Are you trying to come up with the perfect call to action to draw in your potential leads? Maybe you’re stuck and are considering simply slapping “learn more” on that brightly-colored button. After all, it’s better than the default “submit.” But could there be something better?

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with using “learn more” as a CTA (Call To Action), there are plenty of other options that are even more likely to draw those viewers in and encourage them to take action. We’ll even tell you why they work. We’ve created a list of five principles to consider when crafting your own perfect CTA, complete with 30 real examples! Take a look:

1. Make it Action and Benefit-Oriented

It might seem obvious that your CTA should be action-oriented—after all, it is a call to “action” —but sometimes, just a simple “action” word can either push people away or isn’t quite enough to drive a conversion.

Consider the following CTA’s:

• Click here
• Download
• Submit
• Enter
• Request
• Continue

While each of these examples may contain action words, none of them are especially specific about what the viewer will get out of the deal after they “click here” or “download” or “submit.”

A CTA should also be benefit-oriented. You’ll motivate your potential lead to click on your CTA when it suggests the benefit or “freebie” they’ll receive by following through. Take a look at these examples:

Claim Your Free Trial

With this CTA, the potential lead knows they can get access to a free trial of the advertised service. This is a popular offering, especially for streaming services. People love being able to try things out before they fully commit.

Grab the Template

“Grab” is a great action word, and this CTA promises the viewer a template that they can use to create resources of their own. Templates can make organizing information a lot easier than starting from scratch, so this will appeal to people as a great timesaver.

Contact Us

A button labeled “contact us” can help potential leads feel like their question or request will be seen by a real person, not just float off into the cold heart of cyberspace. If you use this CTA, make a special effort to respond promptly.

Schedule an Appointment

This CTA makes it 100% clear that your potential lead will come in contact with your company again by clicking the link. Viewers are more likely to put aside the time to honor an appointment if they know it’s in a schedule. Many people are also more comfortable making appointments and reservations online, making it easier for them. 

Join Us

Asking someone to join you or join a group instantly creates a more personal experience. People like to feel like they’re part of something, and since members of a group often get to participate in certain benefits, a viewer will probably feel inclined to hop on board.

Give Us a Try

This is a good CTA because it doesn’t scream commitment. Again, people love being able to try things out before they fully commit. It’s a great perk that isn’t usually offered at your typical department store.

2. Consider Using the First Person

Have you ever taken a fun picture at a zoo or a fair? They usually have funky photo-ops with circular holes you can put your head through to make it look like you are the character depicted on the front. Especially if you’ve done it well, you might look at the photo afterward and think, “It really looks like I’m a zookeeper!”

This same principle relates to using the first person in your CTA’s. When you do this, you are helping your potential lead more easily envision themselves taking the action you want them to take. Look at the following examples:

Send Me Specials Now

This CTA, like most that use the first person, is a little forward. But the phrases that catch people off-guard can sometimes be the best ones; they’ll stop to do a double-take. Plus, the thought of saving money is always an attractive one.

Send Me My Free Resource Now

Who doesn’t like free stuff? We all love getting something of value without paying for it and are often willing to offer up something simple in return (usually our email address). Potential leads will have a hard time passing this one up.

I Want More

Once again, here’s a phrase that might make your potential lead take a pause. With a simple suggestion to their mind, you’ll have them thinking to themselves, “You know what? I do want more!” This would work especially well at the end of a particularly helpful blog post.

Take Me There

After showing your viewer all the benefits and value you have to offer (hint: visuals are extra helpful), they’ll want to see more. This CTA leaves no question in their mind where they can go to learn more about what you can give them.

Get My Article

Offering a bonus article, especially for the love-to-learn types, is a great tactic, similar to offering an e-book, template, or guide. The added value will seem even more personalized when phrased in the first person: “my” article.

Yes, Please!

We’re all about enthusiasm! The duller the CTA, the duller your potential leads will probably feel about clicking on your link. Get them hyped up about what you can offer them next, then provide the perfect response in one simple button.

3. Be Specific

Most of us appreciate being told exactly what we’re getting when we buy something. Whether it’s a description of a dish on a menu, a list of features on a new computer, or a set of instructions for installing a new router, we like to know the benefits we’ll receive from a product or exactly what we have to do to get something we want.

Having a specific CTA can let a potential lead know exactly what they’re getting into when they agree to click on your link. If they have a glimpse into what might be expected of them or what value they’ll receive, they’re much more likely to follow through. Here are some examples:

Compare Features

Many people look at several different products and their features before deciding exactly what they want to spend their money on. Catch their attention by offering them a chance to do just that.

