call to action meaning 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.

How To Balance Deep Copywriting Research With a Deadline

All the words you see on product packaging, the marketing emails you receive, the websites you browse, and even the advertisements delivered to your mailbox…

Most Copywriting Tips are Vague and Generic–Not These 9

Great copywriters aren’t born, they’re made. In fact, you don’t even have to be a great writer to nail the copywriting thing. You just need…

Everything I Know About Copywriting After Making $500K

$500K? Lucky, the disbeliever will say. You just got lucky with your words. Maybe. But most copywriters aren’t counting on luck or magic to put…

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…

Best Creative Writing Courses Compared

Taking a creative writing course will help you to become a better writer. It will teach you how to tell a story, write descriptively, and…

How to Create Winning Headlines in 9 Simple Steps

In any ad, everything depends on the headline. It’s why some copywriters are known to spend 50% of their time on just the headline. As…

The Five Sales Letters Every Marketer Should Know, Hands Down

If you want your visitors to buy, instead of bouncing off your site like a basketball… Ask yourself: What’s missing from my funnel? What’s missing…

15 Habits of Website Visitors That Will Completely Change the Way You Write Website Content

For the most part, website visitors are quite predictable. This gives you, a business owner, a huge advantage. Why? Psychology!

The Biggest Lie in Copywriting

I am an artist. Or at least that’s what 90% of the people I speak to think when I tell them what it is I…

How To Increase Your Landing Page Conversions by Asking a Question

It’s believed that it takes users (who have no idea of what your site does) exactly three seconds to orient themselves and make up their…

Copywriting For Social Media Ads: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

Many might say that social media ads are interruption advertising in a modern form. However, there is definitely something less abrasive about a sponsored tweet…

16 Helpful Copywriting Articles To Launch You Into Web Writing Greatness

We all need a little help… from time to time. Actually, as online copywriters striving for greatness, we need all the help we can get….

62 Power Words That Will Help You Sell

Have you ever read a landing page, sales letter or even blog post which has unequivocally sold you on a product? The type of content…

How to Become a Better Copywriter: 21 Tips from the Experts

Want to get better results from your web pages? Then you have to get the copy right. Whether you’re writing landing page copy or tweaking…

How To Increase Conversions By Forgetting The CTA

Your target customer has zero interest in your CTA. He/she doesn’t particularly care about the call, the signup, or even the purchase. He/she isn’t really…

Over 300,000 websites use Crazy Egg to improve what's working, fix what isn't and test new ideas.

Last Updated on July 27, 2017

• Speech Writing
• Delivery Techniques
• PowerPoint & Visuals
• Speaker Habits
• Speaker Resources

Speech Critiques

• Book Reviews
• Browse Articles
• ALL Articles
• Learn About Us
• About Six Minutes
• Meet Our Authors
• Write for Us
• Advertise With Us

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?

Please share this...

This is one of many public speaking articles featured on Six Minutes . Subscribe to Six Minutes for free to receive future articles.

Image credit: Megaphone man at the Metro 4 by Hazzat ( CC BY 2.0 )

Add a Comment Cancel reply

E-Mail (hidden)

Subscribe - It's Free!

Similar Articles You May Like...

• 10 Ways to End Your Speech with a Bang
• The Ladder of Abstraction and the Public Speaker
• Speech Critique: Dan Pink (TED 2009)
• Bookending Your Speech: A Master Technique
• Speech Analysis: Gettysburg Address – Abraham Lincoln
• Presentation Power: Four Ways to Persuade

Find More Articles Tagged:

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

Recent Tweets

5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action https://t.co/a8rputDpUk by @6minutes — @red_suraj Nov 6th, 2017

“A poor call-to-action undermines the effectiveness of your speech; a great call-to-action stirs your audience to a… https://t.co/VbYz3VcxvH — @ToppComm Jul 3rd, 2018

Ending a speech in a meaningful, impactful way is CHALLENGING! Luckily, we have helpful guidelines from @6minutes o… https://t.co/3z46iJn6Os — @speakupcamb Aug 7th, 2018

5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action https://t.co/8E7KimKeRE by @6minutes — Mel Sherwood – Pitch & Presentation Specialist (@MelSherwood_) Sep 7th, 2018

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

5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action https://t.co/W8ctelzMPc — @surajd_ Oct 25th, 2018

As a #publicspeaker, you want to see your listeners taking action because of you. To help your audience take action… https://t.co/d4Vf5nSgtS — @GregoryCNSmith Nov 14th, 2018

What is a Speech Call-To-Action? In this article, we reveal the qualities of a strong speech call-to-action which w… https://t.co/nrUtrhIzPS — Free You Up VA (@freeyouupva) Dec 29th, 2018

As Toastmasters, or public speakers, we are usually trying to persuade our audience to take action. Check out his… https://t.co/Tf9LF5ocKj — IS Toastmasters 1424 (@istm1424) Mar 4th, 2019

“Surround the call-to-action with a description of how their lives will be improved when they act. Paint a prospero… https://t.co/ZPGExX28nM — Oke’ Toastmasters (@oketoast) Mar 4th, 2019

Featured Articles

• Majora Carter (TED, 2006) Energy, Passion, Speaking Rate
• Hans Rosling (TED, 2006) 6 Techniques to Present Data
• J.A. Gamache (Toastmasters, 2007) Gestures, Prop, Writing
• Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005) Figures of speech, rule of three
• Al Gore (TED, 2006) Humor, audience interaction
• Dick Hardt (OSCON, 2005) Lessig Method of Presentation

Books We Recommend

Six Minutes Copyright © 2007-2022 All Rights Reserved.

Read our permissions policy , privacy policy , or disclosure policy .

Comments? Questions? Contact us .

How to Write Incredible Calls to Action (with Examples)

What if I say, “Subscribe to our email newsletter at the end of the article?” Probably, you’ll skip it and forget when reaching the subscription button. Why? Because a compelling call to action is not only about using action words. CTAs should appear at the right place and contain the right words to lead to conversion.

A CTA is a suggestion to people to perform a certain action: subscribe, download an ebook, schedule a call, etc. Website owners place them in various parts of the page, depending on the goals, such as:

• above the fold;
• in the middle of an article;
• next to the lead form;
• in the right rail and many other places. 

How should you arrange CTAs to encourage the audience to do what’s expected? This post will enumerate some helpful tips for successful call-to-action writing and show real-world examples from various spheres.

Image credit: Freepik

7 Proven Tips for Crafting Effective CTAs

Choose the right action verb.

CTAs usually appear precisely at the end of the message. It’s the last opportunity to reach out to consumers and point them in the right direction on their purchase journey. Where can you see them? On buttons, ads, banners, pop-ups, slide-ins, or at the end of videos. In any case, you have limited space for them. That’s why the CTA should be short, concise, and punchy.

Use a command verb at the beginning of the CTA copy. Compare the following variants and think of what will be more effective:

• Start your 14-day free trial period now.
• A 14-day trial period is available.

The first option is the clear winner because it tells the audience what to do. Remember that a strong call to action eliminates as much thought as possible. Choose the needed verb to match your situation and purpose, such as:

• sign up, subscribe, register now/get access
• download, start free trial;
• learn more, click here;
• buy/purchase, shop, order.

Use Power Words and Emotional Triggers

Another crucial component of call-to-action writing is power words . These are words that appeal to emotions and trigger the desire to click. While action verbs tell readers what to do and what will happen after clicking a link, power words subtly nudge people to the desired page. They rely on people’s emotions as a motivation to proceed, such as:

• fear : mistake, nightmare, painful, crisis, danger;
• encouragement : amazing, astonishing, life-changing, astounding, effortless;
• lust : thrilling, pleasurable, mouthwatering, compelling, engaging;
• anger : misleading, diminish, infuriating, annoying;
• greed : double, profit, explode, quadruple, extra, reduced;
• safety : proven, risk-free, moneyback, secure, refund;
• curiosity : lost, never seen before, unconventional, invitation only, confidential.

A strong CTA is the one people feel , not just comprehend. For example, “Secure your spot for the concert of a lifetime now,” will elicit a different response from viewers than, “Get your tickets for the concert now!” due to phrases like “lifetime” and “secure”. Another way to evoke enthusiasm is to leverage punctuation like an ellipsis or an exclamation mark.

Create Urgency and Scarcity

As most purchases are emotional rather than rational, another motivator can be a fear of missing out (FOMO). It’s one of the most widely-used tactics in e-commerce, where sellers show the number of remaining goods or the time left until the discount expires. So you can do it in the CTA.

The more people think, the less likely they will buy, remember? A sense of urgency/scarcity encourages people to act without much consideration. You can also find FOMO in social proof. If someone uses this product or service, others will be interested in joining the crowd. You can employ this idea in the CTA. Find a problem that your audience is experiencing. Emphasize it, show people they are not alone, and provide a solution.

Highlight the Benefits and Value Proposition

There is hardly anything more persuasive than a benefit . It works as simply as suggesting some perks for clicking the button. In other words, what are consumers going to gain from it? Will it enable people to perform their jobs more effectively, get in shape, or save money? You can add a tangible benefit like a discount or promotion. To show readers the value of clicking, start the CTA with words like “save” or “redeem” like “Save 15% by calling today!”

Or you can combine a USP and CTA in a single statement to persuade potential customers to take action. By highlighting what makes your product or service unique and motivating the user to take a specific action in line with that USP, you can increase the chances of converting them into leads or customers. Here’s an example of a USP/CTA mash-up:

“Get the best deals on luxury vacations - Book now and save 50%!”

Here you mention the action you expect users to perform (“ book now” ) and bring up a reason to do it ( “save 50%” ).

Personalize the CTA for the Target Audience

Personalization is one of the easiest ways to elicit emotions. It shows users that you value them and take a genuine interest in guiding them through the purchase journey smoothly. That’s why personalized CTAs can be so effective. According to Hubspot, tailored CTAs outperform standard CTAs by 202% .

Suppose a new website visitor, John, adds some products to the cart but leaves without buying them. You can show an exit-intent pop-up before he closes the tab with a personalized advertising call to action, such as: “John, get 10% off your first purchase! Plus, free shipping on orders over $50. Shop now and start saving!”

But if it was your existing customer, Rebecca, you could show her another pop-up, such as: “Welcome back, Rebecca! As a valued customer, we’d like to offer you 15% off your next purchase. Take advantage of this exclusive offer by making your purchase right away!”

Consider your audience when crafting your message, and address them specifically. You can segment people by age, gender, profession, level of proficiency in using your software, and other traits to offer the most relevant products and services.

Apart from writing a tailored message in your CTA, personalization can also be achieved by using new tools for sales documents creation. If you go with an interactive sales deck or proposal, you can add an impactful CTA by embedding your own calendar in the message, so that your potential customer can book their next meeting simply by reading your proposal.

Include Numbers If Relevant

Numbers catch the readers’ attention because they stand out on the page with text. So it’s another way to persuade people to click. Numbers also provide information that audiences want, like phone numbers, pricing, or advantages. For example, “Learn a new language in just 30 days with our intensive course.” It’s easy to spot the numbers, so viewers will immediately grasp the possible advantages of responding to your CTA.

