@jaimevalasek/aioson 1.8.0 → 1.9.1

package/template/.aioson/skills/marketing/references/cta-matrix.md

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+# CTA Matrix — Buttons, Links, Microcopy, Trust Signals
+
+> **Loading rule:** Load when generating a **set of CTA variations** (Mode 6 campaign package, ad sets, A/B testing) or when the project needs CTA discipline beyond what `patterns.md` covers (CTA patterns are formulas; this file is the **full surface** — button + link + microcopy + trust signals + commitment ladder).
+
+The CTA is the only line of copy that the prospect MUST read to act. Everything else can be skimmed; the button cannot. Treat it that way.
+
+---
+
+## The 5 dimensions of a CTA
+
+A complete CTA isn't one line. It's five overlapping decisions:
+
+1. **Action verb** — what the user does (Get, Start, See, Discover, Buy, Subscribe, Download, Book, Try, Unlock, Claim)
+2. **Object** — what they get (the offer, the trial, the demo, the consultation, the content)
+3. **Person** — first ("Get My Plan") vs second ("Get Your Plan") vs neutral ("Get the Plan")
+4. **Commitment level** — low (See, Learn) → medium (Try, Start) → high (Buy, Subscribe)
+5. **Adjacent microcopy** — what reduces friction below the button (trust signals, what happens next)
+
+Most copy fails at #5. The button is fine; the surrounding copy is missing or wrong.
+
+---
+
+## Commitment ladder
+
+Match commitment to funnel stage. Mismatched commitment is the single biggest CTA failure.
+
+### Low-commitment CTAs (top of funnel)
+
+Used when the prospect just arrived. They don't know if they trust you yet. The CTA is a reading invitation, not a buying decision.
+
+EN:
+- "See how it works"
+- "Learn more"
+- "Read the case study"
+- "Watch the 2-minute video"
+- "Browse the product"
+
+pt-BR:
+- "Veja como funciona"
+- "Saiba mais"
+- "Leia o estudo de caso"
+- "Assista ao vídeo de 2 minutos"
+- "Conheça o produto"
+
+**When to use:** content marketing, ad clicks, blog → product pages, awareness campaigns.
+
+### Medium-commitment CTAs (mid funnel)
+
+Used when the prospect has read enough to want to test. The CTA is a "try before you buy" — gives them something concrete with low risk.
+
+EN:
+- "Start my free trial"
+- "Try it for 14 days"
+- "Get my free analysis"
+- "Book a 15-minute demo"
+- "Download the free template"
+
+pt-BR:
+- "Começar meu teste grátis"
+- "Testar por 14 dias"
+- "Receber minha análise gratuita"
+- "Agendar demo de 15 minutos"
+- "Baixar o template grátis"
+
+**When to use:** SaaS product pages, lead magnets, demo bookings, freemium funnels.
+
+### High-commitment CTAs (bottom of funnel)
+
+Used when the prospect has built belief and is ready to act. The CTA names the outcome they're paying for.
+
+EN:
+- "Get instant access"
+- "Enroll now"
+- "Buy the program"
+- "Subscribe and save 30%"
+- "Claim my spot"
+- "Start my 90-day transformation"
+
+pt-BR:
+- "Acessar agora"
+- "Garantir minha vaga"
+- "Comprar o programa"
+- "Assinar com 30% off"
+- "Começar minha transformação de 90 dias"
+
+**When to use:** sales pages, checkout pages, last-chance emails, exit-intent popups for warm traffic.
+
+---
+
+## CTA types by intent
+
+### 1. Action-driven
+
+Lead with the verb of doing. The user knows exactly what happens.
+
+- "Start writing"
+- "Build my landing page"
+- "Schedule the call"
+
+**Best for:** SaaS products, productivity tools, workflow apps.
+
+### 2. Value-driven (benefit in the button)
+
+The button names the outcome, not the action.
+
+- "Cut my AWS bill 40%"
+- "Get my personalized plan"
+- "Unlock the templates"
+
+**Best for:** clear, quantifiable promises; mid-to-bottom funnel.
+
+### 3. Urgency-driven
+
+Time or scarcity in the button itself.
+
+- "Claim my spot — 47 left"
+- "Get $500 off (today only)"
+- "Lock in 30% before Friday"
+
+**Best for:** real urgency only. Faking it kills the brand. Use sparingly.
+
+### 4. Low-friction / risk-reversed
+
+Names the absence of risk in the button.
+
+- "Try free for 14 days"
+- "See the demo (no signup needed)"
+- "Get the playbook (no credit card)"
+
+**Best for:** premium/high-ticket where buyer skepticism is the loudest objection.
