Issue 08
Nathan Gibson · about five minutes
Direct response is writing that asks for one clear action now. Open an offer. Join the list. Reply with a question. One action. The reader should be able to do it without guessing which line was the point.
Pick one
A page that says to learn more, follow along, share the page, and also look at an offer gives four jobs. Most people finish none of them. Choose the action this page is for. Put that action in one line they can follow.
If the page explains a method, the action can be to read the steps and then open the list of invites. If the page is a note to people who already asked to hear from you, the action can be a single link. Two asks on one page split the result, and then you cannot tell which ask failed.
Say what they will meet
The action is clearer when the next screen is described. Opening an offer should land on a list of invites, with the steps each company requires written beside them. Joining the list should mean the next email is the next article, not a daily pitch.
People move when the next step is visible. They stop when the line is only excitement. “You could get paid” does not say what to click, what to finish, or who pays. Name those three, then stop.
Put the ask on this page
The action belongs where they already are. The article they are reading. The email they already opened. “Look for it later” loses them, because later is when the tab is closed.
When the action is to open an offer, the link is the offers page. When the action is to join, the link is the signup, and the signup asks for a name and a valid email. Do not send them hunting through the site for a button you could have placed at the end of the note.
Count the action
You can count a click, a signup, or a reply. You cannot count a mood. If few people do the thing, the action was unclear, or it was not something they wanted. Rewrite the line, or ask for something else.
Adding a second action to rescue the first one brings back the pile of choices. Keep one. Give it time equal to the work it asks for. A signup can be counted the same day. A finished company offer cannot. Do not call the offer a failure before its steps have had time to be done.