6 Tips For Writing The Perfect Instagram Caption

May 18, 2018

If you manage a brand or perhaps your own business on Instagram, you know how difficult it can be to come up with your own Instagram captions each and every day. Depending on the tone of voice for your business, or the story your post should tell, captions can be funny, inspirational, more serious in nature or perhaps not include much copy at all. Yet, all too often we see brands upload a beautiful photo on Instagram, yet the copy is less than stellar.

 

In reality, your Instagram captions should considered and strategized just as much as your images are. Next to the scrolling feed of imagery, captions should engage your audience and encourage them to do more - like comment, like or click on tagged accounts, or purchase, share or learn more about your brand.

 

So, how can you write the most perfect Instagram caption for your accounts? That’s exactly why we’ve compiled our expert tips to help you create the best Instagram account for your audience.

 

 

Here are our 6 Tips For Writing The Perfect Instagram Caption

Photo of a phone with Instagram app

1. Write for engagement when posting your impressive images

Instagram’s algorithm favors brands and posts that receive engagement within the first few minutes of being uploaded. A post that generates nothing but crickets will find itself decreased down the Instagram feed chain, while posts that receive comments and likes shortly after being posted will signal to Instagram that this is high quality content - and it will find itself placed higher in your users feed.

 

This means that you should be conscious to write Instagram captions that have clear and effective calls to action, encouraging your followers to like or comment on your posts. Be wary not to overtly ask for likes and comments, but instead engage your audience in a meaningful way.

 

 

2. Use a consistent voice across all posts and accounts

When building your following, your audience will learn to expect a brand voice that is consistent. This means that your posts should all have the same tone, and certainly the same sense of humor, inspiration or serious caption.

 

If you are a retail brand, for example, you might integrate humor into posts every so often. If you are a charity or non-profit organization, inspiration could be at the core of what you share with your audience. Consistency across industries and accounts is key to your success.

 

Your brand voice should be consistent across accounts on other networks, too, such as Twitter and Facebook.

iPhone camera

 

3. Don’t be afraid of emojis!

Emojis can draw attention to your CTA (and help tip #1 - engagement), so don’t be afraid to use these in your captions.

 

You can insert emojis at the end of your caption to express emotion about your posted photo, or you can even use emojis in the middle of a sentence to replace a word.

 

One example could be:

 

Monday ? Are we right?!

(As a short caption, for example).

 

Or, you can extend a caption beyond a quick few words to:

 

We are so excited to share this latest top available through our online store now! ??? Is your wardrobe ready for the weekend? ??

 

 

4. Use handles strategically within your captions

Using handles in your captions, or even in your comments for that matter, does two things - one, it engages your audience to click on other handles, keeping them involved with your account and two, it can help your brand promote another account, be it an individual or a brand.

 

Engaging other audiences will help build your brand through integration on Instagram. Mentioning and including handles in your captions will alert the mentioned account, which could be a strategic move to grow your audience. Use handles sparingly and strategically.

 

 

5. Hashtags are your best friend.

Hashtags are essential when it comes to Instagram captions. Using hashtags can help you gain more Instagram followers, find content that is related to your followers, and even help contextualize your content.

 

If you are a restaurant in New York, for example, you might want to use hashtags such as #eatinginNYC, #dineoutNYC, or #NewYorkDining.

 

You can include hashtags at the end of your caption, or you can integrate it into the post itself.

 

For example:

What an incredible menu we have tonight! #eatinginNYC has become ? on Wednesday nights. Click on the link in our bio to book your table.

Instagram Profile

 

6. Yet, be strategic with those hashtags…

Including hashtags can be done strategically, like in our post above. Or, you can post up to 30 hashtags as a ‘first post’ (which is a comment) immediately after posting.

 

Here’s how:

  1. Immediately after posting your photo, add a comment as if you were engaging with a regular post
     
  2. Add your hashtags (up to 30 hashtags per post)
     
  3. Your comment will appear in the thread with […]and not visible to your audience

 

This is an effective way to increase awareness of your posts and engage a new audience.

 

Writing the perfect Instagram post can be a unique challenge if attempting to brainstorm and execute the ideal caption on your own. Working with the tips above, you can plan your Instagram calendar strategically and with confidence knowing that you have the experts behind you at every step of the way.

 

With these tips in mind, have you started to plan your next Instagram caption? Bookmark this blog post to keep the tips handy!

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