You can also include a price in the ad copy and CTA. Why should you do it? On the one hand, you may scare away users from clicking the button and reading more about the product. On the other, if people deliberately respond to the ad knowing about your pricing, it shows their interest in the offer. It reduces the chances of bouncing from the landing page, increasing the return on ad spend.

Test and Optimize the CTA

Calls to action are tricky since you won’t know how effective they are until you put them to the test in real life. An idea that seems terrific on paper may not work well in practice. Thus, you need to understand why the CTA performs poorly and what doesn’t appeal to viewers. But how do you determine the need to change something? Through A/B testing.

A CTA is one of the most accessible and suitable page elements for the A/B test. A small change in word choice can have a significant impact. A/B testing lets you find the best option not only in terms of wording but also in placement, colors, size, etc.

Examples of Incredible CTAs

Now that we know the best practices for organizing CTAs, let’s examine how different companies do it. We’ll analyze call-to-action examples of online stores, SaaS companies, and nonprofit organizations.

E-commerce CTAs

Screenshot taken on the official Converse website

The first example under consideration is from Converse, a renowned lifestyle brand. The company uses several tips mentioned above:

• the language is simple to comprehend;
• numbers are showing the benefits of performing a particular action, such as 15% off the next order for signing up;
• the CTAs stand out from the rest of the content because they are bold or contrasting.

Ulster Weavers

Screenshot taken on Ulster Weavers

In this example from Ulster Weavers, we see the emphasis on FOMO. The bag is at a lower price, but only one item is available, so the retailer leaves us less time to think but to click the “Add to Cart” or “Buy it now” button.

Screenshot taken on the official Kusmi Tea website

Kusmi Tea decided to play with words and use the CTA “Enjoy now” instead of a basic “Click here” or “Shop now”. Don’t be afraid to get creative, as Kusmi Tea does in this screenshot. You can also notice that there is a lot of space around the button. This trick and the contrasting black color on the orange background make the CTA more visible.

Service-Based Call-to-Action Examples

Screenshot taken on the official Salesforce website

Here we can see several CTAs. Salesforce directs the viewer’s attention to them in the following ways:

• “Start free trial” is in the hero section of the website and is filled with color. So we understand it’s more important than the “Watch demo” button next to it.
• “Try for free” is filled with a contrasting green color for more emphasis. It also denotes no obligation to pay at the moment of clicking.
• The “Let’s chat” button is also noticeable. The photo on it aims to create a personal connection with the visitors and increase the likelihood of them engaging in a chat.

Time Doctor 

Screenshot taken on the official Time Doctor website

When adding creativity to your CTA, be careful with misleading users. For example, the screenshot from Time Doctor illustrates two CTAs on the exit-intent pop-up: 

• “Yes, help me increase my team’s productivity.”
• “No, I don’t need insight on what my team is doing.”

Unfortunately, they lack information about what will happen after choosing each. While you may guess the second button will close the pop-up, the first one may be confusing. Will I schedule a call, download the app, or get to the checkout page? No idea.

Screenshot taken on the official Exabytes website

This screenshot from Exabytes demonstrates a personalized approach. The CTA contains a personal pronoun, “My”, creating a sense of ownership and exclusivity in the customer’s mind.

Nonprofit CTAs

Elevation church.

Screenshot taken from the newsletter from the official Elevation Church website

It’s an email from Elevation Church. We can see that the organization displayed creativity in its “READY. SET. SHOP” advertising call to action. What may be the reason for that? It can be a powerful way to reach younger generations and differentiate an email from other generic promotions.

African Wildlife Foundation

Screenshot taken on the official African Wildlife Foundation website

Another nonprofit with impactful calls to action is African Wildlife Foundation. They are one of the first things you notice on the page. CTAs are concise and inspire supporters to learn more about the organization or donate immediately.

Over to You

Calls to action are indispensable elements of web forms , ad campaigns, emails, and social media content. What are the tips for designing them? We’ve looked at the top seven strategies, including:

• beginning with a powerful verb;
• appealing to emotions;
• leveraging numbers;
• offering benefits;
• instilling a sense of urgency;
• personalizing CTAs according to user preferences, behavior, and types;
• testing various aspects of CTAs thoroughly.

These tips will help you amplify your conversion rates and find the key to your audience.

Kate Parish

Related posts.

TikTok’s Insta Dupe, Updates to query matching for Google Ads, RIP Universal Analytics, and more…

How to get your Amazon Ads to the top of the search results page

Five ways to amplify your reach with Walmart Connect

Commerce media at cannes, new meta ai business tools, elon’s apology, and more…, see why brands have relied on marin to manage over $48 billion in spend.

VisualStory®

• Duarte DataStory®
• Presentation Principles™

Slide:ology®

• Slide Design
• Speaker Coaching
• Presenting Virtually™
• Illuminate™
• Adaptive Listening™
• Team training
• Learning journeys
• Brand and product storytelling
• Keynotes and events
• Sales enablement
• Communication systems
• Accelerator Lab™
• Our culture
• Our leaders
• Case studies
• Media mentions

Guides and tools

• Learner support

The secret to writing a call to action in a persuasive speech

Nancy Duarte

A well constructed and delivered presentation changes minds and ignites action.

Yet, there’s a key part of a presentation that doesn’t get mentioned enough — the call to action or CTA — and, a clear CTA creates a critical turning point in your presentation (or any other form of persuasive communications too).

The call to action which comes right before the end of a persuasive speech is where you clearly tell the audience a role they can play after they leave your talk. The CTA gives audience members concrete tasks to tackle, and these tasks are ones that must be completed in order to bring your ideas to fruition. And, it’s a key part of what makes your speech persuasive.

An audience might be thoroughly gripped by your narrative and convinced to believe what you do–but if they leave not knowing what they are supposed to do with your ideas, your presentation will have been–essentially–fruitless.

Because CTAs are such an important part of a presentation, it’s essential to make sure that the one you deliver lands with the people hearing it. The way to ensure that you write a call to action that persuades is to keep in mind that one size does NOT fit all—and you’ve got to tailor your CTAs.

People respond to different types of calls to action based on their temperaments, daily activities, goals, and more. So, it’s important to get to know who is in your audience before you decide how you’re going to deliver their post-talk “to-dos.” Once you do, you can ensure your call actually gets a response.

Who is in your audience, and what makes them tick?

There are four distinct skills your audience brings to help with your CTA: Doers, Suppliers, Influencers, and Innovators. To get your audience to act, your CTAs have to strike a chord and make sense with the skills they bring to the table. Taking action will seem natural for them when they can respond with an action that resonates with them. Audiences have a mix of all these skills, and you should appeal to each of them in your presentations.

Getting “doers“ to do something

Doers are the worker bees of an organization. They are the ones that hear what needs to get done – and then do it. Doers don’t shy away from physical tasks, and have the ability to round up the troops to inspire action in others, as well. Doers make an organization run, day in and day out.

If you’re speaking to doers, you’ll want to craft your CTA so that it includes action words that clearly explain what the doers should do. You may want to ask them to assemble, gather, attempt, or respond.

Motivating suppliers to share

Suppliers are usually not as action-oriented as doers. However, they have a lot of resources at their disposal – like money, manpower, materials, etc. Because of the amount of resources they have, suppliers have the means to help people move forward. They can get you what you resources you don’t have yourself.

Suppliers in your audience may be execs who could give you staff–or, investors who are trying to decide whether they want to put their money into a venture – or not.

To appeal to suppliers, you need to use different words than you did with the doers, since they’re not the ones that are going to be hitting the ground running to complete tasks. Instead, you’ll want to ask them to share their resources. You may want to use words like acquire, fund, support, or provide. These can help to appeal to the fact that they have something to give in order to make a change happen.

Influencing on your behalf

Influencers have the power to sway . They can change the minds of individuals and groups – large or small. Influencers are the people who mobilize others. They also evangelize ideas, and they know how to get people to change their beliefs and behavior.

Many influencers are leaders and others look up to them and follow their advice. Influencers can also be people in the spotlight, who people tend to be examples–like celebrities or public figures.

When you craft a call to action for an audience of influencers, you want to appeal to their ability to appeal to other people. Great call to action phrases for influencers include empower, convert, or promote. Many have social channels where they can share with others what you need for your idea to become reality.

Inviting others to innovate

The last type of audience member is the innovator. Innovators are people who can think outside of the box when they hear an idea, then think of ways to modify that idea. Innovators have outstanding brains in their heads. They can dream up strategies, clarify perspectives, and invent products. These people can generate something new where nothing existed before.

Anybody can be an innovator. But, often, innovators are founders of companies or creators of new products. They can be engineers, artists, or entrepreneurs; they handle fewer day-to-day tasks and more of the conceptual work.

To get support from an innovator, appeal to their ability to create things. The best call to action phrases for innovators include offers to invent, discover, pioneer, or create. You want to spur an audience of innovators to leave ready to make something new.

Make taking action sound irresistible

Appealing to what motivates various audience members is important to inspire action. However, to make sure your well-tailored CTAs lands, you shouldn’t end with your call to action. Nobody ever wants to simply be saddled with a lengthy to-do list.

Instead, after you deliver your CTA, paint a picture of what is going to happen for audience members once they complete the requested action. Throwing out a CTA creates curiosity for listeners; they want that curiosity satisfied by understanding what will happen after the action is over. This satisfaction – and a picture of what the future could look like – will inspire people to act.

Alfred Chuang, founder and CEO of Magnet Systems, recently delivered a UC Davis Commencement speech that contained an example of powerful a CTA that describes what will happen if listeners choose to act. Chuang encouraged the audience of engineering graduates to keep working on innovative projects and to accept the power of an immigrant-rick workforce.

He ended: “A new world is on the horizon. And it will be more incredible than any of us can possibly imagine. Our greatest innovations are ahead of us, not behind. But we need great engineers to build that world for us. And that’s you. We need you to not give up. Ever. We need you to finish your projects. Done, done, done. We need you to leverage the power of an immigrant-rich workforce. And we need you all to be a little insane.”

If you deliver a presentation that is gripping and empathetic, you’ve almost delivered the perfect presentation. All that’s left is including a CTA that clearly explains what listeners could do to help push your idea forward –and an ending that paints a picture of what the world will look like if they help. Then, you can leave your presentation knowing that you’ve delivered a talk that’s going to move people to act.

Check out these related courses

Adaptive Listening™

Build trust and traction

Uncover a better way to listen that goes beyond active listening and paying attention. Learn about the way you prefer to listen, and adapt to meet the needs of others.

Structure and storyboard a talk

Analyze your audience and organize your ideas into a story structure that will move them. Transform content into visual concepts and build a storyboard for your presentation.

Illuminate™

Drive strategic change

Craft an effective communication strategy that sparks and sustains change with empathetic speeches, stories, ceremonies, and symbols that motivate and inspire teams.

Craft a persuasive talk

Learn how the world’s greatest speakers use story to persuade. Develop a story structure that powerfully expresses your ideas, applying the principles of empathy, contrast, and variety.

Presentation Principles™

Learn presentation basics

Follow a step-by-step method to write compelling stories, amplify ideas visually, and present with confidence while learning at your own pace.

