The Best Calls To Action Formats By Platform
Valuable content should have a solid call to action (CTA) at the end to propel viewers to the next thing.
However, many creators don’t put enough thought into not only what the CTA should be, but how it should change based on the platform it’s on. Every platform rewards (and punishes) different behaviors, so lean into it and customize the CTA based on the platform. 80% of your content should be value based only and not have a CTA, but when you do have one, it should only be 1, not several.
4 key platforms stand out for specific types and formats of CTAs that reward different behavior.
YouTube
YouTube is the second biggest search engine aside from Google itself and rewards videos that keep viewers on platform.
Most YouTube creators have several CTAs throughout their video, which is a massive mistake. Viewers don’t need to be told anymore to subscribe, hit the bell for notifications, or smash the like button, so ditch those completely. Instead, at the end of the video, direct viewers to watch another video by naming the specific next video that is related to the one they just watched.
Specific videos that have high watch time are rewarded and accounts that propel viewers to watch video after video are rewarded further.
Newsletter
Newsletters reward emails that are opened and engaged with either through replies to the email or links clicked within it.
Most newsletters lean into the links by including several affiliate links, product links, and/or product page links. However, we won’t want to overwhelm the audience by giving them too many options for what they should do. Pick whether you want them to reply or click a link and tell them the value they get in return in a PS statement at the bottom.
Putting the CTA in a PS at the bottom of the email makes the ask more subtle and sets your newsletter apart from the rest that ONLY ask for something in return.
Instagram rewards post engagement like likes, comments, and shares.
A majority of posts should only have some kind of question you’re asking your audience to answer in the comments. We can dial up the engagement more by offering something in return like AI prompts, a free download, or free framework. Platforms like ManyChat let you automate this by automatically sending a DM to viewers who comment or DM specific words.
When the offer is even more free value by commenting a word, your audience gets free value and you get positive signals that people find the content valuable.
Twitter/X, Threads, BlueSky
Short-form writing platforms reward engagement even more than Instagram does, so like Instagram, most content shouldn’t include one.
The platforms don’t give as much reach to posts with links, but there is an easy way around it. If you have a high-value, free asset to give to your audience like an Educational Email Course, post the link and a description and pin it to your profile. Then in later posts, direct readers to check out the pinned post on your profile which sends them there and is also a positive signal.
In addition to similar engagement automation like ManyChat, if a new post without a CTA is performing well, comment the link on it so more people will see it.
