How to Write Healthcare Calls to Action That Convert

A or B?

You’re leaving the grocery store during Girl Scout Cookie season and see 2 booths at the exit. Each booth has a sign.

Booth A: “Eat cookies, support local projects!”
Booth B: “Buy a box today”

You only have enough cash for one box of cookies today, so you choose the booth inviting you to enjoy cookies for your community. Because that troop knew how to write a compelling call to action (CTA).

Why your call to action matters

Let’s face it, we aren’t all selling tasty treats for a good cause. Most products and services don’t sell themselves. Our marketing — especially our CTA wording — needs to put in some work.

Even in the off chance your offers do sell themselves, you still have competitors. Why should people choose your brand? Your content answers that question. And your CTA seals the deal.

Plus, an effective call to action is good for your metrics.

Do CTAs help with SEO?

The presence of a call to action won’t outright boost your search rankings. But strong CTAs on your website will encourage users to click through to other pages and spend more time exploring your site.

These “long clicks” serve as signals that you’re providing a great user experience — which search engines like.

Aside from the benefits to your SEO, CTAs incite conversion. Well-written CTAs improve the efficacy of your content on all channels: website, email, social media, and more.

How to write a great call to action

Your call to action is often the last thing people see before deciding to convert. It should be:

• Direct, but not aggressive
• Enticing, but not verbose
• Clear, but not a snooze fest
• Short, but not robotic

Read our tips for writing clickable CTAs in healthcare (plus examples).

1. Be clear about the next step

Surprises are fun when it’s the right time and place. Your call to action is neither the time nor place to catch people off guard.

Use your CTA to tell readers what will happen when they click the button. For example, “Learn more” shouldn’t take them to an appointment booking screen. “Find a doctor” shouldn’t take them to your hospital locations page. There needs to be a clear connection between the CTA and the destination.

Examples of healthcare calls to action that are clear:

• “Find a doctor” leading to the Find a Doc directory
• “Book an appointment” leading to a bookings page
• “Log in to MyChart” leading to the patient portal login page

2. Be specific

Learn more. Sign up. View more.

These examples of calls to action are old, overused, and vague. Learn more about what? Sign up to receive what? View more of what?

These CTAs only work within the right context — the microcopy above must answer those questions for readers. A safer bet is to answer a reader’s questions within the button text:

• “Learn more about spine care”
• “Sign up for healthy recipes”
• “View more patient stories”

3. Keep the CTA short

Buttons can only be so large — especially on a mobile device. Since space is so tight, every word has to count. Make your CTAs as concise as possible while still maintaining clarity.

Concise call to action examples for healthcare:

• “Get directions”
• “Pay your bill”
• “See conditions A-Z”
• “Call to schedule”
• “Book an appointment online”

Related: Keeping it brief is harder said than done! Learn how to write concisely to keep readers engaged.

4. Focus on the reader

If “Buy now” buttons make you a little squirmy, there’s a reason for that. Transactional CTAs feel … transactional.

People make decisions to buy a product or seek care for the potential benefit it can bring to their lives. Write healthcare calls to action with user-focused benefits in mind.

Instead of:

• “Subscribe to our newsletter,” try “Get health news and tips”
• “Read instructions,” try “Prepare for your first visit”
• “Second opinion services,” try “Get a second opinion”

5. Instill urgency (only when it makes sense)

Is it important that your audience takes action soon? Let them know why.

Communicating urgency in marketing isn’t a bad thing. It just has a bad rap because it’s often misused. If there is authentic urgency to your offer, it wouldn’t be wrong to express that — it might even be helpful.

For example:

• When promoting an event: “Register now (less than 500 spots left!)”
• When a physician has limited openings for new patients: “Book an appointment (limited availability)”
• When promoting a resource for patient housing: “Apply today (application period ends 5/1)”

Bonus tip: Design your CTA to stand out

A good call to action should match the style and tone of your brand. But it should also subtly stand out from the rest of the page.

Make your CTA visually different from the rest of the content. Design the button in a bright (but unoffending) color, use a different font, or increase the font size. Did your eye already jump to our hot pink button below?

Want help writing content that converts?

It takes time, expertise, and bandwidth to create effective content. If you’re short on hands, our writers can help. We specialize in healthcare content and cover all your marketing channels.

View all copywriting services