People love Instagram. Bright filters, bloggers, passionate about their work, a sea of cats and photos of food – everything here lives under the motto “see and be seen.” The Instagram audience is much more active and engaged than the Facebook, Twitter or YouTube audience.
At the same time, an overabundance of content is a scourge for everyone who does business on the Internet. To be successful, you need to make sure your content has the right message and is seen by the right people at the right time. Therefore, it is worth starting with the competent drawing up of a caption for the photo.
A well-thought-out Instagram photo caption can do a lot. Comments are left under such texts, and their number affects the reach of the audience. And the more subscribers interact with your post, the more Instagram users will show your posts.
Use our tips for writing Instagram captions and boost audience engagement with short, clear and informative texts.
1. Format your text
Most Instagram users use the app from a smartphone, so few people will read a continuous, solid text. It is easier to skip the description of the picture than to try to decipher the signature without any hint of formatting.
To make your text easier to read, use emoji, numbering, bullet points, and paragraph division in your description.
To add spacing between paragraphs, use tools like Caption Maker, or just type text in the Notes app on your phone and then copy it into a post.
2. Put the most important thing at the beginning
In the Instagram feed, the preview of the text under the photo is cropped to the first two lines. In them, you need to try to attract the attention of subscribers.
No one, scrolling through the feed, will click “More” under a post that seems boring and uninformative. So make sure the reader sees the most important information first.
For example, if you are giving advice on where to get Spanish homework help, let the phrase “native speaker” or “writing service” be the first words that followers will see under the post.
It also makes sense to make headlines (you can even capsize) to immediately grab the audience’s attention.
3. Encourage readers to comment on posts
To keep in touch with your friends, ask questions or start discussions. Offer to tag your friends in the comments (“tag a friend who would like the post”, “tag someone who is always late”) or choose one of the options.
For example, which product will be the best gift for mom, which gallery you like more, which packaging option is preferable. Ask for feedback, then post it in your testimonial post. Share news from your industry and invite people to exchange opinions about them.
Instagram is still a social network, although it focuses on the visual component.
4. Add a call to action
A good caption doesn’t just grab the attention of subscribers – it encourages them to do something. Therefore, it is important to add a call to action (CTA). Thanks to this, website traffic increases: the audience makes purchases, reads a new blog post, subscribes to the newsletter.
Use action verbs such as tell, tap, share. For example, “Read 5 tips for gift wrapping on our blog – link in bio.”
5. Demonstrate brand values
Chances are, you already know your audience very well. Why not speak to her in her language? A good Instagram photo caption “humanizes” your brand and helps followers establish a personal connection with your store. Show your audience that you share their values and interests, and do it as friendly as possible. By the way, at Jarvee you will find many other tips on how to promote your own brand.
6. Show emotion
By posting user custom content, you personalize your feed and show your subscribers that their support is important to you. Therefore, the signature should not be limited only to the indication of the author of the photo.
Tag the author, thank him or her, and say a few words about the photo itself. Tell your followers why you find her special, or describe how you feel when looking at her. At the end, invite friends to go to the author’s page.
Posting custom content encourages followers to share their photos of your product. This way you get more material for your page and increase brand awareness.
7. Use geotags
Some experts believe that geotags can increase post engagement by 79%. They help potential local shoppers find your store, which leads to more sales.
Instead of writing in the text where the photo was taken, add a geotag and talk about other important things. Is delivery available to this location? How long will it take? Do you have a showroom? What number can you ask questions?
8. Use hashtags
Even one hashtag increases engagement by 12.6%. However, if you put all 30 hashtags, the activity of subscribers will not skyrocket by 100%. We need a measure.
The optimal number of hashtags is 11+. If you think that long lines of hashtags resemble spam, post them in a comment.
Don’t forget about branded hashtags – they must be unique to your store or marketing campaign. They make it easier for people to find brands. It also encourages feedback from your friends. So be sure to come up with a branded hashtag: it could be a company name or something creative like a play on words.
9. Explain the rules of contests and challenges clearly
Instagram is a popular platform for contests, giveaways and challenges. Users are actively participating in them, so you hardly have to fight for their attention in this type of post.
However, you must make sure that the rules are simple, straightforward, and not misleading.
Since the rules are usually lengthy, use emoji and paragraph divisions to make the text easier to read. Don’t forget to add a call to action and suggest tagging a friend. For example, “Join and Win” or “Tag a Friend to Increase Your Chances of Winning.”
10. Have a measure
Remember that everything should be in moderation. Experts advise to limit the number of characters in a capture to 2200.
Hashtags try to enter no more than 30 hashtags.
There are many other ways to attract more audiences to your content. Professionals can help you with this – just find the right site. One of these is, for example, Hubspot.
Sylvia Selton says
These ideas are just amazing and helped me to get my followers from 1k to 1.5k Which is huge for me in just a month. Thanks, love this blog. I hope you write an article about best time to post reels on Instagram.