In Gary Halbert’s brilliant copywriting book, The Boron Letters, he revealed the power of call to actions (CTAs),
He explained how if you DO NOT light a fire under your readers and get them to take a specific action, you have failed as a copywriter.
Why?
Because copywriting is all about getting a direct response from your readers (usually a sale).
If you can’t motivate your readers to take action, you will never earn much as a copywriter, even if you ace everything else.
You can have a great headline, tell a persuasive story and hit all the right benefits & emotional triggers, but if you leave out a CTA (or have a weak one) your copy will flop like a deranged seal.
A strong call to action is what separates the copywriting cubs from the lions.
However, it’s not hard to write powerful copywriting CTAs.
There are many tried & true methods to “force” your readers to respond to your ad – ASAP.
Once you know them and tap into their power, you will explode your sales.
In return, you will be able to command top rates from your clients.
In this blog post…
I’m going to explain what a CTA in copywriting is, how to write persuasive CTA’s, 7 little-known tips for boosting your response and 10 kickass CTA copywriting examples from million-dollar ads to write better CTA’s overnight.
What is a CTA in Copywriting?
A CTA in copywriting stands for:
Call To Action.
Copywriting call to action’s are usually at the end of your sales message.
Their number 1 purpose is to get your readers to take a specified action (usually to purchase a product or join an email newsletter.)
CTA’s either include a link to click or a CTA button.
Like this:
Also…
Many websites have multiple CTAs throughout. Most commonly found on the banner, side banner and pop-ups.
CTA copywriting banner:
CTA copywriting side banner:
CTA copywriting pop-up:
How to Write Persuasive CTAs that Force Your Readers to Respond RIGHT NOW
The primary goal of your CTA is to get your readers to take action… NOW.
However:
Before we discuss the specifics of how to write powerful CTAs, it’s important to understand something…
The copy you write BEFORE your CTA largely dictates your response rate and ad’s effectiveness (how many people will take action).
Meaning:
You want to do a complete selling job before readers get to your copywriting call to action.
Before readers are ready to buy…
You must grab their undivided attention, pique their interest, hit on all the right emotional triggers and hot buttons, demonstrate what your product or service can do for them (main benefits), and so on.
You want your readers to be foaming at the mouth, with credit cards in hand, by the time they reach your CTA.
Then…
When they do…
You want to give your readers instructions on what to do next.
The best CTAs command readers exactly what to do.
They make it very easy for readers to take action.
Whenever you write a call to action, make sure you provide very specific, clear and exact, step-by-step instructions on what to do now (click link or button).
Never assume your readers know what to do.
Imagine you’re writing to a child.
Lead them by their hand and walk them through each step along the way.
Understand this:
Humans are natural slackers.
If you do not give them a definite action to take, at a specific time (NOW), they will procrastinate.
You need to push them to take action!
7 Insider Secrets to Instantly Boost Your Response Rates
#1. Add a risk-free guarantee
The best ads do not tell readers to buy.
They only ask readers to “try.”
You want to remove ALL risks on your reader’s end.
Do this by offering them a risk-free guarantee.
My favorite way to do this is…
Tell readers that they can try my product today and if at any time they feel as if they can’t achieve the results I’ve promised, they can return anytime, no questions asked. Even 10 years from now.
Believe it or not, this type of guarantee actually reduces refund rates. Most customers will not take advantage of you if you fulfill your promises and provide them value.
TIP:
Study your competition’s guarantees.
Make a list of them.
Then, figure out ways to make your guarantee more desirable, more dramatic and more irresistible.
For example:
If the norm in your industry is a 30-day money-back guarantee, offer a 365-day money-back guarantee.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
#2. The Takeaway
A powerful way to boost response rates is to qualify your customers, right before they buy from you.
For example:
Add a “who this product is not for” section.
List types of customers who do not fit your ideal buyer (could be customers you want to repel or people who would not benefit from your product/service).
I do this all the time in my copy.
For example, check out the CTA on my website:
By adding a takeaway, you are adding exclusivity to your product (which makes your product more desirable) and removing need (need is the death of sales).
#3. The Power of Urgency
Add urgency to your copywriting call to action to boost response rates.