Turn ideas into visuals

Use visual thinking and design principles to transform information into effective and memorable graphics for presentations.

Create “skimmable” documents

Build helpful pre-reads and impactful leave-behinds with presentation software to support knowledge sharing and decision-making.

Check out these related resources

The art of document design: Tips and tricks

If you need better pre-reads or leave-behinds, you need document design principles. Learn our best tips and download our template to get started.

3 secrets to choosing and designing unforgettable visual aids

Learn best practices when considering visual aids and how to design a memorable presentation deck.

Resonate® ebook

A free multimedia version of Nancy Duarte’s award-winning book, Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences.

The secret structure of great talks

From the “I have a dream” speech to Steve Jobs’ iPhone launch, many great talks have a common structure that helps their message resonate with listeners. Watch Nancy Duarte’s TEDx Talk that’s garnered over 3 million views.

Presentation formats guide

Get tips on how to determine your presentation format. This guide will help you consider audience size, presentation setting, and the delivery method that best suits your communication needs.

Resonate ® workshop overview

Learn how the world’s greatest speakers use story to persuade. Develop a story structure that powerfully expresses your ideas, applying the principles of empathy, contrast, and variety.​

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

Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversions, engage the audience, measure results, and more. Try it free today.

Get Started

Do it better with Hootsuite , the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

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.

Related Articles

How to Write a Great Social Media Call to Action

If you want your audience to do something, you can’t just hope and hint. You need a good social media call to action.

11 Tips to Improve Your Facebook Ad Conversions

Facebook is the number one social media site for driving conversions, which makes creating effective Facebook ads an integral part of your social media strategy. Follow these 11 tips to convert your next Facebook campaign into a success.

17 Social Media Metrics You Need to Track in 2024 [BENCHMARKS]

Pin down the social media metrics that really matter and learn how to track them to build a winning social media presence.

24 Gen Z Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2024

Craft your next marketing strategy with these Gen Z statistics. Find out who they are, where they are online, and what they want from brands.

Facebook Advertising Optimization Tool

• 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 .

Save Save Save Save

You may also like reading:

• Social Commerce 101: How to Make Money Selling on Social
• 63 Instagram Caption Examples for 2023 (And How to Write Your Own)
• 15 Fresh Facebook Ad Examples to Inspire Your Next Campaign [2022]
• How to Create a Facebook Business Page (The Easy Way)

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

Very informative & keep sharing, You are a student and don’t know how to earn? So don’t worry Now, you can Make Money As A Student easily.

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/ […]

[…] Call to Action […]

[…] 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 […]

[…] 31 Call To Action Examples (And How to Write the Perfect One) https://adespresso.com/blog/call-to-action-examples/ […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Work with Us
• Marketing Services
• What’s new
• Facebook Ads Beginners Guide
• Google Ads Beginners guide

From the Blog

• Top Facebook Updates You Can’t Miss (December 2022 Edition)

• Conversion Optimization
• Growth Marketing
• Digital Analytics
• Brand Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Digital Psychology
• Ecommerce Marketing
• Product Marketing
• Technical Content Marketing
• Technical Marketing
• Google Analytics 4
• Browse all courses
• CXL Features
• Bottom-of-funnel SEO strategies in tough niches
• Growing AppSumo to 80m with performance marketing
• Account based marketing
• Building a growth process
• Building an innovative product
• Growth mindset: growth vs traditional marketing
• GrowthMaster Training Workshop
• Marketing strategy
• Optimizing Your Growth Process
• Partner Marketing
• Project Management for Marketers
• Retention: the most underrated growth channel
• User-centric marketing
• Data-driven influencer marketing
• Messaging strategy in public relations
• Sales Copywriting & Product Messaging
• Content marketing research
• Content recycling
• Email Marketing: Fundamentals
• Organic Social Media
• Product Marketing Content
• Scaling Content Marketing
• Content strategy and SEO for lead generation
• Growth Focused SEO testing
• SEO Link Building
• SEO-Driven Editorial Calendar
• Technical SEO
• Advanced Facebook Ads
• Advanced LinkedIn Ads
• Facebook Ads Creative
• Facebook Ads Experimentation
• Facebook Ads for Beginners
• Google Ads Experiments
• Google Ads for Beginners
• Linkedin Experimentation
• GA4 Intermediate
• Google Analytics 4 for beginners
• Preparing for Your GA4 Implementation
• Special Topics in GTM for GA4
• Attribution
• Data presentation and visualization
• Excel and Sheets for marketers
• Transactional data analysis
• Advanced Google Tag Manager
• Google Tag Manager for Beginners
• The Measurement Matrix
• Advanced Experimentation Masterclass
• CRO Agency masterclass
• Experimentation program management
• Intro to CRO and Experimentation
• Heuristic Analysis frameworks for conversion optimization audits
• Strategic Research for Experimentation
• Voice of Customer data
• A/B testing foundations
• A/B testing mastery
• CRO for Ecommerce Growth
• Good Practices
• Statistics for A/B testing
• Statistics fundamentals for testing
• Testing Strategies
• Applied neuromarketing
• Digital psychology & behavioral design
• Intro to Neuromarketing
• Landing Page Optimization
• People & psychology
• Personalizing for conversion
• Brand strategy
• Positioning
• Radical differentiation
• Integrated Public Relations and SEO
• Storytelling
• Audience building
• Community building
• Community strategy
• Brand tracking 101
• Brand tracking with Momentive
• User research
• Customer storytelling and proof
• Segmentation and Persona Research
• Building a marketing agency
• Managing a remote marketing team
• Marketing Management
• Sales and customer success enablement
• Automation with Apps script
• Data collection on the web
• Data extraction
• Mobile Analytics
• Tag managers
• Python for marketers
• R for marketers
• SQL for marketers
• API Applications
• Cloud computing concepts
• Cloud services
• Intermediate statistics
• Machine learning applications
• Machine learning fundamentals
• Attention Basics
• Decision Making and Emotions
• Learning and Memory
• Building Habits and Loyalty
• Building Trust
• Cognitive Biases
• Nonconscious Motivation
• Principles of Persuasive Design
• Facebook Ads for ecommerce
• Google Ads for Ecommerce
• Google Shopping
• Selling on Amazon: Perfecting Traffic and Conversions
• Ecommerce Content Marketing
• Ecommerce SEO
• Email and SMS Marketing for Ecommerce
• Customer experience for ecommerce
• Customer journey for ecommerce
• Customer segmentation for ecommerce
• Retention and Customer Lifetime Value
• Ecommerce brand strategy
• Ecommerce merchandising
• Personalization for ecommerce
• Promotional events
• Selling on Marketplaces
• Ecommerce data and metrics
• Ecommerce forecasting
• Ecommerce tech stack
• Unit economics for ecommerce
• Competitive intel & market research
• Introduction to product marketing
• Positioning and company storytelling
• Pricing and packaging
• Product Analytics
• Analyst relations
• Product launches
• Hiring product marketers
• Working with the product team
• What is included in All-access
• What's coming at CXL
• First time here? See all resources
• Original research studies
• AB test calculator
• Conversion rate optimization guide
• Conversion optimization guide
• Ecommerce best practices
• Bounce rate guide: The foundations
• Clickthrough rate guide: The foundations
• Follow our B2B strategy podcast
• Sign up now

Call To Action In Writing: 7 Powerful Examples

Careful attention to CTA (call to action) copywriting is the difference between brands that drive conversions and those that only drive traffic.

Brands that slap a “Buy Now” button on a page and call it a day wonder why their campaigns fail to convert. Companies that engage in strategic CTA testing continue to drive success metrics like CTR (click-through rate) up and to the right.

CTA testing is paramount because it’s not always obvious what needs to happen for your business. Landing page platform Unbounce boosted conversion rates by 90% by changing their CTA copy from “Start your 30-day trial” to “Start my free 30-day trial.” 

In this article, we’ll explore seven powerful CTA examples from high-performing companies. You’ll learn what makes them so convincing so that you can apply these lessons in your own CTA writing.

Table of contents

• CTAs drive the buying journey 
• Use Voice of Customer research to understand buyer goals 

Start with an imperative (command verb)

• Leverage power words to build excitement 
• 1. Pipedrive removes barriers to conversion 

2. ActiveCampaign makes it clear what customers are signing up for

3. wordable talks results.

• 4. Jasper speaks directly to a common pain point 

5. Emma builds intrigue by keeping it concise

6. betterhelp solves three objections in just three words.

• 7. ClickUp backs up its claim with a compelling guarantee 

What is a call to action in writing? 

Your call to action is the prompt you give readers or users to take a desired action.

That action might be to:

• Download an ebook or guide;
• Sign up for a free trial;
• Register for an upcoming webinar;
• Browse products in your online store;
• Book a sales demonstration.

CTAs are a critical component of marketing material. It’s the point where you tell your reader to do something.

CXL use them on landing pages to invite customers to trial top marketing courses:

SEO tool Clearscope invites users to join their Director of SEO in a webinar.

And revenue intelligence platform Gong uses CTAs at the end of blog posts to guide readers to additional content they may find valuable:

At the most basic level, these CTAs exist to give customers their next step in the buying journey.

CTAs drive the buying journey 

A CTA in a brand awareness campaign will look entirely different from a CTA meant to drive sales at the bottom of the funnel.

Take this post from Mailchimp on email marketing benchmarks. Most readers will land on this page after searching for “email marketing benchmarks” on Google.

Mailchimp knows, then, that the user’s search intent is to learn more about the subject of email marketing, not about Mailchimp and its features.

So, the CTA at the bottom of this blog post directs readers to related concepts, several of which are more prescriptive and action-focused than email marketing benchmarks (a powerful way to build value for the customer and to establish your brand as an authority).

Strong CTAs go beyond “buy now”  

The traditional answer as to why CTAs are important is that “customers don’t take action unless they’re told what to do.” 

While this is true, it’s not the whole story. A strong call to action doesn’t just provide a path forward but removes any barriers or objections.

Consider the CTA “Sign up now” on a SaaS product landing page. This raises several buyer objections:

• Do I have to pay?
• How much does it cost?
• Am I locked into a contract?
• How long is the contract?
• What payment methods are available?

Effective CTA writing can overcome these objections simply by altering the wording.

Copper uses the copy “Try Free” to preempt and solve these objections.

The word “Free” eliminates any concerns about cost, and the addition of the term “Try” implies a trial period, so there is no risk of signing up for a lengthy contract.

How to write a call to action that converts 

CTA writing is a form of persuasive writing . Your goal is to convince readers to take a given action in as few words as possible.

A strong understanding of buyer psychology and buyer intelligence will be helpful here. You can also fast-track results with these CTA writing techniques. 

Use Voice of Customer research to understand buyer goals 

Voice of Customer research uses qualitative and quantitative research to uncover the wants and needs of buyers in their own words.

Then, you’ll use these insights verbatim (or close to) in your marketing material to resonate with customer desires.

This is how Copyhackers wrote Beachway Therapy Center’s landing page to drive 400% more click-throughs on the CTA. 

The group mined Amazon addiction book reviews to learn about wants and pains and note memorable phrases.

Within those reviews, they caught recurring themes and identified the messaging that resonates with their customer base. The group then applied that copy to the landing page.

