How to Write Compelling Instagram Captions

Instagram is mainly a visual platform. But this doesn’t mean that words don’t have a place on it. Instagram captions provide a way to give meaningful context to stunning images and videos.

Captions are your brand’s voice in action, and they help your followers relate to your content. If you create well-written captions, it may even make your content more shareable.

Writing compelling captions relies on how well you understand your target audience.

For example, you need to know which hashtags will resonate with your followers and what type of content impacts your engagement rate the most.

Knowing what your audience likes will make it easier to create great captions.

You can also use the following steps to make caption writing a breeze.

Don’t Go with Your First Attempt

Your captions should stop Instagram strollers in their tracks and entice them to click on your post. If you do this with every post, your engagement rate will skyrocket.

When this happens, the Instagram algorithm will make your content even more visible to new users.

This process means that you should never go with your first caption attempt. Instead, write several drafts until you create the perfect one.

Don’t rush your writing, especially when you have a bit of writer’s block.

Think about the message you want to convey, and then let the words come to you. Then, write the caption in several ways until you land the one you want to use.

Make the First Couple of Words Count

Instagram has a 2,200-character limit for captions, which is more than generous. However, all captions get cut off in users’ feeds after just a few words, so you should make your first words count.

For instance, if you’re introducing a new product, you may want to start with, “I can’t wait to introduce” or “Wait until you see the new product.”

You can also kick off your caption with a call to action. Leave hashtags and other information at the end of the caption.

You can have a lot of fun with CTAs, by adding verbs that compel users to act. After all, if you’re not asking anyone to do anything, they won’t. But give them a reason to click on your posts, and your engagement rate will benefit.

Numbers, especially percentages, also attract clicks. You can include specific statistics in your CTA, like the number of people a new user will join if they follow your page.

Or the number of business professionals a new user will have the opportunity to network with if they buy a ticket for your online seminar.

Use as few words as possible for your CTAs; keep them below 150 characters for maximum effect.

Utilize the Entire Caption

Just because you’re making the first words count doesn’t mean you should neglect the rest of the caption. The character count is a lot of space to work with, so you can go into detail about your post.

Users are always interested in extended captions if they provide valuable information or present a solution to a problem they may have.

Spacing is essential in caption writing so that you don’t end up with a wall of text. You may also want to add a couple of emojis here and there to break up the copy.

Try not to use slang in your captions unless necessary. Captions aren’t exactly articles or blog posts, but they should still be grammatically correct.

Proofread your captions a couple of times before posting them to check for mistakes. Grammarly is an excellent tool if you’re not confident you’ll pick up all grammar issues.

Don’t Use AI

You may be tempted to use an AI program to spit out captions by the dozen, but in the long run, it might cost you credibility.

AI doesn’t understand your audience or your product. It doesn’t experience the highs and lows of promoting a business on Instagram.

While you certainly can use AI to inspire caption ideas, you should not rely on it to write everything for you.

To connect with users on Instagram, you must be authentic and relate to them on a human level.

You can do this more effectively if you’ve gone through a process of creating content and tailoring matching captions to your specific audience.

Use Your Captions to Cater to Your Audiences’ Senses

If you’re in the restaurant industry and introducing a new meal, use captions to describe the food in a way that makes your audience hungry.

If you’re in the health and wellness business and presenting a new type of skin treatment, describe it in a way that makes users believe they need it right now.

You can achieve this by describing how things feel, taste, sound, or look. Doing this appeals to the senses and adds personality to your captions.

Don’t Forget About the Hashtags

One of the goals of caption writing is to evoke emotion so that your users click on your posts and engage with your content. But getting to that point means you can’t rely on your pretty words alone.

You must include the practical side of things. Practicality includes using hashtags in your captions.

Hashtags will ensure that users find your content because it is relevant to them. Adding hashtags to your content means you will expand your reach.

You can use niche hashtags as well as generic ones. Just be sure to research hashtags that are pertinent to your industry.

Use Captions to Tell Your Brand’s Story

Every brand has a story to tell, and yours too. You can tell your story using captions.

For instance, every new caption can capture the next part of your story. You can do this to describe to your audience how you started your business or developed your products.

At the end of the story, you can use one last caption to invite users to ask questions.

Conclusion

Good captions open the line of communication between you and your audience because it allows them to be a part of your brand and your process.

Captions boost engagement and can help put your content in front of users you would otherwise not be able to reach.

Start practicing your caption writing skills today, and let your brand speak.