How to Create More Powerful Content Upgrade Calls to Action

Content upgrade calls to action
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Do you worry about your content upgrades’ conversion rates?

Wonder why many users ignore any calls to action you placed in the content to promote them?

You know:

Content upgrades can generate impressive, often double-digit conversion rates.

But to achieve such results, you really need to make sure that your content upgrade calls to action correspond to your potential customers’ pain points.

In this article, I’ll discuss why you need to map calls to actions to the right stage of the buying cycle.

And then, I’ll show you exactly how to do it.

Intrigued? Then let’s get right to it.

What Makes Content Upgrades So Engaging

Conduct a quick online search, and you’ll see it:

Pretty much everyone boasts about the incredible results they get from using content upgrades.

Here, take a look:

Brian Dean admits that using content upgrades boosted his conversions by a staggering 785%.

Backlinko content upgrades

(image source)

Devesh Kanal tells how he’s got 492% more subscribers using this technique.

Davesh content upgrade results

And Bryan from Videofruit states that he’s always getting 20% – 30% opt-in rates with content upgrades.

(A couple of weeks ago, I shared my content upgrade conversion rates here at Beacon too. You can check it out here, in case if you missed it.)

But these stats can be deceiving.

For example, they might suggest that to achieve similar results you just need to create a content upgrade for any piece of content you publish.

However, there is one more (often overlooked and yet incredibly important) factor you need to perfect:

You need to entice a visitor to actually WANT to download it.

[Want higher content upgrade conversions? Entice visitors to actually want to download it. Here’s How]

How? By matching its call to action to the exact stage of the buying cycle a person’s at.

Let me explain this further:

Every Person Landing on Your Blog Wants Something

It could be to find out more about a problem they experience. Or to get answers to specific questions that prevent them from acquiring a solution like yours.

And needless to say, they’ll respond differently to various calls to action you display:

  • A person looking to understand their idea or problem will be more likely to click on a call to action that promises further insight.
  • However, someone who’s already thinking of implementing a specific solution will only respond to a CTA that offers some actionable and practical advice.

And so, to improve your content upgrades’ performance, you need to ensure that you present visitors with relevant information, and then, use calls to action that correspond with their needs.

Here, let me show you how we do it:

We understand that, in general, most people visiting this blog want to learn more about lead generation (after all, that’s what Beacon helps with, right?).

But some of our readers might need insights as to how to get started, while others seek specific advice to improve they work so far.

And whenever we use a content upgrade, we tailor the call to action to the specific needs of the readers we target.

For example, take a look at the below call to action:

beacon call to action

We used it in a post called “How to Create Lead Magnets That Will Always Go Viral.”

See the relation between the two?

The post focuses on getting the audience to help promote a lead magnet (in other words, getting more for less).

And the CTA promises to teach actionable techniques that help promote a lead magnet without spending much (and by the way, it does deliver on the promise!)

OK Pawel, It All Looks Great. But How Do I Map CTAs to the Buying Cycle?

I’m glad you ask. And you’ll be surprised how simple it is.

Begin by considering what questions or challenges a person with different buying intent may have.

#1. Intent to Learn

Customers at the early stages of the buying journey, exhibiting what’s know as the “Intent to Learn,” typically do not know much about their problem. Therefore, they pose generic questions, trying to uncover more information about it.

For example, someone with an idea for an app might ask questions about a technology needed to build it. Or seek insight into costs associated with such a project.

They might also wonder how many people or skills they’d need to make their idea a reality.

Similarly, visitors with this intent, who may already have an app ready but need to promote it might be interested in topics revolving around most suitable marketing strategies for software companies. Or they may want to hear some success stories that could help them quickly assess which channel would help them reach the largest audience.

As a result, they’ll be more likely respond to content upgrades that offer a deeper insight into the process, rather than guidance on getting the actual production started.

intent to learn content upgrade

(image source)

#2. Intent to Compare

Visitors with this intent begin to consider their options. They want to evaluate companies or solutions they’ve selected.

As a result, they’ll be more interested in learning about other people’s successes with you, rather than gaining insight into the overall solution.

These visitors will respond best to case studies and other success stories. And for that reason, many companies already incorporate this content type into their blogging strategies. For example:

Drift case study

(original post)

But don’t stop at converting a case study into a blog post. Offer additional reference materials as content upgrades:

  • Bonus data-sheets,
  • Overviews of strategies used for that particular client,
  • A list of tools that have helped you deliver the results, and so on.

Visitors with the intent to compare will find these content upgrades highly-engaging and worth signing up. Particularly, if you offer them with a call to action that plays on the person’s curiosity to learn more about how you deliver results.

beacon list of tools

#3. Intent to Buy

I admit:

People who are ready to buy from you are the least likely to be interested in getting a content upgrade.

Then again, many of them might be seeking the final confirmation that your solution is the best to solve their problem.

And a content upgrade could help you inspire them to reach out for more information, ultimately, getting them into your sales funnel.

To better understand this, let’s go back to the example of a person with an app idea we talked about earlier. Imagine that they’ve moved further in their buying journey.

Let’s imagine that they already have a budget, have done their research, and are ready to get started.

But they still have some advanced questions they need answered. Like, for instance, which platform they should focus on first?

Writing an explanation, along with a cheat sheet or a comparison chart they could download, might attract them to your site, get them on your list, and put them in touch with your sales team.

(Note, that’s exactly what Benji Hyam discovered when promoting a development company. You can hear him talking at length about it here – listen at around 15-minute mark.)

Final Thoughts

Content upgrades can generate impressive, often double-digit conversion rates.

But to achieve such results, you need to make sure that your calls to action correspond to your potential customers’ pain points and needs.

Luckily, after reading this guide, you know how to achieve it by mapping calls to action to a specific stage of the buying cycle.

Want to see how you could get started with content upgrades to generate leads? Click here to learn how Beacon could help you create and launch them in minutes.