Glossary
Call to action
Also called: CTA
Definition
A call to action (CTA) is the part of a video, page or message that tells the audience exactly what to do next, such as follow, try a product, read a guide or sign up.
What “call to action” means
A CTA turns attention into an action. In a video, it is usually spoken and shown on screen at the end, sometimes repeated in the post caption, a pinned comment or a link. A good CTA is specific (“Follow for part two”, “Try the free calculator in the bio”), tied to what the video just delivered, and single: one action, not three.
Not every CTA asks for a click. In an educational series, “Save this for your next exam” or “Send this to the friend who always forgets” are CTAs too.
Why it matters for short explainer videos
Short explainers create interest in a few seconds and lose it just as fast. A clear CTA at the right moment, when the viewer has just understood something, is when they are most likely to act. Stacking several requests dilutes all of them.
Placement matters on vertical platforms: an on-screen CTA in the bottom part of the frame can be hidden under the interface, so keep it in the safe zone.
Example
End of a 60-second short about password managers. Weak ending: “So yeah, like, follow, comment, and check out our website and our other videos.” Stronger: “One master password, the rest generated for you. Part two shows how to set one up in five minutes: follow so you don’t miss it.” One recap line, one action, one reason.
In Motiongist
How Motiongist handles it
When Motiongist writes the script, it ends with a short recap and a single call to action, and you can change it in the script or the storyboard. With your own script, the last scene says what you wrote. The CTA is spoken, captioned and animated like the rest, inside the safe zones.
Motiongist doesn’t add clickable buttons inside the video (platforms don’t support that in the file itself). Share pages have their own CTA settings, separate from the video.