Full Conclusion Or Call To Action?

This is really more for the bloggers/article writers here.

In the last couple of years I have been noticing more clients specifying that they prefer it when I end a post with a direct call to action rather than a traditional conclusion. In the past I always included both. I would write one or two paragraphs ending the article, then put a little ending line about leaving a comment/subscribing to a feed/following social network pages/ect.

Now most of my posts end with a two sentence ending line coming straight out of the primary article, and the clients like it that way. This is a trend I see all over the web now, and it is a little jarring because if you don't specifically craft the ending paragraphs of the main article well, it can end so abruptly that it feels like literary whiplash.

Anyone else noticing this more? Do you refer to do a full, traditional conclusion, or is the quick call to action the best format for web writing?

 

I go by what the client requests.

For my own projects, I go by what the post is about.
If the post is a general educational / information post, I'll do a traditional close, leave a few spaces, and make a statement about my FB page and Twitter account, telling them they can leave comments, join in a discussion, or like/follow... Not the hard sell.

If the article is used as a guest post, I'll use the traditional close followed by the author bio.

If the content is a review or ties into something where I can earn money from directly, I'll do a close followed by the hard sell. Telling the reader exactly what I want them to do. I want them to click a link, the call to action.

 

Yes, even I have noticed many clients preferring to end the article abruptly with a call to action. It attracts traffic to their website or blog, so they prefer this style

 

I think it depends on the purpose of the article or content, for me it's more call for action specifically for articles that will be submitted to directories, so yes i think the client asks for call to action than the regular conclusion.

 

Here's a compromise I've used to good effect:
Create some curiosity in the opening paragraphs, like
"Is your billing department making these three costly mistakes?".
Cover two of those in your post, and at the end the CTA is something
like, "Click here to learn more...".
That jumps to their blog, website, offer, etc.

Best of Success!
S.

 

I have a stable rule to always ask i.e. have call to action. In crude terms, 'if you don't ask you don't get.'
There's a parallel in ordinary face to face selling. There's a natural reluctance to ask for the sale; to put the other person on the spot. The 'counter' to that is, 'always be closing.' That is, you give the customer your best pitch and ask for the sale: "so would you like it?" If you don't get the answer you want you go round again: so as I was say...(more sales pitching), "would you like it." For sure you don't have to do that, you can give your sales pitch and wait. What you're doing then is allowing the customer to close himself/hereself. For sure you make sales that way but you sell more when you ask, and you're in better control that way. (It must be some idea of not wanting to come across as too pushy but if you're doing your job properly you must ask.

In writing copy you obviously only have one place effectively where you may ask for the sale, but I get more sales with a call to action, regardless of the nature of the writing.

Hope that helps.