you want me to do what? {developing a solid call to action}
We work hard to create excellent content for our blog readers. We spend time crafting a message and formatting the post for readability. We add images to enhance what we’ve written. We promote on social media. But too often we neglect to spend adequate time on what can be the most important part of each blog post: the call to action.
It happens to the best of us. We spend all our energy on the content and then neglect to give our readers something to do next.
Here’s the thing: the call to action matters. We need to have one in every post. Now, I realize for some of those reading, you feel like I just sucker-punched you. You’re thinking, “Oh great! One more thing I need to do in order to be a good blogger.”
I know, I feel your pain. But we write for a purpose and at least part of that purpose is to connect with our readers. The call to action is a way of ensuring we have connected.
As you develop your call to action there are two questions to ask yourself.
What do I want the reader to do when they finish reading this post?
The answers to this question can vary from post to post. Maybe you want the reader to subscribe to your email list or perhaps you would like to sell your books. For some posts, you simply want the reader to share an experience or response in the comments.
What do I need to provide the reader in order for them to act?
Give the reader clear instruction and the opportunity to respond. For example, when we write posts about self-publishing here at Design by Insight, we always want to provide our readers with information about purchasing our book, Self-Publish. The call to action for those posts would be something like this, “Interested in more details about developing your ideas for a self-published book? Check out our book, Self-Publish: Moving from Idea to Product which includes 20 worksheets you can use as you plan your book. Self-Publish is available for Kindle, as a PDF download, or in print.”
That’s it! A solid call to action identifies what the reader should do and provides the means for doing it.
What is your biggest struggle with creating a good call to action for your blog posts?
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