Messaging strategy agency Make Mention learned that the CTA for their client, “Start with the first hour free,” was asking for too much too soon.

The group conducted online and email surveys and learned that users struggled to understand the course’s value and encountered friction because objections weren’t addressed.

Make Mention redid the page, injecting several phrases from the customers’ vocabulary, including: 

• “practical exercises”;
• “getting your first developer job.”

They also directed the CTA button to lead to an alternative page where customers can learn more about the course.

Make Mention helped customers get more information before asking for the sale, and critically, they used the language customers use. This tweak boosted conversions on the CTA button by over 66%, leading to more check-outs from the Curriculum page than the Pricing page.

A good general rule to follow in CTA writing is to always start with an imperative. Imperatives are action words; they tell the reader to do something.

Powerful examples of action phrases include:

• Learn; 

SparkToro demonstrates two examples of imperatives in action with their buttons: “Try SparkToro for free” and “See Pricing.”

Preempt and eliminate objections 

Effective call to action writing preempts objections and eliminates them early.

Take Buzzsumo , which clarifies that new users don’t have to pay a cent for 30 days, obliterating worries about forgetting they’ve started the trial and purchasing accidentally.

The most common objections you’ll face are:

• Cost (Is there one? And if so, how much?);
• Time (How long is this going to take?);
• Commitment (Am I locked into anything?).

For cost objections, use terms like “free” and “no credit card required” to clarify that there is no cost involved.

For time objections, phrases like “instantly,” “in 2 minutes,” and “now” communicate that the action will take place quickly.

Solve commitment objections by clearly outlining the trial length (“Try free for 14 days”) or with terms like “free forever” and “no credit card.”

Leverage power words to build excitement 

Command words tell readers what to do. Power words make them feel excited about doing it. Combining the two is what motivates users to take action.

Examples of convincing power words to use in your CTA writing include:

• Classified;
• Minimalist;
• Irresistible;
• Effortless.

For example, GAP uses the term “unique” to encourage users to sign up for their mailing list (in exchange for a 25% discount).

Create a sense of urgency to inspire immediate action 

Great call to action writing inspires readers to take action now . When done well, they create buyer FOMO (fear of missing out), motivating website visitors to act immediately.

Words like “now,” “instantly,” “limited time,” and “today” are a good starting point but are best supplemented with urgent imperatives like “seize,” “gain,” and “access.”

Youprenuer combines the imperative “Get” with the urgency-building power word “Instant” to build a compelling CTA for their email list.

Use mystery to generate curiosity 

In certain cases, you’ll want to avoid mystery altogether. For instance, when crafting a CTA designed to motivate readers to sign up for a free trial, we want to clarify what customers are getting into.

But curiosity can work in our favor for downloadable content like ebooks and guides.

Terms like “discover,” “see what’s inside,” and “get the secrets” are powerful curiosity-builders that can help motivate readers to hand over their email addresses in exchange for the promised value.

“Explore” is a great example of a curiosity-building word to include in your CTAs, as demonstrated by premium vodka brand Grey Goose .

Back up your claims with social proof 

CTA copy doesn’t need to sit on its own.

Great CTA writers supplement copy with social proof (testimonials, reviews, logos) to give more gravity to their message and build trust with skeptical buyers.

Juro , for example, supplements their “book a demo” CTA with review ratings from Capterra and G2.

7 impressive calls to action (and why they work so well) 

Ultimately, A/B testing and experimentation will help you uncover your purpose’s perfect call to action.

Use these examples as a jumping-off point, and tweak and test as appropriate.

1. Pipedrive removes barriers to conversion 

One of the biggest factors preventing readers from converting is the unknown. When faced with a CTA like “Start now,” customers wonder internally:

• What’s involved in starting?
• Do I need to get my credit card out?
• What exactly am I committing to?

You can solve these objections before they arise with careful copywriting.

Pipedrive’s homepage CTA section is a powerful example of this. 

The green “Start free” call to action button immediately tells readers there’s no cost involved. The supplementary “No credit card required” copy below also helps users overcome this objection.

The addition of the simple “Full access” answers the question, “But am I just signing up to a limited version, and will I need to pay to access more sophisticated features?”

Lastly, Pipedrive does a great job of communicating why readers should click that CTA button (because Pipedrive users close 28% more deals after their first year using the CRM).

Takeaways from Pipedrive’s CTA example:

• Incorporate terms like “free” and “no credit card” to solve cost objections;
• Make it clear to users what they’re signing up for (e.g., full platform access);
• Use compelling social proof to communicate the why (answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”.

Average CTA writing leaves readers guessing:

• What am I signing up for exactly?
• What happens next?
• What if I don’t like what I see?
• Am I going to get hounded by a sales rep?

Strong CTA writing makes a reader’s next steps abundantly clear.

Take ActiveCampaign .

The exit popup on their email marketing product page aims to capture a reader’s interest (and email address) before they leave ActiveCampaign’s site.

A simple “Download our guide” wouldn’t be sufficient. Those who leave a landing page without clicking an in-page CTA are clearly unconvinced, so any copy in an exit popup must be especially persuasive.

ActiveCampaign nails this in their header copy.

“Use these 6 emails for your welcome series” tells readers precisely what they’ll receive. 

The use of the term “free” in the body copy eliminates cost objections, and the addition of the bracketed “to get more sales w/o more work” puts the offer in the context of the result, answering the reader’s question, “What’s in it for me?”

“Send me the free guide” (the copy in the CTA itself) is reader-focused (written in first person) and reiterates that there’s nothing to lose as the guide is free.

Lastly, the copy below the CTA button (“We do not sell or share your information with anyone”) works to convince even the most skeptical reader that they’re signing up for a safe offer.

Takeaways from ActiveCampaign’s CTA example:

• Make it abundantly clear what readers are going to receive;
• Solves the cost objection by doubling down on terms like “free”;
• Put your offer in the context of results (answer “What’s in it for me?”);
• Assure readers that their personal information will remain anonymous and won’t be sold or shared.

Vague, convoluted statements (“Helping ambitious creators design better futures”) don’t convert.

Concise, solution-focused calls to action that speak directly to outcomes (in your customers’ language) do.

Take Wordable , a platform that connects Google Docs with WordPress, HubSpot, and Medium, allowing high-volume content producers to publish to their blog in seconds.

Wordable doesn’t waste time telling readers how they’ll “Streamline and transform their content operations processes.” Instead, they jump straight to results:

• Publish in just one click;
• Export in seconds rather than hours;
• Cut back on VA or employee costs;
• Save as much as 100 hours per week in publishing time.

Then, Wordable delivers a persuasive offer, five free exports (notice the imperative “Get” kicking off the CTA copy), and eliminates any commitment objections by including the phrase “No credit card required.”

Prospects who read this CTA (and accompanying copy) aren’t left wondering what Wordable can do for them. They know exactly what problem it will solve and the results they can expect from hitting that CTA button.

Takeaways from Wordable’s CTA example:

• Speak your customers’ language (and avoid convoluted, vague, jargon-filled copy);
• Get straight to the results (What outcomes can your customer expect?);
• Back up “free” usage claims and solve commitment objectives by not requiring a credit card.

4. Jasper speaks directly to a common pain point 

Though actual figures are hard to come by, marketers estimate that the average consumer sees between 4,000 and 10,000 ads per day . 

Unsurprisingly, users see a large chunk of these ads ( 33% ) on social media platforms.

If you’re going to stand out from the other 3000+ ads your audience sees on these sites, you need to connect directly with their most critical challenges.

Take Jasper , an AI copywriting assistant.

Jasper’s Facebook ad speaks directly to a target audience pain point: content marketing is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process.

The video used in this digital ad is effective in and of itself (it shows the product in action, overlaid with a simple message “Write 10x faster”), but the copy below is what makes this a good CTA example:

“Create high-quality articles in seconds.”

First, Jasper begins with the action verb “create” before describing the desired outcome (high-quality articles) and the compelling benefit of their product (in seconds).

In just six words, Jasper communicates how its platform solves a common challenge for ecommerce site owners, social media managers, and digital marketing professionals. 

Takeaways from Jasper’s CTA example:

• Identify a pain point that resonates with potential customers;
• Communicate how you’ll solve that pain point (i.e., your value proposition);
• Describe this benefit concisely, putting the reader as the subject.

Often, the best call-to-action examples are those that are concise. This is an especially powerful technique when writing CTAs designed to promote downloadable content such as guides, ebooks, and checklists, as it can double as an intrigue-builder.

Take email marketing platform Emma , whose simple CTA “See How” is a compelling example of how much you can achieve with just two words.

Of course, this CTA is only effective in the context of what you’ve said before:

• Your email marketing campaigns can be better (probably);
• We’re going to give you a framework for improving them.

This is an intriguing proposition (readers are asking, “Can I get more from my existing email list?”).

The call to action “See How” builds on this intrigue, inviting readers to click through and answer the question themselves.

Takeaways from Emma’s CTA example:

• Introduce a common problem;
• Imply that you’ll help readers solve it;
• Keep your CTA copy short and sweet to leverage that curiosity.

Skilled CTA writers understand how readers will respond to an offer and what objections or roadblocks will appear to prevent conversion.

Then, they address these objections directly in their copy.

Take BetterHelp , an online therapy platform that uses social media advertising in its demand generation strategy .

The intention of the above ad isn’t to convert readers into paid subscribers. It’s simply to convince ad viewers to click through to BetterHelp’s website and learn more about their product.

But, BetterHelp knows that while this is a low-commitment ask, prospective customers will have many concerns:

• What will others think if they find out I’m using online therapy?
• I’m busy. I don’t think it will fit around my schedule.
• Isn’t therapy usually super expensive?

BetterHelp solves all three objections using just three words: 

• Discreet (Nobody will even know I’m using BetterHelp).
• Convenient (Therapy appointments are flexible).
• Affordable (BetterHelp is more cost-effective than traditional therapy solutions).

In this example, these three words supplement the actual call to action copy, “Online Therapy on Your Schedule,” reiterating that BetterHelp’s therapists are flexible about appointment times.

Takeaways from BetterHelp’s CTA example:

• Put yourself in the reader’s shoes: What concerns might they have that could prevent them from converting?
• Ask: What can we communicate that would quell these concerns?
• Test: What’s the best word (or phrase) to communicate that with as few words as possible?

7. ClickUp backs up its claim with a compelling guarantee 

Convincing calls to action often make impressive claims.

But today’s consumers aren’t easily convinced, so if you make bold claims, be prepared to back them up.

Take ClickUp , which guarantees new users will save one day every week.

That’s a big promise, but ClickUp backs it up by providing context to their claim (we analyzed over 4,000 teams) and supplementing the popup ad with several impressive logos (Samsung, Netflix, IBM.)

But the real winner here is ClickUp’s CTA copy.

“Get More Time” is all about the result. It’s not about what ClickUp wants (“Sign up today”). It’s about what the customer needs .

Takeaways from ClickUp’s CTA example:

• If you’re going to make a bold claim, be prepared to back it up;
• Use customer logos as social proof to back up such statements;
• Frame your CTA copy from the customer’s perspective, not yours.

