Your CTAs Are Not Working Because They Are Boring As Hell
Don’t take it personally.
99% of CTAs (Call To Action) out there are just as boring.
“Join my newsletter.”
“Visit my website.”
“Sign up for my course.”
I know because I’m guilty of having used them, and the CTA became CT: the A for action never happened.
There is a 1% of writers and creators who can afford this strategy and will see clicks and conversions no matter what they do. They are already so established that their name has become their CTA.
To prove my point, in 2023, Elon Musk launched a perfume with the scent of “burnt hair.” Yes, burnt hair. It sold 20,000 units within the first 24 hours at $100$ per bottle.
Once you become your CTA, you can do whatever you want— until then, bear with me.
I suspect if you are reading this, you don’t belong to that 1%, and neither do I, so we have a bit of work to do here.
So, what’s wrong with your CTAs?
1. Too much
We love to invite readers to do a million things: subscribe, visit a website, book a call, join a course, download a guide…
What I have found (by trial and error) is that less is more and people like it simple.
Prioritize the key action you want your ideal reader to take and lead with that.
- On Medium, my CTA is to subscribe to my newsletter.
- On LinkedIn, my CTA is to book me as a public speaker.
- On Substack, my CTA is to subscribe/ upgrade.
This might tactically change, too, depending on whether I’m launching a book or a course.
What’s the one action that will have the biggest impact on your business/ writing?
That’s your primary CTA.
Everything else is white noise.
2. Self-centered
I used to focus the CTA on me: my website, my article, my newsletter. And it doesn’t work because no one really cares about me.
Once I shifted my mindset from me (self-centric ) to others (people-centric), I focused on impact.
I realized that I had to put myself in my readers’ shoes and make everything about them - including the CTA.
People don’t care about your newsletter, but they might care about joining a community of writers, a weight loss program, or a digital marketing course.
Give them a reason to care:
“Join a community of journalists.”
“A weekly dose of self-publishing knowledge.”
“Tips and tricks for confident public speaking.”
People are not interested in your website, but they might be curious to see your work in action and your testimonials.
“See my previous webinars.”
“Check out my TEDx.”
“What clients say about me.”
Give people a reason to care…and act.
3. Plane boring
Your reader is probably scrolling through social media and articles that are flooded with ads, links, and CTAs.
We’ve become immune to all the calls for attention until something strikes us: something shocking, funny, interesting, different…
Stay true to your style and your voice, and find your way of captivating your audience.
I love to use humor and visuals to get people interested and I play with buttons and lemon emojis to have some contrast and break the flow 🍋
Some ideas:
- Customize your buttons or use clickable visuals (click Command + K).
- Use humor and make it fun.
- Create FOMO: “Join a start-up course with 50 other solopreneurs.”
- Be ultra-specific: “Subscribe for daily tips to become a better speaker.”
Check out this great example from Jamie from
. You know exactly what to expect.
I also want to earn more!
- Lead with a benefit: “Download my guide to land your first coaching client.”
- Create a sense of urgency: “2 days left to book your coaching slot.”
You can be more or less commercial and try different things to see what works.
Spice things up a bit and be bold.
Whatever you do, remember that A stands for ACTION 🎬🔥
Lemons & Lemonade 🌳🍋
My dream is to become a full-time writer but I’m not there- yet! 😉
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You're spot on; less is more. The more clarity you are, the more you're understandable. Plus focusing on a community is a kind of social proòf and shows your impacts. Thanks for this👏
I've bookmarked this 📌. I'm sure I will need it soon.