the CTA formula: how to write an action title people can't ignore
Action verb + named target + specific ask + urgency signal. If your title doesn't hit at least three of the four, rewrite it.
"Take action for the planet" has never made anyone do anything. Your action title is a call to action, and it has one job: make someone who's half-scrolling know exactly what to do, to whom, and why today.
Good news: there's a formula. It fits in one line.
the formula
action verb + named target + specific ask + urgency signal
That's it. Four parts. Your action title and each way to help should hit at least three.
Two real titles from actions that performed:
- "Make Watson a Citizen of Honor in Paris": 993 completions. Verb (make), target (Paris), specific ask (citizen of honor).
- "Stop Financing EACOP Now: Email the World Bank": 427 completions. Verb (stop, email), target (World Bank), ask (stop financing EACOP), urgency (now).
the four parts
| part | what it does | examples |
|---|---|---|
| action verb | tells people exactly what to do, in one word | demand, tell, email, call, stop, make, block |
| named target | removes the "who, though?" | Paris City Hall, the World Bank President, Iceland's Prime Minister |
| specific ask | one outcome, not a mood | "stop the pipeline", "ban glyphosate", "pause construction in the park" |
| urgency signal | gives people a reason to do it now, not "later" (never) | "now", "by March 15", "before Thursday's vote", "join 4K+" |
before and after
| before | after | what changed |
|---|---|---|
| Save the whales | Tell Iceland's Prime Minister: end the fin whale hunt now | verb, named target, specific ask, urgency |
| Protect our water | Email Box Elder County: no water for the Stratos data center | verb, named target, specific ask |
| Stand with Big Bend | Call Congress before the bulldozers move deeper into Big Bend | verb, target, ask, deadline |
| Krill matters! | Tell Whole Foods: stop selling Antarctic krill | verb, named target, specific ask |
| Help us fight fast fashion | Comment on [Brand]'s post: pay your garment workers now | verb, target, specific ask, urgency |
Notice what disappears: vague nouns ("the planet", "our future"), hashtags, and anything that sounds like a charity newsletter.
fill in the blanks
[Verb] [named target]: [specific ask] [now / by date / before event]
Tell [Minister name]: vote NO on [bill] this Thursday
Email [CEO name]: pull [brand] out of [project] now
Call [Senator name] before the [date] vote on [bill]
Tell [bank]: stop financing [project] by [date]
the rules that make it work
- Lead with the verb. "Email the World Bank" beats "The World Bank must hear from us".
- Name a human when you can. "Tell [Minister name]" lands harder than "Tell the Ministry". People answer for their decisions; departments don't.
- One ask per title. If you need "and", you probably have two ways to help.
- Keep it short. The app allows 150 characters, but it tells you when you go past 70: under that, a title reads in one glance. Tap see examples under the title field for the app's own cheat sheet, "write a title people act on".
- Match the moment. If the vote is tomorrow, say "tomorrow". Urgency you can't back up burns trust. More in the three urgency signals that get people to act now.
- Write it like you talk. Lowercase is fine. Swearing is your call. Corporate is not.
titles for each way to help
The same formula works one level down, for each way to help inside your action:
- email: "Email Norway's Fisheries Minister: stop the krill expansion"
- phone call: "Call [Senator]'s office: pause the funding"
- social comment: "Comment on [krill brand]'s post: stop fishing where whales feed"
- Google Maps: "Review [hotel]: take whale off the menu"
- survey: "Which target should we hit next?"
do this with your next action
- Write your current title down.
- Circle the verb, the target, the ask and the urgency signal.
- Count them. Fewer than three? Add the missing parts.
- Cut every word that doesn't do one of the four jobs.
- Read it out loud. If it sounds like a press release, start again. If it sounds like a friend who's angry about the right thing, ship it.
see it at scale
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation built 163 calls to action across its anti-whaling campaign, aimed at named targets: Iceland's Prime Minister, ministries, embassies, banks, insurers, hotels, ports. That's how you get to 47K+ actions.
real win · Captain Paul Watson FoundationPaul Watson put Iceland's whale hunt in the spotlight
your next move
A great title needs the right name in it. Learn how to pick your target: pressure points: how to pick the right target for your campaign.
