19 - Call to Action
One of the most important parts of advertising is the “call to action” — the invitation to do something. At the same time, it’s also one of the most difficult parts for me personally. Ads that include a call to action are much more effective than those without. If you look up “call to action,” you’ll quickly find plenty of articles on the topic.
Such a call might be asking the reader or viewer to subscribe to a newsletter, like a post, follow a page, buy a product, or simply join a discussion. It’s an invitation to participate or a request for support. Someone who might not have thought about supporting a product or who doesn’t yet feel part of the community gets a little nudge and reminder. Above all, it clearly highlights the action you want them to take.
The calls to action I mentioned are very different from one another, and they trigger very different reactions in me. I want to create a great game. With advertising, I want to draw attention to it and build excitement. I want to spark interest, but I don’t want to tell anyone what to do. I’d like people to take action because they genuinely like my product. But it doesn’t feel good to ask a stranger for support.
It’s a good thing I’m already writing posts before the big advertising push, because calls to action are genuinely hard for me, and I need to learn how to do them. For example, I’ve gotten used to asking questions in my posts to invite people to participate. That actually feels completely fine and fitting, though it still takes some getting used to. It’s probably easier because I’m not really asking for support yet. It’s a request to do something, but it doesn’t require any real commitment — like signing up for a newsletter or spending money.
When I start asking for more support, everyone can still decide for themselves whether they want to give it or not. But I’m putting someone in a position where they might have to say no, and that can be uncomfortable for some people. That’s probably why it’s so hard for me. We’re used to saying no to ads by now, but you still don’t want to be perceived as “advertising.” You don’t want to come across like a big corporation trying to push products on people just to make money. But I do need support, and it is okay to ask for it. A project like this simply can’t be done alone in a meaningful way. And honestly, I’m not asking for anything huge — and thanks to anonymity, it shouldn’t be difficult for anyone to say no. I need to remind myself of that more often. Depending on your moral compass, advertising can be quite tricky.
