The Two Calls to Action System
Pair a bold direct purchase request with a low-commitment transitional offer to capture both ready and not-yet-ready customers
The Two Calls to Action System recognizes that customers exist at different stages of readiness. A Direct CTA (Buy Now, Schedule a Call) captures customers ready to purchase. A Transitional CTA (free download, webinar, sample) captures customers not yet ready but interested. Both must be present simultaneously and persistently across all marketing collateral. The transitional CTA builds the relationship until the customer is ready for the direct CTA.
- Customers don't buy on your schedule — they buy when their problem intersects with your remembered solution
- The transitional CTA maintains relationship and brand visibility until the buying moment arrives
- Clarity always beats subtlety — customers cannot read minds
- The direct CTA must be the most visually prominent element on every page
- Asking for the order communicates belief in your product; not asking communicates doubt
- Design a Direct CTACreate a clear, action-oriented phrase (Buy Now, Schedule a Call, Get Started, Order Today) that leads directly to a transaction or the first step toward one. Feature it as a brightly colored, visually distinct button in the top-right of the website and in the center of the above-fold section. Repeat it throughout the page and in every email.Pro tipThe direct CTA button should be a different color from all other buttons on the page. It must stand out visually because customers scan, not read.
- Design a Transitional CTACreate a free, genuinely valuable resource (PDF guide, video series, webinar, sample, free trial) that customers can access in exchange for an email address. Title it specifically and compellingly. Feature it as a secondary, less prominent button next to the direct CTA.Pro tipThe transitional CTA should stake a claim in your expertise territory and create genuine reciprocity. The more valuable it is, the more trust it builds and the faster the path to the direct CTA.
- Deploy Both CTAs Simultaneously and RepeatedlyFeature both CTAs above the fold, and repeat the direct CTA throughout every landing page, email, and sales conversation. After the transitional CTA generates a contact, begin the nurture email sequence that keeps alternating between value delivery and direct purchase invitations.Pro tipThink of each email as another opportunity to present both CTAs. The nurture emails build trust; the sales emails present the marriage proposal again at the right moment.
StoryBrand's transitional CTA was a free PDF ('5 Things Your Website Should Include'). Thousands downloaded it. An ad for the paid workshop appeared at the back of the PDF. Subsequent emails continued the nurture sequence and repeated the workshop offer.
Miller compared two design firms: one had a beautiful website with no clear CTA; the other had a less-beautiful site with 'If you're worried about a presentation, we can help you hit a grand slam,' a free PDF as a transitional CTA, and a clear 'Schedule a Call' direct CTA. The second firm sent helpful nurture emails for two weeks before Miller clicked the Schedule button.
Miller developed this system after observing that businesses with only a direct CTA lost all non-ready customers, while businesses without a direct CTA had no clear path to purchase. The marriage/dating metaphor emerged as a teaching device: the direct CTA is the marriage proposal, the transitional CTA is the first date.