How to Write an Effective CTA for Social Media

Have you ever visited a website and felt motivated to sign up for a free trial or download a guide? If so, you were likely compelled by an effective call to action or CTA.

Further defined, a social media CTA is a creative call-to-action phrase within the realm of social media. These CTA's can accomplish a variety of objectives in the marketing world, from driving more visitors to your content to generating sales.

Call to actions prompt the visitor to do something, whether it’s signing up for a subscription or attending an event. The best call-to-action phrases gives your readers actionable tasks, providing direction for the next steps. CTAs can be placed throughout a website or included in your social media posts.

Improve Engagement with Social CTAs

For implementing social media CTAs, you must adjust your social media strategy to suit the needs of your followers. Asking your followers to retweet or share a post can be effective, but there are other methods of making your social call to action work for you. Here are 14 tips for creating engaging CTAs across your social media platforms.

1. Create a CTA for Each Platform

Every social media platform functions differently when it comes to CTAs. On Facebook, you can add CTA buttons that are trackable. Sponsored posts on Instagram also feature trackable buttons.

No matter which platform you choose, utilizing the tools offered on each social media site to maximize your post’s exposure is important.

2. Best CTA Words for Social Media

The best call-to-action words for social media clearly communicate to the reader you’d like him/her to complete a task. These words might include:

• discover
• find
• learn more
• read more
• share
• explore
• see why
• check out

3. Offer Value to the Reader

Offering the reader something of value can motivate him or her to perform an action. When writing your CTA, be clear about how taking action will benefit the reader.

4. Use a Consistent Tone

Social media CTAs should be written in a similar tone as the rest of your content. This shapes the perception of your brand and can also help visitors clearly understand the CTA.

5. Avoid Jargon

Clarity is important when writing CTAs. While you may be tempted to use jargon or even humor in your CTA, doing so may come at the expense of a clear message.

6. Lead into the CTA

Including additional copy with your CTA allows room for context, helping readers understand what it is you’d like them to do and the benefits of taking action. Remember: It’s all about creating a clear message.

7. Create an Emotional Appeal

The fear of missing out can be an incredibly powerful motivator. Take advantage of this by expressing immediacy or exclusivity in your CTAs. For instance, “Call us anytime” isn’t as compelling as “Call now.”

8. Keep it Simple for the Visitor

Creating a CTA that captures your reader’s attention but also appears easy to do is important. One way to figure out the best call-to-action words for your social media posts is to ask yourself, “What sounds easy?” The goal is to make your readers think, “I can do this.”

9. Align CTA Copy with Landing Page Copy

After clicking on a CTA, the reader is usually directed to a landing page. Make sure that the landing page is the clear next step in the reader’s journey. The best call-to-action phrases give the reader an idea of where he or she will end up. Failing to do this can give the reader an abrupt, jarring experience.

10. Make it Easy to Contact Your Business

Using phrases like “Get in touch” and “Contact us” lets readers know that you’re open to receiving their messages. Engaging with social media followers can add a human touch to your brand and make potential customers feel comfortable with your business.

11. A/B Split Test your CTAs

If your content is receiving over 1,000 impressions each time, run A/B split testing to determine your marketing goals. Tweaking, polishing, and improving your CTAs should be a constant process.

12. Make Your CTA Stand Out

An effective and creative call-to-action phrase clearly conveys a message to the reader. Avoid being standoffish with your statement – use clickable links, images, or even pop-up windows to engage the reader with the CTA.

13. Speak Directly to the Reader

Before asking a reader to take action, it’s important to make him or her feel like your company cares. Using the words “you” and “your” provides the feeling of having a conversation with the reader.

14. Social Media CTA Examples

Here are the best 20 call-to-action examples for social media I've seen generate results.
{LINK} = destination URL to visit your content, blog post, event, product, landing page, etc.

1. Please Share With Your Tribe: {LINK}
2. Grab Your Copy Now -> {LINK}
3. Grab Yours Now -> {LINK}
4. Read This Post: {LINK}
5. Will You Be There? {LINK}
6. What Are Your Thoughts On (Topic Name)? {LINK}
7. How Would You Handle (Question Relevant to Your Topic)? {LINK}
8. Have You Ever (Specific to Your Topic)? {LINK}
9. What’s YOUR Favorite (Question Relevant to Your Topic)? {LINK}
10.    Learn How To (Do Something New or Overcome Challenge): {LINK}
11.    Seriously, SIGN UP! Absolutely No Strings: {LINK}
12.    Get A Sneak Peek At (Must-have Item)? {LINK}
13.    Save Your Spot! {LINK}
14.    Limited Spots Available: {LINK}
15.    Save Your Seat! {LINK}
16.    Limited Seating Available: {LINK}
17.    You Don’t Want To Miss (Offer)! {LINK}
18.    (Offer) Expiring in (X Days/Time)! {LINK}
19.    The BEST Solution For (Challenge): {LINK}
20.    Complete List of Resources for (Needs): {LINK}

Over to you

When writing a social media CTA, remember it should always answer the questions “What’s next?” and “Why Should I?” Well-crafted call to action can steer people from consuming your content to actually purchasing your product.

With a captivating CTA, you can take your social media content to the next level.