Call to action examples for artists
Most calls to action fail because they ask for more commitment than the visitor is ready to give. These vary the ask, not just the verb.
Ten of them follow, written for artists rather than filled in from a template. Your customer is a collector, a curator or someone who has just fallen for one piece, and what they are weighing up before they get in touch is buying work they will not still like in five years, from someone who may not still be making it.
Plain button
**See available work**
Use this as the default. Say the action, not "submit".
Button with the objection handled
**See available work** I start with a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby. No obligation, and no one will chase you.
Use this where people hover but do not click.
For the urgent visitor
**Call [phone number]** — I answer between [hours]
Use this for the person who has already decided.
For the one still deciding
Not ready to book? I start with a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby — ask anything you like, and if I am not the right fit I will say so.
Use this as a second, softer CTA further down the page.
With the price anxiety answered
**See available work** I show where the work has been exhibited. You will know the number before you commit to anything.
Use this where cost is the thing stopping the click.
With proof next to it
An exhibiting artist. I say what the work is made of and at what scale. **See available work**
Use this at the bottom of a long page, where the reader needs one last reason.
Scarcity, honestly
I take [number] pieces at a time so the standard holds. **See available work**
Use this only if it is true. If you invent it, it reads as a trick.
Form intro line
Tell me what you need and I will come back to you [within X hours]. I start with a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby.
Use this as the sentence directly above a contact form.
After the services list
Not sure which of those you need? That is normal. I start with a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby. **See available work**
Use this where the CTA follows a list and should not repeat it.
The quiet one
When you are ready, I start with a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby. There is no rush, and there is no pressure from me.
Use this where a hard sell would be wrong — sensitive or considered purchases.
Writing for artists: what actually matters
What should an artist’s website say that a generic one does not?
Three things, in this order. That you are exhibiting and collected. That you understand the thing people are actually worried about, which for artists is buying work they will not still like in five years, from someone who may not still be making it. And what happens next: a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby. Everything else on the page is decoration by comparison.
What does a collector, a curator or someone who has just fallen for one piece check first?
The credential, then the proof. For artists it sounds like this. I show where the work has been exhibited. I say what the work is made of and at what scale. I keep prices and availability visible. Put at least one of those above the fold rather than on a separate page nobody opens.
What is the most common mistake on an artist’s website?
Writing about the business instead of the customer. "We have been established since 1998" answers a question nobody asked. "I start with a note about the piece you are looking at, or a studio visit if you are nearby" answers the one they are actually holding. If you only fix one thing, fix that.
How long should the copy be?
Shorter than you think, except where trust is being built. An About page of 120 well-chosen words beats 500 vague ones. The exception is anything explaining buying work they will not still like in five years, from someone who may not still be making it — there, specifics earn their length.
Everything else for artists
Call to action for other trades
- Plumber
- Electrician
- HVAC Technician
- Roofer
- Carpenter
- Painter
- Landscaper
- Handyman
- Therapist
- Chiropractor
- Massage Therapist
- Personal Trainer