These call-to-action examples are a solid starting point for designing high-performing CTAs that resonate with your own audience. What works for these brands may not work for yours, so it’s always better to hypothesize and test.

CTAs that convert at high rates come from strategic experimentation. This is the only way to determine whether the word “Get” performs better than “Sign up” or “Access” for a given call to action. And it’s one of the best ways to see real business growth . Check out our A/B testing tutorial today, and become a CTA testing pro.

Related Posts

Should you say 'read more' or 'product information' in your product category view? Which is…

The call to action is a core component of marketing, sales, and any persuasion-based effort.…

In today's review I'm assessing whether websites in question could do anything to better get…

Planning to create a promo video to increase conversions? Good idea. Table of contents1. Dollar…

Josh Krissansen

Josh is a Content Specialist at Grizzle, a content marketing & SEO agency, and a freelance content writer for B2B clients in the SaaS space.

Current article:

Search posts.

• Acquisition (190)
• Audio posts (5)
• Business Building (114)
• Copywriting (43)
• CRO & Testing (316)
• Customer Stories (7)
• Digital Analytics (67)
• Google Analytics (26)
• Marketing Tactics (50)
• Original Research (15)
• Psychology (88)
• Social Media (23)
• The Pe:p Show (49)
• User Experience & Persuasive Design (180)

Being the best is achieved through consistency

Join 130,000+ growth marketers, optimizers, analysts, and UX practitioners and get a weekly email that keeps you informed.

• Your business e-mail *
• I agree to receive updates from CXL.
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

• 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!

Becoming A Freelance Writer

Whether you’re a budding copywriter looking to hone your abilities or in the market for a career change, our Becoming A Freelance Writer course will help you gain the confidence and skills you need to thrive as a freelance writer.

Still not convinced? You can try our course for free , no strings attached.

Related posts:

Start your journey

Kick-start a flexible new career, time for a change.

Sign up for a Knowadays free trial – it’s your first step towards a new career.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

• How to Write ____

How to Write a Great Call to Action

Table of Contents

Persuasive content writing—website pages, blogs, marketing campaigns, newsletters, and digital ad copy—all have one thing in common. They demand the perfect call to action. If you need more subscribers, sales, or a jumpstart to your leads-to-conversion rates, then it’s time to use a great call to action! And learning how to write a call to action is easier than you might think. Let’s get started.

What Is a Call to Action?

A killer call to action does two things: It tells the reader what you want them to do, and it provides the motivation to do so. It is basically a few words or a phrase that you use to convince the reader to take action and do it now!

Use Action Words

Your goal is to motivate the reader to DO something, to take action. Think of the CTA as a verbal command—you are telling them what to do next and why it is essential. Therefore, you will need to use action words to do the job. Check out these CTA examples that start with an action verb:

• Get It Today
• Join For Free
• Buy It Here
• Watch It Now
• Send Me Specials

Convey a Sense of Urgency

Knowing how to write a compelling call to action is one thing. Knowing how to add a sense of urgency to it is taking it to the next level. When something is time-sensitive, we tend to pay more attention to it. We reread it because we don’t want to miss out by being late. A call to action that employs urgent words or a reminder that time is running out is an excellent way to get the reader to click on the CTA button quickly.

Here are some examples of CTAs that suggest a feeling of urgency:

• Save 15% Today!
• Time Is Limited
• Claim Your Free Trial
• We Need Your Help!
• Limited Edition
• First Order Free—Shop Today!

Short and Sweet

Keeping the call to action short and sweet is the key. Strive to be concise, not too wordy. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with having a call to action that is a full sentence. Or maybe even two. But, in most cases, a shorter, direct CTA is the best bet. Focus on what is most important in your message. Keep it brief and straightforward. Too many words, too many options may spell too many chances for the reader to get distracted and leave the page. So, opt for a succinct, easily identifiable call to action. For example, try these CTAs:

• Sign Up Free
• Get Started

Use a CTA Button

A clickable call to action button is simple to use. It clearly stands out on the page, and the reader knows exactly what to do. Keep it to less than five words. Otherwise, it just looks crowded and messy on the button. Use a contrasting color to grab attention. And avoid using “Click Here” for a CTA button. It’s outdated and will make your marketing look amateurish. Instead, opt for a simple CTA button like these:

• Discover More
• Sign Up and Save 20%
• Start Your Free Trial Today
• Donate Here

Use Hyperlink Text in a Long Form CTA

A call to action can also effectively be used in anchor text—the blue, underlined clickable text in a sentence containing a hyperlink. You may need to offer more incentives or reasons behind why you want the reader to take action. Offer a little backstory. Present an example. Explain how you can help. Check out these examples:

• Ready to build your new home? Let’s start this journey together. Give us a call today .
• When you’re ready to start the application process , we will walk you through it line by line.
• Want to provide food and shelter to an animal in need? Donations to our shelter can save a life. We appreciate your support!

Find Out What Works

It’s important to find out what works… and what doesn’t . Just because you’ve come up with a great call to action doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right call to action for your ad campaign. Some CTAs rank lower than others in terms of conversion rates. Marketing campaigns often run experiments to see which types of CTAs are more successful than others. For instance, “Sign Up” doesn’t do as well as “Learn More” in some settings. Apparently, users associate “Sign Up” with entering their credit card or ending up on a mailing list. In comparison, “Learn More” doesn’t carry the connotation of commitment.

Therefore, you may have to experiment with a few different CTAs until you find the one that gets you the most clicks.

Writing a great call to action is easy once you understand the basics. Aim to create a CTA that is strong, well-crafted, and geared to your specific audience.

• Business Communication

How to Write an Executive Summary

Writing Your Year-End Performance Review

How To Write A Great Conclusion Paragraph

• Frequently Asked

How to Write an Address

How To Write a Whitepaper Document

How to Write a Business Plan

Join the thousands who have sharpened their business writing skills with our award winning courses..

Copyright © 2024 Businesswritingblog.com.

Business growth

Marketing tips

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:

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.

Why calls to action work

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. 

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. 

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. 

How to write a call to action

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." 

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

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. 

Share this post

Join our newsletter

Subscribe for more deals

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.

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. 

How to design a call to action

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.

Call to action testing and iteration

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. 

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.

16 call to action examples (and why they work)

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.

Related reading:

Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox

We’ll email you 1-3 times per week—and never share your information.

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.

Related articles

Google Local Services Ads: What they are and how to use them

Google Local Services Ads: What they are and...

14 content marketing examples to get the creative juices flowing

14 content marketing examples to get the...

AI in advertising: Examples, tools, and what to expect next

AI in advertising: Examples, tools, and what...

20 landing page examples to help you increase conversions

20 landing page examples to help you...

Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.

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. 

Share This Article:

Grammarly Alternatives: Which Writing Assistant is the Best Choice for You?

The Dos and Don’ts of Using AI to Study

How to Use Modal Verbs for Clear Communication

Looking for fresh content, thank you your submission has been received.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of call to action in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

• It was an electrifying call to action for those who share the vision of Americans leading humankind into deep space .
• The health care sector should regard the findings as a call to action .
• A call to action was sounded by members of the Senate Committee.
• The report should be a call to action for improving air quality .
• arm-twisting
• bounce someone into something
• browbeat someone into something/doing something
• bull something through
• drive someone/something to something
• force someone's hand idiom
• forced marriage
• push (someone) toward(s) something
• put the heat on someone idiom
• put/tighten the screws on someone idiom
• rallying cry
• ram something down someone's throat idiom

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Examples of call to action

Translations of call to action.

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

side hustle

a piece of work or a job that you get paid for doing in addition to doing your main job

Fakes and forgeries (Things that are not what they seem to be)

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• English    Noun
• Translations
• All translations

To add call to action to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add call to action to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

TrustPulse Marketing Blog

Actionable advice to boost your website conversions.

20 Call to Action Examples + How To Write a CTA That Converts

Are you looking for the best call to action examples that will inspire your customers to take action?

Ecommerce businesses often struggle to get their site visitors to take action without being too pushy. The good news is, it’s easier than it may seem.

In many cases, all it takes is a minor tweak to your call to action (CTA) to see conversions increase.

In today’s post, we will show you 20 perfect call to action examples. Our examples include both call to action buttons and worded call to action phrases.

What Is a Call to Action?

The importance of a good call to action, how to write a call to action that converts, 10 perfect button call to action examples, 10 well-worded call to action examples.

Let’s start with the call to action meaning, its importance, and how you can write one.

Call to action definition : A Call to Action (CTA) is a prompt or instruction to encourage the target audience to take a specific action and typically involves getting your audience to click on a link.

The purpose of a CTA is to persuade the audience to take the desired action, which could be anything from purchasing a product or signing up for a service to downloading an eBook or filling out a survey. CTAs are typically designed to be attention-grabbing and prominently displayed to maximize effectiveness.

CTAs can be delivered through various mediums, including websites, social media posts, email marketing campaigns, and advertisements.

Common call to action example includes “Buy Now,” “Learn More,” “Subscribe Today,” “Download Your Free Trial,” “Register for Our Webinar,” “Join Our Mailing List,” and “Contact Us Today.”

These are all common types of CTAs that you’ve likely run into before and generally come in two types, both related to links.

You can have CTA as a button or a link with anchor text; the latter is more common in social media posts, blog posts, or other text-based content.

So what is a CTA? Again, it’s simply any direct command that encourages your audience to take action.

And the surprising truth about CTAs? They’re crucial for increasing your conversions and sales.

You may not believe it, but your call to action is essential for your bottom line. A well-worded call to action may be the difference between your business thriving and tanking.

And no, that’s not an exaggeration. Protocol 80 sourced the following statistics to show the value of CTAs:

This small aspect of your marketing strategy can lead to some significant changes. That’s why you must be extra particular about presenting your call to action to your customer.

Otherwise, you risk leaving unnecessary conversions and profits on the table. So let’s check out some best practices and call to action examples for creating highly clickable CTAs.

Creating the perfect call to action can be tricky. The goal is to ask your audience to do something without coming off too pushy, which can be a tricky line to walk.

Plus, your language to craft your call to action changes depending on your audience. That means there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to creating a solid call to action. However, some general guidelines are always true.

OptinMonster has written an extensive article on creating the perfect call to action . If you haven’t read that yet, you definitely should.

Here are a few of the most important tips in that article, along with a few new ideas to make your CTA extra clickable.

These include:

Let’s take a look at each point in more detail.

Tailor Your Call to Action to the Platform

Your call to action button changes depending on where you deliver it to your audience. On your website, you’re bound to have a call to action button encouraging people to use your product or service.

The button’s CTA is probably short, and something like “ Get Started Today! ”

However, you may write posts on social media with a longer, more in-depth call to action that asks users to click a subsequent link.

These may read something like, “Take advantage of our 15% off discount by clicking the link and start shopping today! ”

The length and copy of your call to action must be appropriate for your platform. For example, CTA buttons are typically shorter (3-7 words), and text-based CTAs can be longer. But a good rule is to make them as concise as possible.

That said, we’ll see some call to action phrases later that you can use as templates for your blog or social media posts.

