Writing Compelling Calls-to-Action: Do’s and Don’ts

I'm Kinsey Machos, your host and founder of the category Queen. Welcome to the podcast for coaches, consultants, and course creators who don't just want to dominate their niche, but they desire to play in their own league. My mission is to help you unlock the power of your unique brilliance and use it as a vehicle to gain recognition, reach more people, and make more money. Not too long ago, I took a bold leap, leaving behind a six figure corporate salary with nothing more than a used MacBook and a burning desire for more freedom. Today, our brand has become globally recognized, helping thousands of female founders to become industry leading experts. Join us each week as we go on a journey together to discuss mindset, marketing and money, and more importantly, the real life discussions about balancing success with motherhood and marriage.

Because we're a community of women who build and scale impact driven businesses, but do it without sacrificing the things that matter most to us. Welcome to the category queen show. Hello my fellow category queens. I hope you are having such an amazing week. We are just zooming along here in the summertime and I'm like, oh my gosh, it is going so fast. We've also been crazy busy with sports already, and my oldest has been playing a summer league with his new high school and we have tournaments every weekend and it's just wild. It is wild, but so beautiful and so amazing. But let's talk about some serious tactics here. We're getting really nitty gritty with this shorty episode around calls to actions. I think this is one of my favorite things to talk about.

It's so, I guess, small if you think about technically a call to action, but yet so powerful. And most people overlook the strategy of their calls to action. And I cannot stress this enough, how important it is to really dial in this small but mighty strategy and what to really unlock as you are starting to think about how you command your audience and how you are moving them into action so real quick, it's important that we again set the stage for those of you that may not even know what I'm talking about, which I think is probably not the case. But just so that we're all clear of, like, what a CTA or call to action really is, it's really about telling somebody what to do next. It's really an instruction or a prompt to take a specific action.

And in most cases we want it to be immediate. It's likely a shorter phrase at the end of a piece of content or even on a landing page, but we want it to provoke that immediate response. And so if we think about a call to action, it really is one of the most important pieces of a piece of content, if you will, besides the headline, which is going to determine whether or not people actually read your piece of content. But if you think about the CTA and where it falls on your client's journey or your prospect's journey, right. It's really about moving them into that next step of your quote, unquote, funnel and getting them closer to your offer.

So if we think about the client journey and even put that in the context of a funnel, which I want to use that term, you know, loosely, whether we can call it a client journey or really that ascension model, but if you bring somebody in, say, through a piece of content that you put on Instagram, they find you on Instagram. They have just moved from not knowing about you to now finding you and learning about you, and they've decided that they're likely your ideal client because they are sifting through your content. They're like, oh, that's me. That's the problem I have. It looks like she solves that problem and she starts reading a piece of content that you wrote.

And on that one of these pieces of content, you're talking about the mistakes that are commonly made and how to fix them and how you resolve them and the call to action. And that is go to my link in bio to discuss working with me, et cetera. She goes to the link in the bio, she books a call with you, and now you've entered further down the funnel. She's moved from top of funnel awareness to now interested. Right now we're moving into a sales container where she is going to either convert into a client or, you know, stay warm in your ecosystem. And so that CTA is that point of that journey of people making a decision with you.

And yet so many people are lazy or just completely ignore their CTA's and don't really take time to understand how this is also playing into your psyche. It's also really interesting how I can gain a lot of information from somebody about how they see themselves and how they write their CTA's. Isn't that fascinating? I'll talk about that more in a minute. But I just want to preface this whole conversation around this idea of giving yourself permission to command your audience to show up bigger for them so that you can help more people. Oftentimes we get into more of the reactionary position of selling, where it's like, I don't want to annoy people. I don't want to do people harm.

And so we're kind of like, maybe a little bit reactive in what we do, but you need to put yourself in that proactive to position, knowing that you have an offer that can change people's lives. And so we really have to command that attention and show people that we have what they want. So establishing that leadership role. And we do this by telling people what they should do in order to get the thing they want. And just so you know, you do this throughout your day, every single day, right? Whether that's even some sort of, like, emotional trigger that causes you to take an action or it's same thing. You're scrolling on your phone, an ad hits you.

You click on that ad to find out more, or you see a picture on a billboard of a new store that goes up, and so you look into that store. Where is it located? When can you go visit? Right? We're constantly being commanded into action by other influences, some of them good, some of them not so good. But I want you to decide that you are going to be the leader of your audience and consistently and powerfully telling them and showing them those next steps every time you show up. And oftentimes I get the question, how often should I include a CTA in my content? And I'm like, every time, right. I don't know about you, but I don't want to just show up on social media just because it's fun.

