For the last few weeks, I’ve been writing a series about how to structure and write emails that convert. I go through each section of an email to show you how to make it stronger, so it gets your subscribers to take the next action you want them to take. Last week I showed you how to write bullet points that captivate your subscribers and make them want more. This week, I’ll help you craft a call to action for your email that gets your subscribers to do what you’re asking them to do.
The point of sending emails to your subscribers is to get them to do something like buy your products, sign up for your services or even read your blog posts, right?
Then you have to tell your subscribers what you want them to do.
Because if you don’t, it’s the equivalent of inviting them to a huge feast, then not giving them a place to sit, a plate, a glass or utensils. They can see what they want, but they can’t get to it.
That is the job for your call to action.
What is a Call to Action?
A call to action is that statement at the end of an email, landing page, sales page, video, or other marketing piece, that tells the reader what to do next.
Online it usually includes a button or link for the reader to click on. Offline it could include a phone number to call or instructions on an order form.
The point of a call to action is to give specific instructions and motivation for the reader to “take action.”
Unfortunately, so many calls to action or “CTAs” are so uninspiring, readers gloss over them and miss out on whatever wonderful opportunity they had in front of them.
What is an Email Call to Action?
An email call to action is the call to action in an email.
Sorry to be obvious, but there you are.
However, there are slight differences between an email call to action and a “regular” call to action.
In an email, your call to action needs to stand out within the text, just like your subject line needs to stand out in a long list of other email subject lines clamoring for your subscriber’s attention.
Many people skim emails quickly to see if there’s anything “important” they need to know about, then move on. If your email call to action is compelling, it will cause your subscriber to slow down and read it more thoroughly. Which leads to them following the instructions you want them to take.
Don’t be wishy-washy about your call to action. Make a clear, compelling case for why your subscriber should click on your link.
Here’s What Goes Into a Call to Action
When writing your email call to action, ask yourself these three questions:
- What do I want my subscriber to do?
- What benefit does my subscriber get from taking this action?
- What will calm my subscriber’s fears about taking this action?
Let’s review all three of these questions:
What Do I Want My Subscriber to Do?
“Duh, Tanya, I want my subscriber to click on my email call to action.”
This is true. But what is your end goal, once they click?
Do you want them to listen to a podcast?
Do you want them to read a blog post?
Do you want them to spend $35 on your product?
Do you want them to pay thousands of dollars for a high-end service?
Think about that. Your email call to action is about getting your subscriber to click through to wherever you’re sending them. But it’s also about getting them to follow through on the other end.
How much does your subscriber have to “invest” when they click? Do they get 30 minutes of information and entertainment or are you asking them to hand over their credit card? Or what may feel like the value of their first-born child?
Because this will matter when they read your email call to action.
What Benefit Does My Subscriber Get from Taking This Action?
Most people think the copy for the call to action is just the words on a button, or in the case of an email call to action, the link.
There’s more to it than that.
As with any part of marketing, you need to show the benefit to your subscriber when they take this action. You should have done most of that work earlier in your email, using features and benefits to show your subscriber why they should be interested in your, blog post, podcast, product or service in the first place.
Adding a benefit to your email call to action gives your subscriber that much more of a reason to go ahead and click through to the next step.
For example, here is an email call to action from Amy Porterfield, which goes to a podcast about creating a digital course.
The benefit to clicking on the link is discovering what type of digital course would work best for your business.
Amy includes the benefit in the link itself, as well as in the copy following the link, to drive her point home.
What Will Calm My Subscriber’s Fears About Taking This Action?
There are people in the world who are reluctant to take any action if there is potential harm in doing so. (Yes, really, any action at all. Ask one of your older relatives who doesn’t understand the internet very well.)
To be fair, one never knows what will happen when one clicks on a link.
This is part of the reason you build trust and authority with your subscribers before you sell them stuff.
Still, there are those who will need reassurances. There are also situations where your subscriber knows that clicking on an email call to action could result in a negative impact of some kind.
In these cases, you want to add a little language that reassures your subscriber that they won’t encounter any problems if they do click the link.
For example:
State your return policy clearly, so your subscriber knows they’re not stuck with a product if it’s not what they expected.
- “If you’re not happy with Product X, just call our customer support line at 888-555-5555 and we’ll get the return process started right away, no questions asked.”
Offer a money-back guarantee, giving a specific length of time your subscriber has to change their mind.
- “Not sure about buying Service Y? We offer a 30-day, money back guarantee on all purchases. (If you have specific requirements someone needs to meet to get the money-back guarantee, state those clearly.)
Here is another example from the financial company, Prosper:
Any time you apply for a loan, financial companies check your credit score. This can negatively impact your credit score, even if you don’t get, or go through with the loan. Prosper adds a simple reassurance that just checking your rate will not affect your score, to urge their subscribers to click on the button and view their loan offers.
Your email call to action should not be “tossed in” at the last minute. Put some thought into it so it has the effect you want it to.
An effective call to action is the difference between getting a high click-through rate and wondering why no one clicks on your “buy now” or “download the report” links.
Other Factors to Consider When Writing Your Email Call to Action
Consider Writing Your Call to Action in the First Person
Testing has shown an increase in click-through rates when you change the point of view (POV) in your call to action. Instead of “Download Your Free Report” use “Yes! Send Me My Free Report Now!”
The idea being, if someone “hears” the statement from their own perspective, they’re more likely to act.
This is not a hard and fast rule. Test in your emails with your audience to see which one works better.
Use Action Words
Be direct in your call to action. (It is an action, after all.) Start your phrase with words like:
- Call
- Sign Up
- Register
- Download
- Reserve
- Purchase
- Buy
Adobe uses a very simple very direct call to action when asking their subscribers to learn about their Creative Cloud product.
Make the rest of your call to action specific in terms of what you want them to do. Not because people are stupid, but because when people see a clear path forward, they’re more likely to take it.
Use Urgency to Get Your Subscribers to Take Action
Add a deadline to your email call to action to activate that fear of missing out (FOMO) we all experience.
Here’s a P.S. email call to action that I recently wrote for the Grow Your Blog 2020 conference. (I’m a speaker for the conference and the conference planners hired me to write their emails. This is from an email that went out to their list)
You can see that I make the deadline to get a discounted ticket to the conference crystal clear and use language that sparks that FOMO reaction, right before I urge their subscribers to “Get your ticket now.”
By the way, I’ll talk about the P.S. in your email next week.
A note of warning: If you say you’re cutting off sales at a specific time, or “I’ll never offer this product at this price again” or whatever your FOMO statement is, follow through on that statement. You lose all credibility if you make this claim, then make the same offer three weeks later.
To Click or Not to Click – That is the Question
There is much debate regarding whether to tell your subscribers to “Click here” as part of your call to action.
On one hand, it is a direct and clear instruction.
On the other, it is so ubiquitous that many people ignore it entirely, much the way they ignore “Download” and “Submit.”
Personally, I recommend using “Click here” or even “Click on the button below” as part of a sentence that also includes a direct benefit for taking the action.
For instance, “Click on the button below to download your copy of the CTA Idea Cheat Sheet. It puts the call to action strengthening ideas listed in this blog post at your fingertips so your next email call to action will get the results you want.”
See, here I am, modeling appropriate call to action behavior. Go ahead, click on the button.