Think Instagram is all about your ~aesthetic~? Think again.
While posting amazing pictures is a key component of any successful Instagram strategy, what goes underneath the picture can make all the difference in getting people to stop scrolling and engage with your post.
That’s right, I’m talking about the caption. Instagram gives you 2,200 characters to play with so be sure to make them count. Whether you’re looking to build your personal brand or grow your company’s social media following, here are three key tips on how to write engaging Instagram captions that will get your followers to double-tap.
1. Get Personal
Social media gets a bad rap for just being a highlight reel. But these days, people can see right through somebody who only posts the happy, shiny moments. And quite frankly, it comes across a little inauthentic.
Try mixing in some real talk between all the #goals posts. Get vulnerable and share things that might be hard for you to talk about. Influencers like This Renegade Love and Mallory Rowan are amazing at this and as you can see, the engagement speaks for itself.
Of course, posts like these shouldn’t just be about getting all the likes. Ultimately, it’s about being relatable to your audience and showing that you’re a real person with flaws.
And even if you manage a brand account, these tips can still apply. Getting personal as a brand might look like a behind-the-scenes picture or an “Ask Us Anything” post. Remember that people connect with people, so the more you show the human element of your business, the better.
2. Use Humour
You don’t have to try and be a comedian but if you’ve ever spent way too much time scrolling through Instagram and laughing at memes, you know that humour can be a powerful engagement tool.
For example, let’s say you post a photo of yourself in a new dress. You could say something cute like “Eazy breezy” or something a little funnier like “OMG GUYS THIS DRESS HAS POCKETS.” Which caption would make you hit the like button? Methinks it’s the latter.
For company accounts, repurposing funny tweets and posts quote graphics can be an effective way to inject a little humour into your social media while maintaining a consistent brand. In fact, I used this exact strategy for Futurpreneur’s Instagram and saw our engagement skyrocket from 20-30 likes per post to 200-300.
The key here is to find your voice. The kind of humour you would use as an edgy fashion blogger compared to a motivational speaker will obviously be different so keep your tone and audience in mind. At the same time, don’t overthink it. Try things out and see what happens.
3. Add Value
At the end of the day, content marketing is all about adding value to your audience’s life in some way, whether that be a relatable post that brightens up their day or an actionable tip that they can apply to their lives.
While a short and sweet caption like “Cheers to the weekend!” can work in a pinch, it’s not very original and honestly, feels lazy. Whether it’s a piece of advice, a personal reflection, or a funny story, whenever you post on Instagram, think to yourself – “What can my audience gain from this?”
When you take the time to write thoughtful captions that have your audience’s needs and wants in mind, you will start to build a deep connection between you and your followers and ultimately, give them a reason to keep coming back.
