Let’s not beat around the bush, poorly converting call to actions suck. It sucks even more when you don’t understand what’s happening. In your opinion, your offer is a great one: a good product or service that truly adds values to the consumers. Yet there is no one clicking on the link in your bio or signing up for your newsletter. So what gives..? While there is no magic fix for this issue, there are tips that you can use to ensure that you are creating more effective CTAs for your brand on Instagram. In this blog, we’ll go through some of the most important factors to consider when crafting your call to actions.


First, What’s in it for The Users?

The point of a call to action is to invoke some behavior from whoever is exposed to it. You want them to do something. And if you’re asking users to do something, the first question that’ll pop up in their heads is ‘Well, why should I?’ The basis of a good call to action answers this question and then some.

 

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Let’s talk a little psychology and consumer behavior for a bit. The beginning of all purchasing decisions among consumers starts with need recognition. If people don’t know they are missing out on something, then they are never going to do something to change their current standing. It is your job (and that of your CTA) to help consumers to realize that there is a problem that your product/service can solve. Here’s an example. Imagine you’ve created a powerful e-book containing 10 strategies for growing your following on Instagram. Everyone who signs up for your newsletter will be able to receive it for free. Pretty good deal, right? One option for your CTA is “Sign up now to get my e-book filled with 10 awesome strategies for growth on Instagram!” Another option is to “Sign up now to get my free e-book and start growing your Instagram following like crazy!” One focuses on the product, the other focuses on the outcome of signing up. See the difference? Go for a bit less on the features and a bit more on the benefit.  

Consider this when you are putting your call to action together. Spend less time thinking about your product and focus more on what users will get from doing the action that you want them to perform. Once you identify the value your product/service brings, make this the focal point of the CTA. People will know exactly what’s in it for them and how they benefit by doing what you’re asking them to do. This is already a key point in improving the influence of your CTAs on Instagram!


It’s all About Your Language

Once the focus is placed on the outcome of performing your call to action, the only other place that needs attention is the language you put into it. First and foremost, your call to action must be written in the active tense and include active language. Not only does using the active voice shorten your copy substantially, but it’s also way more engaging for readers and just easier to understand. Next, ensure you’re using the right verbs in the CTA. Active words like Subscribe, Register, Donate, Like or Comment are good ones to include in your call to actions.

When deciding on which of the action words you should go for, it’s important to once again consider what the customer will be getting out of it. If you claim to be community driven and managing an interactive group of people, perhaps using the word “join” instead of “subscribe” would fit better in your call to action. One really speaks to this collective experience you are offering, while the other doesn’t encompass that feeling well. See how one word can change everything?

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There are tons of studies out there about the science of words and about the best words to use when you want to get people to do something. Because you probably don’t have the time to go off researching all of them (though we highly recommend you to) here are the top 5 persuasive ones: you, instantly, free, because, and new. People like the feeling of being addressed in a personal manner and that’s what makes you so appealing to each of us. It’s even better to use actual names, but since you can’t write all your followers’ names on Instagram, you will be your go to. The words Free and new speaks for themselves: consumers love novelty and a good deal. No one is going to skip out on it if it’s offered to them!

Because is on the list because it just makes sense. Knowing the reasons behind something is a big motivator for getting someone to do what you would like them to. No matter what the reason may be, simply having a reason embedded in your request is more likely to persuade others. The last one is instant, because it seems we are not the most patient species out there… We want things now. What more can we say? When putting your CTAs together, make sure to see if you can fit these words into it if the context allows. You may be surprised by how one word can make the world of a difference for invoking your desired behaviors.


Final Remarks

A few last tips are these: keep it simple, create urgency and communicate exclusivity. Your call to action should not require much effort from the users. Make it easy for them to read and understand how they will benefit, but also for them to perform the action. If it’s only going to take them 30 seconds to join, win or get involved, let them know. In the same way, be explicit in how much time they have to do what you’d like them to. If someone feels like they have all the time in the world to come back to something, they won’t do it now. And there’s a high chance they never will… So build up some urgency in your CTA. Last, but not least, make it feel special for them. Is there a limit on the availability of your offer? Do they receive some unique benefit that’ll set them apart from everyone? Make sure you say it.

If you’re planning to include a call to action in your next post on Instagram, we hope that you take all these elements into consideration. Remember to communicate the value of the action, use strong words and make it seem special and rare. Many brands are also on Instagram out there wanting people to do something, so you need to convince them about why they should do it for you and not for the rest. A great exercise when you’re finished crafting your CTA would be to sit back and put yourself in the shoes of your target user. Ask yourself about how the CTA makes you feel. Is that the feeling you want to invoke? Does it motivate you to do the action? If so, you’ve got a good one!

 

We hope our tips will help you create some awesome CTA’s! Now it’s time to put it into practice and schedule and auto-post your Instagrams with Preppr. 

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Header photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash
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Product dev | @itspreppr| @ink361 | growth | monetization | Africa | Wildlife

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