How to Write Irresistible CTA Button Copy for More Clicks
- Rachel Meyer
- Sep 3
- 4 min read
Your CTA is the last thing standing between your customer and a sale. It entices them across the finish line to take the action you want.
The problem is, most people slap a "shop now" button in their email or blog post and don't give it another thought. But look at that phrase a moment and tell me- does it make you want to shop?
I'm gonna guess the answer is no. Sure, it's direct, but it doesn't make you want to click the button. Just like that, you fumble the sale and lose a customer.
Don't panic yet. The great thing about CTAs is that you can always change and tweak them to be stronger and more effective.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through how to write better CTA button copy. We'll start by looking at why it's so important, the elements of a good CTA, and end with my four-step process for better buttons.
What is a CTA?
CTA stands for “call to action”. It’s the piece of copy asking the customer to do something, such as make a purchase. It can take several different forms, but today we’re focusing on button copy, which you see everywhere from emails to Facebook ads.
The Importance of a CTA
Encourage Action
You need to tell customers exactly what you want them to do. Never trust them to figure it out. If they have to do that, they simply will not. Your CTA makes it crystal clear what action customers should take (click this shiny button in this case).
Get Sales
Like I said in the intro, the CTA button is what gets sales. If you don't have one, there's no point in telling customers about your new products or big sale. CTA buttons are the thing that gets them to click to view products, add to cart, and check out.
Improve User Experience
A big, bold button makes it much easier for customers to navigate your sales funnel. Without one, it's kind of like having a store with no door or no checkout counter. There's no clear path to enter or buy. Instead, you want to capture attention with your email or blog post, then give customers the logical next step before they even have to ask for it.
What Makes a Good CTA?
Clear
A good CTA leaves no question about what you want people to do. That’s why basic phrases like “shop now” or “get started” are used so often. They’re boring, but they're also to the point.
Concise
People don't want to spend five minutes puzzling out what your button is saying. You want to be as concise as possible, so they have no excuse not to click.
Stands Out
Your CTA should look as enticing as it sounds. Even in an email with a lot of information, it should stand out by using bright, contrasting colors and easy-to-read text.
How to Write Better CTA Button Copy
1. Choose Your CTA
What's the goal of your email or blog post? What action do you want people to take? That's your CTA. This could be:
Sign up for your email list
Shop new products
Join a launch waitlist
Hire you
Follow you on Instagram
With that decided, get a piece of paper or open a Google Doc. You're going to need it for the next few steps.
2. Brainstorm Options
Take your paper/doc and write your goal at the top. Then, brainstorm as many ways to convey that as possible. This is my favorite part, because I love playing around with different ways to convey a simple idea.
Go crazy with this. Write down anything you can think of. Be weird. Try different variations of the same thing. Don't hold back.
Examples:
Shop new products
Explore new items
Check out the launch
Get your t-shirt
Join the fan club
Find the perfect gift
Sign up for your email list
Join the gang
Save your seat
Become an insider
Get exclusive offers
I want in
3. Edit Away
By this point, you should have quite a few CTAs written down. Your first step is to sort through them and pick your top two or three.
But we're not stopping there. Flip to a new page and start playing around with the CTAs you just picked.
Your goal here is to make the best CTA you can in just a few words. Try synonyms, change the phrasing, add or remove a word, and so on. This will take a little extra time, but it will lead to a strong button that gets clicks instead of being ignored.
4. Test Your Button
With your winning CTAs polished to perfection, there’s only one thing left to do. Test them.
For emails, run an A/B test and see which one converts more. In blog posts, try different CTAs on your most popular posts to see if you can get them more clicks.
Any time you need a new CTA, just repeat this process. As you keep practicing, you'll learn what works best for your audience and can use that to make even better buttons.
Advanced CTA Tips
Make the Result Clear
Your CTA should clearly tell customers what to expect when they click the button. For example, “get started” could mean anything, whereas “start writing better headlines” shows them they'll learn to write headlines, which helps encourage action.
Use Power Words
Power words catch our attention. Like a cute dog, they draw our eye and make us stop in our tracks. Try adding a power word to your CTA for stronger copy.
Customer Voice
Writing your CTA so it sounds like your customer is way more likely to get their attention. For example, if your audience is Gen Z girls, saying “Build your European girl summer look” is way more effective than “Shop Summer Dresses”.
Next time you write an email or blog post, don't forget about your CTA button. Take a few minutes to write a powerful, unique bit of copy that will get your customers clicking.
Are you looking for a small business marketer who takes care of the little details, like button copy? Then I’d love to chat! Click the button below to set up a 15-minute call to discuss your needs today.
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