#108: How To Write Eye Catchy, Hard To Resist Call To Action Messages

Show Notes

Do you want your reader, website visitor, or customer to do something? Then your message needs a call-to-action (CTA). A call to action is a short invitation for your reader to take a desired action. You often see call to action at the end of an email, on an ad, or website
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In this episode, Nola Boea and Lori Vajda explain the steps to writing a good call to action, giving you tips and tricks so you can create eye catching, hard to resist messaging. Plus, they give you more than 20 examples you can use immediately to make readers take action. Be sure to download your free Call-to-Action Tipsheet. 

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In This Episode You’ll Learn 

• What a call to action (CTA) is, when to use one and where in your messaging it should go…and it’s not at the end.
• The power of a great CTA will inspire your audience to take action — click on your ad, download your ebook, add an item to cart, etc.
• Why the real challenge with a CTA is getting readers to feel motivated to follow through.
• 20+ examples of CTAs you can start using. 

Key points Lori and Nola are sharing in this episode:
(02:40:53) We’re covering the what, when, and how to create eye catching hard to resist Call-To-Action messaging.
(03:38:64) Before you write a call to action, you first need to know what your goal is as a business owner.
(05:06:76) Three tips for HOW to write persuasive CTAs with examples!
(14:41:04) When do you apply a Call-To-Action to your digital content? You’ll find the answer in this spot.
(16:34:76) How do you create Call-To-Action messaging? Examples included. 
(18:53:05) Our list of 20+ CTA examples you can use, starts here.

Resources 

You can subscribe to Lori and Nola's show, (we love you and want to make it easy) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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FREE Download Call-To-Action Tipsheet mentioned in today’s podcast:
ConvertKit: Our #1 Favorite Email Marketing Platform   (This is an affiliate link)

Transcript

[00:00:00] Nola: Think about all the times you signed up for things online. Did you check the Call-To-Action button because you wanted to keep learning? Well, perhaps, but more likely you click that button because you wanted the download or you wanted to make the purchase or to register or request something specific.

The same holds true for your perspective customer, and it's likely they're pretty tired of that same Call-To-Action such as Learn More, or the infamous click here. So if you want someone to click your CTA, your Call-To-Action button, you have to give them something they think is worth clicking on. Stay tuned because in this episode we're covering the what, when, and how to create eye catching hard to resist Call-To-Action messaging.

[00:00:48] Announcer: You're listening to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast where times strap professionals like you learn how to create a business you love. In as little as three hours a week,

[00:00:59] Lori: CTAs or Call-To-Action have advanced significantly. Okay, so perhaps. For every business, but generally speaking, they have a website or email used to have a blue button that said, Click here to learn more. Read more, or something similar. Today we can actually test and measure how well a button or a message is working, which means it's not only perfectly acceptable to be more creative in your messaging. We think it's imperative you do. It's also the reason we've chosen to concentrate on this subject. In today's episode, we wanna help you stand out from your completion. By using your Call-To-Action message and button to get your prospective customers to take action. So Nola, in your opinion, what's the difference between successful and unsuccessful businesses?

[00:01:56] Nola: That's a loaded question.

[00:01:58] Lori: Yeah, I know I set it up there.

[00:02:00] Nola: But with regard to content. Okay. I'd say that those successful businesses, they take steps that go beyond just informing their clients and saying, Here's what you need to know. They actually use the power of language to connect with their clients and to demonstrate that their service will actually improve their customer's lives. And they do that by making the prospect feel important.

[00:02:25] Lori: So I agree with you on everything you said until this thought occurred to me. How are you supposed to get a whole message into that small little space of the Call-To-Action button?

[00:02:39] Nola: Yeah. Can you accomplish that in one inch, please? Yes, and it's a good point because it may seem like a really hard chore. Just a few words in that little space, but once you understand the framework, it does get easier. But let me start just by giving some guidelines. First, you want the message to grab that audience's attention immediately. So like right off the bat, snag attention. Next. You want those few words to communicate. An entire message. And finally, you want to get that person to take a specific action. So that message needs to be persuasive.

