WHY WE CLICK

THE SIMPLE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND

A GREAT CALL TO ACTION

EMMA PRESENTS
1
PICK
THE
RIGHT
COLOR.
There’s no magic color that conver ts bet ter than others
(sadly, not even periwinkle), so pick one that contrasts
(think orange on blue) or promotes a cer tain feeling.

85% of people say color is the

main reason they buy a product.

02
 1 2 3

4 5

1 4
ORANGE BLUE
Encourage immediate action. Build trust and security.
Consider orange if you want people to sign I t ’s t h e m o s t p o p u l a r f a v o r i t e c o l o r i n t h e
up, buy or join right away. It’s also the color most world and is the choice for brands who want
associated with cheap or inexpensive things. t heir cus tomer s to feel safe and secure.

2 5
RED GREEN
Increase energy and a sense Promote growth and
of urgency. relaxation.
Tr y re d i f yo u’re r u n n i n g a s a l e, a l i m i te d - We all know green means go, which is pretty
time offer or selling tickets to an event that ’s handy when it comes to CTAs. It’s also easiest
close to selling out . for the eyes to process, so it’s of ten used to
rela x t he mind.

3
YELLOW
Get attention and create low-
level anxiety.
Yellow both promotes positive feelings and
causes just enough anxiet y to move people
to action without stopping them in their tracks.

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2
WRITE
THE MOST
CLICKABLE
COPY.
The w hole p oin t of a C TA is to move someone to t ake
action right away, so write copy that’s irresistible to click.

One recent study found a 90%

better conversion rate using 1st person.

04
 USE ACTIVE VERBS
Try words like “Download,” “Get,”
“Start,” and “Conf lagrate.”
(Ok, maybe not that last one.)
Passive words create computer couch potatoes.
Lead with an active verb to get them up and clicking.

BE SPECIFIC
“Download the guide” is better
than “Click here.”
H e l p yo u r a u d i e n ce u n d e r s t a n d exa c t l y w h a t yo u
want them to do and what will happen when they click.

KEEP IT SHORT
There’s not a lot of space, so don’t
cram in a lot of words.
T h e C TA s h o u l d n’ t re q u i re C l i f f ’s N o te s . I t n e e d s
to be easil y read and under s tood at a glance.

TRY USING 1 ST PERSON

“Start my free trial” conver ts
better than “Start your free trial.”
This is an eas y A / B tes t to t r y w i t h your audience
to see w het her 1 s t or 2nd p er son work s bes t .

CREATE URGENCY
Simply adding “Now” to your
button can boost conversions.
M a ke i t c l e a r w i t h t h e c o p y t h a t y o u r o f f e r w o n’ t
b e around forever and watch click rates soar.

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3
FIND THE
BEST
SHAPE
AND SIZE.
Rec t angular bu t tons are by f ar t he mos t p op ular, bu t
don’t be afraid to test other shapes and sizes if they’ll
f it your design.

Apple recommends a button size of at least

44 x44 px.
06
 ROUND Round the corners of rectangular
buttons. Our brains seek to avoid
pointy corners.

BIG Bigger is better. It should stand

out, but not be so obnoxious that it
ruins your design.

TAPPABLE Make sure it’s large enough to be

easily tappable on mobile phones.

TESTED Test out a circular button. It just

looks like it’s begging to be
pushed.

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4
MAKE IT
THE STAR
OF THE
SHOW.
The C TA bu t ton shoul dn’ t comp ete w i t h ot her bu t tons
or content. It should be clear at a glance what you
want visitors to do.

Eye-tracking studies show we’ll follow images of faces

and look where they’re looking .

08
 Choose images of people looking
in the direction of your CTA.

APPLY NOW

Place it above the fold. Visitors spend almost

80% of their time there.
This ensures your audience w ill see i t even if t hey ’re jus t scanning
your email or page. Plus, you’ll catch t hose folk s w ho are read y to
act right away without forcing them to sift through content to get there.

Place it in the most logical place on the

page where people will expect to see it.

Surround it with white space

to make it stand out.
APPLY G i v e y o u r C TA p l e n t y o f r o o m t o m a ke
it pop, but not so much space that it
NOW doesn’t feel a par t of the overall design.
It should at trac t the eye, not look lost in
t he deser t .

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5
TEST IT.
AND THEN
TEST IT
AGAIN.
Disclaimer alert! All of these tips are just recommendations.
Ever y audience is dif ferent , so you’ll have to tes t out
different colors, copy, shapes and placement to f ind the
r i g h t b u t to n co m b i n a t i o n t h a t s e n d s yo u r co n ve r s i o n
rate soaring. After all, A/B tests can improve conversion
rates by as much as 49%!

Sources:
Kissmetrics, Paulolyslager, Wordstream, Wingify, Content Verve, Direct Marketing Association

10
 You can also test different copy
and images around your CTA.

Choose images of people looking

in the direction of your CTA. GET STARTED NOW

APPLY NOW

Place it above the fold. Visitors spend almost

80% of their time there.
Place it above the fold. Visitors spend almost your audience w ill see i t even if t hey ’re jus t scanning
This ensures
80% of their time there.
T h i s e n s u re s yo u r a u d i e n ce w i l l s e e i t eve n i f t hyour
ey ’re j u email
s t s c a n n i nor
g page. Plus, you’ll catch t hose folk s w ho are read y to
yo u r e m a i l o r p a g e. P l u s , yo u’l l c a tc h t h o s e fo l kact
s w h right
o a re reawaya d y to without forcing them to sift through content to get there.
ac t right away without forcing them to sif t through content to get there.

Place it in the most logical place on the

page where people will expect to see it.
Place it in the most logical place on the
page where people will expect to see it.
Surround it with white
space to make it stand out.
APPLY G i v e y o u r C TA p l e n t y o f r o o m t o m a k e
it pop, but not so much space that it
NOW doesn’ t feel a par t of t he overall design.
I t should at t rac t t he eye, not look los t
in the deser t.
Surround it with white space to
make it stand out.
APPLY G i v e y o u r C TA p l e n t y o f r o o m t o m a k e i t
NOW p o p , b u t n o t s o m u c h s p a c e t h a t i t doesn’t
fe e l a p a r t o f t h e ove r a l l d e s i g n . I t s h o u l d
at trac t the eye, not look lost in t he deser t .

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EMAIL MARKETING FOR THE
MODERN BRAND

12
 THE EMMA ELEVATOR PITCH
Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish
email newsletters, promotions and automated campaigns.
But if you asked any one of us what Emma’s all about, we’d
say something like this:

We think there’s a better way to provide

marketers with the tools they need to be
successful.

So we built Emma’s sof tware with a focus

on ease and simplicity,

And we backed it with a team of helpful

people who are passionate about really
great marketing.

We believe in a good fit, so our software and

services scale to teams and lists of all sizes,

And we love clarity, like easy-to-understand

repor ts and insights that connect the dots
for you

Because advanced marketing doesn’t have

to be complex,

And neither should f inding a real person to

talk to about your marketing challenges.

So let’s talk.
Also, what f loor do you need?

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