Module 9 - Calls to action

The call to action is the final part of building a script, coming after the pain point bullet points have been written up into a story, split into sections, and split again into version A and version B creative options.

Using a walking boots script as the example, version A follows a sensible character sitting on a log taking off achy boots, and version B is a wetter, more chaotic take. Each version can carry its own short call to action, kept quick to filter out time wasters: version A leans on comfort, for example directing viewers to click the link below to see a comfortable all-terrain boot range, while version B leans on waterproofing, nodding to old, worn-out boots before directing viewers to the waterproof range instead.

Calls to action should be delivered as both a spoken voiceover and a visual card on screen, on the basis that people watch on mobiles, on trains, or with the sound off, so the message needs to work whether it is heard or seen. Each call to action should also flow from whatever the script has just said. Where the script has already covered years in business and how much hikers love the product, the call to action can simply pick up on both points directly, for example inviting the viewer to join those existing fans and click the link to see the latest range, rather than repeating information from scratch.

A final call to action toward the end of the script can afford to run slightly longer, since by that point the viewer has heard the full case for the product, for example referencing a long track record before directing people to click through to see the full range. This does not have to be a full screen moment either; it can be as simple as an image of the product with the same instruction underneath, or a slow pan across a product range.

The overall process is straightforward once you have been through it: bullet point the reasons people would and would not buy, build those into a story, structure it into sections, split it into version A and version B creative ideas that flow into their own calls to action, then finish with a final call to action. The same script can be reworked several different ways, for example filming different combinations of characters and settings, without needing to reshoot everything, which is worth exploring with colleagues before settling on a final version.