Begin Your CTA With a Strong Command Verb

Believe it or not, people like to be told what to do. However, it would be best to strive for conciseness and clarity when telling customers what to do. After all, humans have so much going on in their everyday lives that it’s better to have a straightforward, specific task to follow.

So your call to action isn’t the time to dance around what you want. Instead, be straightforward and begin your CTA with a command verb.

For example, which of these calls to action is more likely to get clicks:

• Signup now for your free eBook
• Why not join today?

While neither should be the golden standard for a CTA, the first is the clear winner. It shows you a benefit for taking action (which we’ll discuss later) and does all the thinking for you by starting with a command verb.

However, the second one poses a question and gets you thinking about why you can’t join today.

Remember, a good call to action takes as much thinking out of the equation as possible.

Use Power Words

Related to using a command verb to start, you should be using power words to enhance the copy of your CTA. Power words trigger a psychological or emotional response from the reader.

While readers understand a regular CTA, readers feel a great one. Power words get your audience feeling something that encourages them to take action.

So rather than “ Take advantage of our offer to increase your sales today ,” you may write, “ Take advantage of our once-in-a-lifetime offer to skyrocket your sales now! ”

Small additions of power words like “once-in-a-lifetime,” “skyrocket,” and “now” make the second option a much more clickable call to action. And if you need some help with power words, you’re in luck.

Need more wildly successful power words to revolutionize how you write your CTAs? Check out OptinMonster’s comprehensive list .

(☝️See what we did with the power words there?)

Foster Curiosity and Anticipation

One strategy for creating a killer call to action is to foster curiosity and anticipation.

Building curiosity would be like, “ Learn how this former pizza delivery guy started a 7-figure online business at home .”

To effectively build curiosity, you reveal the result of whatever story you’re telling in your content without showing how you’ll get there. The goal is to connect your audience with something they want (the result) and get them curious about how to achieve it.

Anticipation is another strategy that works better for selling products. Again, you’re selling someone the result that your product brings and getting them excited for their new life change.

For example, an online fitness coach may make a call to action such as “ Transform into your sexiest self today! ”

This paints an image of the customer’s desired result and excites them about that dream becoming a reality. This anticipation drives them to take action.

Show Benefits and Use Social Proof

Another excellent method for spicing up your call to action is showing a tangible benefit or relying on social proof . Showing your audience a real benefit for your call to action usually (but not always) involves offering a discount or promotion.

These calls to action usually start with the command verb “save” or “redeem” and read something like “ Save 25% by joining today!” or “ Redeem your 2-for-1 coupon right now! ”

Writing your CTA with a benefit adds an extra incentive (a value proposition ) to the equation that boosts your conversion rate. But you also have another trick up your sleeve: Social proof.

The most common type of social proof for CTAs is leveraging fear of missing out (FOMO). Fear of missing out is a phenomenon that occurs in most consumers and is super powerful.

Many infomercials saw huge sales increases when their call to action changed from “ Call now, operators are standing by “to “ If lines are busy, please call again! ”

When listeners heard the first CTA, they thought, “If operators are standing by, it must not be a popular product.” But when they heard the second CTA, the opposite occurred. They thought, “If lines are busy, this product must be top-rated . I should call.”

FOMO is an incredibly powerful tool that you can start using to craft stronger CTAs that lead to much higher click-through rates (CTRs).

If you want to start using social proof, we recommend trying TrustPulse .

TrustPulse specializes in positive action notification popups. You’ve likely seen these before, probably even while reading this article:

These small popups leverage social proof to increase conversions by up to 15% . Adding this type of social proof is an absolute no-brainer for such a small change to your site to have such a massive impact on your sales.

It helps you drive business and improves the user experience by adding credibility to your product.

And while we’d love for you to go with TrustPulse, we know other options exist.

That’s why we remind users never to use software that encourages or allows fake social proof .

If users learn that your positive action notifications are fabricated or fraudulent, you’ll have an uphill battle earning back their trust.

This a small disclaimer, but very important to keep in mind as you build your site or brand’s authenticity . This is crucial as you strive to maintain your company’s online reputation .

Boost your sales by up to 15% by joining TrustPulse today !

Get Creative to Catch Your Audience’s Attention

One of the hardest things to do in the digital world is to separate yourself from the noise. The only way to truly stand out is to get creative. The Harmon Brothers are incredible at this.

They’ve made such viral ads as the Squatty Potty, Poo Pourri, and Goldilocks & the Purple Mattress:

These ads did exceptionally well and got many viewers to take action.

Why? Because they stand out in a world of boring advertising. And you can do the same.

You don’t need to create mythical creatures or spend millions on video production. You need to get creative in connecting with your audience. Use language that stands out from the standard messaging and grabs the eye.

Plus, you can use various visual creation tools to make stunning images and videos without breaking the bank.

For example, the company Manpacks used a call to action that hit home with its audience:

Build a manpack.

It’s strong, simple, and built curiosity in men who wondered, “What is a manpack, and why do I suddenly feel like I need one?”

If you’re confident in your marketing skills , try to break free from the mold and experiment with a creative copy .

Okay, now that we have some tips on writing a clickable call to action, let’s see how some of the best companies in the world do it. We’ll be splitting our call to action examples into two sections:

• Call to action buttons
• Text-based calls to actions

Let’s get started.

On most websites, you’ll see calls to action in the form of a button. Again, the text is usually concise (3-7 words) and clearly expresses what the company wants the user to do.

Let’s see some call to action examples from the biggest businesses in the world and how they craft their own CTAs.

Netflix has a straightforward, clear call to action. Their easy-to-spot “Try it now” button stands apart from the rest of the page with its bold color scheme.

Plus, the copy implies that you can try the software before committing.

You don’t need to get too creative when your brand is as famous as Netflix. This simple call to action example is all it takes for hundreds of new subscribers each month.

2. HelloFresh

This is just one of HelloFresh’s call to action examples. The fun little “Get Cooking” button is authentic to their brand. Plus, it makes people imagine themselves already in the kitchen preparing tasty meals for the family.

A lot is going in this call to action example: imagery, the testimonial by HuffPost, and the call to action. They don’t give too many details on the software, so the phrase “See how it works” is terrific at building curiosity and anticipation.

Nike has never been one to use two words when one will do. Their world-famous slogan, “Just do it,” is as straightforward as it gets. We shouldn’t expect anything else from their call to action.

The one word “Shop” is all they need to tell customers what to do. And if Nike is doing it, there must be something to the short-and-sweet approach.

5. Basecamp

The creators over at Basecamp are known for keeping things casual and never overthinking a decision. Their call to action fits their laidback style and welcomes people to test the software.

6. Sendinblue

Sendinblue’s CTA is a refreshing change from the usual “Try Now.” The phrase “Take a free test drive” reminds users to try the software risk-free. This phrase also adds playful color to the animated image of the car on the righthand side.

7. Bluehost

Bluehost’s call to action example is a friendly reminder that people don’t want the ½ inch drill; they want the ½ inch hole. When most people think of site builders, they think of platforms like WordPress.

The last thing they want to think about? Finding the right host.

Bluehost plays on this emotion by avoiding phrases about site hosting and dives straight into site creation. After all, that’s what their visitors hope to accomplish from Bluehost.

8. LiveChat Inc

LiveChat Inc ‘s CTA is short, to the point, and adds the value proposition. It stands out because of its bold red coloring (like we saw with Netflix) and reminds users to give the software a test spin free.

AWeber flirts with the CTA word-length limit, but they manage to pull it off. Their bold orange button color directly draws the reader’s eye to the message. They add the ” free ” value proposition to entice users to click through.

10. Spotify

Here’s one last call to action example by one of the world’s most famous brands, Spotify. They use a green button on an orange background showing a well-placed contrast to draw your attention.

Like many other call to action examples, Spotify highlights that you can sign up and use their service at no cost or risk.

Let’s shift gears and look at longer, text-based forms call to action examples.

The following call to action examples come from blogs or social media. They are longer phrases that encourage users to click a link and redirect their attention to another page.

11. OptinMonster

We couldn’t write this blog post on calls to action without referring to our parent company, OptinMonster . If you follow their blog (which you really should if you want to master lead generation tactics), you’ll notice they end their posts with a consistent call to action.

And this is standard practice for most blogs.

This small phrase asks people to share the post (if they enjoyed it) on various social media platforms. Examples like this are an important reminder that not all CTAs need to be sales-driven.

12. Neil Patel

Neil Patel is one of the world’s most famous marketing “gurus.” At the end of one of his posts, you’ll see he adds a call to action for people to sign up for his small course. Though the second CTA (“Start by clicking here”) is where users take action, it’s his first step that draws you in.

The bold “ Do This Now “ message is impossible to ignore and gets readers to follow to the next step.

13. The Art of Manliness

Though most people wouldn’t think the copy “Join the Strenuous Life” is catchy, it’s perfectly suited to their target audience. They are constantly writing about self-discipline, getting more “tough,” and putting yourself in difficult situations to grow as a person.

As such, this is the perfect call to action to tempt their user base.

14. Fitness Machine

A subtle call to action from personal trainer Jarryd Smith, this Facebook post asks users to engage. For example, they want to participate in a 5-day body transformation challenge. In that case, they need to leave a comment as indicated.

This is one great way of getting free traffic from Facebook.

15. WordStream

WordStream has some good calls to action across their site, but this one comes from a Facebook post. They do a great job of building your anticipation and curiosity by offering a free Google Ad cost report.

This is a super enticing offer for any marketers who run paid ads.

16. LinkedIn

Besides the fantastic imagery below this post, notice how LinkedIn uses some power words to spice up its CTA. In this case, the two most effective words are “secret” and “successful.”

Everything about this call to action indicates something you don’t know hinders your success with LinkedIn ads. And if you click through, they’ll be happy to show you.

Talk about leveraging FOMO.

This post on Twitter is more fun than the standard call to action. They take an old saying, “Everyone wants to eat, but few are willing to hunt,” to set up their CTA:

“Bring out the big guns.”

This goes a long way in building anticipation.

18. Grammarly

Grammarly does an excellent job with its calls to action. First, they have a killer service, so they never need to try too hard to attract customers. But they do well at getting writers excited to write.

Here, Grammarly encourages its users to “Tap into their creativity,” which is speaking their audience’s language.

19. Backlinko

Returning to blogs, we have another call to action example from the famous digital marketer Brian Dean. On his site, Backlinko, he uses a subtle call to action to encourage users to engage with his post.

Here, he isn’t redirecting his readers anywhere else and wants them to focus on leaving a comment.

20. Amy Porterfield

Our last call to action example is from Amy Porterfield, a marketing coach with loads of courses, podcasts, blogs, and just about any other kind of content you can imagine.

As she finishes one blog post, she adds a well-written call to action, “Click here to change your life with B-School!” If powerful language like that doesn’t build curiosity and anticipation, we don’t know what will.

Putting it All Together

We’ve covered a whole lot of ground today. Before wrapping up, we wanted to remind you that a perfect call to action is only part of the equation. In other words, no call to action will ever work if it’s the only thing people see.

So, to have the whole package, you need to work on a few different aspects of your site:

• Your web design
• Your site’s overall copy
• Create alluring content
• and any other strategy to get users to sign up for your services

So as we finish this post, it’s time to put our money where our mouth is and give you a few calls to action of our own.

