connection that will naturally lead to sales in good time. And it ensures that content isn’t read and forgotten by our audience because there’s a next step they can take. 

Before explaining what relationship-building CTAs look like, let’s go over a couple of mistakes you might be making. 

Why aren’t your CTAs being followed?

It can’t be denied - the world of content creation is an oversaturated one. That means the attention spans and effort leads are willing to put in will be quite minimal at first. They don’t owe us anything. CTAs will only be followed if there’s a good reason for them to sacrifice their time and effort. 


They can’t see what’s in it for them

Why should they leave a comment, follow you or read your blog? What’s the payoff? Make sure the benefits and results of following the call to action are crystal clear and relevant to your specific ideal client. 

It doesn’t relate to the rest of the post

CTAs shouldn’t be stuck on the end of content because they’re supposed to be included. Make it part of the experience and a logical next step. How can they continue learning about the topic discussed, get support with the problem explored or expand their knowledge with a related topic? If the CTA isn’t topical in some way, your audience isn’t really going to be compelled to follow it. 

They don’t know how

Lay out the practical steps of following the call to action to make it as simple as possible to follow. If they don’t know how to get ahold of your latest podcast episode, they’re probably not going to search around to find out. If they don’t know how to join your programme, there’s no guarantee they'll reach out and ask. Whatever link they need to click or steps they need to follow, spell it out. 

Now we’ve got the mistakes out of the way, let’s explore the irresistible call to action formula!

The 3 element irresistible call to action formula

Some CTAs are just a line long. Others take up a whole paragraph. It depends on the intensity of what you’re asking them to do. We’ll explore this more later! Either way, a good call to action includes these 3 elements in some way or another.

What

In the most exciting words possible, what are you asking them to do? Get them inspired to partake in whatever action leads on from the piece of content you’ve shared. 

For example - Steal my 5 step process for productive mornings by reading my blog

Why

Outline the benefit of taking that action in a tangible way. That means when they do the equation of whether the action is worth the effort, they come to the conclusion that the outcome is well worth it. 

For example - Steal my 5 step process for productive mornings by reading my blog if you want to say goodbye to runaway mornings and hello to early finishes. 

How

What practical steps do they need to take to follow this action? Make it as simple as possible so readers hardly need to think about it. Once they’ve made the decision to do it, they’re there. 

For example - Steal my 5 step process for productive mornings by reading my blog if you want to say goodbye to runaway mornings and hello to early finishes. Just click on this link: [URL]

As long as you have these 3 elements, you’ve got a compelling call to action and are increasing your chances of seeing follow through. But what type of CTAs should you be using?

Types of CTAs

I wouldn’t recommend winging your CTAs and ending your content with whatever comes to mind. A strategic approach allows you to serve your range of ideal clients.

Click

All you’re asking for is a second of appreciation such as a like, emoji response or saving a post on Instagram. You’re not asking for too much but you’re still getting a response and starting the back and forth of your relationship.

Say

This is about asking them to share their opinion, thoughts, feelings and experiences. It’s best to be specific about what exactly you’d like them to share so they can easily identify a thought and write it out in no time. Or vote on a poll to make it even easier. It’s a great opportunity to relate to each other over shared experiences. 

Share

Ask them to share your content with their own network. This can be through sharing it to their social media page, sending a direct link in a message or tagging a friend’s account. It gets more eyes on your business and shows that they believe in you enough to recommend your content to someone they know. Advice, tips and motivational reminders make the most sense for this CTA.

Do

You’re encouraging them to step outside whatever platform your piece of content is on and explore something else. For example, download a lead magnet, sign up for an event or even just read a piece of content on another platform. There’s still a clear benefit to this ask. It just  takes a bit more effort to do. 

Buy

This is the biggest CTA of all. Buy my stuff! You’re asking them to take the first step of working with you whether that’s checking out a sales page, filling out a form or booking a call. Explaining the process of what happens after they show interest is useful here because it reduces the feeling of risk when stepping into the unknown. 

What now?

CTAs are an important part of content creation. It’s how we continue the journey leads take with us and have the chance to build a relationship that can lead to sales. So, always include a CTA in some form or another and always think through how you can give yourself the best chance of seeing follow through. Identifying the type of CTA and including the 3 elements of irresistible CTAs will put you firmly on the path to success. 

But before you get to the point of writing a CTA, you’ve got to write the rest of the piece of content. Blank pages can be really standoffish, can’t they? Content prompts can be really helpful in getting the words rolling. I share 3 content prompts (applicable to various formats and platforms) along with an explanation of how to use them in your business on a weekly basis. Sign up to receive this free content-boosting email newsletter by filling out the form below and finally beat the blank page!


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