Good copywriting is crucial in affiliate marketing. Clearly expressing your ideas is essential for grabbing the attention of potential customers. Consider a call-to-action (CTA) as an example. If the words you use don’t attract visitors, it can harm the rate at which people click, the number of leads you get, and your sales.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about important writing lessons you should use for your CTAs. These tips will help you bring in more visitors, generate leads, and turn users into customers.
What is a CTA?
A call-to-action (CTA) is a word or phrase that encourages a reader to do something specific. In marketing, CTAs are used in campaign text to persuade your audience to move further down the sales process by clicking a button or link.
Your CTA could encourage people to:
- Subscribe to your email newsletter.
- Download an ebook.
- Sign up for an account.
If you want more people to take the next step, your CTA has to be convincing enough to make them click. That’s why understanding how to write a CTA is crucial.
How To Come Up With Winning CTAs
Crafting effective calls-to-action (CTAs) involves a unique blend of art and science. To improve your skills, use these writing tips to create powerful CTAs that not only attract visitors but also turn leads into customers:
#1 Begin with powerful verbs
In writing, it’s recommended to start sentences with subjects and verbs for clarity. When creating online calls-to-action (CTAs), especially when readers’ attention is fleeting, this becomes crucial.
Take a look at the example from a HubSpot landing page. The first word of each sentence is an action-oriented verb like “drive,” “start,” and “create.” These words cut to the chase, motivating immediate action for positive outcomes. Not including a verb in your CTA copy means you’re not encouraging readers to take action. This omission can harm your CTA’s click-through rate and have a negative impact on conversions.
#2 Use Numbers
Using numbers in your CTA copy can add clarity and specificity to your message. Numbers help eliminate ambiguity and provide clear expectations for visitors. Incorporating data into your call-to-action can be effective in various contexts, such as blog post titles, email subject lines, and more.
Consider including numbers that highlight specific details about your offer, such as the page length of a whitepaper, a discount percentage, or the numerical impact of a resource. This strategy enhances the transparency of your message.
For example, HubSpot’s CTA for requesting a demo emphasizes the number of customers, stating, “See why over 177,000 customers use HubSpot to make marketing more human at scale.” This number showcases the trust and popularity of HubSpot among marketing teams.
#3 Use Adverbs
Adverbs, often ending in “-ly” like “finally,” “unfortunately,” and “quietly,” should be used sparingly in your CTAs. While there are various types of adverbs with different functions, they generally modify elements other than nouns.
These words have flexible positions in a sentence, allowing them to appear at the beginning, middle, or end. However, overusing adverbs, especially weaker ones like “really” or “incredibly,” may dilute the impact of your CTA.
Choose powerful adverbs that add significant value to your sentence. For example, Zoom’s website features a CTA starting with “securely,” a robust descriptor that adds strength to the product’s appeal.
#4 Keep The Word Count Low
It’s crucial to keep your CTAs concise. Avoid convoluted copy that might take visitors a long time to read. This advice, applicable not just to CTAs but also to other marketing activities like emails and press releases, emphasizes the importance of brevity.
An analysis of high-converting CTA buttons revealed that the average CTA included 3.411 words. Therefore, keeping the character count low is a best practice to ensure your message is clear, easily digestible, and prompts quick action.
To craft a CTA that grabs readers’ attention and gets to the point swiftly, consider the approach used by PR professionals in writing press release headlines. According to Cision’s State of Press Releases Report, the average headline length is 88 characters.
By adhering to these limits in your CTA copy keeping it concise and within the attention span of your audience you can gauge reader reactions more effectively. If needed, seek writing assistance to help create succinct messaging quickly. This practice aligns with the next point in effective CTA writing.
#5 Customize your CTA based on device types
Ensure everything, from your website to CTAs in landing pages and emails, is optimized for both desktop and mobile users. With mobile devices constituting a significant portion of global web traffic, it’s crucial to tailor your CTA copy for smaller screens.
A survey of over 1,000 marketers revealed that 33% incorporate mobile-friendly website design into their marketing strategy. Prioritize mobile users by implementing CTA best practices focus on powerful action verbs, keep CTAs concise, and ensure they won’t be cut off on limited screen space.
#6 Keep the language more practical and less technical
When it comes to the words you use in your call-to-action (CTA), it’s essential to keep things practical and avoid getting too technical. Regardless of the industry, certain principles apply to writing compelling CTAs.
Think of it this way: the language you use should emphasize how your offer benefits the reader. Use words like “why” or “best” to suggest that your content or product can improve their life. This approach is evident in the CTA for the task management app Todoist, where the focus is on the simple and practical goal of becoming more organized, with the straightforward CTA “Open Todoist.”
So, whether you’re in a specialized field or not, the key is to highlight the practical advantages of your offer in language that’s easy to understand and relatable for your audience.
“franchise,” “investment,” “virtualization,” and “conferencing” may sound complex and can deter readers. These terms can imply unnecessary complexity and are less attractive to your audience. If people tend to avoid content with such technical language, it’s a good idea to steer clear of these terms in your CTA copy. Keep it simple, clear, and relatable to engage your audience effectively.
#7 Be Creative and use Personality
When creating CTAs, inject creativity and personality to make them more engaging. Your CTAs don’t have to be dull; you can deliver a concise and compelling message by reflecting your brand’s personality or using language that resonates with your audience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, crafting effective calls-to-action (CTAs) is a crucial aspect of successful marketing. By incorporating strong verbs, using numbers, limiting adverbs, keeping character counts low, tailoring CTAs to devices, and making language practical and less technical, you can create compelling and engaging prompts.
Additionally, adding creativity and personality to your CTAs can elevate your brand and capture the attention of your audience. Applying these practices will not only drive traffic but also increase conversions, turning leads into satisfied customers. So, go ahead, experiment, and refine your CTAs to maximize their impact on your marketing efforts.
