When you hear the words “call to action” you might first picture troops going up and over the side of the trench into combat, or a movie director setting their actors in motion during a take, but when marketers think of call to action, it’s an entirely different story.
A call to action, or CTA, “is a prompt that converts interest into action,” says Juan C. Rezk, chief marketing officer at Certus, adding that, “The best CTAs use psychological triggers to drive urgency, grab attention, and get clicks.”
More often than not in digital marketing these days, the action referred to is indeed clicks. The best CTA to get those clicks — and whether said clicks are on a “Buy It” button, a “Join Our Newsletter” link, or in some cases simply a like or a follow — that’s all part of the larger story I’ll tell today.
But first, before I get to the clicks and other actions, often also known as conversions, let’s go a bit deeper on the call that gets people there, the CTA itself.
What Is a Call to Action (CTA)?
A CTA takes many forms, but the goal is always something along the lines of prompting a member of your audience to close some form of deal, be it something major, like a purchase, or something decidedly less monumental, like clicking through to a website. But, whatever that action may be, it has to be timely.
“A call to action is a marketing term for a prompt that asks for an immediate response from an audience,” says Anthony May, founder of Need An Attorney. “Whether it’s a button, a link, or a piece of text, a CTA guides potential customers toward a specific action, like signing up to a newsletter, downloading a resource, or buying a product.”
A CTA is not a piece of information to be digested later, and it’s not a suggestion made passively — it requests a specific, clear, and immediate action. “The best CTAs are clear, action-oriented, and persuasive,” says May. “They create a sense of urgency or highlight a benefit so users can’t help but click. For example, instead of a generic ‘Learn More’ button, a more compelling CTA could be ‘Get Your Free Guide Today!’”
Why Is a Call to Action Important?
Remember when I discussed the soldiers going over the side of the trench into combat earlier? Let’s revisit that area of thinking for a moment. Picture the best-trained soldiers in the world traveling halfway across the planet, marching for miles into the mountains or forest, and then, just before they finally confront the enemy, their general just kind of wanders off without giving any real orders.
What is to be done with all of that training, and all of that effort in getting where they needed to be, if there was no actual call to action given? It would be at best a waste of time, and at worst — especially in this allegory — a disaster.
The fact is, you can run the most successful marketing campaign around, you can have a great-looking website, a strong social media presence, and all the rest of it, but if there are not specific actions that are easy for your audience to take, then you’re not going to get the conversions you need to make it all worthwhile.
Well-placed CTAs catch your audience when they are already primed to take action, such as at the end of a hilarious ad or the bottom of a compelling article, and lead to a greater conversion success rate than a more passive approach.
What Are the Components of a CTA?
A strong CTA in a digital context should be clear, concise, and compelling, with action-oriented language meant to directly motivate the desired behavior.
Action-Oriented Language
Always use action-oriented language, i.e., strong verbiage that clearly indicates a desired action, like “Buy Now,” “Download Here,” “Sign Up,” “Learn More,” or “Get Started,” to name a few examples. Always avoid bland and generic phrases, like “Click Here” without adding more information.
Value Proposition
Next, make it clear that there is a value proposition, so clearly highlight the benefits and explain what a user stands to gain by taking the action. Maybe they’ll score a great deal, take advantage of a limited-time offer, or get a scarce resource.
Visual Appeal and Placement
Next, consider the visual design and placement of your CTAs. Make them stand out by using color, size, and savvy placement to ensure the CTA is easily visible and will appear at a place where a reader/viewer is already motivated, like the end of an article, as noted before.
On a more basic level, ensure your CTA button or text contrasts well with the surrounding content and won’t get lost among busy images or heavy text blocks. In short, remove any barriers to easy action being taken as you place calls to action.
Types of CTAs
Online marketing CTAs come in various forms, many of which will be familiar to most people. The most common include button-based CTAs, social media CTAs, purchase CTAs, engagement CTAs, form-based CTAs, “read more” CTAs, and pop-up CTAs. Each of these (and other examples) are designed to encourage specific actions from users. Let’s look at a few of the most common and effective ways to place a CTA.
Button CTAs
These create a clear and prominent call to action, and are often used on websites and emails. Examples include: “Download Now,” “Get Started,” or “Try for Free.”
Social Media CTAs
This type of call to action encourages users to share content on social media platforms, with examples being: “Share on Facebook,” “Tweet this,” “Share on LinkedIn,” and so on.
Lead Generation CTAs
These aim to capture leads, or potentially invested customers, and to build a subscriber base. Examples of lead CTAs are: “Sign up for our newsletter,” “Download our free catalog,” “Request a demo,” or “Start a free trial.”
Form-Based CTAs
These aim to directly collect user information for various purposes, such as newsletters, registrations, or contact requests. A form is one of the most straightforward ways to collect a lead’s info, and you can expect anyone who takes the time to complete a form to be a solid lead.
Pop-Up CTAs
Pop-ups capture attention and encourage immediate action, so they’re often used for specific offers or promotions. Examples include: “Limited time offer,” “Don’t miss out,” and “Claim your discount.” But use these like the proverbial spice, as pop-ups can be annoying and even counterproductive at times.
How to Create Calls to Action that Drive Clicks
Create a Sense of Urgency or Scarcity
As May pointed out earlier, an ideal CTA is easy to understand, action-oriented, and persuasive. “They create a sense of urgency or highlight a benefit so users can’t help but click,” he says. “For example, instead of a generic ‘Learn More,’ a more compelling CTA could be ‘Get Your Free Guide Today!’” Adding language like “before the offer ends,” “while supplies last,” or similar can help even more.
