Need a swipe file of effective call to action phrases that boost response rates and conversions?
This post gives you exactly that, with over 55 such phrases available for you to swipe and deploy.
Each one comes with an illustration of the phrase in action, either from a website, from an email or posted on social media.
They’re provided in alphabetical order for your convenience.
The Full List: Effective Call to Action Phrases to Swipe and Deploy
1. Act Now Before It’s Too Late
This example is from an email sent by Al Sears, MD, who sends out information and sales messages related to anti-aging.
2. Add to Cart/Basket
You’ll see this call to action phrase in action on most ecommerce sites, simply because it’s effective at encouraging visitors to make purchases.
Note that while Add to Cart is used more commonly internationally, the Add to Basket variation is more effective in the United Kingdom and a few other countries where the population is generally more accustomed to ‘Basket’ rather than ‘Cart’ in relation to shopping.
Here’s the Add to Cart version in use on Amazon:
And the Add to Basket variation on their UK website:
Similarly, here are the respective buttons on Ebay:
3. Add to Wishlist
Most ecommerce sites operate wishlist-type functionality, where prospective buyers can effectively bookmark products they might wish to purchase in future.
Here’s an example from a hardware shopping site, ABM Tools:
Variations:
- Add to list—for example, this is what Amazon now uses for their wishlists, as shown here:
4. Apply Now
This call to action phrase is usually used in relation to recruitment sites, or in order to pre-qualify prospective purchasers.
Here’s an example from a recruitment ad on Facebook:
5. Book Now
An effective call to action phrase that’s often used in relation to travel and vacations, relaying a certain sense of urgency.
The following is an example of a flight ad running on Google:
6. Buy Now
Again relaying a sense of urgency, this call to action phrase is often used on sites where customers are purchasing a single item, rather than say browsing and adding multiple items into a cart (or basket) for later purchase.
Alongside the Add to Cart (or Basket) call to action, Amazon also often display a Buy Now button:
7. Buy X
Specifying what the customer is about to buy, this CTA phrase is best suited to sites that only sell a specific type of item, such as Skiddle which sells tickets for events:
8. Call Now
This example is from Norwegian Cruise Line, using the ‘Call Now’ phrase alongside their phone number in the top navigation bar, encouraging prospective customers to get in touch.
9. Claim Free Shipping Now
The offer of free shipping is used on many sites to encourage visitors to make a purchase, or to make their order large enough in order to qualify.
The use of the word Claim in this particular phrase implies that it’s already there ready and waiting. The customer simply needs to go and ‘claim’ it, which acts as a powerful psychological draw.
And once again, use of the word Now in the call to action implies a sense of urgency—if we don’t act right away, we might lose what we could have claimed for free.
Here’s an example of the phrase in action, as used by Disney in an ad on a coupons website.
Variations:
- Get Free Shipping
10. Click Here
Click here is a fairly ubiquitous call to action phrase used across the web to encourage users to click a particular link.
The following example is from an email sent by marketer Mike Koenigs, inviting recipients to ‘click here’ to watch a YouTube video:
11. Contact Us
Another ubiquitous but effective call to action phrase we see everywhere—so much so, we probably don’t even notice it is a CTA!
(In contrast, a phrase like Contact Information would be less effective as it doesn’t call on anyone to do anything).
Sure enough, Contact Us encourages us to get in touch with the website in question.
Indeed, here it is in action on the everywheremarketer.com website:
12. Continue
This one at face value seems fairly innocuous.
But it’s one that slips under the radar, and is highly effective at getting us to continue with a particular process, while pre-warning us that there will be a further step (or steps) to complete the action.
It’s commonly seen in action as part of a sign up process, such as on social media platforms. Here’s an example from Pinterest
Variations:
- Continue with Facebook/Google etc.
13. Donate Now
Used on charitable websites, Donate Now is an effective call to action phrase that’s very clear on what action we are supposed to take.
This example is from Make-A-Wish International:
14. Don’t Miss Out
This CTA plays to our fear of missing out on something (FOMO).
We may not even realize we want something—but the threat that we might miss out on getting it can tip us into action!
The following example is from an email sent by marketer and podcast expert, Steve Olsher, where the ‘don’t miss out’ CTA is incorporated into one of the links:
15. Download
This call to action is very simple and says exactly what we’re expected to do.
The phrase is available as one of the button text choices for Facebook ads. In the following example, it’s also used in the ad headline too.
Variations:
- Download Now—the addition of Now can increase the effectiveness of the CTA by introducing urgency. The following example shows an offer of a lead magnet by HubSpot:
16. Enjoy Massive Savings
We all love to get a great deal, and save money on what we might have ordinarily paid to get something.
