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Blogging 101: How to Write a Clear Call to Action · The Daily Writer

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: There is a particular sin that we writers are fond of, and that is the sin of creating content for its own sake.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I've been guilty of this, and maybe you have too.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And today on this episode, we're going to talk about how to avoid that sin by creating a clear and compelling call to action in whatever kind of content that you're creating.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for joining me on this episode of the Smart Business Writing Podcast.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm a ghostwriter and professor of communications.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is the show that helps you write amazing content so you can save time, stand out from the competition, and get more leads that turn into customers or clients.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what I see happen most of the time in a blog post, a lesson, a sermon, article, book chapter, or whatever it is.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: There's good content and it's organized well, and maybe there's some good stories or even a great writing style.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Overall, it's really enjoyable.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: But when I get to the end, the writer doesn't ask me to do anything.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: It just sort of ends.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, why would I call this a sin?
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Why is it bad to just have good content without asking the reader to do anything?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the reason goes back to the whole purpose of writing content in the first place, which is to help the reader achieve some sort of goal or to solve some kind of problem.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, of course, there's many types of content and many types of situations where a reader's consuming content, so it's hard to make an overall blanket statement about all this.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: But overall, in general, we're talking about nonfiction content that's not narrative-based.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: For example, we're not talking about like a journalistic type of an article that is talking about a linear sequence of events.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's telling a story about a subject or an issue or something like that.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: We're not talking about that kind of stuff.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're talking about things like lessons and sermons, blog posts, that kind of stuff.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: So remember that content does not exist for its own sake.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's there for the purpose of taking the reader on a journey that helps them to do something.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why a call to action is so important in any type of writing like this.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's like you're giving people the information, but you're not asking them to do anything with it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it's almost kind of a self-defeating thing if we don't have some type of call to action at the end.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dig into this a little bit.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: A call to action is more than just a conclusion at the end.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: It is literally a call, or you might say a beckoning or an invitation for the reader to take some type of action.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, all nonfiction writing should be about inspiring some kind of action within the reader.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now, that could be something like signing up for an email list, buying a product, uh, getting on a sales call, making some kind of change in their life, watching a video, or whatever the next step in that journey with you is.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's totally going to vary depending on what content you're writing and who your audience is and what you want them to do and so forth.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: But on the whole, business writing is ultimately pointless unless it somehow prompts the reader to action.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And many times we create articles or books or blog posts that contain lots of information, but they don't ultimately compel the reader to take action.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to do that for the reader.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: We have to ask them to do something specific because they're probably not going to do it on their own.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: We have to take them by the hand and lead them somewhere.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not insulting at all.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's not a thing where we feel like, oh, the reader just isn't that intelligent.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: We've got to sort of be very specific and show them the way.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: The fact of the matter is that we're all naive sometimes.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're all naive most of the time, in fact.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: We all want to be led.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: We all want that writer to take us by the hand and show us something special.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: We want them to show us the way.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: We want them to show us the next thing that we need to do to achieve that success in our life, whatever that might be.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: So before you sit down to actually write the content, think in advance what you want the reader's action to be.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is kind of reverse engineering the call to action.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: So begin with the call to action and then write toward that.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Don't just guess what you want that action to be.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Think intelligently and purposefully about it so that you're leading the reader on a journey.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: That blog post, that podcast, that book chapter, or that article, that's just one part of the overall journey you want the reader to take with you.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: So whatever you're writing about, think about what the next logical steps for that reader or that listener should be.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes when it comes to the call to action, we shrink back and we're too timid.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: But again, ultimately we're here to serve people.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've talked about this many times in this podcast.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: We're doing this so we can improve people's lives and so we can make things better for them.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be shy in asking for a response from them.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: For example, if you have something cool for them as a gift for signing up to your email list, invite them boldly.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Don't shrink back.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Don't get um don't uh don't get shy about it.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Ask boldly uh because you know that what you have is going to serve them well.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna help them in some way.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: So again, here's the secret: people want to be led.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: They really, really want to be led.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: They want you to take them on a journey.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: They want somebody to give them clear guidance on what their next steps should be.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, whatever your call to action is, be bold and be clear and be decisive.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: For example, at the end of each podcast episode, I ask you to check out my website where I have more resources.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now, pretty soon I'm gonna have a different call to action on the new version of this podcast because I'll have a different lead magnet that I'll be giving you in exchange for your email address.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Other calls to action might be uh leaving a review for the podcast on iTunes.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: It might be going to a specific URL, checking out my course, or whatever it might be.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: So there you have it.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is the last episode in the blogging 101 series.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that this episode on call to actions has been helpful, but I also hope that this whole series has been helpful.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: I really hope that you've taken away some great practical tips for improving your blogging and your overall writing, whatever kind of writing it is that you do.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for listening.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: This has been a blast, and I'm gonna wrap up this episode here in just a second.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: You can find lots more resources for writers at KentSanders.net, and that is my call to action for this episode, of course.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that your writing has the power to change people's lives.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you in the next episode.