I'm there to establish that leadership, establish that authority, of course, create connections with my audience and also help more people. The only way, though, I can help more people is if more people learn about my offer and I'm able to get in front of them in that way. And so every time it's not salesy, it's not spammy. If you're creating content in the right way, you're giving value. And then for the people that want it or want to learn more, they're the perfect people that will take or move into that call to action, whatever that looks like. So let's talk about some examples of calls to action, right? This could be pointing them towards a lead magnet. This could be booking a call with you. This could be joining a free masterclass. It could also be, you know, double click if you like this.

I don't love those. To me, I'm like, go big or go home. We know we want to help people, so let's just say it like it is. Okay? But sometimes you can trickle those in. But these are all different iterations of what a call to action would look like. And I'm actually going to give you some specific examples of strong and weak CTA. So you can really hear what they look and feel like or feel what they sound like, and also really helping you understand where this is used in your overall content strategy, but whether you are pushing people towards a lead magnet or booking a call. Right. Different types of commitment, if you will. But still, it's that next step. It's that next step.

And we should always be calling people to the next step if you're serious about growing your business and helping more people. So let's talk about some key elements that a call to action should have. First of all, it needs to have a purpose, right? It needs to have a purpose. So a lot of times I see people ending their content with a really random statement that might supposed to be a CTA, but I can't really tell if your CTA has a purpose, then it's really, it's a lot more easier for people to understand you. Right. We always want to be as clear as possible. This is not about being cute or creative, it's about being clear in that CTA, what is the purpose of the CTA?

What do you want your audience to do as a result of reading this piece of content that they read and how can they get closer to you? So I'm always asking myself the question, first of all, even when I'm writing content, I'm like, what's the big idea here? Then my CTA is going to align with that, and the purpose within that CTA is going to move them into that next step. And it's really specific and clear. I don't always recommend weaving in several different purposes within one CTA. Let's say you try to say, you know, download my free lead magnet, go to LinkedIn bio or book a call with me. I don't necessarily recommend that, although I actually did break that rule and did a CTA. I did two CTA's, but they were called out separately.

I'll include the link to that post so you can see how I really, how I did it and really kept them separate, but typically really just calling them to action in a more simple way and not trying to throw too many pathways in there, if you will. But again, I'm always going to break my own rules. I'm always going to break the rules and experiment. And so there is always going to be maybe a nuanced situation that something like that can work. And I'm always going to encourage experimentation. So we want to have a purpose of the CTA. We also want to consider the placement of it. So most people obviously only think about CTA's as being at the end of an email or the end of a piece of content, but I actually want to weave it in consistently throughout.

So let's say you're promoting a masterclass and you're sending an email to your list and you want people to sign up for your masterclass. What that email is going to look like is several different opportunities within that email to actually register for that masterclass. Typically for your fast people that are already super warm, that don't even need to read the rest of the email, they're going to click on that first link. So you just have a really brief description of what it is. But for people that need more information or aren't really sure yet, they might be the ones that are going to click at the link at the very bottom of the email. Same goes for a piece of content in social.

You'll see when I have some CTA's woven throughout my piece of content, I don't necessarily always need to wait till the very end of the content. I love to kind of weave it in consistently to give people an opportunity to literally just go straight to the source. Right? When I share a podcast episode, it's like, don't read everything that's about it. If the title in itself really is compelling to you and you're like yes, I want it, then I'm going to say right there on that first sentence. Comment 168 below, if you want access to this podcast episode, I'll send it straight to your DM's. So it's fun to really experiment where to place the CTA.

Of course, you have to really use your best judgment here, but not getting into the thinking that it only goes at the bottom of your piece of content. Another component of really amazing, compelling CTA's is using action oriented verbs. So one of my mentors taught me how to use not just regular words, but verbs, and then also showed me how to actually use more powerful verbs. So if you even asked Chachi, Bt, or even Claude, or you googled this, you will likely get a series of words that can be used for various things like get. So yes, we want to use action oriented verbs, but we also want to make sure to measure the power in them. But action oriented words would be like get, download, start, join. But other things like unlock, unleash, revolutionize, amplify, elevate, maximize, right. Turbo charge activate.

There's so many, but really weaving in some more powerful verbs. But also, if you think about the purpose of a CTA, which is calling people to action, we want to make sure we're actually using those words, which sounds so obvious, but you would be surprised how many lackluster CTI's I read that don't even include action statements. So experimenting with the types of words you could use, but then also really leading with that powerful verb. So instead of just saying something like download my free strategy guide, you could say unlock your marketing potential and download my free strategy guide. So now we're just adding some oomph. And again, that's just a portion of that. Of that CTA.