This call to action phrase reminds us of the enjoyment we get out of saving, further reinforced by stating the savings will be ‘massive’.
Here’s an example seen on Facebook, posted by a car dealership based in Singapore:
17. Find Out More
This call to action phrase is effective when used alongside some otherwise relatively brief information.
If we’re interested, we know exactly what to do to find out more.
The following example is from Los Angeles Bus Tours, encouraging visitors to explore further and get all the information they need:
18. Get Directions
A great call to action for venues like hotels, convention centers, theme parks and so on.
Knowing exactly how to find a particular venue builds trust and credibility, and builds a sense of safety and security when making a purchase.
This example comes from Jamberoo Action Park in NSW, Australia:
19. Get Offer
As in Get Directions above, Get Offer here, and other Get… related CTAs below, the word Get can prove highly effective at almost commanding someone to take action.
Here’s an example for Get Offer. The global music streaming platform, TIDAL, uses it to convert visitors into customers:
Variations:
- Claim my exclusive offer
- Get deal
- Get my discount
20. Get Quote
Ideal for service-based businesses, such as home-related services and construction companies, Get Quote is another highly effective call to action phrase that tips visitors into taking the required action.
Here’s an example from a roofing company in Houston, Texas:
21. Get Tickets Now
A powerful call to action used for events, such as in the example used here from London’s West End Theatre. The addition of Now adds urgency—in other words, get tickets now while they’re still available:
22. Get Started
Just beginning something is a micro commitment that often leads to further action, even if we don’t quite understand how it all works yet.
It’s an effective CTA often used in relation to software, such as by Pulumi here:
Variations:
- Click Here to Get Started
23. Get Your Free X
Using Get and Free together in a single call to action is always going to be a winner, pulling us into the copy and compelling us to take action.
Here’s an example from a Facebook ad:
24. Grab the X
Grab is an alternative to Get, implying getting something we wouldn’t normally be allowed to have but ‘take the opportunity while you can’.
In this example, it’s being used by Dr Joe Vitale in an email related to a live workshop:
25. Hurry
Pure urgency.
If we’re told to hurry, we immediately know something will soon be gone and therefore need to act now.
For that reason, the simple addition of Hurry can boost conversions.
Here it is in action for a flash sale:
Variations:
- Don’t Delay
26. Install Now
We’re told to install (some software) and to do it now—again, simple but effective.
TomTom are using it here for their Sports app:
27. Join
We all like to feel part of something, and the call to action phrase join is effective at encouraging us to become part of (usually) a pre-existing community.
Mountaineering Scotland use it multiple times on the same page to encourage the visitor to take the required action:
28. Join X Other…
Similar to the one above, but this time adding social proof.
There’s a sense of security in knowing that others have taken the same action successfully before us.
It also of course gives the site in question authority and credibility, further boosting conversions.
Picfair use it here to encourage visitors to join their existing 400,000 photographers in selling photos to the site:
Variations:
- Join X Fellow X
29. Keep Me Updated
A relatively gentle but effective call to action phrase that simply offers to keep the visitor updated with information they are interested in.
Here’s an example of this call to action from Mazda.
The button is shown beneath a form on which visitors can select the vehicle(s) they’re interested in, enter their contact information and click the button.
- Get the latest updates
30. Learn More
The Learn More call to action phrase is one of the most effective choices when used within Facebook ads.
It enables those interested to simply get more information without implying any kind of commitment.
Of course, it’s used elsewhere too—here’s an example from Rotary International’s website
Variations:
- Learn the secrets of X
- Discover X
31. Listen Now
Perfect for when our goal is for someone to listen to some audio.
Here’s an example of a website using the call to action in the SERPs, by simply including it in the web page’s title, thereby encouraging click-throughs from the organic listings:
32. Make an Appointment
For many businesses, customers will need to make an appointment.
This CTA phrase tells them to do exactly that.
This example is from the Smiles Dentistry clinic in Toronto. Note that they are using the Make an Appointment wording both in the headline on the page and in the button.
Variations:
- Schedule an appointment
- Schedule meeting
- Book your appointment—for example, here’s an example from a kitchen ecommerce website:
33. No Strings Attached
This phrase is often used to help convert a prospect into making an initial micro commitment by indicating there’s no obligation involved.
Here it’s used by a web agency to offer a free initial consultation:
Variations:
- No obligation
34. Nothing to Lose
The phrase nothing to lose is similar to zero risk, with the wording designed to assure us that nothing can go wrong and we won’t be left feeling foolish. In the following example it’s used on an ecommerce website:
Variations: Zero risk
35. Only X Left
Scarcity is highly effective at getting someone to take action. The fear of missing out (FOMO) on something is a big driver.
