How to Write a Persuasive Call to Action

No-one is going to buy from you unless you ask them for the sale.

You’d be surprised at how many websites are missing this simple trick. If you don’t ask you don’t get. So, what is a call to action? A call to action is you telling your customers to do something. Exact wordings vary depending on the business but some generic examples include:

Download today.
Buy now.
Book it.
Reserve your place.

Nothing particularly clever here, however, if you want to see an increase in your sales conversions, these are essential commands.

Now, you may be thinking that the very nature of a sales page suggests that someone wants you to buy from them – true, but in the online world, people need this to be spelt out to them. This is because on the internet, people don’t read, they scan and even the simplest of instructions can be missed or misinterpreted.

The truth is, your potential customers aren’t going to spend that much time thinking about whether they should buy from you or not. There are far too many other websites out there offering similar products or services to yours so you need to pull them in as quickly as you can. If people do make it as far as your sales page and the copy doesn’t contain a call to action, your customers will likely look elsewhere.

In short, you need to tell your potential customers what you want them to do and you need to do this as persuasively and convincingly as possible.

If people think they can buy from you anytime, they’ll likely play it safe, look elsewhere and end up paying your competitors instead of you. So, you need to give them a reason to buy from you right now, while they’re interested. Adding the word “now” or some other scarcity technique is a great way to encourage people to take the plunge. By telling your customers that your product is only available for a limited time, they’ll want to make their purchase now rather than later.

Want to include a call to action in your sales copy but don’t know where to start? Here’s an easy step-by-step formula:

1. Ask yourself what the purpose of your sales page is. Why are you selling this particular product or service?

2. Write it down as if you’re speaking directly to your customers. Use the word ‘you’.

3. That’s it. That’s your call to action.

It may read something like this:

‘Buy XYZ today and notice an improvement in your health/finances/appearance. Be quick though, because this offer is only available to you for the next 24 hours.

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