+
+### 5. Personalized (first-person)
+
+The button speaks AS the user, in their voice.
+
+- "Yes, send me the playbook"
+- "I want my free analysis"
+- "Show me my plan"
+
+**Best for:** newsletter signups, lead magnets, email captures. Outperforms second-person on most A/B tests by 5-15%.
+
+### 6. Negative-framed (loss aversion)
+
+Names what they avoid by clicking. Powerful but easy to overuse.
+
+- "Stop losing money to inefficient ads"
+- "Avoid the 5 mistakes that tank conversions"
+
+**Best for:** problem-aware audiences with felt pain. Top of pages, not as final CTA.
+
+---
+
+## Button vs link CTA
+
+Buttons and links serve different roles. Don't use a link CTA where you need a button, or vice versa.
+
+### Button CTA
+
+- High visual weight (color, padding, shadow)
+- One per primary section (hero, mid-page, close, sticky)
+- Always action-oriented (verb + object)
+- Sized for mobile thumb (44px min height)
+
+### Link CTA (text link)
+
+- Low visual weight — fits inline in body copy
+- Used for secondary actions ("See pricing →", "View FAQ →")
+- Often paired with the arrow → for affordance
+- Used in nav, footer, body copy, emails
+
+EN link CTAs:
+- "See pricing →"
+- "Read the case study →"
+- "Compare plans →"
+- "View the full archive →"
+
+pt-BR link CTAs:
+- "Ver preços →"
+- "Ler o estudo de caso →"
+- "Comparar planos →"
+- "Ver arquivo completo →"
+
+**Rule:** one button per fold. Multiple link CTAs OK if they support different secondary intents.
+
+---
+
+## Microcopy — the lines around the button
+
+Microcopy reduces friction. It addresses objections in the moment of decision.
+
+### Below the button (trust strip)
+
+EN:
+- "No credit card required"
+- "Cancel anytime"
+- "30-day money-back guarantee"
+- "Used by 12,000+ teams"
+- "Free forever — upgrade when ready"
+- "Takes 2 minutes"
+
+pt-BR:
+- "Sem cartão de crédito"
+- "Cancele quando quiser"
+- "Garantia de 30 dias ou seu dinheiro de volta"
+- "Usado por 12 mil+ times"
+- "Grátis para sempre — faça upgrade quando quiser"
+- "Leva 2 minutos"
+
+### Above the button (final qualifier)
+
+Used when the button alone doesn't carry enough context.
+
+EN:
+- "Ready to start? It takes less than a minute:"
+- "If your team has 3+ people, this is what we recommend:"
+- "Last step before you get instant access:"
+
+pt-BR:
+- "Pronto para começar? Leva menos de um minuto:"
+- "Se seu time tem 3+ pessoas, é isto que recomendamos:"
+- "Último passo antes do acesso imediato:"
+
+### Beside the button (inline)
+
+Common in forms.
+
+- "We'll never spam you. Unsubscribe with one click."
+- "Your card won't be charged until day 14."
+
+---
+
+## Contextual CTAs (per page section)
+
+Different sections need different CTA logic. Here's the canonical map for a 5-Act landing page.
+
+| Section | CTA type | Commitment | Example (EN) | Example (pt-BR) |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| Hero | Primary action | Match funnel stage | "Start my free trial" | "Começar meu teste grátis" |
+| Authority | (rarely needs CTA) | — | — | — |
+| Mechanism / How it works | Soft secondary | Low | "See how it works in 2 minutes →" | "Veja como funciona em 2 minutos →" |
+| Benefits | (no CTA — just benefits) | — | — | — |
+| Offer / Pricing | Primary, high-commitment | High | "Get instant access" | "Acessar agora" |
+| Guarantee | (reinforcing copy, not CTA) | — | — | — |
+| FAQ | Final fallback | Match funnel | "Still have questions? Talk to us →" | "Ainda com dúvidas? Fale com a gente →" |
+| Close (final CTA) | Primary repeat | High | "Get the program — 30-day guarantee" | "Garantir o programa — garantia de 30 dias" |
+| Footer / sticky | Persistent reminder | Same as primary | (same as hero/close) | (same as hero/close) |
+
+**Rule:** the page should have **one primary CTA repeated 3-5 times** (hero, mid-page, close, sticky). Secondary CTAs should be link-style, not button-style.
+
+---
+
+## Email CTAs
+
+### Subject line CTA (rare — usually descriptive, not commanding)
+
+- "Last day to claim your spot"
+- "Your 30% discount expires tonight"
+
+### Body CTA (single button)
+
+- One button, always above the fold (or after the hook in long emails)
+- Personalized when possible: "Get my plan" beats "Get the plan"
+- Supporting line below: deadline, link to alternative format, etc.
