5 Call to Action Formulas That Will Make People Download Your eBook

I’m sure you’ll agree with me on this:

Writing call to action buttons is WAY harder than it seems.

In fact, I’d say that putting together those couple of words intended to compel a person to act could be the hardest part of lead magnet promotion.

After all, you could use your lead magnet’s title as the headline and use subheading or chapter titles as benefits.

But you can’t reuse anything for the call to action trigger. Or write a generic one at that.

(Well, at least not if you want it to compel visitors to act, of course…)

These people are already too knowledgeable to respond to generic buttons like “Sign up to download the eBook,” “Free Download” or “Sign Up.”

To convince them to act, you need to make a compelling case for them to do so.

So if you’re struggling with writing calls to actions that aren’t generic, then this post is for you.

I’m going to show you 5 call to action formulas guaranteed to make people download your lead magnet.

But first…

What Really Makes People to Click

Before I show you the formulas, let’s discuss what exactly makes people click on a call to action button.

And to do that, we need to analyze how different call to action elements, the headline, benefits, and CTA button work together:

#1. Headline

A good headline should achieve four things:

• Define your target audience.
• Attract qualified visitors to your call to action.
• Make a promise about the benefits of downloading the lead magnet.
• And finally, give a person a compelling reason to read the rest of the call to action.

#2. Benefits

The headline tells visitors WHAT you offer. Benefits explain WHY they should get it. They tell a visitor what’s in it for them, and what they’ll gain from downloading your lead magnet.

#3. Call to Action Button or Trigger

And finally, the call to action button tells visitors HOW to act on the offer and compels them to take that action.

But although it’s the shortest element of the entire call to action, the CTA trigger button has the biggest impact on your conversion.

Just think about it:

The other two elements work to attract and convince visitors to your lead magnet. But it’s the CTA button that actually compels them to act.

And therefore, to achieve it, it has to do more than just telling them what to do.

So, what specifically makes people click on call to action buttons?

Three factors turn a bland call to action into an irresistible offer:

• Urgency
• Relevancy
• Personal Connection

And before we see how to use them in practice, let’s briefly go through each three:

Urgency

Urgency is an old sales technique that aims to change a person’s attitude towards an action (in this case, making a purchase). It suspends a buyer’s natural procrastination and motivates them to act right away.

Many companies use urgency to make buyers suspend their judgment and start acting on impulse. Here’s an example from Zappos. Note the stock notification that clearly communicates the need to buy now, if you don’t want to miss out on a product.

Amazon evokes urgency by applying time-limit to some of the deals:

In both cases, these companies aim achieve to the same goal – compelling a person to act now.

How to add urgency to a call to action button?

To do it, use any phrase that suggests that the action must take place now, for example:

• Urgent,
• Now,
• Today,
• Right Away
• Straight Into Your Inbox

Relevancy

Relevancy means that the call to action button is related to the headline. Remember the role a headline plays in conversions? It attracts visitors and makes a promise.

Your call to action should be relevant to that promise, communicating what a person needs do to avail of it.

How to add relevancy to a call to action button?

It’s actually quite simple, mirror the headline. If you offer an eBook that solves a particular issue, reference that in the headline. Use active verbs coupled with reference to the headline.

Personal Connection

Finally, your CTA button should also create a Personal Connection with your offer, which in turn will make it irresistible for them to act on it.

You can build that personal connection by presenting the action in terms of the person.

How to create a personal connection with a call to action button?

Write a first-person oriented call to action. Use words like “I,” “me,” “mine,” coupled with an active verb. For example:

• “Send me my eBook”
• “Give Me Access Now”

So that’s the theory…

Now, let’s take a look at the specific call to action formulas that use those three factors to convert visitors into subscribers.

Formula #1. Download/Grab/Get Your [LEAD MAGNET] Now

Although simple, this formula can really pack a punch and works well even if you don’t have much space for a button on your CTA.

This formula focuses on a direct action and works particularly well with headlines that mention the lead magnet directly, for instance:

It also builds a connection by including the most popular word in advertising: YOU.

What’s the significance of “You”?

Here’s a funny fact. We interpret the word You as a substitute for our name. And what goes with it, we develop a connection with anyone we hear referring to us this way.

Formula #2. Send Me the [LEAD MAGNET] Now

This powerful formula puts the visitor in the center of the decision-making process, immediately creating a personal connection with them with the word “me.”

The word “Now” coupled with the action verb makes the person feel in command, putting them in the position of the authority.

Formula #3. Learn/Discover/Achieve/Get Started Achieving/Experience [LEAD MAGNET BENEFIT] Today

Another way to convince someone to act is by reinforcing the benefits they’ll get from downloading a lead magnet.

Note the word “Today.” Apart from communicating urgency, it also promises a quick solution to whatever problem your lead magnet helps to overcome.

For example:

• “Experience Less Pain Today”
• “Discover Dublin’s Finest Pubs Today”
• “Learn 5 Tricks to Eliminate Lower Back Pain Today”

Formula #4. Reduce/Eliminate [PROBLEM] Today

All the formulas we discussed so far focused on promising a specific benefit. But you could also entice a person to act on your call to action by highlighting the problem you’re going to solve.

Use this formula with urgency evoking words like “Now” or “Today,” to create a button anyone experiencing the problem will find irresistible to click.

For example:

• “Reduce Back Pain Now”
• “Reduce Your Stress Today”
• “Eliminate Distractions Now”

Formula #5. Become [Adjective] [BENEFIT]

Finally, compel someone to take action by showing them what’s going to happen when they download your lead magnet.

But do it in an unconventional way:

Instead of focusing on the benefit or a problem, focus on whom they’re going to become after reading your eBook.

For example:

• “Become a Better Writer”
• “Become More Productive”