Who the call-to-action addresses and how it addresses them is another factor the transmedia designer should consider. Four types audience address factors have been identified (Dena, 2007):
- Many-through-one: A single call-to-action addresses all of the users of the transmedia narrative.
- Many-through-many: Many calls-to-action address many different users.
- Some-through-some: Some calls-to-action address some users while excluding others.
- Some-through-none: The lack of an obvious call-to-action can trigger some users to action, particularly if they are players in alternative reality games.
Call-to-action-specific variables can affect the behavior of the call-to-action itself. Four types of these variables have been identified (Dena, 2007):
- First, repeated, or last call-to-action
- Fixed or changeable call-to-action
- Generalized versus personalize call-to-action
- In-story call-to-action (presented in the context of the storyworld) versus a meta-call-to-action (presented outside the context of the storyworld)
From a narrative perspective, any call-to-action can provide an opportunity for developing the story. For examples, patterns of retainers can create narrative potential, with attractors and connectors creating suspense and meaningful ordering of events. Patterns of attractors and connectors, when combined with very subtle retainers, can create intense narrative potential when suspense is the objective of the author (Earnshaw & Vince, 2001, p. 49).