+
+### P.S. CTA
+
+- A second smaller link CTA in the P.S. — captures the readers who scroll to the bottom first
+- Often outperforms the main CTA for warm lists
+
+---
+
+## Exit-intent / popup CTAs
+
+Different rules apply — the prospect is already leaving.
+
+### What works
+
+- Negative framing: "Wait — you're missing the [bonus]"
+- Loss aversion: "Don't leave $X on the table"
+- Surprise discount (only if you have margin and the brand allows)
+- Clear opt-out: a tiny "No thanks" link below the button — respects the user
+
+### What fails
+
+- Generic newsletter offer ("Get our newsletter") — too low-value
+- "Subscribe before you go!" without a reason — feels needy
+- No close button — desperate, hostile UX
+
+### Anti-pattern: confirmshaming
+
+❌ "No thanks, I prefer losing money"
+❌ "No, I don't want to grow my business"
+
+This is hostile, anti-pattern, and erodes trust. Don't ship it.
+
+---
+
+## Anti-patterns (across all CTAs)
+
+❌ **"Submit"** — sounds like surrendering. Always use a verb that names the action's value.
+❌ **"Click here"** — non-descriptive. The button text should say WHAT happens.
+❌ **"Buy now"** — focuses on cost, not benefit. Use "Get instant access" or similar.
+❌ **All-caps SHOUTING CTAs** — feels desperate; reduces conversion in most A/B tests.
+❌ **Vague time pressure** — "Limited time offer" without a real deadline.
+❌ **Stacked CTAs** — three buttons in a row diluting attention. One primary, one secondary at most.
+❌ **Mismatched commitment** — bottom-of-funnel "BUY NOW" on a cold-traffic landing page.
+❌ **Hidden cost in microcopy** — "$1 trial — auto-bills $97/month" snuck below the button. Brand-killer.
+❌ **Friction-language buttons** — "Sign up", "Register" → these emphasize the user's effort, not the value. Replace with the outcome they get.
+
+---
+
+## CTA × Master genome compatibility
+
+| Master | CTA flavor |
+|---|---|
+| Schwartz | Match awareness level — varies wildly across stages |
+| Halbert | High-commitment, value-driven, often urgent ("Order now and save $X") |
+| Kennedy | High-commitment, premium-tone, no fake urgency, named risk reversal |
+| Brunson | Personalized first-person ("Yes, I want this!"), high-commitment, story-rooted |
+| Georgi | Mechanism-named CTAs ("Get the [mechanism] now"), value-driven, no hype |
+| Ladeira (BR) | Casual personalized, light-tone, action-driven ("Quero entrar", "Bora começar") |
+| Ícaro (BR) | Sober, autoral, low-hype ("Ler agora", "Comprar o ensaio") |
+| Diogo Gomes (BR) | Aggressive direct, high-commitment, value-loaded, often with named transformation ("Quero zerar minha esteira de 60h/semana") |
+
+---
+
+## Generation rule for Mode 6 / multi-CTA output
+
+When asked to generate a set of CTA variations for a single offer:
+
+1. **Cover at least 4 commitment levels** (low / medium / high / urgency)
+2. **Cover both first-person and second-person** ("Get my X" + "Get your X")
+3. **Tag each CTA with type and commitment** so the user can pick by intent
+4. **Provide microcopy** (below-button trust strip) for the 1-2 primary recommendations
+5. **Pick a primary** — the one matching funnel stage + offer + master genome
+
+Example output structure:
+
+```
+PRIMARY CTA (recommended): "Get my 30-day transformation plan"
+  - Type: Personalized / Value-driven
+  - Commitment: High
+  - Microcopy below: "30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime."
+
+VARIATIONS:
+1. [Action / Low] "See how it works →" — for hero or mid-page secondary
+2. [Value / Medium] "Get my free analysis" — for lead magnet swap
+3. [Urgency / High] "Claim my spot — 47 left" — only if scarcity is real
+4. [Personalized / High] "Yes, I want my plan" — for popup / final close
+5. [Risk-reversed / Medium] "Try free for 14 days (no credit card)" — for trial-based offer
+```
+
+---
+
+## Source
+
+Synthesis of:
+- Direct response copy testing data (Halbert, Caples, modern A/B tests)
+- Conversion rate optimization patterns (Unbounce, Wider Funnel, ConvertKit)
+- Behavioral economics (loss aversion, decision fatigue, commitment ladders)
+- Internal AIOSON copywriter genome (offer construction, anti-pattern collection)