[00:03:17] Lori: You know, that's a very tall order, even though you've given some guidelines here. Yeah. So listeners, we are gonna walk you through this. As we mentioned at the beginning, we're gonna be covering the what, when, and how to create eye catching called to actions that are hard to resist. So to get us started, I'm going to get us started with the what, what is an eye catching message. Keep in mind what your goal is as a business owner, and what I mean by that is what are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to get a person to click into other pages on your website? Are you trying to get a reader interested into your sales funnel so they're at the top of the funnel, Or are you trying to nurture a relationship and build trust with your reader. And just as equally important in knowing what your goal is with your Call-To-Action button, it's also knowing what's important or what the goal is to the visitor or the reader. Often in our experience, a Call-To-Action is an afterthought. It's the last thing that you add to the content or to the. So your Call-To-Action button, really we're trying to reframe that in helping you to see that this is actually your best low hanging fruit, because you can optimize your Call-To-Action and see instant results in conversion or get information that tells you it's not working. And when you think about it from that standpoint, You understand that you have just a really milliseconds to get noticed, which is why eye catching messaging that sparks interest immediately is so important.

[00:05:04] Nola: Absolutely. Now, with regard to the how effective calls to action, we're gonna give you a couple of tips here. Number. Don't be afraid to use possessive language. Like me, my I because in an experiment done by Unbounds, they actually got almost a 25% decrease when they changed it from my to your, So they had a button that read, Create my account, and when they changed it to create your account. The click through decreased by 25%. And by the same token, when they had a button that said, Start your free 30 day trial, and they switched out the your, to my to say, start my 30 day trial, they actually got a 90% increase in click through rate. So in both cases, that use of what your grammar teacher would call the possessive determiner, the My, that actually accelerated the decision-making process of potential customers. In fact, I would say that that reflected what was probably already in the mind. So what somebody was thinking they were actually reading, you know, I'm gonna get my 30 day trial.

[00:06:19] Lori: Well, you bring up a really good point in the fact that as a business owner, we should use possessive determiners like I. My, Your, kind of thing, but how is a novice supposed to know which word to use?

[00:06:36] Nola: Oh, that's a good point. And so I'm gonna give you two answers to that. But in each case, what you wanna do is you test it. So there's a quick and dirty way to do it, and that is you pick one word to start with, in version one, let's say. And for a certain amount of time or a certain amount of page reads, you use that version with that one particular. And then when you reach that cutoff point, you switch it out with the next version with that, has that one word changed? And then you go for the same amount of time or volume of page reads or whatever. Measurement makes sense. And when it's come with to the same cutoff, you compare the results, you find out which version had people clicking on more than the others. And with Google Analytics and other types of measurements that are built into platforms, it's rather easy to. Better yet, you can set up what's called AB testing and that allows you to compare both versions at the same time, and you can use that with landing pages, emails, digital ads, I mean, platforms out there these days have that capability built in. And so the idea is that half of your readers will see one version and the other half we'll see the other version. So that's how you would do that.

[00:07:51] Lori: Our email system Convert kit, for example, they actually have AB testing built into their platform, so you can use that platform to test emails. You can also construct landing pages, so you can test landing pages on that. It really is very helpful for anybody to use a platform that gives that to you so that you're not spend. Extra money or hiring a developer, for example, to do that testing.

[00:08:21] Nola: Absolutely. So let me provide just a few examples of reader focused verbiage that you could use on your buttons.

[00:08:30] Lori: Oh, and by the way, listeners, we're gonna give you six examples here, but towards the end we have another 20 to give you examples of calls to action. And I think we've given you a few examples already and we'll have a few examples going forward, but you don't have to stop and write all of those down because we are gonna give you what, close to 30, I think maybe more . Yep. You'll be able to get them in our resource page on our website.

