Cold email outreach is a powerful tool used by sales and marketing professionals for generating leads and building relationships. Yet, the effectiveness of a cold email is often dependent on one key element—the call to action (CTA). And many of us struggle to write an effective CTA that converts. A right CTA can be the difference between a customer clicking towards the desired action or discarding your email in the trash.
In this article, we’ll take you through a step-by-step guide to crafting compelling cold email CTAs that drive your audience to take action, ultimately, driving sales and growing your business.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Persuasive Cold Email CTA
1. Clearly Define the Purpose of the Email
Before you can think about writing a compelling CTA, you need to define the goal of your email. Simply put, you should have the answer to “What do you want your recipient to do after reading your email?”. Whether you’re aiming to schedule a meeting, request a demo, connect on LinkedIn, or simply initiate a conversation, you must align your CTA with your purpose.
For example, if your goal is to schedule a demo, your CTA must redirect your recipient towards booking a time on your calendar. If your goal is to connect on LinkedIn, your CTA might direct the reader to your LinkedIn profile.
2. Keep Your CTA Persuasive and Specific
A generic CTA like “Know More” or “Contact Us” won’t cut it in today’s cluttered inboxes. Here are a few examples of persuasive and specific CTAs:
- Invitation for a Call: Instead of saying things like “Let’s schedule a call,” you need to be more direct and offer specific time slots: “Can we get on a 15-minute call this Wednesday at 2 PM?” or “Schedule a free consultation only for this week to discuss your marketing goals.”
- Requesting a Testimonial or Review: If you’re seeking a review or testimonial, your CTA must lay down a clear process or value it creates: “Share your experience with our service. It takes less than 2 minutes.” Or, “Could you share your experience and help others discover the benefits of our product?”
- LinkedIn Connection Request: When requesting a connection, your recipient needs to know a reason to connect, or simply, why they should connect with you: “Let’s connect on LinkedIn to discuss or share opportunities in [a specific industry].”
3. Your CTA Should Not Be Too Much of a Request
A CTA should be a reasonable ask, again, it is just to guide your prospect to the next steps. So, avoid asking for too much; otherwise, you are at risk of losing the prospect’s interest.
For instance, if you are sending a cold email to a potential lead, don’t ask them to buy right away. Instead, try to schedule a call, a free trial, or discuss their needs further. The goal is to reduce friction, build trust, and make it easy for the recipient to say “yes.” They don’t like being sold!
How to Write a Persuasive Email CTA: Quick Tips
Your ideal cold email CTA is a blend of psychology, simplicity, and continuous testing. Here are the best CTA tips to get it right:
1. Keep It Short and Obvious
Your CTA should be clear, easy to read, and easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or complex language (it should be based on your target audience and brand language). Your CTA should make it easy for them to follow through to the next step.
For example, instead of saying something so complex like “Would you like to explore potential collaboration opportunities?” you could simply say, “Let’s discuss how we can collaborate.”
2. Don’t Be Pushy and Don’t Sound Salesy
No one likes to be sold to, and a hard sell can turn off potential leads, especially in a cold email. Instead, focus on being helpful and building rapport.
For example, saying something like “Check out our product” can feel pushy; replace it with “Discover how we can help you achieve [a specific result].”.
3. You Can Always Ask a Question
A question in the form of a CTA can encourage the recipient to engage. Questions naturally attract a response, making the conversation two-way and interactive. This approach places the focus on the recipient, showing that their thoughts and needs are being valued.
For instance, “What’s your biggest challenge with [specific topic]?” invites a dialogue, encouraging the recipient to share their pain points, which you can then address.
4. Testing, testing, and testing Various CTA Ideas
For a perfect sales pitch, – right audience, the right promise, and the right time are significant. What works for one prospect may not work for another. Thus, experiment with different CTAs to see what works best for your target audience. A/B testing is the way to identify the effective CTA. Pay attention to click-through rates, and conversion rates as well.
For example, you might test a different version of a CTA—a – Direct CTA like “Schedule a demo” vs. a softer CTA like “Learn more about our solutions”—to s see which brings more engagement, i.e., clicks.
Avoid these 5 Biggest Mistakes You’re Making in Your Sales Email CTAs
Even experienced marketers make common mistakes when crafting cold email CTAs. Here are five mistakes to avoid:
1. You Don’t Have a CTA
This is quite common to write an email without a clear CTA, and here you have missed an opportunity. Without the right direction to the next step, your reader is likely to do nothing at all.
2. You Have Too Many Different CTAs
Writing a cold email revolved around one key promise, starting from the subject to the CTA. But at times you present multiple CTAs, confusing the reader. Just keep it simple and focus on providing one primary CTA.
3. Your CTA Is Confusing or Unclear
It’s about language and intent. Avoid vague or generic language, and make your CTA easy to understand. The recipient should clearly know what the next step is, and it should align with the overall message of your email. Ambiguity is the enemy of action.
For example, one CTA calls out “Get Started,” and your competitor’s CTA says, “Start your free 14-day trial now.” Guess which one the reader will click?
4. Your CTA Is Too Hard of a Decision
Don’t ask for a commitment too soon. If your CTA is asking too much, it’s likely to be ignored. For cold emails, focus on a low-friction CTA.
For example, “Book a 30-minute consultation” might feel like too much for the first conversation, whereas “Check out our case study” is a kind of invitation.
8 High-Converting Email Call to Action Examples
Finally, let’s now look at some examples of effective CTA i.e., high converting CTAs, to nail your next cold email campaign:
- “Can we schedule a 10-minute call to discuss how we can help [specific goal]?”
- This CTA is simple, clear, and offers a specific time commitment.
- “Click here to see how we’ve helped companies like yours.”
- This CTA leverages social proof and curiosity to drive clicks.
- “Download our free eBook on [topic] to get started.”
- Offering a free resource is a low-friction way to engage prospects.
- “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing with [the problem]?”
- A question-based CTA encourages a reply and starts a conversation.
- “Let’s connect on LinkedIn and explore synergies.”
- This CTA is casual and focuses on networking, making it less intimidating.
- “Reply to this email if you’re interested in learning more.”
- This simple CTA lowers the barrier to engagement by asking for a quick reply.
- “Get your free trial of [product]—no credit card required.”
- A no-risk offer can be very appealing to recipients.
- “Check out our latest case study to see results.”
- A case study provides proof of value and encourages action.
Conclusion
Writing a high-converting cold email CTA is both an art and a science. Start by defining the purpose of your email, crafting a specific CTA aligning with your goal, and avoiding common mistakes. This way, you can significantly increase your chances of converting cold prospects into warm leads. By adhering to this guide and experimenting with different CTAs, you will be able to gradually improve your cold email outreach results.
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