You might have written your best post ever — but without a call to action, it’s not going to get you the results you’re hoping for.
A “call to action” is a copywriting term. It simply means asking or telling the reader to take a specific action. That might be:
- Subscribing to your blog or newsletter
- Buying your ebook
- Sharing the post on Twitter or Facebook
- Downloading a free report
- Trying out a particular technique or idea
… or almost anything that will benefit you and/or the reader.
Your call to action should be clear and specific. Don’t simply link to a post and assume that readers will get the message: tell them “click here to read…” or “find out more by clicking this link” or similar. If you’re asking for comments, give them a specific question to think about.
There are two places to put your calls to action:
#1: At the End of Your Post
The final line of your post is a natural and effective place for a call to action: you’re helping the reader decide what to do next. It’s crucial you don’t leave this to chance. After reading a post, the reader has lots of options open — including leaving your site altogether.
Some great closing lines are:
- What do you think about [topic]? Let us know in the comments below.
- If you enjoyed this post, please share it on Twitter by clicking on the “Tweet” button to the right.
- To find out more about this, read [link to another post on your blog]
#2: Throughout Your Post
You don’t just have to put calls to action at the end of your post. By including them earlier, you prime readers to take action, and get them thinking.
For instance:
- To introduce a list post: See what you think of these ten ideas (and add your own in the comments).
- To sell an ebook: I’ve just launched my new ebook, [title of ebook]. I’ll be saying a few words about that at the end of this post, but if you want to find out all about it now, you can click on this link [link to sales page].
Now, it’s your turn. Think about your blogging goals (e.g. growing your subscriber base or your newsletter list) and come up with a call to action for your next post.