avatarRaymond M.E. Aguirre

Summary

Tim Denning suggests that writers should focus on a single call to action (CTA) to avoid overwhelming readers with too many choices, which could lead to inaction.

Abstract

The article discusses the significance of a well-crafted call to action (CTA) in writing, particularly on platforms like Medium. It highlights the common practice of writers including multiple CTAs at the end of their articles, such as subscribing to an email list, becoming a paid Medium member, or purchasing a book. Tim Denning, a prominent writer, advises that having too many options can result in readers taking no action at all. He recommends that writers select the most important CTA for their goals and promote that exclusively. The author of the article acknowledges the lack of empirical data on the effectiveness of single versus multiple CTAs but decides to follow Denning's advice, prioritizing the growth of an email list over other potential actions for readers.

Opinions

  • Tim Denning believes that providing readers with too many CTAs can lead to decision paralysis and suggests focusing on a single, most impactful CTA.
  • The author notes that while some writers seem to successfully use multiple CTAs, they are open to experimenting with Denning's approach.
  • The author expresses a desire to hear from writers who have had success with multiple CTAs to understand their perspective better.
  • The author's current priority is to build their email list, which they consider more important than promoting Medium memberships or other CTAs at this time.

Writing

Here’s What Superstar Writer Tim Denning Has To Say About The Best Way To Write A Call To Action On Medium

You might want to take note.

Image Credit: Malte Helmhold via Unsplash

Most writers know the importance of a call to action. A call to action is an invitation for our readers to help us out in some way.

But are we doing it right?

I’ve seen many writers on Medium place multiple calls to action at the end of their articles. They go like this:

  • Subscribe to my email list!
  • Become a paid Medium member today.
  • If you like my stuff, send me a tip!
  • Check out my book on Gumroad.

I’m not an expert. I have no solid data to say whether having multiple calls to action is a bad thing. But this is what Tim Denning has to say in an interview (at about 46–47 minutes) with Ship30for30:

What do we know when we give people too many options? They do nothing.

Tim advises that writers should just pick one thing that’s most important for them and promote that thing in their call to action (CTA).

His idea makes perfect sense. However, I also know some writers on Medium that don’t seem to be having any issues despite having multiple CTAs.

If you are one of these writers, feel free to write a response and let me know how your experience has been. I honestly want to know your perspective.

For now, I’m going to heed Tim’s advice.

I specifically want to focus on building my email list. As much as I love Medium and would want to invite other people to be paid members, my priority at this moment is to grow my online audience.

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