‘Buy Now.’
‘Claim Offer.’
‘Join Now.’
You’ve probably seen these phrases before.
Their official name is a ‘Call-to-Action’ or CTA for short. A CTA usually appears as a link or button in an email and guides customers to take a specific action—a desired outcome—such as making a purchase, entering a competition, or reading a blog post.
⚡️Writing a persuasive CTA #
The examples above are good but can be generic; your customers already know you want them to click something. The trick is to emphasise what’s in it for them: How will they benefit from completing the action?
To help convince your customers, create a narrative around the action you want them to take. For instance, if it’s about them joining a competition, write — in a few words — what prizes can be won and why they are fantastic prizes. Then, below, attach a CTA saying something like: ‘Enter now for a chance to win big.’
1. Address your subscriber directly #
Which sounds better: ‘Get your 10% discount’ or ‘Get my 10% discount’?
Our article on engaging emails explains that the more personal an email is, the better. It increases engagement and sounds more compelling because your customers feel like the discount is just for them, making them feel valued.
2. Clarity and brevity #
To get your customers to complete an action, they must first understand what you want them to do. Keep your message short and simple to avoid confusion.
3. Create a sense of urgency #
Use your CTA to highlight limited-time offers, an upcoming competition, an irresistible discount and other exclusive deals with words like:
- Hurry
- Closing soon
- Immediately
- Today only
- Offer ends soon
Doing this will draw your customer in and pique their curiosity.
⚡️Where to place your CTA #
There are plenty of email templates and layouts to choose from, and their different structures will determine the best place for your CTA.
However, there are a few rules of thumb which you can follow when creating your email campaigns:
1. Place CTA at the very end #
This will allow your subscribers to absorb the full context of the email before taking action. After reading about what you offer, they should be convinced to click the button when they see the CTA.
2. Include secondary CTAs #
If you mention any other products, prizes or offers in your email, link them and create relevant CTAs for them as well. If you do this, align the CTA buttons correctly with each item.
3. Relevant places #
Insert CTAs in areas where your readers naturally pause, like headers, between sections, image captions, and at the bottom of the email.
Need extra advice on writing CTAs? Contact us. Our team of experts is always happy to help.