I'm going to continue to expand on what CTA should actually look like, because we don't want to get too short, but we also don't want to get too long. But all that being said, playing with the types of words you use and leading with some of the more powerful words in those action statements. Another component of an amazing CTA and one of my favorite things is the value proposition. The value proposition. Now, you might hear this in the context of an offer or even your signature message or statement, but I want you to consistently weave your bigger mission and also that specific problem solution into your CTA's. So this is really speaking to the benefit of your ideal client.

So this might sound something like, if you're ready to maximize your profit and grow to 50k months working part time hours, book a call with me to discuss what next steps would look like for you. So notice how I'm actually getting more specific on some of the elements of what people want. Again, I want you to make sure you're tailoring your CTA to that specific piece of content. So in this context, I would likely be talking about profit margins versus top revenue, which is very misconstrued, and really knowing that my ideal client is making great money, but they're not keeping most of it, and also they're working too much. And so I'm really tailoring the CTA to what that content might have looked like, but also tailoring it to the main problem, pain points and the desire of them.

Now, you can consistently say the same things over and over again. And in fact, if you feel like you are being redundant or repetitive, that's a good thing. So this should not be the first time that they're hearing this unless they just came into your ecosystem. But a lot of times people feel like they are repeating themselves, but when I go through and audit their content, there's rarely any of that. It's like we think about our offers so much, we think about our content so much, and so it feels like it's always out there. But if you think about the fact that, you know, three to 5% of your audience is only seeing your content, and even within that, you know, who knows what they were doing, feeling, thinking while they were reading it.

And so we really want to make sure to create that consistency in our overall messaging and content. And so when it comes to your CTA, it's okay if you feel repetitive, as long as you're hitting those key pain points and benefits within that value proposition and really allowing that to activate your prospect, to take that next step, which is the whole purpose of that CTA. And then lastly, when it comes to compelling CTA's and what to do before we get into the don'ts, you want to make sure if it fits to include components of urgency or scarcity. So this is not about lying, right? I don't want you to say things like, price is increasing if it's not increasing, or you are not ever going to be opening doors for another year if you're not actually going to be doing that, right? Stay truthful.

But you can still really get creative in how to create urgency here, because there are going to be people that will see your content and see your CTA, and they're going to be like, oh, yes, I want this. But then they're on to the next thing. Life gets busy and we're just moving, moving. I do this all the time where I either see an email come through or a friend sends me a link to look at, and so I'll open it up or I'll add to cart, or I'll be like, oh, I want this. And literally, right? My phone rings or a kid yells my name or whatever, and I'm all already on to the next thing, not really remembering what I was doing before, or it just all of a sudden became less of a priority.

And sometimes we just need to create that extra juice to get people to act, especially those that are so close already or have been on the fence. And so we can say things like, you do have limited availability, if that's true, or you only take three clients per month and you have one spot left, say what feels true to you. But the other component of this is actually thinking about why it's urgent for them. So I actually have a podcast episode that talks about urgency and more of that internal desire. And I'll link that up into the show notes because it's so good. But it really speaks to this idea that we can create external urgency by saying things like limited availability or doors closing or whatever, but none of that actually matters if that internal urgency is there.

So making sure that we're constantly showing our audience, our ideal clients, what's in it for them? What are the consequences of not solving this problem? What are they missing out on? And if we're doing that the right way in our overall content and marketing strategy, then a little sentence like limited spots available. Or, you know, I have one client spot open this month that will definitely support that movement. And so using both is really important. Okay, let's talk about the don'ts of compelling CTA's. The don'ts of Cta's. First of all, avoid vague or generic phrases. So this is like what I call lazy marketing or lazy CTA's. In fact, I did a whole episode on lazy marketing and it's so good I'm going to link that up as well because I don't want to call anybody lazy.

But the truth is, marketing is like the essence of your business because it supports the offer, and the offer is what you build your business around. And so if you are not spending time doing marketing that is going to create desire for your offer, then what is it all for? And too often people are just creating it as a to do item and checking it off their list and wondering, why am I not getting results? So just like generic marketing, I want you to avoid generic CTA's or lazy CTA's, which is like click here or download there, right? Or submit or book a call. Okay. When they stand alone, it will do nothing. I always love to isolate the CTA. So if the CTA had not been followed by any other piece of content and it was standing alone, would it make sense?

