While celebrities like Kim K can get away with a single heart emoji, strong captions that support storytelling and authenticity are now driving great results for businesses and small creators.
Not only can they be used to encourage likes, comments, and website clicks, but captions are also a huge opportunity to build stronger relationships with your audience.
Keep reading as we reveal our top tips on how to convert with Instagram captions…
TIP 1: A Good Hook
Writing a killer first line is vital for grabbing the attention of social media users. Without a catchy hook, your audience will, unfortunately, just keep scrolling.
Examples of a good hook include:
- “This one is for ___”
- “Hear me out…”
- “Did you know that…”
- “If you want to achieve_____, listen up!”
- “Struggling to ___? Then this one is for you!”
- “If you are ___, then you NEED to hear this!”
We also recommend adding a few emojis and capital letters to really help that first line stand out.
TIP 2: Solve a Problem for Your Audience
Now that you’ve caught their attention, you need to sustain interest through engaging content.
Perhaps talk about a pain point and offer a solution to your audience. Examples of this include:
- “Are you struggling to find jeans that don’t just fit well, but feel good too? Then this new ultra-soft and stretchy style is definitely for you!”
- “Looking for a low-calorie snack that isn’t just healthy but filling too? Then look no further. Our new…”
TIP 3: Add a Strong Call-to-Action
And now that you’ve caught their interest, it’s time to tell them what to do next. A good CTA can encourage social interaction or even website clicks, both of which will benefit your business in some way or another.
Your CTA should depend on your goals and what you really want to gain from the post. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness and reach a wider audience, your CTA may sound something like: “tag a friend who needs this!” or “tag someone who would wear this”.
What makes a good CTA?
- Attention - Make your CTA stand out
Just like that opening line, your call to action also needs to stand out. Whether you use a fun emoji or capital letters, you must ensure that users are seeing and understanding your message.
- Be Direct - Talk to your audience
To make the CTA a little bit more personal, try to include “you” or “your” where possible. For example, “Shop your new favourite jeans now via the link in bio”.
- Create FOMO - Include a sense of urgency
And last but not least, CTAs should always give readers the impression to “act now”. For example, when promoting a bestseller, you could include a CTA such as “Hurry - shop our most-loved style before it sells out”.
More Tips for Writing Strong Instagram Captions:
Be Authentic, Create Emotion
According to Later, authenticity is “one of the most effective ways to build meaningful relationships with your online community. Whether you have 500 followers or 500,000 followers, staying true to your brand will resonate with your audience and help you grow.”
Ways to stay authentic include:
- Speak the truth
- Tell a relatable story
- Stay true to your brand voice
Focus on Readability
Make it easy for users to read your post by following the below tips:
- Write short, concise sentences
- Avoid long, chunky paragraphs
- Use bullet points
- Include fun emojis
Avoid Spelling & Grammar Errors
Spelling and grammar errors on social media (or anywhere), could make potential customers less likely to trust your business. For what it’s worth, we highly recommend running your copy through Grammarly, just to be extra safe.
Include Keywords
Did you know that Instagram is now prioritising keywords even more than hashtags? This means you need to understand what search terms people are using, to look for content like yours.
For example, if someone is looking for “healthy snack ideas”, then posts which include these keywords will be more likely to appear in the search results.
Include Hashtags
Although keywords are now the next big thing, it’s important that you don’t forget about hashtags. These can without a doubt, boost your reach and visibility throughout Instagram. Feel free to read our expert guide on how to utilise them.
And there you have it, our top tips for writing captions that convert!
Need help creating killer copy? Feel free to check out our copywriting services, guaranteed to help influence, persuade and boost online sales.
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