The 3-Act Formula For Crafting An Effective Call-to-Action

When it comes to content marketing, the end of it all is to really have a strong and effective Call to Action (CTA). Whether that be a blog post, YouTube Video, Facebook Live video, emails or tweets, you need to have a compelling call at the end of it.

Your CTA is the last line in your content which should convince a target customer to take action and purchase your product or service! So if your CTA is a weak one, it cannot produce impressive results.

So what to do? That’s by weaving a narrative within your CTA using the Shakespearean formula! That’s the Introduction (Act 1), Rising Action (Act 2), and Climax (Act 3). If you think your copy is the only thing that needs to tell a story, then that’s wrong. A good CTA should tell a story in itself too!

Act 1: Introduction

This is the part where you introduce the place, characters, and other main elements of your story. This means that you have to set up the stage of your CTA at this point. Orient the audience about your topic and introduce yourself if necessary.

In a Shakespearean play like Macbeth for example, Act 1 is basically the part where the witches, Macbeth, Banquo, King Duncan, and his men are introduced into the story. Act 1 is also the part where the witches tell Macbeth that he’ll be King hereafter.

Act 2: Rising Action

This is the part where the plot thickens. Introduce intrigue, complications, and obstacles for the hero in your story. Like in Macbeth for example, this is the part where Macbeth and his wife decide to kill King Duncan to claim the throne for themselves.

But in crafting CTAs, this is the part where you have to add value and make your audience think about taking action or not. Act 2 should stimulate the senses and emotions of your audience, and make them think about taking the next step. Naturally, like what happened in Macbeth, this should be a turning point in your CTA.

Act 3: Climax

This is where the story peaks. This is also the last and most crucial step in creating a very effective CTA. The trick here is to create a sense of curiosity or anticipation to compel your audience to take action or proceed to the next step.

Using Macbeth as an example, this is the part where Macbeth (now King) has to deal with the consequences of his act. What will happen to him in the end? Readers or audiences of the play will know later on if they continue reading or watching.

It’s just like watching your favorite show – when the episode ends with a cliffhanger, you would like to go watch the next episode, right? In CTA’s however, you want a sort of cliffhanger to convince a customer to click on a link or purchase the product.

Shakespeare still has Acts 4 and 5, but for the purpose of crafting a CTA, stopping at Act 3 is the best formula. You have to leave your audience wanting to seek or know more. You have to compel them to take the next step in order to complete the “story” or acts.

In a way, that’s what is called the Zeigarnik effect. This psychological phenomenon happens when your brain feels like it should complete a certain task – including the completion of stories and narratives.

Many stories are banking on this psychological human nature. Shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead have employed cliffhangers on most of its episodes to build up anticipation (and sometimes dread) among their audiences.

If you are creating a copy about achieving good and clear skin, then your CTA should go like this:

“Okay, so now you’ve learned how to take good care of your skin whenever you go outside, and you’ve learned how sunscreen should be an integral part of your daily routine because of its skin protection and anti-aging properties.

But if you want to learn a step-by-step guide in creating a morning and evening skincare routine that can clear up your skin, remove blemishes, acne and blackheads, then you have to take the next step to learn more.

Click the link below to read a complete skincare routine guide on my blog!”

Notice how you have given your audience some value already by telling them about the importance of daily sunscreen. But at the same time, you also gave them more reason to go all out and learn more from your blog!

You don’t even have to be pushy or employ in-your-face selling strategies, you just have to show some value and make your information scarce until they have to get it from your own platforms.

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