[00:09:01] Nola: That's right. So here we go. Here's number one. Yes. I want an insert product here. Yes. I want widget or I want in, I want to get healthier. Make me gasp . I wonder what that sell.

[00:09:17] Lori: I wonder what that would be a good one for.

[00:09:19] Nola: Yeah, I'm gonna click on that one.

[00:09:21] Lori: Yeah. Whatever your business is, that must be like, make me gasp or take my breath away or get me excited. Yeah. Or, yeah.

[00:09:30] Nola: So fifth one is show me how it works. So I know that when I click on there, I'm gonna get that information. Or take me to the blog. I like that because that is like another way to say read more.

[00:09:42] Lori: Yeah, I love it. Take me to.

[00:09:44] Nola: Right, because finish reading it. Take me to the blog.

[00:09:47] Lori: Take me to the article. Take me to the white paper. That's a really good one. Just in general that can have multiple uses.

[00:09:55] Nola: Yeah, so what all of these examples have in common is that they are coming from the reader's perspective. So it's basically putting in writing what the reader might be thinking to themselves. So the reason these are so effective is that the classic outdated versions of Read More or Learn More, they actually have been found to cause friction with readers. And by friction, what I mean by that is friction. Words suggest to the reader that they'll have to invest something, usually some amount of time or energy before they can even get to what they're looking. Which could actually discourage them from acting.

[00:10:35] Lori: You know, I have that exact experience myself. If I have read the caption or a few sentences and I didn't get the answer that I was looking for, and then it says, Read more. My immediate first thought is, If you haven't grabbed my attention right here, then you're gonna ask me to read something lengthy in which I'm gonna have to search out the answer or the solution that I'm looking for, and I don't wanna do that.You're not making it easy for me. Whereas if the answer is right there and now you're in my head and talking using that possessive, I think I'm gonna get more of the solution that I'm looking for. Which leads me to tip two, which is make it interesting. This really works well when both the copy above, as I mentioned and the Call-To-Action, both come together to capture interest.

So I'm gonna give you two examples to help illustrate that. A headline on Gray Goose Vodka add read Fly Beyond. In big, bold letters below that, in two line, Call-To-Action was the top line. Read, Discover a Cocktail, and underneath it said, Tailored to your taste. So the whole thing together reads, Fly Beyond, Discover a cocktail tailored to your taste. Which as somebody, one who likes vodka, and two, the way that was written, discover a cocktail, makes me think I'm gonna get a recipe. So I'm very interested and very motivated to click on that. Now, the second part of this that you might not have thought about is if you wrote that whole thing out, discover a cocktail tailored to your taste, that would be a very long Call-To-Action. But by making it two lines, it's actually a wider button rather than a longer button, so it really achieves the same results. It captures your attention. The messaging above got my interest without taking up a lot of space. In example number two, the bold headline comes from the note taking wellness app, my mind, and it says, What was once lost is now yours again, and the Call-To-Action. Take back your mind.

[00:13:06] Nola: Well, wouldn't I need to know that I've actually lost my mind in order to take it back. It is a wellness app. So, I guess that's me. That would be why I'm there. I would be self-selecting, Right?

[00:13:17] Lori: Yeah, exactly. So the headline generates curiosity, right? Mm-hmm. and the Call-To-Action makes us wanna see what's behind the curtain or what's behind the button. What exactly am I going to get when. Back my mind. So you really hit on it, Nola. When you're asking a complete stranger to do something, you really wanna make it interesting for them.

[00:13:40] Nola: Here's what I'm hearing you say by your two examples. I'm hearing that calls to action that are successful are more personalized and they explain a tangible benefit. In other words, they kind of convey. Person to the reader, this is what you're going to get. And so those things motivate the user, the reader, to actually click through. Correct?

[00:14:04] Lori: Totally. You're spot on with that. It's why you, as the business owner may not know which type of personalization my or your works best, or what action word would work better for your target. Unless you test it out and to test it out, you have to be willing to use the language and be creative really.

