The 3 Best Strategies for Using CTA in Social Media Posts

As with every good social media post, the author is surely putting a Call To Action (CTA), right? Yes and no, but we have to be smart and sly about it these days. We see it on Instagram everyday. “Like, share, save, comment, use this or that emoji..” etc. Instagram even came out and recently said don’t “hack engagement” or they won’t push it out as much. So what are the best strategies to using CTAs in social media without being pushy?

Provide Value First and Foremost

People are following you for a reason. Whatever that reason is, it is important to remember to give your followers something they value first to get them to want to give back to you in the ways of a CTA. When you post meaningful content, that is when the organic engagement happens. 

Don’t Have Demanding CTA

There are certainly social media pages that demand engagement. Sometimes there are certain reasons why. Contests come straight to the top of the mind here. But otherwise, demanding likes and comments just gets stale. We know the YouTube phrases of, “Like and subscribe to my channel…” It just goes in one ear and out the other now. Our advice: Use softer phrases such as, “Check out my latest post,” or “Others you know might be interested in this too…” We’ll call these idea prompts instead of CTAs. Still the same concept but just a softer approach.

Highlight How They Can Benefit

The average person truly wants something in return for giving you something. Prime example is an email address. If you are going to provide a company with your email address so that they can email you whatever they want, then you want something of value in return. Companies need to make it clear how taking action will benefit their audience. If the CTA involves downloading a resource, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase, explicitly state what they will gain. For instance, “Get our free eBook to learn expert tips on social media marketing,” or “Be a part of our weekly newsletter with social media post templates to help you.”

The Bottom Line 

There are ways to integrate CTAs into your social media content without being pushy but instead organic and respectful. The key is to keep your audience’s needs and preferences at the forefront of your strategy, ensuring that every CTA adds value to their experience. Additionally, continue to test different approaches to see what resonates best with your audience. A/B testing different CTAs can provide insights into what works without overwhelming your audience.