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Call to Action Verbs

These are popular call to action (CTA) verbs used in writing awesome ads. They let the user know exactly what to do next. "Click here" is not, and will never be in the list.

Retail

  • save
  • buy
  • shop
  • compare
  • find
  • order

1. Click Here – The classic and quintessential call to action example for the net. Couple this with other motivational copy.

2. Download Now – People like downloads. People like immediacy. This delivers on both.

3. Immediate Download – A variation of the last one, but with even more immediacy.

4. Click Here For Details – You’ve baited your reader with the idea of something attractive, provide them a forum to learn more.

5. Join Now – Great for membership sites or social network like sites.

6. I Invite You To… – People usually get caught off guard by any kind of manners on the internet: a place not known for its abundant etiquette. Any time you can catch someone off guard or surprise them is a good thing.

7. Talk to An Expert – If you have any kind of authority site on a subject in which people would want to talk to some kind of “expert”, this is a great call to action phrase to employ. Even if you’re not technically an all out expert or have some flashy degree on a topic, just offering the term “expert” gives you a great deal more credibility.

8. Start Your Trial – Trial periods always make for great bait. It’s not too committal and people can form their own opinions by doing a trial.

9. Get a Free – This one is completely open ended and pretty straightforward. People love free stuff, and offering free incentives is one of the best ways to motivate your audience to do anything you want.

10. I Urge You To… – Just like “I Invite You”, the implication that you are personally talking to your reader grabs their attention and is a great way to spark action.

11. While Supplies Last – You hear this one on infomercials all the time. This moves people to act while what they want is still around.

12. Offer Expires – By giving a date in which your offer expires, people have incentive to act today and ASAP.

13. Just Click Here And… – Sure this is similar to “click here”, but the “JUST” is the obvious difference. This makes it seem like the action required from the reader is even simpler AND what they’ll get in return is amplified.

14. In a Hurry? Call, Email, etc. – Even if the other methods of communication aren’t necessarily slower than the one advertised, it gives the impression of speed.

15. For Faster Service Call… – The same idea. Offer a phone number with that copy and people get the idea that this is the fast lane.

16. Satisfaction Guaranteed – People love guarantees. People love satisfaction. Again, just put them together.

17. Money Back Guarantee – A money back guarantee assuages your customer and guarantees that if they are less than satisfied with your product/service, they’ll get their money back. Sometimes this is all it takes to motivate someone to make a purchase even of an extremely high quality product or service.

18. Full Money Back Guarantee – If your money back guarantee entails that your customer can get their money back in full, mention it. A full money back guarantee goes one important step further and cuts out any chance of vagueness in your guarantee.

19. Money Back Guarantee, No Questions Asked – This frees up your customer’s worries that if they want a refund, they won’t have to jump through hoops to get their money back or have to deal with a lot of questions as is standard for a lot of returns these days.

20. Get It Now! – No wait, plenty of immediacy, and the exclamation point really captures your attention.

21. Get Started Today – People have short attention spans, and they know it. If you pledge to send them something free in the mail, who is to say they’ll even care or remember about you when they get it. If they can get started today, you’re catching them when their interest is at an all time (and current) high.

22. Act Quickly – Sometimes you just need to tell your reader to act. You can combine this with a time sensitive call to action.

23. Limited Availability – The possibility of your stock going dry before your reader gets a chance to act can force the issue right now.

24. Best Reviewed – People like the idea that someone else has critiqued whatever it is that you’re talking about or selling before them. It doesn’t matter if the reviewer is Consumer Report or your best friend Dave; a review is a review and can be a weighing factor to move someone to act.

25. Best Value – If you have multiple products, assume that everyone who checks out your product line is a first time customer. By labeling something as being the “best value”, you’re appealing to their wallet for them.

26. Top Rated – Another validation of the quality of whatever it is that you’re promoting.

27. 1 Million Satisfied Customers – Social proof can be very instrumental as a call to action. People don’t like to take risks of any kind when it comes to the internet or consumerism; seeing that you have lots of other satisfied customers who have come before you and done what you’re about to do is important for some people. Putting a Twitter or Facebook count on your website is the same idea.

28. Free Shipping – No one likes to pay more than they have to. If you offer free shipping this can be enough to motivate some people. The same goes for “no tax”.

29. No Strings Attached – Same idea. People hate add ons and extra hidden charges, put their mind at ease.

30. No Commitment – You may scare someone off by requiring any kind of commitment. Exclaim no commitment and your readers will be more inclined to give you a shot.

