CTA (call to action): what it is, types, examples and how to make one

A CTA (call to action) is the element of a page, email, post, ad or video that invites a person to take a specific next step, such as clicking, signing up, downloading a resource or buying.

It is an invitation: it works when the action makes sense to the person on the other side at that moment. Without a CTA, the audience may consume your content but won’t know what to do next. With a clear CTA, every touchpoint brings the person closer to your brand.

Below, see how to create yours, 60 ready-to-use phrase examples and how to measure the results.

What is a call to action (CTA)?

Call to action literally means an invitation to act: it is the point in your content where you tell the audience what the next step is. Every CTA has four elements: an action verb, what the person gets by acting, a format and a place on the page or in the content. When one of them fails, the CTA loses strength, even if the copy is good.

If you are entering the digital market, watch your tone and follow digital market best practices: intrusive persuasion, with insistent and misleading messages, drives the audience away and can be treated as spam.

What is a call to action for?

The main role of a call to action is to take the person reading your content to the next stage of the sales funnel. Someone who lands on a post or a page doesn’t know there is a path to purchase; the CTA is the incentive to keep getting closer to the brand.

Each step of that approach works as a relationship step, and it is the call to action that points the potential customer to new content or to an action that deepens their knowledge of what you offer. The most common goals in the digital market are:

• read another blog post;
• subscribe to the newsletter;
• follow on social media;
• share on social media;
• watch a video;
• download rich material (e-book, webinar, podcast, etc.);
• answer a survey;
• attend an event;
• get in touch;
• start a free trial;
• buy a product.

What are the types of CTA?

CTAs can be classified by importance (primary or secondary), by the funnel stage the audience is in (top, middle or bottom) and by format (button, link, banner, pop-up, highlighted text or a phrase spoken in a video). The three views combine: the same CTA can be primary, bottom-of-funnel and in button format.

Primary and secondary CTA

The primary CTA is the most important action on the page, and the secondary CTA is an alternative for those who aren’t ready yet. On a sales page, “Get my access” can be the primary one, and “See the course content”, the secondary one. The primary gets more visual emphasis; the secondary appears with less weight, like a link.

CTA by funnel stage

The CTA needs to match the level of interest of the person reading. Asking for a purchase from someone who has just met the brand usually gets little response, while offering only more content to someone who already wants to buy makes them miss the moment.

CTA by format

CTAs show up in many ways, and the format depends on the channel and the goal. The most common are:

• banners at strategic points of the site;
• buttons that highlight the action to be taken;
• text links, widely used in posts, emails and captions;
• pop-ups, which appear at a specific moment of browsing;
• highlighted text that encourages an action without taking the person to another page;
• spoken calls in videos, podcasts and lives.

How to make a CTA that converts: step by step

To make a CTA that converts, first define the goal and the audience, then take care of the copy, the visual emphasis and the position and, finally, test. The eight steps below follow that order: the first ones define what to say, and the last ones, how and where to say it.

1. Define the goal and the funnel stage

Before writing, define which action you want and where the audience is in their journey. One CTA per goal makes it easier for readers to decide and for you to measure.

2. Understand who you are talking to

The CTA that works is the one that connects with the person and becomes a natural step at that moment. To do that, define your buyer persona and use their language.

3. Start with a verb and show the benefit

Verbs like download, watch, get and start make the action clear, and the benefit shows why it’s worth acting. First-person phrases, such as “I want to get the spreadsheet”, also help people see themselves taking the step, a classic copywriting technique.

“If you are selling a product, my golden tip is to avoid saying what everyone in the market has already said so far, like ‘buy now’, for example. Test CTAs that show the main benefit you offer. For example, ‘yes, I want to transform my career’ or ‘yes, I want to find out how to invest now’, always telling the truth, of course,” taught Carlucio Vieira, marketing specialist at Hotmart.

4. Be specific in the copy

Avoid generic labels such as “click here” and “learn more” on their own. Nielsen Norman Group, a reference in usability, recommends descriptive labels that make clear what the person will find when they click. Google follows the same line: the Lighthouse tool flags links with generic text as a problem.

5. Make the CTA stand out with accessibility in mind

The CTA needs to stand out from the rest of the page and be easy to read and tap for everyone. The W3C accessibility guidelines, the WCAG 2.2, recommend a minimum contrast of 4.5:1 between text and background, a 3:1 contrast for components such as buttons and a touch target of at least 24 x 24 pixels.

Color helps draw attention, but what works is contrast with the rest of the page, not a specific color. The choice of shade can follow color psychology, as long as the button keeps standing out from the background.

6. Choose the right position

Place the CTA where the person already has enough information to decide. On long pages, it is worth repeating the main CTA after each important block, and on mobile it should be easy to reach with the thumb.

7. Use urgency only when it is real

Deadlines and limited stock can help the decision, as long as they are true. Misleading advertising is prohibited by consumer protection rules, and a fake countdown or a “last spot” that doesn’t exist falls into that category. This guidance is based on Article 37 of Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code, used here as a reference; check the rules in force in your country.

