Video Call to Action: Active, Passive or None?

ctas and important elements of video for marketing video marketing video marketing podcast video training Sep 05, 2022

A video call to action tells the viewer exactly what to do next, and it comes in three forms: active, where you say or show the next step; passive, where you leave a logo or contact detail without asking; and none, where the platform's own button does the asking. Whichever you choose, give one action only.

Key takeaways

A call to action moves a viewer to the next step, and without one they are left not knowing what to do.
An active call to action says or shows the next step in the video itself.
A passive call to action, such as a logo at the end, informs without asking and suits company videos.
On ad platforms you can leave the call to action out and let the platform's own button do the work.
Give one action per video, because more choices make a decision less likely.

This is drawn from a 2022 tip episode of Ridge Films' podcast, where Chris Schwager explains why so many good videos get watched and then go nowhere.

What is a call to action in a video?

It is the instruction that moves the viewer on. Usually it is an action verb, spoken in the script or shown on screen: book, register, sign up, follow, download. Its only job is to take someone who has just watched you to the next step of buying from you.

Chris's reason for treating it as a priority is simple. Without one, people have watched, nodded and have nowhere to go:

"The CTA serves as a transition into your buyers journey. Without it, people will be lost. They don't know what to do next." Chris Schwager

Don't viewers find a call to action pushy?

Usually the opposite. Someone who has watched to the end has already decided you might be useful, and they want to know what to do about it. As Chris puts it:

"Customers expect CTAs. And they want to know what they should do next. They're actually wanting you to sell to them at the right moment." Chris Schwager

The pushy version is the one that asks too early or asks for too much. A clear, single next step at the right moment reads as helpful.

What are the three types of video call to action?

Chris breaks them into three, and each suits a different video.

Active. You tell or show the viewer what to do next, in the script or on screen. "Book a time using the link below." Best for sales videos, replies to an enquiry and any video whose job is to start a conversation.
Passive. You leave your logo or contact details on screen without asking for anything. It is informational, and Chris calls it classy. It suits a company profile or brand video, placed toward the end.
None. The video carries no ask at all. On social ad platforms a closing "if you'd like to know more..." tells the viewer the video is ending, so instead the video cuts off and the platform's own button, such as Learn More, does the asking.

That third option was something Ridge Films was about to test on TikTok ads when the episode was recorded in 2022, and the episode reports no result. Treat it as an idea worth testing on your own ads. Every platform's buttons and pop-ups change often, so check what yours currently offers before you build a video around one.

How many calls to action should a video have?

One. A video can technically carry several, and that is usually where it goes wrong:

"Keep it singular. Just stick to one... The more choices someone has, the less likely they are to make a decision." Chris Schwager

The same applies around the video. If it sits in an email with five links, or on a page with three buttons, the viewer has to choose again. Make the action in the video and the action on the page the same one. More on choosing it in how to pick the best call to action for your video.

How do you write a good video call to action?

Decide the one action first. Before you write the script, finish the sentence "after watching this, I want them to..." If you can't, the video isn't ready.
Use one plain verb. Book, call, reply, download. Skip "feel free to reach out if you have any questions."
Say it and show it. Say it out loud, then put the same words on screen or right under the player, so it works with the sound off.
Make the step easy. A link that goes straight to the booking page beats "visit our website and find the contact page."
Match the type to the video. Active for sales, passive for brand, none for ads where the platform supplies the button.

Where each video sits in a buyer's journey decides which action fits, which is the job of a plan. What a video marketing plan is covers that, and planning a video strategy goes wider.

Video call to action questions we get asked

What is a CTA in a video?

A call to action, or CTA, is the instruction that tells a viewer what to do after watching, such as book a call, register or download. It can be spoken in the script, shown on screen, or supplied by the platform's own button.

Where should the call to action go in a video?

For a sales video, say it near the end and show it on screen at the same time. For a brand or company video, a passive logo or contact detail toward the end is enough. On ad platforms you can leave it out and let the platform's button do the asking.

Can a video have more than one call to action?

It can, but it shouldn't. More choices make a decision less likely, so give one action per video and make sure the page or email around the video asks for the same thing.

What are good call to action words for video?

Short, plain verbs that name the next step: book, call, reply, register, download. Pair the verb with what they get, such as "book a 15-minute call", and avoid vague lines like "feel free to reach out".

Want a second opinion on yours?

