40 Call-to-Action Examples for Ads, Video & Landing Pages

Call to action examples are proven phrases and button copy — like "Shop Now," "Start Free Trial," or "Claim Your Discount" — that tell a viewer exactly what to do next and why they should do it now. The right CTA reduces friction at the exact moment a prospect is deciding whether to convert.

Most marketers treat the CTA as an afterthought — three words slapped on a button at the end of the creative process. That's backwards. On a cold-traffic video ad, the CTA is doing as much work as the hook. It's the difference between a viewer who watched your whole 15-second UGC clip and then scrolled past, versus one who tapped through and bought.

Below are 40 call to action examples organized by funnel stage and format, the formulas behind why they work, and where to place them so they actually get seen.

What Is a Call to Action?

A call to action (CTA) is a word, phrase, or button that directs a user toward a specific next step — clicking, buying, signing up, or engaging. In performance marketing, a CTA appears in three main places: ad copy (text above/below the creative), on-screen text or voiceover in video ads, and the button or link on a landing page. Good CTAs are specific, create urgency without sounding desperate, and match the intent of the person seeing them.

Why your CTA matters more than you think

Landing pages with a single, clear CTA can see conversion rate lifts of 10–20% compared to pages with multiple competing CTAs (2025). That's not a small optimization — it's often bigger than a full creative refresh. The CTA is the last decision point before a user commits, and vague or passive language ("Learn More," "Submit") leaves too much cognitive work for the visitor to do themselves.

The strongest CTAs remove ambiguity. They tell the user what happens after they click, not just what to click. "Get My Free Quote" beats "Submit" because it names the outcome, not the action.

CTA formulas by funnel stage

Different funnel stages need different CTA energy. A cold TikTok viewer who's never heard of your brand needs a low-commitment ask. A retargeted visitor who abandoned checkout needs urgency and a nudge past their last objection.

Top of Funnel (Cold Audience, Awareness)

Formula: Curiosity or value + low-friction verb

• "See How It Works"
• "Watch the Full Demo"
• "Find Out Why 10,000+ Brands Switched"
• "Discover the Difference"
• "See It In Action"

Middle of Funnel (Consideration, Retargeting)

Formula: Specific benefit + soft urgency

• "Compare Plans in 60 Seconds"
• "See Your Custom Price"
• "Try It Risk-Free for 14 Days"
• "Get Your Free Sample"
• "Start Your Free Trial — No Card Required"

Bottom of Funnel (Ready to Buy)

Formula: Action verb + immediate reward + urgency

• "Claim 20% Off Today"
• "Shop the Sale Before It Ends"
• "Get Yours Before We Sell Out"
• "Buy Now, Pay Later Available"
• "Checkout in 30 Seconds"

Retention / Post-Purchase

Formula: Reward + relationship

• "Refer a Friend, Get $10"
• "Unlock Your Next Reward"
• "Leave a Review, Get 15% Off"
• "Join the Community"
• "Upgrade Your Plan"

40 call to action examples by format

For Ecommerce & DTC Ads

1. "Shop Now — Free Shipping Over $50"
2. "Add to Cart Before It's Gone"
3. "Get Yours Today"
4. "Save 25% — Ends Tonight"
5. "See Why Everyone's Switching"

For App Install Campaigns

1. "Download Free"
2. "Get the App"
3. "Install & Get 3 Days Free"
4. "Try It Free Today"
5. "Unlock the Full Experience"

For UGC & Video Ads

1. "Link in Bio"
2. "Tap to Shop This Look"
3. "See the Results for Yourself"
4. "Watch Before You Buy"
5. "Get 20% Off with Code VIDEO20"

For Landing Pages

1. "Get My Free Quote"
2. "Start My Free Trial"
3. "Book a Demo"
4. "Get Instant Access"
5. "Reserve My Spot"

For Urgency & Scarcity

1. "Only 3 Left in Stock"
2. "Sale Ends at Midnight"
3. "Last Chance — Offer Expires Soon"
4. "Join Before Prices Go Up"
5. "Limited-Time Bonus Included"

For Social & Engagement

1. "Tag a Friend Who Needs This"
2. "Comment YES for the Link"
3. "Save This for Later"
4. "Follow for More Tips Like This"
5. "Share Your Story with Us"

For SaaS & Free Trials

1. "Start Free — No Credit Card"
2. "Try Every Feature Free for 14 Days"
3. "See Your ROI Calculator"
4. "Book a 15-Minute Walkthrough"
5. "Upgrade Anytime, Cancel Anytime"

For High-Ticket & Lead Gen

1. "Schedule Your Free Consultation"
2. "Get a Custom Proposal"
3. "Talk to an Expert"
4. "Apply Now — Limited Spots"
5. "Request Pricing"

You can generate dozens more variations tailored to your product and audience with the CTA Generator — useful when you're building out ad copy for a full campaign and need to A/B test more than a handful of options.

Where to place your call to action

CTA placement matters almost as much as the copy itself:

• Video ads: State the CTA verbally in the first 3 seconds (so viewers who skip still hear it), reinforce it on-screen at the midpoint, and repeat it in the final 2 seconds with text overlay.
• Landing pages: Above the fold, plus repeated after every major section (never more than one style of CTA per page — consistency builds trust).
• Ad copy: End of the primary text, and again in the headline or button field if the platform supports a separate CTA button.
• Email: One primary CTA button per email; secondary CTAs as plain-text links only.

What common CTA mistakes kill conversions

• Too many CTAs competing for attention. One primary action per asset. "Shop Now" and "Learn More" on the same screen splits intent and drops conversions.
• Vague verbs. "Submit," "Click Here," and "Learn More" tell the user nothing about the outcome. Replace with the actual benefit.
• No urgency when urgency is warranted. If you have a real deadline (sale ending, limited stock), say so. Fake urgency ("Hurry! Ends Soon" on an evergreen offer) erodes trust over time.
• Mismatched CTA and funnel stage. Asking a cold audience to "Buy Now" before they know who you are wastes spend that a softer "See How It Works" would have converted more efficiently.
• CTA buried at the end with no repetition. In video especially, viewers who drop off at 60% never see a CTA that only appears at 100%.

What are CTA performance benchmarks by format

How to A/B test CTAs

Don't guess which CTA wins — test it like any other creative variable:

1. Isolate the variable. Change only the CTA text; keep the visual, hook, and offer identical.
2. Test one funnel stage at a time. A CTA that wins for retargeting won't necessarily win for cold traffic.
3. Run to statistical significance. Small audiences need longer test windows — don't call a winner after 200 impressions.
4. Track downstream, not just clicks. A CTA that gets more clicks but fewer purchases isn't actually winning.
5. Rotate creative fatigue in tandem. If your hook and visuals are fatiguing, isolate whether the CTA drop is a CTA problem or a broader creative problem — a fresh batch of UGC ad variations often resets both at once.

How to build a CTA library

The brands that win at paid social don't have one great CTA — they have a rotating library of 15–20 tested variations mapped to funnel stage, so creative fatigue never stalls performance. Start by pulling 5–8 examples from the lists above that match your funnel stages, then generate more tailored options with the CTA Generator.

If you're producing the video ads those CTAs live inside, Creetr turns a product link into ready-to-post UGC-style video ads with AI actors, generated hooks and scripts, and auto captions — so you can test CTA and hook combinations at volume instead of waiting on a single shoot. Try Creetr free and pair a tested CTA with a fresh batch of ad variations this week.

For more on the creative side of this equation, see our guides on TikTok hook examples, ad examples across platforms, and how to map creative to each marketing funnel stage.