Coming up with great visual content for Instagram can be tough, but the hard work doesn’t stop there. The value of an Instagram caption is growing as increasing emphasis is placed on micro-blogging and Insta copy. These five tips are going to level up your Instagram captions so you can enjoy increased engagement for your brand.
1. Work On Several Drafts
Wit works in mysterious ways. Often, you’ll find yourself coming up with the perfect caption for your image at the most frustrating point: right after you’ve posted it! Don’t rush your caption, or assume that the first idea you come up with is going to be the best. The creative process is a little more complicated than that, and your mind needs time to mull over ideas to come up with the best content.
So, try drafts. Instagram allows you to save a post for later, and to edit that post numerous times before you publish it on the page. Try sitting on the content for half an hour before you post – you might surprise yourself with new ideas when you return to it.
2. Use Hashtags With Restraint
Hashtags are a fantastic way of bringing your content to an audience beyond your followers and the right hashtags can boost the engagement of your post. They connect you with other users on Instagram by topic, and work towards the community-feel that these platforms can foster.
With this in mind, many Instagram users spam their posts with hashtags, seeking to connect with as wide an audience as possible – we’ve all seen the paragraph of hashtags buried under people’s posts. However, hashtag spam is a bad look, and it will alienate the followers you do have. It’s several times more challenging to engage a new follower rather than keeping your current ones, so use your hashtags with restraint. Four or five of the most relevant tags (and a few quirky ones if that’s your style) show that you’re serious about Instagram and only post authentic content.
3. Never Miss A Chance For A CTA
Calls To Action (CTAs) are requests that your audience undertake some kind of action. They can ensure your engagement soars. Every time a set of eyes land on your content, you are in the enviable position of capturing their attention – so use it, with a CTA!
Anything you can get from a “like” to a “share” boosts your brand and increases your audience. A simple “double tap if you know the feeling” can encourage casual scrollers to give you the heart, or you can ask for people to share their stories in the comments section. Anything you do that encourages your audience to engage with your post gives the algorithms a nudge that you’re the real deal.
4. Don’t Bury Important Content
As trends change on Instagram and micro-blogging grows in popularity, we’re seeing caption lengths expand daily. Instagram’s caption limit is 2,200 characters, so it gives you the opportunity to have plenty to say – but most users won’t see more than the first couple of lines, as Instagram cuts this off in the feed.
If you have important information to share, include this in the first couple of sentences of your caption. Hashtags work their magic behind the scenes so these can go at the bottom of your post. Use a CTA in your introduction to seek out maximum engagement.
5. Match The Platform’s Tone
Instagram is great for brands and businesses in every industry, but the platform is predominantly used by young people to share their lifestyle. This naturally leads to an informal tone becoming dominant on the platform, and to seamlessly slide into people’s feeds, you need to match this tone.
Keep jargon heavy and formal language to a minimum. Don’t be afraid to throw in some emojis, and keep it casual.
(Double) Tapping Out
A bit of heavy lifting with your Instagram caption goes a long way. As trends shift towards copy-heavy posting and micro-blogging in the platform, as well as the caption being the fastest-loading element of a user’s feed and a major component to catch a user’s attention, the caption really does count. Use these tips for perfect captions and you’ll see your engagement soar.
Katherine Rundell is a social media writer at UK Writings and Essay Writer services and a manager at Academized.com. She specializes in digital marketing services for trending brands, and loves the thrill of a busy social platform.
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