Urgency forces your readers to respond NOW.
Best ways to add urgency:
- Limited availability (for products, lead magnets, webinar seats, etc.)
- Strict deadlines
- Special discounts
Make these believable by adding in specific dates/times that readers must respond by to get the discount and give a reason WHY you are offering a discount.
#4. Bonuses
I recommend every copywriter adds a bundle of bonuses to their ads and sales pages.
Why?
Because bonuses boost the perceived value of your offer.
Often, people will buy a product for the bonuses alone.
TIP:
Add bonuses that solve immediate problems. Make them seem easy, effortless and instant to experience desirable results. Also, load your copy for these bonuses with curiosity-piquing bullets.
#5. The killer mindset
This is from Dan Kennedy’s Ultimate Sales Letter book. I highly recommend reading it (multiple times)...
“Imagine your letter being read by a guy in an apartment in Cleveland, in the midst of a ferocious winter storm, with gusting winds and snow outside at thigh height. You’ve got to get him so excited that he’ll get out of the chair in front of the fireplace, bundle up, slog through the snow, go out to his cold car, and drive down to the post office to get a money order and a stamp to send his order in - rather than take the risk of waiting until tomorrow.”
This is the mindset you want to have when writing CTAs.
Always strive to create an immediate response from your readers.
Understand this…
Your readers are busy.
They face tremendous temptation to slack and buy later (later usually never comes).
Your job is to get them to respond NOW, while reading your copy.
#6. Two paths
Clearly explain what your reader gains by purchasing your product TODAY AND what he loses by procrastinating.
How to:
Paint a bright vision of your reader’s new life after buying your product. Express how it will change their lives and all the wonderful things that will happen to them after using it.
AND…
On the other side…
Paint a gloomy hell their life will be if they procrastinate and do NOT purchase your product. Agitate current problems they’re facing and trying to overcome (which your product will help them solve).
#7. The 10x offer
I learned this nifty trick from Russel Brunson.
He taught a group of entrepreneurs how you want to make your offer 10x more valuable than the cost of your product.
2 ways to do this…
1. Selling money at a discount
You can say something like: “I guarantee you will earn 10x more money, in [x number] of days, than your investment today.
This works so well because you are literally selling money at a discount. Your customers are making an investment.
This type of offer works well if you’re product or service is designed to make or save money.
2. Sum total of bonuses = 10x more than cost
You can add a bunch of bonuses and make their cost 10x more than the cost of your product.
Either one works wonders. The key is to boost the perceived value of your offer to make it a no-brainer to buy from you – TODAY.
10 CTA Copywriting Examples to Swipe From That’ll Instantly Improve Your Copy
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post titled:
10 Best Ad Copy Examples that will Make YOU a Better Copywriter
Inside, I revealed 10 of the most successful ads of ALL TIME.
Each ad has made its company rich, resulting in MILLIONS worth of products sold over the years.
A big reason why these 10 ads are so successful is because of their call to actions.
Read them, study them and write them out by hand.
By doing so, you will internalize the process of writing powerful CTA’s that tap into your reader’s psychology and push them to take immediate action.
You can read this valuable blog post here
Or…
Click the titles of each ad below:
1. “Coat of Arms Letter” by Gary Halbert
2. “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano But When I Started To Play!” – By John Caples
3. "Do you make these mistakes in job interviews?” By Gary Bencivenga
4. “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock” – By David Ogilvy
5. “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” – By Max Sackheim
6. "The One-Legged Golfer Ad" – By John Carlton
7. "The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches" – By Joe Karbo
8. “Now! Read 300 Business Magazines in 30 Minutes!" – By Eugene Schwartz
9. "Vision Break-through" - By Joseph Sugarman
10. "How to Win Friends & Influence People" - By Victor Schwab
Use these ads as inspiration for writing your own CTA’s.
You can swipe them to get ideas and follow their format (however, do not blatantly copy & paste).
Conclusion
You now have a nuclear weapon in your copywriting arsenal.
Use these tips when writing your CTAs to boost response and explode sales.
When you boost sales for your clients, you can charge higher rates. Plus, clients will likely seek your services again if you got them desirable results.
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