5 Tips for Writing Instagram Captions
5 Tips for Writing Instagram Captions
Instagram is known as a very visual social media platform, but what you write in the caption can be just as important. Have you ever opened the app, selected your perfectly edited image and thought, “now what?” It takes creativity and strategy to craft a caption that is captivating, engaging and will resonate with your ideal audience. These helpful tips about how to write an Instagram caption will make you a social media storytelling star in no time!
1. Make the Most of Your First Sentence
When scrolling through your feed, you’ll notice that captions cut off after a few lines with the option to read “more.” Not everyone is going to take the time to click that and read your lengthy caption, so make sure the first sentence gets your point across and grabs attention. Think of it as a headline and keep it around 125 characters. To make it even more eye-catching, try adding some emojis!
Bad Example: Happy Thursday! I don’t know about you, but this has been the longest week ever.
This generic intro doesn’t entice the person to continue reading. Even if you offer some helpful tips or promote your services later in the caption, most people are going to miss it because they don’t have a reason to tap “more.”
Good Example: If Instagram storytelling isn’t your forte, we can help! Here’s how we can make your business stand out:
People know what your caption is going to be about and if they are interested, they’ll continue reading. This direct first sentence pulls in your ideal audience and lets them know you’ll be providing value for them if they read your full caption.
2. Use Storytelling
Instagram storytelling uses the same fundamental principles as any good story. They should foster an emotional connection with your audience, express your core mission and values and captivate the reader. In today’s digitally driven environment, storytelling can be a powerful tool for businesses and brands. Check out these 7 important tips for business storytelling to make sure your company is creating a personal connection with consumers and ultimately driving revenue.
3. Include a Call to Action
If you want your audience to do something (like visit your website, read your latest blog post, call you for a custom quote, etc.) ask them to in your Instagram caption! People are more likely to take action if they are clearly told to do so.
Examples:
· Visit our website to learn more about how we can help your business grow.
· Click the link in our bio to read our latest blog post!
· Comment with your favorite storytelling tip.
· Like this photo if you also could use a day at the beach!
· Give us a call at xxx-xxx-xxxx to discuss current rates.
· Share this post if you relate!
4. Add Value
People go on Instagram for a variety of reasons—entertainment, inspiration, helpful tips and to connect with loved ones just to name a few. One of the most important things to know about how to write an Instagram caption is that you should be providing value. This doesn’t mean that every post needs to be educational and full of facts. A few things your followers might find valuable include dinner recipe ideas, home décor inspiration or hearing your personal story so that they know they aren’t alone in their feelings or experiences. Instagram storytelling is all about sharing content that will resonate with your audience.
5. Use Hashtags to Increase Your Reach
What good is Instagram storytelling if no one reads your caption or sees your photo? Hashtags are essential if you want to increase the reach of your post. There are several strategies to keep in mind when choosing which hashtags to include in your Instagram caption:
· Add hashtags related to your location.
· Use hashtags that have less than 1 million posts. If the hashtag is overused, your post will most likely get lost.
· Create a unique hashtag related to your business, story or campaign.
· Include up to 30 hashtags. Since you have the space, you might as well use them all!
For more tips, check out this 2020 Hashtag Guide from Hootsuite.
Bonus Tip: Have Fun with Emojis!
Add some personality to your Instagram caption with emojis! There are many uses for these small symbols:
· Capture attention at the beginning of your Instagram caption
· Create space between sentences
· Replace words
· Add emotion
Now that you’ve read through these tips about how to write an Instagram caption, you’ll be a storytelling pro! Here at The Storyteller Agency, we are passionate about telling stories on a variety of platforms, from social media and websites to video and email marketing. If you need help sharing your story contact us today! Our team of skilled writers will help you craft your story and create consistent, on-brand content.
