While assisting author Raven Digitalis to promote his new book, I noticed that his promotional emails were getting better responses than my own pitches for articles and new clients. More than 60% of our cold pitches for promoting Raven’s book (and requesting reviews) had worked, yet I was only getting pitch approvals once every other week. I realized then the difference a simple Call-to-Action (CTA) can make.

The Call to Action

A Call-to-Action (CTA) is a phrase or button that prompts the reader to do something.

Webmasters and designers are well-taught in how to use these prompts, but authors (like myself) focus so much on editing their content that they might forget its use. After all, readers and editors are consumers. A simple question or button becomes the subtle, psychological “push” that makes someone act—or click.

“Buy Here” and “Book Now” are two basic CTAs. “Contact us here” is another one. Without this, a website page doesn’t read the same and won’t prompt results. The brain inherently looks for prompts or cues, and a successful CTA provides one.

Asking and Prompting

When writing for the South African news, authors were encouraged to end articles or paragraphs with questions.

Gangsterism in Movies and Television asked, “Have you ever seen these movies or television shows?” prompting readers into comments of discussion and engagement. Articles also ended with the phrase, READ MORE ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR, another call-to-action. Once you spot the basic CTA, you will notice how successful websites use them successfully.

The McDonald’s ordering terminal asks, “Would you like to add any of these?” Without the question, you wouldn’t have, but with the CTA, you consider it.

Testing & Altering Results

I switched from a basic Services page on my website with no prompts and added a simple “BOOK NOW” button at the very top. I also rephrased content with encouraging words that fall into the sales category—words like book, purchase, buy.

Almost instantly, I had more people clicking through to Contact.

Consumer Psychology: Phrases and Buttons

Successful CTAs will give the user an opportunity to do something (or click on something). The internet has lists of the best CTA phrases, like WordStream and Landerlab.

A CTA uses positive language, engaging phrases, and yes, sales language. Buttons and questions are everywhere.

Free button creators (Da Button Factory and HTML Buttons) can be added to blogs as Custom HTML. Sites like NoraKramerDesigns.com and this Medium post can help you decide which colors have the best results and impact.

The CTA in Headlines

A CTA can be used on a website page, but also within posts—and in headlines.

Avoid questions with obvious yes (or no) answers. Other headline questions can be effective calls-to-action that makes readers think even before they’ve clicked.

For instance, I used this for a 2025 feature on The Wild Hunt when asking: Are Podcasters Resurrecting the Satanic Panic? It worked, and the article received a considerable response on /r/The_Wild_Hunt_News and YouTube — as well as emails from readers who shared their thoughts.

Questions—calls to action—make people feel welcome to respond or debate.

In Correspondence

Authors can also use a call-to-action in their pitches and correspondence.

Let’s compare:
• “Let me know if you have any questions.”
• “Do you have any questions?”

The second is a CTA, while the FIRST is a statement.

Ask questions more than you make statements. One simple question within an email is enough to make the reader feel like they should answer the question rather than just ignore the rest of the message. CTAs create urges, needs, and prompts to react.

Ask yourself: which CTAs can engage your readers and editors the most when it comes to your writing?

About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for an array of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird.

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