If your videos get watched and nothing happens, the call to action is often only part of it. The message, the delivery and where the video lives all play a part, and that is what our coaching works through with you. Book a call and bring a video you're unsure about.

Episode transcript

Read the full transcript

Chris Schwager 00:00:01

Welcome to the Video Made Simple podcast that takes the mystery out of video production, provides business leaders, the support to help them break through the monotony of day-to-day communication. I'm your host, Chris Schwager. And if you want people to take the next step of buying your products or services after watching your videos on your landing pages or social media or website, for instance, then here's video marketing tip: you've gotta nail down your call to action.

[00:00:29] A call to action or CTA is a marketing term that refers to a piece of content like image, button, or a line of text intending to prompt users into performing a specific action. Typically, this takes the form of an instruction or a directive, either in the script using an action verbs by sign up, register follow. These are all buttons you might have recognized before and leading the consumer to the next step of a sales funnel or process.

[00:01:01] Now, why would you have a CTA? Well, a good CTA can do wonders for your social media post. It can drive more visitors to your website, watch your videos, generate sales and increase leads and conversion rates. There are three benefits, really of having a good and clear CTA.

[00:01:19] One, this activates your sales funnel. The CTA serves as a transition into your buyers journey. Without it, people will be lost. They don't know what to do next.

[00:01:29] Two, customers want CTAs. Customers expect CTAs. And they want to know what they should do next. They're actually wanting you to sell to them at the right moment. So give it to 'em baby.

[00:01:44] And three boost your sales in digital advertising. Adding a call to action to your campaign will improve your ROI more. Call to actions equals more inquiries in sales equals better return on investment.

[00:01:58] So let's look at a solution for you. I believe there are three forms of the call to action. One is an active call to action. Okay. So an active approach is when you tell or show somebody from the video in the script, what to do next. So that's a verbal or a visual to get them to do their action.

[00:02:22] Two, a passive action. You can use a passive action in your company video with just a simple company logo. You're actually not asking them to do something, right. It's just informational. Therefore you don't really need them to inquire now maybe. Um. So a passive can be classy when it comes to implementing video, and this is best used toward the end of your video.

[00:02:46] Three, no call to action. Now, when we say no call to action, we mean in the video itself, there is no, hey, so if you want more information on how to do this inquire now, so we can help you. Right? So you remove all of that. You might put either a passive or, or nothing completely. Um. This is great in advertising right now.

[00:03:03] So say TikTok, Instagram, for instance, instead of going down a call to action, which actually implies to the audience that the video is coming to a close. Instead of doing that you pattern interrupt by just severing the video. I think this is such a hip and cool. Can I say hip? I mean, I dunno. Uh. But it's a hip, uh, Transition because, uh, you're wasting no time for the call to action to appear on the platform itself.

[00:03:33] So for instance, we're just about to do TikTok advertising. We're gonna sever our ad almost mid sentence, but certainly. Uh, towards the end of a particular topic, but we, we have removed the call to action to, to test and see how it's going, but we're relying on the immediate popup of TikTok to basically create that button that says learn more, um, by now, whatever that button is.

[00:04:00] So we're actually severing it. It's a pattern interrupt technique. I think it's the best thing, particularly on social media, because attention's already really scarce, like to the second, like people can be here, there and everywhere. Um. You've gotta really consider time that you're spending, producing your video and delivering a video.

[00:04:17] So rely on the platform itself to take over the video and deliver a clear call to action. It is a pattern interrupt and some great examples. Wistia have a, um, pop up function on their platform that you can use. And TikTok, as I mentioned as well, I think Instagram as well. So go and check those out. I think it's a really cool idea.

[00:04:36] Best practices for executing CTAs in video, there are multiple CTAs you can use. Call them to an action on the video, but in our experience, keep it singular. Just stick to one. You know, we already know that, uh, people will just get overloaded and you don't want to create this choice paradox. The more choices someone has, the less likely they are to make a decision.

[00:04:59] Additionally, when they do make a decision, they are less likely to be happy with the one that they're making. So when you nail down the right call to action for your business, you'll be helping a viewer journey to the next step. If you don't have one, they'll be left in limbo.

[00:05:15] If you want more personalized coaching on your scripting your call to actions and video strategy to improve performance of your videos, then jump on a 15 minute video call with me and I'll tell you what I can do to help you.

[00:05:28] Also join in next week where you'll get weekly Video Made Simple ideas to produce videos like a pro. That's all for this episode. Thanks for listening and see you next week.