Glossary
What is a call to action (CTA)?
By the KeyMo team · Updated
A call to action, or CTA, is a line, caption or graphic that asks the viewer to do one specific thing next, such as follow, comment or watch the full episode. On a short clip it is usually a single sentence, spoken or shown on screen, that fits the topic of the clip instead of sounding like an advert.
The main kinds of CTA on a clip
| Kind | Example | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| Spoken | "The whole conversation is on our channel." | The speaker can say it naturally at the end |
| On-screen text | A short line over the last seconds | You cannot change the recording |
| Caption or description | "Full episode linked below." | You want a link or longer note |
| Question to the viewer | "Which would you pick?" | The goal is comments, not a click |
Where it goes in a short clip
Put one ask at the end. A request in the first seconds competes with the hook, and the viewer has no reason to act yet. Mid-clip, it interrupts the point. At the end, the payoff has landed and the viewer is most likely to want more.
Mind the screen furniture too. Meta's ads guide says to keep roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos on 9:16 Reels, so they are not covered by the profile icon or the call-to-action button. That guidance is for ads, so treat it as a cautious guide for organic clips. See safe zone.
A worked example
A 35-second clip has a guest explaining why they stopped taking sponsor reads. The weak ending is "Anyway, follow us, like this, subscribe, check the link, thanks for watching!" That is four asks and none is tied to what was said. The better ending keeps the guest's last line and adds one sentence: "We go through the whole story in the full episode." The viewer who liked the point now knows exactly where to go.
Mistakes
- Stacking several asks. Pick one action per clip.
- Using the same CTA on every clip, whatever it says.
- Placing text low on the frame, where the interface can cover it.
- Asking for the follow before the clip has given anything.
Where KeyMo touches it
KeyMo captions the speech in each clip word by word, so a CTA that is spoken in the clip is captioned along with the rest. It does not write a CTA for you, so decide the action first and pick a clip whose last line leads to it. Related: pull quote and podcast clip.
Sources: Meta Ads Guide: Awareness video ad specs on Instagram Reels (checked 11 October 2026).