If you enjoyed this article, share it with your friends and colleagues on Facebook or Twitter . You can also let us know if you’ve seen or made an awesome example of a call to action.

Finally, are you 100% positive that you’re optimizing your site for the most sales possible? If you don’t have positive action notification software on your site, the answer is a firm “no.”

Ready to get started with the world’s best social proof software? Sign up for your risk-free TrustPulse account today !

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that we believe will add value to our readers.

Thanks for finally talking about > How to Write a Killer Call to Action (With 20 Perfect Examples) Christie]

You’re very welcome! We hope you enjoyed the post.

Thank you for this post, Deana. Picked up a few things from the 10-worded-CTAs section.

Add a Comment Cancel reply

We're glad you have chosen to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our privacy policy , and all links are nofollow. Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Two years ago, SCOTUS overturned the right to an abortion. Here is how each state changed

Monday marks two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion .

The Dobbs decision issued June 24, 2022 upheld Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks. Since then, states have enacted a range of laws from near-total abortion bans to shield laws protecting patients from other states who travel to get the procedure. The decision has even bled into questions on the FDA's independence and access to in vitro fertilization.

Many active state laws are still in flux, and all eyes are on November when several states will put the abortion issue directly in the hands of voters.

Here is a state-by-state guide to abortion laws today and how they have changed in the last two years:

Impacts of Dobbs: More than 171K patients traveled out-of-state for abortions in 2023, new data shows

Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | Washington D.C.| West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming

Abortion is banned outright with few exceptions.

Exceptions : When the pregnant person's life is in danger.

Changes since Dobbs: None, enforcement kicked in after decision.

Other reproductive news in the state: Alabama shook the reproductive rights community in February when the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization should be treated legally as children. It temporarily halted IVF treatments at clinics in the state, but the state legislature passed protections for the procedure in the weeks that followed.

Abortion is legal.

Exceptions: Abortions must be performed by a licensed physician.

Changes since Dobbs: None. The right to "reproductive choice," is protected under the state constitution, so it is likely to stay legal, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is anti-abortion, despite the state's protections.

Abortion is banned after 15 weeks.

Exceptions: Abortions are allowed for medical emergencies at any point in the pregnancy. Patients must also make two trips at least 24 hours apart and receive an ultrasound, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Changes since Dobbs: The undoing of Roe v. Wade in 2022 led to a petition to remove an injunction on a 160-year-old law to ban abortions . On April 9, the Arizona Supreme court ruled in favor of upholding the law which made the procedure illegal in nearly all instances. The state legislature moved quickly to pass a bill to block the ban . When that repeal goes into effect could be a moving target as it is tied to the end of the legislative session, but State Attorney General Kris Mayes had already  indicated she wouldn't enforce an anti-abortion law.

The earliest the near-total ban could go into effect is September 27.

Other reproductive news in the state: Organizers in Arizona are closing in on gathering enough signatures to put a constitutional amendment to protect abortion on the ballot in November.

Map: Tracking abortion-related ballot measures in the upcoming election

Exceptions: If the abortion is required to save a pregnant person's life.

Changes since Dobbs: The state had a trigger ban in place, effective immediately after the decision. In 2023, the Attorney General declined an effort to get an abortion amendment on the ballot before they started collecting signatures.

Other reproductive news in the state : Arkansas could have the measure on the ballot this year.

More: Florida, New York have abortion on the 2024 ballot. What's happening in other states?

Abortion is legal until 24-26 weeks , the time of fetal viability.

Exceptions : Abortion legal after viability to protect the patient's life or health .

Changes since Dobbs: The state has pushed through laws to help protect access for providers and patients in other states through shield laws.

Other reproductive news in the state: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2024 to temporarily allow abortion providers from Arizona to practice in California.

Abortion is legal in all cases, no deadline.

Exceptions : Minors must have parental consent.

Changes since Dobbs: In 2023, Colorado enacted an interstate shield law to protect providers and patients from criminal consequences across state lines, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: In November, Coloradans will be able to v ote on a constitutional amendment to protect the right to an abortion.

Connecticut

Abortion is banned after viability (24-36 weeks).

Exceptions: Abortions allowed after viability to save a pregnant person's health.

Changes since Dobbs: In the wake of the decision, the state passed a series of laws aimed at further protecting the right to an abortion. Those included protecting providers from actions taken in another state, allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control and protecting patient health data.

Abortion is legal until viability .

Exceptions : Parental notice is required for minors. After viability, abortions allowed only to save a pregnant person's life or if the fetus is not expected to survive.

Changes since Dobbs: The state enacted protections for abortion providers to shield against other states in June 2022, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Abortion is banned after 6 weeks.

Exceptions: Exceptions are in place for pregnancies resulting from rape, incest or human trafficking up until 15 weeks, but they must show proof it has been reported to officials. Abortions may also be performed to save the pregnant woman's life, avoid serious health risk or if the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality.

Changes since Dobbs: The six-week ban went into effect in May 2024. Before the six-week ban, the house had passed a 15-week ban that went through legal challenges up to the state supreme court.

Other reproductive news in the state: Florida will vote on abortion access through viability in November.

Exceptions: Up until 20 weeks, Georgia has exceptions to the ban for medical emergencies and cases of rape and incest.

Changes since Dobbs: Georgia passed the six-week ban in November 2022, and it was upheld by the state supreme court in 2023, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Other reproductive news in the state: Abortion access was a central point in the Georgia Supreme Court race , according to The Hill, but the Democratic opponent lost to the conservative justice in May .

Abortion is legal until viability.

Exceptions: After viability, abortions are allowed to save a pregnant person's life.

Changes since Dobbs: The state has enacted shield laws to protect patients and providers from other state agency investigations, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Abortion is banned outright.

Exceptions: If proven in court by a medical provider, abortions can be allowed to save a pregnant person's life or in the case of incest or rape if it has been reported to law enforcement.

Changes since Dobbs: The current ban went into effect August 2022. The exceptions were narrowed in 2023, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: In April, 2024, The U.S. Supreme Court heard a Biden administration challenge to the near-total abortion ban which argued it violated federal law by not providing emergency care to mothers.

More: Supreme Court updates: Does Idaho abortion ban conflict with federal law?

Exceptions: Abortions are allowed after viability if necessary to save a pregnant person's life.

Changes since Dobbs : In January 2023, the state enacted interstate shield law, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights and in July 2023, the state passed a law prohibiting anti-abortion centers from using deceptive practices to try to interfere with an abortion.

Other reproductive news in the state: Illinois is a hub for those traveling for abortion, according to a New York Times analysis.

Abortion is illegal in Indiana.

Exceptions: Allowed in instances when it is necessary to protect the life of the parent .

Changes since Dobbs: In 2022, the state enacted the total ban, but it was initially blocked in court. In 2023, the state Supreme Court rejected a challenge and the ban went into effect.

Abortion is legal until 22 weeks , but patients must make two trips, get an ultrasound even if not medically necessary and parenteral notice is required for minors.

Exceptions : After 22 weeks, abortion is legal to save the life of the pregnant person.

Changes since Dobbs: In 2023, the state enacted a 6-week abortion ban that is on hold by the courts. The state Supreme Court is expected to issue a final ruling in the coming months.

More: I've seen the horrors women endure when denied health care. Iowa's abortion law scares me.

Abortion is legal until 22 weeks .

Exceptions: After 22 weeks, exceptions can be made to save the pregnant person's life. Parent consent is required for minors.

Changes since Dobbs: In 2022, voters rejected an effort to amend the state constitution to declare there would be no right to an abortion in the state.

Abortion is illegal in Kentucky .

Exceptions: Abortion allowed in the case of a medical emergency .

Changes since Dobbs: In 2022, voters opted for the right to choose by rejecting a proposed constitutional amendment that would have further cemented the state's lack of abortion protection.

Other reproductive news in the state: Pro-choice advocates tried again to expand exceptions earlier this year, according to AP .

2023 Election lessons: Abortion delivers for Democrats from Ohio to Virginia to Kentucky

Abortion is illegal in Louisiana.

Exceptions: Abortion allowed in the case of a medical emergency.

Changes since Dobbs: A trigger ban went into effect with the Dobbs decision. In 2023, the state enacted a tax-credit for people who donate to crisis pregnancy centers, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: In spring of 2024, Louisiana became the first state to classify mifepristone , a drug commonly used for abortion mifepristone, as a controlled substance, but it is still allowed for pregnant women.

More: Which 14 states have abortion bans?

Exceptions : After viability, abortions are still allowed to save a pregnant person's life.

Changes since Dobbs: The state has passed several protections for providers and out of state patients.

Other reproductive news in the state: The state failed to pass a state constitutional amendment protecting the right to an abortion, according to the Associated Press .

Exceptions : Minors must give notice to parents or guardians.

Changes since Dobbs: The state has enacted shield laws to protect against other state bans.

Other reproductive rights news in the state: In November, Maryland voters will be voting on a constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to reproductive freedom, according to Ballotpedia .

Massachusetts

Abortion is legal up until 24 weeks .

Exceptions: Abortion allowed after 24 weeks if the pregnant woman's life is in danger.

Changes since Dobbs: Massachusetts has passed shield laws for providers and patients.

Other reproductive rights news in the state: The Governor's office recently launched a campaign to warn against the dangers of anti-abortion centers known as "crisis pregnancy centers."

Exceptions: Abortion may be restricted after viability, unless it is necessary to save a pregnant person's life, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. A 24-hour waiting period between counseling and the procedure and parental consent for minors is required, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Changes after Dobbs: Voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting the right to an abortion.

Other reproductive news in the states: Earlier this year, the "Reproductive Health Act" went into effect to try to lower more barriers to access to abortion.

Abortions in Michigan: What we know about the women who get them

Exceptions: According to the Attorney Generals Office, Minnesota prohibits the government from imposing restrictions.

Changes since Dobbs: The state passed several pieces of key legislation in 2023, including bills that repealed a required 24-hour waiting period. Parental consent is also no longer required for minors.

Other reproductive news in the state: A recent push to amend the state constitution to further solidify protections for abortion failed, according to the Associated Press.

Mississippi

Abortion is illegal.

Exceptions: To save the live of the pregnant person or in reported cases of rape or incest. Patients must also go to two appointments and minors are required to notify parents.

Changes since Dobbs: The current trigger ban went into place days after the Dobbs decision.

Other abortion news in the state: Mississippi and others sought and received an injunction from a federal judge that decided it does not have to comply with a federal rule that gives people time off for an abortion , according to the AP.

Exceptions: Abortions allowed when necessary to save the pregnant person's life. The patient must take on the burden of proof to show that is necessary.

Changes since Dobbs: The state began enforcing a trigger ban after the June 24, 2022 decision.

Other reproductive rights news in the state: A judge recently ruled against several religious groups in favor of abortion that argued the ban violated their religious rights, the Washington Examiner reported.

Exceptions: Abortions are legal after viability if it is necessary to save the pregnant person's life. Minors seeking an abortion also require parental consent.

Changes since Dobbs: A judge struck down several laws restricting access to the procedure earlier this year, the AP reported.

