---
name: cta-microcopy
description: "Use when writing the text on a button or call-to-action link — form buttons, hero and pricing CTAs, \"read more\" links, empty-state actions. Writes the label as a specific outcome-naming action verb, five words or fewer, avoiding the \"Submit\" / \"Click here\" / \"Learn more\" generics and keeping grammatical person consistent across a set. Do NOT use for body copy, headlines, email subject lines, or analyzing click-through results."
metadata:
  decimalai-skill-id: "02e5a5f5-f4d6-4978-b53b-a8056f877534"
  decimalai-version-id: "ff4ab6e5-c013-4a13-ae6e-c41a5a1ed10e"
  decimalai-version: "1"
  decimalai-body-sha256: "a969177b8b13e7b7c40f45bccbad47256c8f8f72a8af0fcaac853e329fbae494"
  decimalai-name: "cta-microcopy"
  decimalai-format: "1"
  decimalai-invocation: "model"
  decimalai-category: "marketing"
  decimalai-source: "https://app.decimal.ai/s/cta-microcopy@1/SKILL.md"
---
# CTA Microcopy

The few words on a button or action link. Base models reach for a filler default — a bare
form gets `Submit`, a link to another page gets `Learn more`, an unclear action gets
`Click here` — and they mix grammatical person across a page. Those defaults tell the
reader *nothing about what happens next*. A good label names the outcome, so the reader
knows exactly what they get before they act.

## When to Activate

Activate when the user asks for the text of a button or a call-to-action link:

- Write the button label / button text / CTA for this <form | hero | pricing card | page>
- Better wording for this button (it currently says "Submit" / "Click here")
- Short link text for the call to action at the end of X
- Fix / punch up this CTA

Not for headlines, paragraph/body copy, email subject lines, or interpreting A/B or
click-through numbers.

## The Convention

Write every label to satisfy all four rules.

### 1. First word is an action verb that names the outcome

Start with a verb, and pick the verb that names *what the reader gets or does*, not the
mechanical UI action. The reader should be able to predict the result from the label alone.

- Naming the outcome: `Get the report`, `Start free trial`, `Book a demo`, `See pricing`,
  `Send message`, `Create your first project`, `Download the guide`, `Add to cart`.
- Naming only the mechanism (weak): `Submit`, `Continue`, `Proceed`, `Go`, `Next`.

A verb like `Continue` is acceptable only in a genuine multi-step flow where no concrete
outcome exists yet. If you can name the outcome, name it.

### 2. Five words or fewer

Cut to the shortest phrase that still names the outcome. `Get your free 14-day trial now`
becomes `Start free trial`. Drop articles and filler when they don't earn their place.

### 3. Never the three generics

These carry no outcome. Replace them:

| Generic default | Why it fails | Replace with the actual outcome |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `Submit` | names the mechanism, not the result | `Send message`, `Send request`, `Place order`, `Apply now` |
| `Click here` | describes the input device | the destination action: `See pricing`, `Read the guide` |
| `Learn more` | vague; every link could say it | `See how it works`, `Read the case study`, `Compare plans` |

Also treat `Read more`, `Get started` (when a concrete action exists), and `Sign up` for a
paid conversion as too-vague — prefer the specific outcome (`Read the full story`,
`Create your account`, `Start free trial`).

### 4. Consistent grammatical person across a set

When a page has more than one CTA, pick one voice and hold it:

- Second-person / imperative (the default): `Start your trial`, `Get the guide`, `See pricing`.
- First-person (only if the surrounding UI already speaks as the user): `Start my trial`,
  `Get my guide`.

Never mix them — `Start your trial` next to `Get my report` reads as two different products.
Default to imperative/second-person unless the existing UI is first-person.

## Output

Give the label as the deliverable. If the user asked for one CTA, return one label. If the
context has a primary and secondary action, return both, in the same person, each naming its
own outcome. Add a one-line note only if a rule forced a non-obvious rewrite (e.g. why
`Submit` became `Send message`).