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Answer: Include one or more calls to action for the primary audience: tell them what you want them to do with the information you've given them.

What counts as a call to action (CDC Clear Communication Index)

• A specific behavior.
• A prompt to find more information.
• A request to pass information to someone else.
• A broad call for change.

Even if the purpose is only to inform, think about why the audience needs this information, and turn that insight into a call to action. Both the main message and the call to action should use the active voice.

Tie it to the reader's task

The Federal Plain Language Guidelines note that people come to government websites and services with a specific task in mind; if the content doesn't help them finish that task, they get frustrated and may leave.

See also

• plain-one-main-message
• plain-explain-why-and-how

Claims

• id: C1 claim: CCI asks for one or more calls to action. source: S1 evidence: "Does the material include one or more calls to action for the primary audience?"

• id: C2 claim: Tell the audience what to do with the information. source: S1 evidence: "Tell the primary audience what you want them to do with the information"

• id: C3 claim: Even informational material needs a reason-based call to action. source: S1 evidence: "think about why they need this information"

• id: C4 claim: People arrive with a specific task. source: S2 evidence: "People come to government websites and services with a specific task in mind."

Sources

• [S1] CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

• [S2] Do your research. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/audience/do-your-research.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

@misc{iil_note_4cq1jmwm,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Tell readers what to do with the information}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-09},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-call-to-action/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:4cq1jmwm. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

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