The following store uses the phrase in the main headline on the page, with various items listed as about to imminently run out:
36. Order Now
Of course, we’re all familiar with the Order Now call to action phrase—we see it everywhere because it works!
Here’s an example of the phrase in action from Pizza Express:
37. Our Work
It’s easy to overlook this as a call to action phrase, but it’s an effective one for anyone with viewable deliverables, such as web design agencies like in the example below.
It subtly calls on prospects to view the work a business has done previously, building trust and credibility and moving the prospect towards a sale.
Variations:
- Our Portfolio
- What We Do
38. Play Game
There’s no mistaking what this call to action phrase is asking us to do—here it is in action by Lego®:
39. Redeem My Voucher
For businesses providing vouchers, customers need to know how to redeem it. This call to action makes it very clear how to do so.
Here’s an example, as used by a life saving course provider in Sydney, Australia.
40. Register
Very common for upcoming events where the goal is to get a prospect to register.
The following example is from the Traffic and Conversion Summit, helping to convert prospects into attendees:
41. Rush Me X
Prospects are no longer happy to wait more than a day or two for delivery—use of language like this assures them it will be on the way rapidly.
This example is from a homeschooling ecommerce website:
42. Search
Many websites incorporate search facilities to help prospects find what they need. What could be more effective than the simple CTA, Search?
Often the word itself is not even shown, as we’ve all now been trained to equate the magnifying glass icon with a search facility.
Here’s an example of both the word and the icon from recruitment site, ZipJob:
43. Shop Now
Rather than Buy Now, inviting us to buy a specific item, that phrase Shop Now has less commitment attached and simply invites us to browse.
Here’s an example from the Art Effect ecommerce site based in Chicago:
44. Sign Up
A very common and highly effective call to action phrase, particularly for software platforms where we need to input our details to get a login.
Here it is in action by Pinterest
There are various extensions to the CTA, such as:
- Sign up below to X
- Sign up for free
- Sign up to X—here are a couple of examples from Uber:
45. Start Free Trial
A free trial is common amongst software as a service offerings and other paid subscription services.
Here’s an example from Dropbox:
Variations:
- Claim Your Free Trial
- Get Started for Free
- Join Free for a Month
46. Start X With X
The format of this call to action phrase is usually along the lines of Start [desired outcome] with [brand or business name], such as illustrated here by Weight Watchers:
47. Strictly Limited
As with other scarcity-related CTA phrases, like Only X left shown above, this makes it clear we need to act quickly in order to take advantage.
Here’s an example, as used by ecommerce site, Holzkern.
Variations:
- Limited time offer
48. Subscribe
Of course, we see this everywhere, from opt-in offers to YouTube channels—another ubiquitous, highly effective CTA.
49. Try Now
Similar to Start Free Trial above, this CTA invites us to simply give it a try without needing to commit. The reduction of risk helps move prospects along the customer journey.
It’s used here by Construct:
Variations:
- Give X a try
- Try for free
- Try it now
50. Unlock Exclusive Benefits
Most of us like the idea of something being exclusive, and the ability to unlock it makes it sound both accessible and enticing—something locked away, but that we can access.
This example is from a website that offers support to ecommerce sites:
51. Visit Website
A simple but clear and effective call to action that invites us to click on a link or button in order to visit a particular site.
This example is from the top of an email sent by Vistaprint:
52. Watch More
If we only see a clip of something, many of us will want to watch more of it if we can.
Here’s an example of the call to action in use on Twitter:
53. Watch Now
Similarly, for videos and TV shows, the Watch Now call to action calls on us to watch it, right now, commanding us to click on the link or button.
This example is from abc.com:
54. While Stocks Last
Like some others above, this is another scarcity-related call to action.
It’s used here by Terry Toast, an ecommerce store based in Vancouver, Canada.
55. X Months Free
Similar to trialing something for free, this CTA makes it clear how long the trial will last.
And with most trials lasting somewhere between 7 days and a month, a whole three months for free is an appealing offer for many prospects.
The following example is from Spotify:
56. Yes! Send Me X
It’s always worth at least testing—adding Yes! to a call to action phrase like this can boost conversions significantly.
And Send Me… doesn’t as much tell us to do something, as empowers us to command someone else to send us something we need or desire.
This example is from Virgin Plus, where they’ve used it next to a checkbox.
Variations:
- Send Me X Now!
To Conclude
So that’s over 55 effective call to action phrases that help convert prospects into customers, available for you to simply swipe and deploy.
(Obviously don’t copy other text from the examples directly—keep it legal and ethical!)
Make sure you keep this list to hand so you can easily refer back to it whenever you need some powerful copy for your website, email marketing or for posting on social media.
