What’s the easiest way to get a response from your readers? Ask for it. Seriously. You’d be surprised how many emails, presentations, and other documents don’t. Yet, it’s one of the quickest, simplest ways to improve the effectiveness of every document you write. In this post, I’ll show you some specific examples. They’re all based on a simple, yet powerful concept borrowed from the world of advertising.

In advertising jargon, this is known as the “call to action.” Copywriters learned years ago that if you don’t actually tell your readers to “order now” or “call today”, they probably won’t. You can spend hours crafting advertising copy that perfectly describes all the benefits of your product or service. But if you forget to tell your readers to take that next step, you won’t get the response you’re looking for. This was one of the first things I learned when I began working as a copywriter with John Reed (the guy behind 3000messages). And it has stayed with me ever since.

The call to action is just as important in your everyday business communications. That’s because the purpose of business communication is always to get a response. Writing an email to your boss? Don’t just tell her about the problem you encountered on your current project and assume she’ll give you the desired response. Instead, explain specifically what you’re asking her to do about it (e.g., add more people to the team, provide more resources, obtain buy-in from senior management, give you feedback, etc.).

Here’s how to use the “call to action” in different writing situations…

Presentations
Let’s say you’re introducing a new company policy to your employees. Don’t just talk about the policy itself – tell them exactly what you’re asking them to do differently. Presenting to a new prospective client? End on a slide that lays out the specific “next steps” needed to move forward.

Cover letters
Writing a cover letter to a prospective employer or customer? Even if it’s one of those “don’t call us – we’ll call you” situations, you can still encourage the reader to follow up by asking for a response. Instead of just listing your contact information on the letter, include a sentence near the end that invites the reader to get in touch.

Websites
A good website should guide the reader from the homepage all the way through to the desired action – whether that is purchasing a product, calling a sales rep, or scheduling a presentation. One way you can do this with a corporate website is to create some kind of special offer, such as a free initial consultation. This may be something that you already do for your clients anyway. By turning it into an offer, you can add a more compelling reason for prospects to get in touch.

Articles and whitepapers
You have to be careful with articles and whitepapers because you don’t want to come across as too salesy. These documents are supposed to be helpful, not pushy. So, make your call to action helpful. Tell your readers where to go for further information. Invite them to get in touch to learn how this new discovery or process (or whatever the article described) could impact their company.

One final example
Now that you’ve finished reading this blog post, pass it on to a friend. Or just click on the “retweet” button below to send it out to your Twitter followers. (See how easy that was?)