31. Reply Today – Telling your reader explicitly to reply today can move them to take action rather than sitting on it.

32. Buy Now – This probably should have been put higher on the list because it’s so universal, but I just remembered it. You can use “buy now” in all kinds of different ways. It works great on a big button graphic on your site, and you can vary the font, size, color, etc. to really make it stand out and pop.

33. Call For a Free Quote – This combines free with useful information, great for anyone in the quote business.

34. Come in For a Free Consultation – Your doors are open. You’re offering free information. Same idea.

35. Learn The Biggest Mistakes… – Peak your reader’s curiosity whenever possible.

36. Don’t Hesitate to Call – That impresses upon your reader that your company has HELPFUL associates who are looking forward to talking to you, so why not pick up the phone?

37. Take Our Quiz – Contrary to your memories of high school, people like taking quizzes to learn things about themselves both on and offline. Challenge people in your call to action. Say something like “Don’t know what car is right for you? Take our quiz to find out”. Then you conveniently link to their ideal car on your site upon their completing the quiz and getting their results.

38. Add to Cart – Shopping is fun, so are virtual shopping carts. “Add to cart” is one step below a big “buy now” button when it comes to commitment, so some people will be more comfortable taking this step while getting ready to actually purchase. Plus it encourages further shopping on your site.

39. Easy to Use – An idiot proof claim.

40. So Easy, a Child Could Do It – Getting specific with your idiot proof claim makes it more memorable. You can also use a variation of this; I know a certain auto insurance company who is still using a variation of this example as one of their successful slogans.

41. Idiot Proof – The MOST idiot proof claim.

42. Offer Expires At Midnight – Another time based call to action example. The verb “expire” is certainly strong language, as well.

43. Schedule an Appointment Now – In the appointment business? Remind people that your lines are open and that this is something which they can do right now.

44. Order Now and Receive a Free Gift – Another incentive based example.

45. No Credit Card Required – Requiring a credit card makes something seem much more committal. If you’re offering a trial membership for something, you’ll get A LOT more sign ups if you don’t require a credit card number on file.

46. Tell Us What You Think – People like it when other people listen to them and want to hear their opinions.

47. How Are We Doing? – You can catch a lot of people’s attention by asking your customers what they think about you such as with “how are we doing” or any other variations of it.

48. Reserve Now – Whenever someone sees the word “reserve”, it implies that there’s a chance that when that item becomes available, there may not be enough to go around. Making a reservation is a fun and privileged process, use it when you can.

49. Come See Us Today – This is a very friendly and open call to action example. Why not drop on by?

50. The ONLY Way To… – Remind people of why you are special. You’re the ONLY one with whatever it is that you have in your own unique way. The other use of this is that you’re telling people why they are required to do something. Giving me your email address is the ONLY way to get my free report. Get it?

51. No Charge – Another way of saying free which is better in some situations over just saying FREE.

52. We’re Waiting For Your Call – Just like “operators are standing by”, this impresses upon the reader that there will be no wait if they choose to call.

53. Watch This Video Now – A free informational video sounds like a nice alternative and change to having to read, and it’s ready for viewing right now.

54. Reserve a Spot Now, Limited Number of Spaces Available – This works very well for GoToMeeting type online seminars which have seat caps of 100 or 1000 virtual seats.

55. Learn the Top 3 Tips On … – This tells that there are 3 tips to be learned about whatever subject we are reading about. We know what to expect going in, and we’re curious what those 3 tips could be.

56. No Experience Required – The last of my idiot proof call to action examples, I promise!

57. 3 Days Only/Just 3 More Days – Similar to other ticking clock offers, giving a specific time frame certainly motivates people to take action sooner than later.

58. Sign Up While You Can/Before It’s Too Late – A vague ticking clock is still a ticking clock. If you have a temporary offer but don’t know how long that “temporary” is, this works.

59. Don’t Click This Link – A bit immature admittedly, but jeeze if it doesn’t work like a charm. Telling someone not to do something of course makes them want to do it. You can have some fun with this one.

60. Try Our Free (Example) At… – Have something people can use on your website? Maybe you have a neat body fat calculator on your site which is conveniently placed next to your fat loss product. It’s easy to create or have someone else create a simple program like that on your site, it separates you from similar sites, and most importantly it gives you a VERY effective call to action which you can use again and again to coax people onto your site. Freebies make for the best call to action examples.