Would it speak to your person, their pain point, your solution, and what's next. And so really do that sniff test next time you're writing your CTA to make sure it's a full, complete thought and it's fully compelling in the way that it really aligns with your ideal client. The other component to this is like also this sense of apology in a CTA. I'm sure you've read something like this, or maybe you even done it before, but it's sort of like I'm around kind of energy if you need me or let me know if you want it. These are really low vibe CTA's this is not someone stepping into the leadership role and commanding their audience. It's not about letting you know. It's not about hanging out.

This is about, if you are ready to change your life, do this thing, and really stepping into that empowered position to tell your audience that you have the ticket to their solutions. And that does not include sort of this apologetic energy or a half way CTA that tells people you may or may not be serious. Right. Do you have confidence and conviction in yourself enough to install the confidence and conviction that your audience needs in order to make a decision? Do you do that? Right. It starts with us first. And this is where I think about the psychology of a CTA, where the really powerful ones, it really activates people. And if you don't believe in yourself and you are coming in with this halfway belief, it's going to show in that CTA.

It's going to show in the entire piece of content, but it especially shows in that CTA, because if you don't believe in your offer, then how do you expect other people to? Another thing to avoid when you're writing your CTA's is using jargony or complex language. So if you're like me, you may be a little technical at points, but we do want to make sure we're again going back to clarity and simplicity. So if we're weaving in this really complex terms or even, like, flowery language. So I'll see like this, like, if you want to live your best life and step into your full potential, book a call now. Like, that's really pretty and beautiful, but that is not solving a problem. And while they.

That might be what you see for them and what they ultimately achieve, that's not what they're really intrinsically feeling as their core problem. They have a problem, and they want that solved. And it's your responsibility to know what that problem is and speak it in their language. And so we're really coming at them with these, like, super vague CTA's. Nobody's going to do anything. And that's why people get really confused when it's like, I spent all this time writing this beautiful piece of content, and then they end with a vague CTA, and they wonder, where are my people? Right? We have to again, be consistent with that value proposition. Another don't. For CTA's is really, like, the negative or pushy language. Can't stand sort of that, like, saving, like, I'm gonna be your savior.

Or even if we're more through the negative lens, so, as an example, it would be like, if you're really struggling to get out of bed and you hate your husband, let me know. Book a call. Right? Not that any of you would say that, but we want to avoid more of that low vibrational type of energy. So if we're speaking to a problem, we can do it in a way that doesn't call out. That person sees themselves as struggling. It's like, yeah, we're all struggling in some sense, but your premium client isn't necessarily identifying with someone who's struggling. And so let's flip that, right? So if it's someone that wants to lose weight in menopause, instead of saying, are you struggling to lose weight in menopause? You can say, are you ready to lose ten to 25 pounds of that menopause weight? Right?

We can flip it. And we're not really inserting that negative language, but also more of that pushy, like, masculine energy. So you get to decide what this looks like for you. If you are more on the masculine side, and that's totally your brand, go balls to the wall with that. But anytime we can just avoid more of the negative connotations or negative labeling or, like, pushing people or, like, calling them out. Right. It's like the ones that are like, you would be stupid not to join, or, why are you waiting so long? You better get in now. I don't know. I have literally seen things like this, and it's like, dude, you are talking to me like I am a child, or like, you are above me. I never like that feeling. I never want my audience to feel that way.

I do want them to know that I can be their guide in that process, and I have answers that can help them. But it's not an energy of I'm better than you, or that I would think any less of you. If you do or don't do this thing, it does not change your worthiness. So really avoid some of those aspects. I don't find that very common in my audience, but I do see it kind of floating around elsewhere, and it's sort of bizarre. But maybe it's a. Maybe it's a thing. But you, my friend, you are a very powerful leader. You have an offer that can change people's lives. So use your CTA's with all your might. Really make sure that they are speaking to your person.

And it has that conviction that you have that, you know, you can change people's lives with what you have to offer them. Don't let any opportunity go by without saying that every single day. Leverage that CTA with all of your ability and continue to create that clarity for your audience so they know you are the person that they can go to solve the problems they have. So have fun with your CTA's, continue to experiment with them, get more clear, create more of that compelling desire so people start taking more action with you and really allowing themselves to see the results that you can ultimately get. All right, my friends, I hope you enjoyed this episode. Very tactical, but also so powerful.

And I hope that you were able to have some of those key takeaways around your belief in you and your mindset around this and what this really unlocks for you. All right, my friend, I will see you next time. Hey, if you're ready to stand out online and get pain clients consistently without having to fumble your way through tech run ads or create complicated funnels, I want to invite you to join us in the category queen school, where you're going to learn my simple, proven formula for getting clients online. It's risk free. You either make your money back or we'll give you a refund. Just head over to kinseymachos.com/theCQschool, and join today to get instant access. We'll see you inside.