Calls to Action: What Actually Works in Email and Website Copy

ByJim Samuel

How to make your CTAs perform their best

They’re the make-or-break part of nearly every email or landing page you write.

It’s the CTA, or the Call to Action. It’s the point at which your copy stops talking to your reader and asks them to take an action, such as placing an order or scheduling a call. And though it can be one of the most important factors in a successful conversion, CTAs are often just an afterthought, dashed off after the “real” writing is done. But the data suggests that CTAs are worth much more than that.

A red website button that says "Read This Now"

What the numbers say

The average email click-through rate was 2.09% in 2025, according to a benchmark study of 3.6 million email campaigns by MailerLite. That was a slight increase from the 2% click-through rate MailerLite recorded in 2024. Click-through rates can vary significantly by industry, and the MailerLite study provides a breakdown to show how you compare to your peers.

You don’t have to settle for an average click-through rate. A well-crafted CTA can significantly increase the percentage of readers who take the action you want. Consider these points:

  • Emails with a single CTA generate 371% more clicks than emails with multiple CTAs, according to Campaign Monitor.
  • WordStream reports the average website conversion rate at 2.4%, while the top 10% of websites convert at 11.5% or higher.
  • Landing page CTAs have been shown to increase web conversions by 79%, according to Protocol80.
  • And, says Callpage, optimizing CTAs on landing pages can push conversion rates up by between 111 to 306%.

Frequency and focus

More CTAs are not better. In fact, Campaign Monitor’s research found that emails with a single, focused call to action generated a 371% increase in clicks compared to emails that offer readers multiple options. The lesson: decide on one action you want the reader to take, and don’t dilute it by offering more.

Format matters more than you think

Buttons consistently outperform plain text links. A button reads as an action, not a reference. Buttons visually signal “click here” the way underlined text used to, but with far more prominence. That’s why websites that use button-style CTAs see a 45% increase in clicks compared to text links, per Unbounce.

Personalization

HubSpot’s analysis of over 330,000 CTAs found that personalized calls to action converted 202% better than generic CTAs. “Personalized” does not necessarily mean inserting someone’s first name. It can also mean tailoring the CTA to where the reader is in their journey. For example, a returning visitor may see “Welcome back. Pick up where you left off” rather than a generic “Sign up today”.

Placement

Where a CTA sits matters as much as what it says. Above-the-fold placement captures readers who won’t scroll, but repeating the CTA again at a natural decision point later in the page or email — after you’ve made the case — often outperforms a single, early ask alone.

The Wording Itself

A handful of principles show up again and again in CTA testing:

  • Use action verbs. Words such as Get, Download, Start, or Try consistently outperform passive phrasing like “Learn More.” Action verbs tell readers exactly what happens next.
  • Write in first person. CRO consultant Michael Lykke Aagaard of ContentVerve tested “Start my free 30-day trial” against “Start your free 30-day trial” and recorded a 90% increase in click-through rate.
  • Add honest urgency. Words like today, now, or limited tap into scarcity psychology and reliably lift conversion. The operative word here is honest. Manufactured urgency, such as phony countdown timers or “Only 2 left” can erode trust if they are not true.
  • Use doubt removers to ease friction. Placing small reassurances near a CTA — such as “No credit card required,” “Cancel anytime,” or “Free for 30 days” — helps address objections that may be forming in the reader’s mind at the moment you’re asking them to decide. HubSpot calls these “doubt removers” and recommends pairing one with every decision-stage CTA.
  • Keep it short. Three to five words is the sweet spot for most CTA buttons. Clarity beats cleverness every time. Readers shouldn’t have to parse your button copy.
  • Test relentlessly. HubSpot reports that marketers who consistently A/B test their CTAs can see roughly a 28% lift in conversion performance over time. PartnerStack increased its homepage conversion rate from 6.66% to 14.09% by simply changing its CTA from “Book a Demo” to “Get Started.”

The bottom line

CTAs are the functional endpoint of everything your copy builds toward. It’s the moment you ask your reader to act. That’s why you should treat it with the same strategic attention you give to subject lines, headlines, and ledes.

Use buttons, not text links. Send one focused ask per email. Personalize wherever possible. Write in active, first-person language. And test obsessively, because small changes to a CTA can produce results that dwarf the effort required to make them.

Your CTA may be the smallest element on the page, but it often carries the most weight.

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