[00:14:33] Nola:  Absolutely. So we've given you the rundown on the what of an effective eye catching Call-To-Action. So let's move on to the when. When do you apply a Call-To-Action to your digital content? And the answer is more often and earlier than you probably are now. What do you think, Lori?

[00:14:50] Lori: I totally agree. I think that the old days of one Call-To-Action on a page or in a section just doesn't apply anymore.

[00:15:00] Nola: Exactly. And that's because it goes back to the old days where marketers wanted to be polite and give the reader all the information they needed before they asked them to take action. And they also back then assumed that people wanted all that information before they were asked to close the deal. But these days it's no longer advised and people want to be able to take action when they're ready. So when a person makes up their mind, they do not want to wait. They don't want to search for the button. They don't want to have to scroll down. They wanna be able to see a button on the screen and take action as soon as they've decided. And so you're providing a service by putting that, you're just making it convenient for them. Right. So in explaining the, when. We're actually really by default explaining the where, because you want to locate your calls to action your CTAs everywhere you can without being pushy because you don't know when they're actually gonna make up their mind. Some people might ingest all of that information before making a decision, and then which case they'll press the button at the bottom of the. Some of them might have been convinced at Hello. Some of them might have been convinced after you've covered the very first pain point, and then it's like, Okay, I'm sold. But either way, you wanna have that Call-To-Action on screen and convenient for them.

[00:16:23] Lori: I really love. That reframe. That is a great reframe.  Which leads me to the how, and that is our final point. In this episode here, we're going to talk about how do you create Call-To-Action messaging, and here are a couple tips for that. First, it takes time to figure out what works and what doesn't work, so think about it from. Perspective, if you will. We already use words to create contracts and promises and seal deals. Words are the way that we communicate our thoughts, our feelings. We convey a message and particularly it's the way we persuade others to see things from our perspective. In a business sense, the words for the Call-To-Action have the power to connect. Now, you might be wondering how, and that is because businesses are built on relationships, and relationships are built on communication. So the more effective your Call-To-Action is, the more effective it is in communicating to a prospect or even your current customers, the more you are aligned in building that relationship. you're gonna get better results.

[00:17:37] Nola: Absolutely. So you've covered the first tip of just remembering that it takes time to figure out what works and doesn't work. The second tip of this how is don't be afraid to experiment. Be bold, be funny, raise a question, create curiosity. You don't know if it's gonna work unless you try it. And sometimes those bodacious things that you tried end up being the ones that get the best response.

[00:18:03] Lori: I love that. And if you listener have some ideas or you test anything out that's bold, funny, raises a question or creates curiosity, please, please, please post your examples on our Facebook page or hear where you're listening. We'll gather those up and share them with other listeners and readers. But I just love the fact that somebody listening might give this a test and see some positive results, and we wanna hear. So for our how, what we thought we would do is give you some examples that you could use or at least edit and tweak, and you'll find those on our resource page located on our website. So you don't have to write them down. You can get the answers or get those tips on our website. So I'm gonna start this off and Nola and I are gonna take turns reading the list that we've generated or captured for you here. So the first one, Limited edition inside. Think of that as if you're giving an ebook that you're running for a short period of time on the old free version or whatever your version is, and you've got the new one and the prices going up. So a limited edition can be a variety of things. You can also. Tweak that to say for a limited time only as another example to edit or reframe of that first tip.

[00:19:28] Nola: The next one example is, get free, fill in the blank here. Get free widget. Get free copy, get free trial, whatever it is.

[00:19:39] Lori: Number three, try it.

[00:19:40] Nola: Number four, push. As in, push the button or push for fun.

[00:19:45] Lori: Number five, give company name a try. So here's the example. Give Sticky Brand Lab podcast a try.

[00:19:54] Nola: Number six, be awesome.

[00:19:58] Lori: Number seven, get your tickets while they're hot or while they last, or before they run out.

[00:20:06] Nola: That's an ABC testing.

[00:20:08] Lori: That is.

[00:20:11] Nola: Number eight. Join us today.

