StackHacks - Customize Call To Action Buttons in SubStack - Wording and Color for 2023

Another StackHacks Article to get more Subscribers

Updated and re-published April.17, 2023, by Paul Macko

How to Customize Call To Action Buttons in SubStack

The standard SUBSCRIBE button looks like this:

Copywriting is important. Getting your readers to subscribe depends on a bunch of different things. Great content, nice graphics, and page layout.

But the Call to Action (Subscribe now, Leave a comment, share this post) button wording has a psychological effect on whether a reader will be persuaded to give them your email address in exchange for your weekly newsletters.

Let’s face it. They probably didn’t wake up this morning, log into their laptop and actively search for “cute whale stories newsletter”. So we want to give them a nudge. Capitalizing the “now” to “Now” would be an improvement and increase conversions!

First, how to change the Words on the Buttons?

1) Open your newsletter in a new browser for the first time. You can use Incognito mode in Chrome.

2) Click the “Check it out - Free” button (or may say “No thanks” or anything else) under the email box. It looks like this:

3) That takes you to a page that looks like this. Press the Subscribe button:

:

4) Copy the URL in the page that the subscribe button takes you to and save it in a note for future use. Here’s what mine looks like:

5) Now go to your SubStack editor. Click Buttons and choose the Custom button:

This editing box (Create a button) will pop up:

Here you re-word the text that appears on the button. Then paste in the URL that you saved in Step 4) above.

This is your new button:

Go ahead and see how fun it is to SMASH IT NOW! 😂

See how to change the color of your CTA Buttons below 👇

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What to Say on Your CTA Button?

In Robert Cialdini’s updated book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” he lays out the 7 Principles of Influence. Here they are with simple explanations for each.

1. Reciprocity: Always give first. People who receive something from you, are more likely to say ‘yes’ to your requests. Give some good value for nothing (like this newsletter, LOL).

2. Liking: Before trying to influence someone, identify your similarities and bring them to the surface. I like you.

3. Social Proof: When people are uncertain, they look to their peers for answers. Like you and me. We’re buds, right?

4. Authority: People trust what experts say about a matter. I’ve made a living with copywriting, marketing, design, etc. Trust me on this.

5. Scarcity: People want more of the things that are harder to get. Click that Subscribe Button before midnight tonight.

6. Consistency: People want to be consistent with what they’ve already said or done in front of them. If you can get them to take a small step in your direction, they will want to be consistent with that in the future. Don’t you agree? Entertain Me

7. Unity (Shared Identity – Togetherness): The idea that people share some identity with you can be extremely powerful. We’re all trying to do the best with what we have to work with here. It’s our own SubStack club of smart thinkers!

Some Wording Ideas to try. Test them yourself to see what works best for your audience:

• Do You Believe in Karma?

• Free? I’m In

• DO IT

• Join 2455 Smart Subscribers

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• Let Me In!

• I’m In >>

• Act Before it’s Too Late

• Get the Bonus - Sign up Today Only

• I Can’t Wait

• Get It Now

• Enjoying this? Subscribe here for more awesome stuff.

• Unsubscribe Anytime - No Hard Feelings

• Try It

• Let’s Do This!

• Join “your name here“

• Send it to me!

• Sign Up and Get The Book for Free

• Smash It

• Join 4322 smart subscribers

• Join The Crazy Ones

• Don’t Miss Another Post

• Free in Your Inbox each Monday

• Start Today

• Gimme

• Yes, I Want In

• Member Sign Up

• Snag This Today

• Start

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• Try it for a month - Free today

• Pound that Sub Button Now

• Yes, sign me up

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💰 Hope you got some value today. As always, I appreciate you! More Fresh Marketing Articles here: Getting Deeper into Marketing

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*STACKHACKS - EDIT: Change the default color of your CTA (Click to Action) buttons.

Go to your Writer Dashboard, Click it > Go to Settings top right, Click it > Go to Style Heading and click Edit Theme > Go to Accent (The buttons are the Accent color) and play around to change the color you think looks best for your site.

Here is my layout and color style:

I use Red Color - #FF0000 They say it has the best contrast and is bright. People will click red over a black or brown one.

Proof from https://cxl.com/blog/which-color-converts-the-best/

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Updated and re-published April.17, 2023, by Paul Macko

Please comment, and share if you feel compelled to do so.

But I appreciate you reading. Thanks to the new subscribers! ✌