What We Do

This CTA, in particular has a similar approach to “learn more” but makes it more specific by telling the viewer that they’ll get to learn more about your company’s purpose and what you do. This gives your company a more personable side.

View My Options

When there are multiple plans or options to choose from on a website, viewers may get overwhelmed because they don’t know where to go to see them all side by side. This CTA lets them know that you can show them what they want to know to make an informed decision.

3 Months Free

While advertising a free trial is good, this CTA takes it above and beyond by telling the viewer exactly how long they’ll be able to use that free trial. Otherwise, they might be left wondering if it’s worth it. Will they get just a week or longer?

Find My Perfect Plan

Similar to “view my options,” this CTA takes it a step further by suggesting that out of all the options on the Internet, you have their perfect plan. Everyone comes from a completely different set of circumstances, so showing that you can customize or personalize something that will be right for your viewer is nothing short of, well, genius.

Watch a Demo

How do you make someone intrigued to learn more about your product without saying “learn more”? Show it in action! Tell them exactly what they’re going to get by clicking your link, and then deliver it with an engaging video. People love videos.

4. Make it Relevant to Your Audience

As humans, we like to feel like we’re a part of something, but we also like to feel like unique individuals. No two of us look the same, act the same, or like the same things. Because of this, we will naturally be attracted to different products, media, and causes. Different ways of reaching out will hit home better for one person than for another.

Getting to know your target audience will help you know how to best appeal to their personalities, values, and motivations. Make your CTA relevant and attractive to the people you’re marketing to.

Also, make it relevant to the topic you’re presenting; following up a blog post about Google SEO with a CTA about improving social media content isn’t a very clear or natural path. Once again, take a look at these examples:

Discover ____ For You

This phrase will suggest to potential leads that you have something to offer that they’ll love. They’ll feel like you took the time to create or curate content and opportunities meant just for them while still getting to explore for themselves.

“Follow the Magic”

This particular CTA comes from Humboldt County’s website. We love how it gives their site a fantastical feel and draws viewers in by letting them imagine they’re about to step into Wonderland.

Let’s Start a Project Together

This one from EPIC digital agency will especially appeal to creative types. Showcase your work and what you can do, then show your potential lead that you can help them even more by inviting them to join you in the creativity.

Give Back Now

If you do the work to get to know your target audience, you’ll know that they really value charity and giving back whenever they can. Appeal to that inclination by presenting the perfect opportunity to give back at the click of a button.

Get Involved

For potential leads that always want to be part of the action, use this phrase to invite them to join you in making a real difference. It’s one thing to watch other people do good, but quite another to be involved in the good-doing yourself.

Join Millions of Others

We talked about how people like to feel like individuals but also like to feel like they’re not alone. Even people from completely different backgrounds can come together to support one cause. This CTA clearly shows your viewer that they’re not alone.

5. Create a Sense of Urgency

Let’s be honest. We’re all pretty good at procrastinating tasks until the last minute. If something isn’t pressing, we tend to push it back behind other, more urgent tasks at hand. It’s definitely okay to have priorities, but sometimes even the most important things get put off a little too long.

The same thing is likely to happen with your potential leads if your CTA doesn’t seem very urgent. Pique your viewers’ interest and sense of urgency by extending a limited-time offer or using time-based language. Encourage them to take advantage of what you have to offer right now, at this very moment. Here are a few more examples:

Start Riding with ____

This CTA is a direct invitation to take action. You may have just introduced all the great reasons why your service is the best one, so now the only logical course of action is to get started using it.

Try it Now

Simply adding the word now to the end of your CTA can do more than you might think. It may not have even crossed your potential lead’s mind that they could take the time to try out your product or service right now. Little things can make big differences.

Are You Doing ____ Wrong?

If anything is going to appeal to someone’s sense of urgency, it’s probably the suggestion that they might be doing something wrong. We naturally want to look our best and do things right. Get viewer’s interest instantly by offering them the chance to look or be even better.

Countdown Clock

This is another idea that naturally makes all of our hearts beat a little faster: the ticking of a clock counting down to zero. If you suggest that your potential lead can only take advantage of your offer for a certain amount of time, they’re far more likely to act now instead of putting it off and never coming back.

Find Out What Happens Next

Humans are storytellers. We love to hear or watch stories and be held in suspense, wondering what happens next. That’s why this CTA is great—it appeals to the human tendency of curiosity. It’s okay to leave your viewers hanging for a little while if you have the next chapter.

Get it Before it’s Gone!

Have you ever waited in line to get a concert ticket or the perfect pair of shoes only to find out that they’re sold out? It’s terribly disappointing. If your potential lead knows stock is limited and thinks that they might miss out on something if they wait for too long, there’s a good chance they’ll click that link.