Use Language That Subtly Compels
“One underrated CTA trick is mirroring the user’s internal dialogue,” says Vikrant Bhalodia, head of marketing and people ops at WeblineIndia. “Most teams write CTAs based on what they want the user to do. The more effective ones are written in the active voice, but the truly effective ones are written from the user’s point of view. For instance, instead of saying ‘Get Your Free Trial,’ try, ‘I Want to Try It Free.’ That simple perspective shift increases engagement, especially in retargeting ads. It feels like the user is taking action on their own terms. I’ve used this across landing pages and emails, and the lift in click-throughs is often noticeable — sometimes 20-30% higher. This approach taps into micro-commitments and creates a subtle feeling of ownership. It’s not flashy, but it works.”
Use the Right CTA for the Medium
“Website and email CTAs aren’t the same, which marketers often overlook,” says Joanna Borkowska, head of content marketing at 6Minded. “The first ones live in a broader context and have fuller copy, while the second ones must immediately pop. For example, your website CTA prompting the download of a solution data sheet can say, ‘Discover All Benefits of Cloud-Based Automation.’ But in an email, you want to cut to the chase, with, ‘Claim Your FREE Copy’ and spark immediate action. Email’s a quick and impatient medium, lacking the rich context that a website provides — your CTAs have to reflect that.”
Try Playful Language
Know your audience, of course, but if they’re a group that tends to respond to a bit of humor and laid-back approaches, lean into that. “A strong CTA isn’t just functional, it’s a direct extension of your brand’s voice,” says Jaci Lund, founder and creative director of Treebird Branding. “For example, for friendly and casual, try, ‘Let’s make this happen! Grab yours today.’ And for the even more irreverent or playful, maybe try, ‘You know you want this. Add to cart!’ The key is making sure your CTA doesn’t just tell — it connects. It should feel like an organic part of the conversation you’re already having with your audience.”
Keep It Direct
Playful wording aside, don’t overdo it with the sheer word count. “The call to action must remain short as well as direct,” says Tracie Crites, chief marketing officer at Heavy Equipment Appraisal. “Confusion occurs whenever sentences extend beyond simple lengths and include complex verbalization. The most effective CTA buttons are usually direct phrases like ‘Shop Now’ or ‘Learn More.’”
How to Optimize CTA Conversions
To optimize your CTA conversions, focus on wording and imaging clarity, a clear demonstration of value, and on creating at least some sense of urgency.
Visual Appeal
Making your CTAs visually striking and strategically placing them in your content or on your site or app will lead to the most conversions. Use contrasting colors, bold fonts, and eye-catching graphics that ensure your CTA button stands out from the rest of the page or app. Making sure there is some good white space around the button, link, or graphic can do wonders.
Communicate Value
Always make sure to communicate the value or benefits a user stands to receive by taking an action, whether it’s scoring a deal, gaining access to exclusive content, getting a free trial, or joining the proverbial gang.
Placement
As noted many times now, carefully consider where you position your CTA on a page, app, social feed, or video, ensuring it’s easy to find and click.
A/B Testing
Finally, be ready to do A/B testing. Try out different CTA variations (different copy, different fonts and colors, different placement, etc.) to see what works best for your audience, and be ready to meet them where they are, abandoning less effective CTA design and placement.
Realize supports a wide range of ad formats, including native, display, vertical, and carousel ads, empowering advertisers to achieve their objectives with creative flexibility.
Key Takeaways
“A strong call to action (CTA) guides users toward a conversion, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up, or simply learning more,” says Ummar Rashid, an SEO specialist with Digital Willow. “CTAs help reduce bounce rates and improve on-site engagement, which can indirectly support rankings. The key is clarity and relevance. Your CTA should align with the user’s intent and appear naturally within the content flow. Phrases like ‘Explore more,’ ‘Start your free trial,’ or ‘See our latest offers’ perform well when they match the user’s journey stage.”
Your CTA should never feel forced, jarring, or coercive. Instead, it should seem like it came along at just the right time, appearing right when a potential lead was already primed to take action, albeit likely unbeknownst to them.
In other words, keep it feeling organic. “A call to action works best when it feels like a natural part of the brand experience, not something bolted on at the end,” says Ross Palmer, founder and creative director at Kenfolk. “Whether it’s on a website, in an ad, or part of an email, the CTA should feel visually and tonally consistent with the rest of the message. From a design and branding perspective, it’s about creating flow: If the brand has done its job well up to that point, the CTA should simply guide the person toward what’s next, clearly, confidently, and without friction.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a CTA example?
We tend to see CTAs so often that we don’t even notice them anymore, but every time you’ve clicked on a button that said “Sign Up Here” or tapped a “Try it for Free” link in an app, you have just completed a call to action. If indeed that CTA was well placed by marketers, it seemed like a seamless part of your online experience, not a new step in the marketing process.
What are the action verbs in CTAs?
The language in a CTA has to be compelling and directive, not passive. Effective calls to action use action verbs to encourage a potential lead to take immediate action, such as “buy now,” “subscribe here,” “download now,” “join now,” or “get started.”
Are there tools to create CTAs?
There are many online tools you can use to generate CTAs, including a number of easy AI-powered generators, like Writesonic, Hoppy Copy, and Frase, as well as platforms like HubSpot.
