Social media can be such a passive community. How many people just sit and endlessly scroll their feed? (Hand raise. I’m guilty!) But the only way you can expect your audience to move from passive to active is to ask for it! If you’re just posting passive content on a social media platform, you’ll get passive engagement. So how do you make your content and your audience active? With calls to action of course!
A call to action gives your audience a “so what” for your content. You’ve told me this thing, so what? What should I do with this information? Without a call to action, your audience may or may not be able to answer this question for themselves.
In this blog, we’ll look at some great calls-to-action to help you augment your content with something actionable!
How do I write a call to action?
A call to action can be just a word or two: “Shop now!” “Subscribe!” “Schedule today!” But the most effective calls to action are usually just a bit longer and more specific. You also want to make it clear what the reader will get when they take the action you’re asking them to take—what’s in it for them? Think about what your audience wants and give that to them. And maybe throw in a little sense of urgency while you’re at it!
Know Your Goal
Make sure you know what your goal is in posting. If you want people to buy a product, call them to buy! If you want them to share the content, ask them to share! Whatever you’re hoping to get from the post, ask for it! Don’t make people guess your intention. 😊
Be Specific
Again, tell them the specifics of what they’re getting. Don’t just ask them to sign up for your newsletter. Instead, ask them to “Sign up for our weekly local-eating newsletter to get the latest foodie news and deals!”
Share Benefits
How will your audience benefit from what you’re offering?
For example, instead of saying, “Sign up for my 2-week floral course,” you could try something more like, “Learn how to make stunning arrangements that people will swear came from a florist!”
While it’s important that the audience know exactly what they’re signing up for, it’s good to focus on what they’ll gain by signing up.
Where do I put my call to action?
You can put a call to action pretty much anywhere in your social media posts:
- Up front: Grab attention right away
- Somewhere in the middle of the caption: You can add some line breaks around the call to action to help break up the post, just to mix it up a bit.
- At the very end: If context is needed before your audience is motivated, this is a good place to put your call to action.
- If you want people to read your latest blog, you might share some highlights from the blog before asking them to “Click the link in bio to read more!”
Call to Action Examples
Christy Laurence, founder of Plann, a social media planning app, helped us in thinking about some calls to action for all different usage. Hopefully you’ll find at least a handful below you can use in upcoming posts!
For when you want to encourage comments…
- Raise your hand if you agree! 🙋
- Take the quiz and share your results below!
- Like, share, and tag someone else who loves ____!
- Tag someone you know who NEEDS this!
- We’d love to hear your story! Share in the comments below!
- Vote for your fav! Drop an x for ______ or y for ______ in the comments!
- Describe your week using 3 emojis ⬇️
- Share one of your fav quotes in the comments!
- A deal like this is too good to keep to yourself, tag your 3 besties now!
For when you have a launch or sale coming up…
- Get your exclusive first look when you sign up for our newsletter!
- This was just a taste, get on the list for the full course!
- Want to be a trendsetter? Sign up now and get yours before anyone else.
- Early bird gets the worm, but you get 20% off! Sign up now for early access.
- Sign up for our newsletter now and get all the latest news before anyone else!
- Good things come to those who wait, but great things come to those who shop the pre-sale!
- Come back tomorrow for an exciting announcement!
- Last day to sign up, are you in?
For when you want to promote a discount…
- Don’t wait another day. This sale ends at midnight!
- Come in store, show us this post, and get 30% off your purchase.
- Deals like these only come once a year. Better take advantage today!
For when you need to create a sense of urgency…
- Hurry! Offer ends soon!
- Don’t miss this sale!
- Final days! Swipe up to buy now!
- Don’t miss this! Only 2 spots left!
- Join for an entire month FREE, this week only.
- Don’t live a life of regret: once it’s gone, it’s gone. Get it now.
- Sign up now to claim your 7-day FREE trial!
- You won’t want to miss this! Jump on the email list—new deals dropping soon!
For when you want to sell a service…
- Want to see what else we can do? Tap now to see our full list of services, designed to help you…
- Get started! Book your ____ session now!
- Not sure what you need? Share your biggest challenge in the comments or in a DM, and I’ll DM you with a few ideas to get started!
- Ready to join forces? Email me for a quote!
- Give [product/service name] a try for FREE!
- Book your discovery call today and together we’ll help your business soar!
- Focus on what makes you money, and I’ll work on solving your ____ needs.
- Need more tips like these? Stay ahead by joining our exclusive email community.
- Good news, help is on its way! Click link in bio for an appointment and we’ll save you from ______.
- Let’s plan ahead! Click the link in bio to book a free consultation so we can get you ready in time for _________.
When you want people to save your post…
- Gotta run? Save this post to read later!
- Now not a good time? Save this post and respond later. We’ll still be here!
- Save this post for when you need it… like when your mother-in-law makes a surprise visit!