Besides the legal risk, fake urgency breaks the audience’s trust. Urgency and scarcity are legitimate mental triggers only when they reflect a real condition of the offer.

8. Reduce friction and test

A short phrase near the button can answer the doubt that prevents the click, such as “no credit card required” or “instant access”, whenever it is true. Then, test variations of copy, color or position, one at a time, to find out what works with your audience.

60 CTA phrase examples by goal

The phrases below cover the most common goals, from first contact to post-sale, and can be adapted to your niche. Adjust the benefit to your product and use only promises you can keep.

CTA examples by channel

Each channel calls for a different CTA format and tone. See examples and ideas for each one.

1. Home and website pages

People who land on your site want to learn more about the brand or buy what you sell, so it is natural to include CTAs that suggest an action to the visitor, as on the home page of Hotmart, an all-in-one platform for creators who want to create, sell and scale digital products.

2. Blog posts

Each blog article has a goal, and the CTA points to the next step according to the context of that content, such as a free resource related to the topic.

3. Social media

On social media, the CTA makes clear what you expect from the audience, whether it is to save, comment, share or access the link. Examples: “Save to read later”, “Comment which tip you will try first” and “Link in bio”. See also how to use social media to sell.

4. Email marketing

Practically every marketing email has a CTA, which guides the reader to the next step. Ideally, have one main CTA per email, repeated at the beginning and at the end if the text is long, as part of an email marketing strategy with a clear goal for each send.

5. Ads

The goal of any ad, whether in search or on social media, is to get someone to complete an action. The CTA is the call that closes the proposal and invites the interested audience. To go deeper, see how to advertise a product.

6. Videos

Videos can and should also have a call to action. It’s the classic example of someone who creates content on YouTube and says, at the end of the video: “if you liked the content, hit like and subscribe to the channel“. If you are starting out, learn how to create a YouTube channel.

7. Rich materials

E-books and other educational materials can also have CTAs, which take the reader to the next stage of the funnel, such as a free class or an offer.

8. WhatsApp

On WhatsApp, the CTA is usually a question or a direct invitation to the next action, such as “Want me to send you the class link?” or “Reply 1 to receive the material”. Short, personal messages work better than long texts, especially when the goal is to sell in one-on-one conversations.

9. Sales page

On the sales page, the main CTA leads to checkout and should be repeated throughout the page, after the presentation of the offer, the testimonials and the guarantee. As on any landing page, there is only one goal, so avoid links that take the person off the path to purchase.

Common CTA mistakes

The most common CTA mistakes are generic copy, several CTAs competing for attention, promises the page doesn’t keep, fake urgency, a barely visible button and asking at the wrong time. See how to avoid each one:

• Using generic copy: like “click here”, which doesn’t say what happens after the click. Prefer an action with an object, such as “Download the checklist”;
• Giving all buttons the same emphasis: which leaves the person not knowing which to choose. Define one primary CTA and make the others visually more discreet;
• Promising something the page doesn’t deliver: like advertising a “free class” and leading to a payment page. The destination must deliver exactly what the CTA announces;
• Creating fake urgency: with countdowns that restart or spots “running out” that never end. The audience notices, and the practice can amount to misleading advertising;
• Leaving the button barely visible: a small button, with low contrast or hidden on mobile, which reduces clicks and hurts people with low vision or who use the screen with one hand;
• Asking for the purchase at the wrong time: at first contact, before the person understands the offer. Adjust the CTA to the funnel stage.

How to measure CTA performance?

CTA performance is measured by click-through rate and conversion rate, and improved with A/B tests. The numbers show where the CTA is working and where it needs adjusting.

In an A/B test, you show two versions of the CTA to similar audiences and compare the result. Change one variable at a time (copy, color or position) and wait for enough volume before concluding. That cycle of testing, measuring and adjusting is the basis of conversion rate optimization.

How to use CTAs to sell digital products on Hotmart?

For those who sell digital products, the most important CTAs are on the sales page, at checkout, in emails and in promotion links. On Hotmart, these pieces are integrated.

Sales page with Hotmart Pages

Hotmart Pages lets you create capture and sales pages with ready-made templates, buttons, forms and pop-ups, without coding. On paid plans, you can run A/B tests to compare versions of the page and the CTAs.

Checkout

At checkout, the payment button is the last CTA of the journey. The Order Bump works as a secondary CTA: it offers a complementary product on the payment page itself, with one click.

Emails with Hotmart Send

With Hotmart Send, you create emails and automations with CTAs for each stage, from the invitation to a free class to the offer for those who are already students.

Affiliate links

Affiliates use CTAs on social media, in videos and in emails to take the audience to the promotion link. The more the CTA talks to the content that came before, the more natural the click feels.

Checklist: is your CTA ready?

Before publishing, check whether your CTA:

• stands out on the page, with suitable color and position;
• presents the next step objectively;
• offers something worth not only the click, but the user’s time;
• adapts to the format and language of the channel (blog, site, social network, etc.);
• can be measured, so you can improve the results over time.

Want to apply what you learned now? Create your free Hotmart account to build pages, emails and offers with CTAs ready to test.