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Winston Churchill is best remembered for leading Great Britain during World War II.
But few people remember that Churchill won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
He won it "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."
Churchill wrote all of his speeches. But he was more than just a great writer. Churchill was also a master persuader.
On April 9, 1940 German Nazi troops invade Denmark and Norway. One month later they invade France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
On June 22, 1940 France signs an armistice with Nazi Germany. One day later Hitler tours Paris to celebrate the German victory over France.
Great Britain was now the only country fighting Nazi Germany.
The British people were scared Hitler would invade Britain in the spring of 1941.
In a radio broadcast on 9 February 1941, Churchill spoke like a real leader. And daringly appeals to US President Roosevelt to give military and economic aid to Britain.
Then Churchill reads a quote from the poet Longfellow: "We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire."
This quote was from a poem Roosevelt had sent Churchill in January 1941.
Then Churchill ends the broadcast with a short, specific and powerful sentence. A call to action:
"Give us the tools and we will finish the job."
On March 11, 1941, Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease bill to aid Britain. Without Lend-Lease Hitler would never have been defeated.
So this is why every print ad or tv commercial. Every email marketing piece, political speech or political flyer. Every pitch deck or landing page. Should. Always. End. With. A. Call to action.
Because If you don't ask for the sale, how are you gonna get it?
But few people remember that Churchill won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
He won it "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."
Churchill wrote all of his speeches. But he was more than just a great writer. Churchill was also a master persuader.
On April 9, 1940 German Nazi troops invade Denmark and Norway. One month later they invade France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
On June 22, 1940 France signs an armistice with Nazi Germany. One day later Hitler tours Paris to celebrate the German victory over France.
Great Britain was now the only country fighting Nazi Germany.
The British people were scared Hitler would invade Britain in the spring of 1941.
In a radio broadcast on 9 February 1941, Churchill spoke like a real leader. And daringly appeals to US President Roosevelt to give military and economic aid to Britain.
Then Churchill reads a quote from the poet Longfellow: "We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire."
This quote was from a poem Roosevelt had sent Churchill in January 1941.
Then Churchill ends the broadcast with a short, specific and powerful sentence. A call to action:
"Give us the tools and we will finish the job."
On March 11, 1941, Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease bill to aid Britain. Without Lend-Lease Hitler would never have been defeated.
So this is why every print ad or tv commercial. Every email marketing piece, political speech or political flyer. Every pitch deck or landing page. Should. Always. End. With. A. Call to action.
Because If you don't ask for the sale, how are you gonna get it?
P.S How to write compelling call-to-actions?
1. Use words that trigger emotions.
2. Highlight the number ONE benefit of using your product.
3. Use action verbs.
4. Make it short, specific, and ask for action.
A few good examples of unignorable call to action phrases:
“Ask a Pan Am Travel Agent to make your reservations. And make it dinner for two” - 1968 Pan Am Print ad
1. Use words that trigger emotions.
2. Highlight the number ONE benefit of using your product.
3. Use action verbs.
4. Make it short, specific, and ask for action.
A few good examples of unignorable call to action phrases:
“Ask a Pan Am Travel Agent to make your reservations. And make it dinner for two” - 1968 Pan Am Print ad
“The new 911 Carrera 2, zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds. Ask for a test drive.” Porsche 911 Carrera 2 print ad from the 1990s.
“See the Superscope line-up at your Superscope dealer. Tell him “Number One” sent you.” - 1974 Superscope stereo ad
Coaching can be daunting, so let's ditch that and just talk about what you need.Book your (completely free) call to see how this feels in your guts.
(CTA from http://kourtneythomas.com)
(CTA from http://kourtneythomas.com)
Break the mold. Build websites that fit your brand voice or idea. Download Kepler
(CTA from kepler)
(CTA from kepler)
"Finger foods must be super-soft and mush down easily so they melt in your baby's mouth. They should also be long enough to peep out of a little fist and chunky enough to munch on safely. Shop Melty Puffs!"
(CTA from Ellas's Kitchen)
(CTA from Ellas's Kitchen)
"Content not suitable for defeatists, naysayers or the Swedish (because how much better could your life possibly get?). Get mad inspired.
(CTA from The Middle Finger Project)
(CTA from The Middle Finger Project)
PS. This post was originally posted in my Creative Samba newsletter where I share thought provoking, surprising and fun bite-sized stories about the power of creativity to solve business problems.
Think of it as your weekly advice column about copywriting, marketing and psychology. If you enjoyed reading this, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter.
Think of it as your weekly advice column about copywriting, marketing and psychology. If you enjoyed reading this, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter.
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