Other reproductive news in the state: In 2022, a ballot measure known as the "Born-Alive Infant Protection Act" failed.

Abortion is banned after 12 weeks.

Exceptions: Abortion is allowed after 12 weeks to save the life of a pregnant person or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.

Changes since Dobbs: 12-week ban was enacted in May 2023. Challenges in court failed, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: Three ballot initiatives on abortion are being considered for the election in November: a total ban, and enacting abortion-access windows in the constitution set at 12 and 24 weeks.

Abortion is legal until 24 weeks.

Exceptions: A parent or guardian must be notified about a minor's abortion.

Changes since Dobbs : In June 2022, the governor signed an executive order protecting providers from out of state investigations, and the protections were codified the following year.

Other reproductive news in the state: Activist groups are seeking to put an abortion constitutional amendment measure on the ballot in November.

New Hampshire

Exceptions : Parental notice is required for patients who are minors . Abortions are allowed after 24 weeks to save the life of the parent or in cases of fatal fetal anomalies.

Since Dobbs: The state House proposed a 15-day abortion ban, a de facto total ban, and a constitutional protection, but both measures failed according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

Abortion is legal .

Exceptions: New Jersey encourages the patient to discuss limitations to getting an abortion with their healthcare provider.

Since Dobbs: The governor has called on banning of out-of-pocket costs for an abortion, according to AP .

Exceptions : According to New Mexico Health, the procedure is private and protected.

Changes since Dobbs: In 2023, the state codified previous executive orders to prohibit state agencies from cooperating with out of state investigations and shielding providers and patients, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: New Mexico has become a hub for people from Texas traveling for an abortion, according to a NYT analysis.

Exceptions: After 24 weeks, abortion is still allowed if the parent's health or pregnancy is at risk.

Changes since Dobbs: New York has passed several shield laws to protect providers and patients from out of state investigations .

Other reproductive rights in the state: An abortion protection measure may appear on the ballot this year, according to Ballotpedia .

More: In states with abortion restrictions, 8,000 people each month get abortion pills elsewhere

North Carolina

Exceptions: Abortion is allowed through the 20 weeks if the pregnancy is a result of incest or rape, and through the first 24 weeks if the fetus has a life-limiting anomaly. It is allowed at any point when there is a medical emergency.

Changes since Dobbs: The current ban was enacted by the state and went into effect July 1, 2023.

Other reproductive news in the state: Some of North Carolina's restrictions on abortion pills were struck down by a federal judge on the grounds they circumvent federal regulation of the drug, according to AP.

North Dakota

Abortion is illegal .

Exceptions : Saving the pregnant person's life and personal health. The state also has an exception for rape and incest, but only through six weeks of pregnancy, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Changes since Dobbs: The state had a trigger ban in place that was put under an injunction, until the state replaced it with the ban that has been enforceable since April 2023, according to CRR.

Abortion is legal up until 22 weeks .

Exceptions: Parental consent is required for minors. Patients must wait 24 hours after their first visit to have the procedure.

Changes since Dobbs: Immediately after Dobbs, the state began enforcing its six-week ban but it later was placed under injunction and is not in effect. In November 2023, voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive decision making.

Other reproductive news in the state: There have been several efforts to restrict and expand access to abortions, but little has changed.

Exceptions: To save the parent's life.

Changes since Dobbs: The decision put into effect a trigger law, but the state supreme court struck down a law criminalizing abortion .

Other reproductive news in the state: An Oklahoma woman was told to wait in the car with a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication until she was sick enough to receive an abortion, the Washington Post reported . She filed a complaint with the Biden administration but they rejected it, according to the Post.

Exceptions : Those under the age of 15 need consent for treatment, but is up to the discretion of the health care providers .

Changes since Dobbs: In 2023, the state passed shield laws to protect patients and providers from investigations in other states, and paved the way for those under the age of 15 to be able to consent to an abortion without a guardian.

Pennsylvania

Abortion is legal until 24 weeks , with some barriers to accessing care.

Exceptions: Abortion legal after 24 weeks if necessary due to health risks. Abortions for minors require parental consent.

Changes since Dobbs: In July 2022, the governor issued an executive order protecting those who come to the state for services from legal pushback.

Other reproductive news in the state: Pennsylvania currently does not have legal protections for abortion, even though the current governor is supportive, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Rhode Island

Exceptions: After viability, abortion is legal in order to save someone's life. Parental consent is required for minors to receive abortion care.

Changes since Dobbs: In 2023, the state expanded Medicaid and state employee insurance to cover abortion.

South Carolina

Abortion is banned after six weeks.

Exceptions: Medical emergencies , if the pregnancy is a result of incest or rape, and some fetal diagnoses.

Changes since Dobbs: The current ban went into effect in May 2023.

More: Abortions in SC plummeted after six-week ban enacted; mifepristone limit could be next

South Dakota

Exceptions: Abortion may be a allowed if necessary to save someone's life.

Changes since Dobbs: The decision put into place a trigger ban. In 2023, the state carved out an exception to prevent women who receive an "unlawful abortion" from being held criminally liable, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: A ballot measure for abortion protections has been certified for November's election. However, an anti-abortion group challenged it in court, according to local station KFGO .

Exceptions: Abortion allowed if "necessary to prevent the death of pregnant woman or prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function."

Changes since Dobbs: The current ban was a trigger law in place that went into effect 30 days after the right to an abortion was overturned.

Other reproductive news in the state: Doctors and patients brought forward a lawsuit earlier this year arguing the vague language led to people with pregnancy complications being turned away from the doctor, according to Reuters.

Exceptions: The patient has a life-threatening condition that or one that could leave significant bodily impairment.

Changes since Dobbs: The state's trigger ban took effect August 2022. The law criminalized abortion, but some legal liabilities have since been rolled back, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: A federal judge in Texas decided to restrict access to a popular abortion drug mifepristone , which would have undermined the authority of the FDA, but a Supreme Court ruling struck down that ruling. The Texas Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from women who said the abortion ban in the state prevented them from receiving emergency care for pregnancy complications, according to the Texas Tribune.

More: Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication mifepristone

Abortion is banned after 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Exceptions: Allowed when abortion is necessary to save a pregnant person's life, if the fetus is not expected to survive or if the pregnancy is a result of incest or rape.

Changes since Dobbs: After the decision, a trigger law banning abortion at all times in the pregnancy with limited exceptions went into effect but it was held up in court, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Exceptions: According to state law , interference with reproductive choice is prohibited.

Changes since Dobbs: The state has enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution and enacted interstate shield laws , according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

More: From health care to safety: Survey ranks Vermont fourth Best State for Women to Live

Abortion is legal until 27 weeks into the pregnancy.

Exceptions: After 27 weeks, abortions can be permitted to save a pregnant person's life.

Other reproductive news in the state: Democrats took control of the state House in November, and successfully blocked a bill that would have put in place a near-total ban, the AP reported .

Exceptions : Abortions after viability may be permitted if necessary to safe the parent's life or health.

Changes since Dobbs: The state has enacted shield laws to protect providers and patients from out of state action and issued public funding towards abortion, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights .

Other reproductive news in the state: The governor is seeking to codify in state law that hospitals must provide abortions if needed in emergency situations, according to the Associated Press , though there is no apparent evidence emergency abortion parents are being turned away in the state.

Washington D.C.

Exceptions: According to the Attorney General, a medical provider and patient decide if it is appropriate.

Changes since Dobbs: D.C. has laws protecting patients who receive an abortion from other states.

West Virginia

Exceptions: A medical emergency, ectopic pregnancy, or if the fetus is "nonmedically viable," according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. If the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, survivors must report it to law enforcement and have eight weeks to receive care. Parental consent is required for minors.

Changes since Dobbs: The current ban went into effect in September 2022, after a judge blocked the pre Roe v. Wade abortion ban which made obtaining an abortion a felony.

Exceptions: Some barriers are in place for those accessing abortion within the first 22 weeks, such as a 24 hour waiting period and medically unnecessary ultra-sounds, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Changes since Dobbs: After Dobbs, abortions were halted in the state due to an 1849 law that banned all abortions. A lower court found that law did not apply to consensual abortions, and the procedure became available again in September of 2023.

Other reproductive news in the state: The decision is being appealed, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court has a liberal majority and is likely to uphold the decision.

Exceptions: Minors must receive parental consent.

Changes since Dobbs: The state has tried to enact stricter bans, but both are held up in court, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Other reproductive news in the state: Wyoming passed the nation's first explicit ban on medication abortions, which is still being considered in courts, according to AP .

Contributing: Kate Perez, Sara Chernikoff, Maya Marchel Hoff, C. A. Bridges, Savannah Kuchar, Shari Rudavsky, Michaela Ramm, Greg Hilburn, Jessie Balmert, Hope Karnopp

By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies and similar tracking technologies described in our privacy policy .

Voice of the Discipline

News and publications.

Access AHA news and publications supporting the work of historians.

Stay up-to-date with the AHA

June 25, 2024

AHA Members Co-author Article on SCOTUS and Gun Control

AHA members Holly Brewer (Univ. of Maryland) and Laura F. Edwards (Princeton Univ.) have co-authored an article for Washington Monthly…

June 24, 2024

Action Alert Opposing Ohio SB 83

June 21, 2024

AHA Signs On to CIE Letter Urging HEA-Title VI Funding for FY 2025

June 18, 2024

Welcome to the AHA’s New Website

The American Historical Review is the flagship journal of the AHA and the journal of record for the historical discipline in the United States, bringing together scholarship from every major field of historical study.

Perspectives on History is the newsmagazine of the AHA and is the principal source for news and information about the discipline of history. Since 1962, Perspectives has promoted our work by publishing articles and commentary on all aspects of the historical discipline.

History in Focus Podcast

Environmental Crisis and Recovery

Collaborative history + revisiting marion thompson wright, aha booklets.

The AHA publishes booklets that address a diversity of topics to serve the needs of history students and historians in all professions. Our publications include career advice for history graduates, overviews and syntheses of current historical topics and fields, and guides to teaching and learning in history.

For the Press

The AHA is pleased to provide resources for journalists and press. If you are a member of the media and would like to submit a request for a referral or interview, please email [email protected] . Please provide any pertinent deadlines and we will do our best to accommodate your request. The AHA can find you a historian for any topic, and assists with dozens of inquiries each year.

The AHA encourages the reading of history with periodic reading challenges.

Permission to Use AHA Copyrighted Material

All material published by the American Historical Association in any medium is protected by copyright.

Join the AHA

The AHA brings together historians from all specializations and all work contexts, embracing the breadth and variety of activity in history today.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms

By Vivek H. Murthy

Dr. Murthy is the surgeon general.

One of the most important lessons I learned in medical school was that in an emergency, you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information. You assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.

The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours . Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.

It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. When asked if a warning from the surgeon general would prompt them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76 percent of people in one recent survey of Latino parents said yes.

To be clear, a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people. The advisory I issued a year ago about social media and young people’s mental health included specific recommendations for policymakers, platforms and the public to make social media safer for kids. Such measures, which already have strong bipartisan support, remain the priority.

Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.

Additionally, companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently they do not — and allow independent safety audits. While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words. We need proof.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .