Are you ready to increase your sales? Follow these tips on your call to action to turn browsers into buyers.
You’ve always thought of a blurb as a short description of your book. So what’s up with that call to action people are advising you to add on? Isn’t all that work building stakes and writing snappy headlines enough?
The short answer is no. Here’s why.
What Is a Call to Action, Anyway?
A call to action is a simple sentence. It can be as straightforward as saying “buy this now,” although it often benefits from a bit more pizzazz. What it shouldn’t be is questioning or hesitant.
It goes at the very end of the blurb text so that it’s the last thing people are thinking about. Once you’ve dipped a toe into advertising and marketing circles, you’ll probably see the concept abbreviated as CTA.
Why Do I Need a Call to Action?
This is a common question. After all, why would browsers be reading your book page if they weren’t interested in buying? But marketing statistics have proven time and again that calls to action provide an incredible boost to conversion rates.
The reader may have loved your blurb, been intrigued by the characters, and still drift away. A call to action provides a concrete link to the final step of purchasing your book. It’s the difference between saying “stop by anytime” and “come for dinner on Friday at 7.”
While the first sounds friendly enough, we all know that the second is more functional. Humans like clear steps with clear results. And adding one more simple sentence to the end of your blurb might be all it takes to push them into clicking that “buy now” button.
How Do I Write a Good CTA?
A well-constructed call to action has three main components. The action the reader needs to take, what they’ll get from it, and when they should perform the action. In the case of books, the action you want them to take is buying. And you want them to do it now, today.
Good advertising uses basic writing tricks to stick in people’s heads. Alliteration and word play work really well in calls to action. In cozy mysteries, look for a pun that fits with the plot. For nonfiction, try spelling out the practical reward the reader will receive.
Here are a few example CTAs for classic works of literature:
- Buy The Great Gatsby to enjoy a devastating decadence today!
- Buy Roget’s Thesaurus to sharpen your vocabulary today!
- Buy The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to twist the truth today!
And here’s one final example summing up what this post has been about:
Go write a call to action to turn browsers into buyers today!
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