A little bit of the authentic you goes a long way

Hello, my name is Justin and I'm a recovering perfectionist.

Part of my recovery program is embracing the philosophy of "good enough" for the sake of getting stuff done.

However, that doesn't mean I've stopped being an advocate for paying attention to the details. Small things can make a big difference. Like smiling when you meet someone for the first time (I'm also recovering from RBF).

One of my favorite UX details is the text for calls-to-action (CTAs). Just like smiling when you greet someone, there's a big difference between the unimaginative "Submit" or boring "Read More" and the friendly "Hell yes, sign me up!" and informative "Learn how to overcome RBF."

Inserting your brand's personality into CTA text can help you connect to your audience at an emotional level. It's a bridge between transactional and relational marketing.

A great example of this is InVision's Inside Design newsletter. The InVision writers do a great job with their CTA text, using clever plays on words and puns. They're a nice compliment to the newsletter's more straight-forward headlines.

I really like InVision's informative and fun brand and their writers clearly understand the target audience (designers).

So the next time you're putting together an email newsletter, a sign-up form, or an article intro with a "read more" link, take a few minutes to inject some of your brand's personality into that CTA. Because a little bit of the authentic you can go a long way to connecting with your audience.