[00:20:14] Lori: Number nine. Yes. I want to book blank now. Good example. Yes. I wanna book a free consultation now.

[00:20:22] Nola: Number 10, drop your email here.

[00:20:24] Lori: Number 11, get my 20% off or get whatever percentage off you wanna add.

[00:20:31] Nola: Number 12, I'm in

[00:20:34] Lori: Number 13, Activate Now. I like that we add a little emphasis in our voice, but you know, I don't know about you, Noah, but when I'm reading some of these things in general on other websites, I'm actually having that dialogue in my head. So Activate now.

[00:20:50] Nola: Yes. The emotion is there. Yeah, exactly. Yep. Absolutely. Number 14, explore a better way.

[00:20:57] Lori: Number 15, start blank and some examples of that, start a project, Start building. Start for free or get a demo. Here's why I like that one in particular is because some people don't need to do the demo. They already know they're ready to sign up or download your app or whatever it is. Other people might not be ready to start and they want to do the demo. So by putting both in, you're giving the reader an option. And I like that. A final reframe for that is, or you get started, it's free.

[00:21:33] Nola: Hm, that works. Number 16. Spice me up.

[00:21:37] Lori: Now I really wanna know where that could be applied. I mean,

[00:21:42] Nola: is that food? Is that makeup? Other edibles,

[00:21:50] Lori: That's cute. Moving on. number 17. Unlock. Unlock the ebook, unlock the video. You often see that for a limited time only or unlock whatever to get the answer if you're charging the user to enroll in your program. So another way to say that is unlock whatever.

[00:22:14] Nola: Mm-hmm. number 18, Give me the goods

[00:22:17] Lori: number 19. Sign up today. Sale ends on Wednesday. What's really good about this particular example is that it has sign up today, but it includes the urgency or the time sensitive is included in this Call-To-Action.

[00:22:37] Nola: Urgency is always helpful,

[00:22:38] Lori: and we're actually gonna do a podcast episode on Creating Urgency in your messaging, sales messaging emails in an upcoming episode.

[00:22:48] Nola: Cool. And number 20. Yes. Give me my blank. . Another word, like a for example, Yes. Give me my ebook, give me my pdf, give me my template, whatever it. Give it to me now.

[00:23:04] Lori: Yeah, which is really good. And here's a bonus for you, listener, the Call-To-Action hire an expert,

[00:23:11] Nola: Which is really helpful when they've gone through the information and they realize that they can't do it themselves. And that's why you're here.

[00:23:19] Lori: Exactly.

[00:23:19] Nola: Well, listener, we hope we've helped you understand the importance of creating persuasive calls to action and spark some ideas on how to create CTAs that will move the needle for your business. Consider this. A Call-To-Action button is a way for you to tell your prospect what you want them to do, and they're an excellent way to connect with customers who really want a clear direction on how you can improve their lives for the better.

[00:23:46] Lori: That is a really good point. That clear direction is telling people what you want them to do, rather than assuming that they can read your mind or they know what to do next, which is the power of a Call-To-Action.

So listener, thank you so much for tuning into this episode. We hope it makes all the difference in writing Call-To-Action messages that grab your ideal customer's attention so you can increase sales, click through rates, signups, and more in order for you to create your best and most exciting business and life. If you found the information shared here today helpful, let us know by posting here where you're listening, or on our Facebook page.

[00:24:28] Nola: Not sure how to turn your idea into a profitable side business? Contact us at stickybrandlab.com/contact. We'd be happy to help you.

[00:24:37] Lori: Be sure to come back next Tuesday and every Tuesday for another informative, inspiring, and motivating episode. And remember, actions creates results. So tap into your desire to create a business and brand you love by taking 1% action every day. Small steps, big effects.

[OUT-TAKE]

[00:24:57] Nola: Give my blank. Wait, boy, I thought I lost that one. . He retake.

[00:25:07] Lori: Give my blanko a try.
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[00:25:09] Nola: No, No, Me. Blankety blank. .