How To Write Better Captions
What are captions and where are they used?
A caption is used to describe an image or video posted on social media. They vary in character length based on the platform you publish your content to. Some of the top social media sites where captions are important to include alongside an image or video are Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Whatsapp. Worth noting is that Instagram has a character limit of 2,200, whereas Twitter restricts captions to 280 characters.
Why you should not underestimate the value of captions
While a great, well-thought-out choice of imagery especially on Instagram has a magnetic effect on a scrolling user, what is more important after that the imagery is the caption. It directs the user on what the imagery is for since not all images are self-explanatory. While Instagram is, of course, a predominantly visual platform, the words you choose to accompany your content have power, and shouldn’t be wasted. It is an opportunity for marketers to tell the stories of their brands or introduce products and services.
The power of captions
They boost engagement:
While the Instagram algorithm is a hotly contested topic, one thing we do know is that it favors posts that get engagement. If your post is boosted by the algorithm, more people will have a chance to see it, and it could even end up in the Discover tab. Captions are one way to boost your engagement, which Instagram measures in likes, comments, and time spent on a post. You can encourage comments by asking your followers questions, or crafting longer captions so that your followers spend longer on your post. With 2,200 characters at your disposal, the options are endless. Test out different lengths with your audience and see what resonates best – just be sure to make the first sentence the most engaging as that’s where it’ll cut off in the home feed.
They cultivate connection:
Captions offer a direct line of communication to your followers. Whether you use your words to share how an image was made, offer advice, or explain how you’re feeling, they can add value and help your audience get to know you and your business better. Captions give you the chance to offer your followers something more, allowing them to feel like they’re a part of the process. This can help create a better relationship with your audience, and cultivate a more loyal following.
They help you get discovered:
Including hashtags in your captions can help to extend the reach of your posts. They help you get in on trending conversations and enable your post to pop up among similar content, ready to be found by like-minded communities.
The data insights offered by Instagram business accounts will give you guidance on how often your posts are being discovered thanks to hashtags, which should help inform your strategy. The jury is still out on the optimum number to include, but it’s important to make sure that those you do include are highly relevant to the content you are posting.
General hashtags like #ootd (outfit of the day) are widely searched and tagged, so using them will see your content enter a large pool of endlessly updating posts. More niche hashtags will be searched less often but will have a better chance of being discovered, and more longevity. Given this, it’s smart to include a combination of both popular and niche tags.
How to write an effective caption
What makes a great Instagram caption?
A great Instagram caption has the ability to add context, show off your brand’s personality, entertain the audience, and/or compel people to take action. Captions can be up to 2,200 characters in length, including emoji, and up to 30 hashtags.
Every post does not need to have all 30 hashtags. As with any piece of good writing, your Instagram caption should be attention-grabbing, precise, easy to read and follow.
How to craft the best caption for your social media presence
1. Audience: Who of Instagram’s over 1 billion million users fit your business’ target customer profile? Instagram demographics show us that the platform is used by people in all income brackets, and is slightly more popular among women than it is with men. But those are the broad strokes. The better you know your audience, the easier it is to tailor your Instagram marketing strategy to their needs and expectations. To that end, we recommend building audience personas. These archetypes outline basic details about your target customers, their goals, and their pain points. Our guide to creating audience personas outlines the questions you need to ask yourself to determine who your customers are. How old are they? Where do they live? What sorts of jobs do they have? What do they do outside of work? Once you know who you’re speaking to, you are able to determine when to add more context to the post, when and how to use emojis!
2. Length: Remember that most people scroll through their Instagram feeds at a brisk pace. If there’s any doubt as to how long your caption should be, keep it brief. Give context where you need to, but if the post speaks for itself, let it.
Note: for posts in feeds for Instagram, only the first three lines of a caption will be displayed. For captions longer than three lines, people will have to tap “More” to read the whole thing
If you want your entire caption to display, Instagram recommends using 125 characters or fewer. That said, if there’s an interesting story to tell behind the photo, take the time (and the generous character limit) to tell it.
3. Brand Voice: If you haven’t identified your brand voice as part of a broader social media marketing strategy, ask yourself: ‘What are the qualities and values I want my brand to embody?’ Make a list and use it to shape your voice. You might also try jotting down a few adjectives that describe your business and use those to find the right tone. “Bold,” “curious,” and “authoritative” might make sense for a travel brand, for example. In general, Instagram users don’t expect a formal or serious tone. Of course, it depends on the industry and audience, but you should strive to keep things light, use humor where appropriate, and show personality.
4. The Hook: Again, captions are cut off in users’ feeds after a few lines of text, so you need to convey your key point or call to action right away. Put any @mentions and hashtags # (more on those later) at the end. Also, leading with the most important words is just good writing. Hook the reader in and give them a reason to tap “More.”
5. Edit and Rewrite: Take your time and don’t be afraid to go through several drafts, especially if your captions are more than a few lines long. Great writing, whether you’re aiming for humor or education, takes multiple drafts and edits and this is totally fine. Make sure every word supports the content and message you’re trying to convey. Cut out words that are clearly unnecessary to keep it as concise as possible. You should also have someone else edit your work. A fresh pair of eyes will pick up mistakes you may have missed after spending so much time staring at the text. With a social media management tool like Hootsuite, you can set up your teams and workflows for post review and approval before any content is published.
6. Ask Questions: One of the easiest ways to get more comments (increase engagement) on your photo is by using the caption to pose a question to your followers. It could be a skill-testing question, an open-ended question, or multiple choice. You could also use the caption to get tips or recommendations from the audience.
7. Using quotes: Not the cliché inspirational variety, but ones that are specific to the post. Maybe it’s a quote from the person who captured the photo, as Go-Pro, for instance, often does with their user-generated content. Or it could be a quote from the person featured in the post, as Nike has done with the video starring soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos. Adding in quotes helps break up the text so it is easier to read and adds interest.
8. Tags or Shout-outs: Does your post feature another Instagram user? Include their username in the caption so your followers can check out their profile too. By mentioning another user in the caption, you’ll likely compel that user—and possibly some of their followers—to comment on, like, or share your content.
9. Strategic Hashtag Use: Use hashtags that are relevant to your post and target audience. And don’t use so many that they crowd your copy and make it difficult to read. If you don’t want to clutter your captions, there are two ways to “hide” your hashtags: Separate your hashtags from the rest of your caption by burying them beneath periods and line breaks. Once you’ve finished composing your caption, tap the 123 key. Select Return and then enter a period, dash, or asterisk. Repeat those steps at least five times. Because Instagram caps off captions after three lines, the hashtags won’t be viewable to users unless they tap the “More” option.
Or, don’t put hashtags in your captions at all. Instead, write them in the comment section right after you publish the post. Once other people leave a few comments, the hashtags won’t be viewable unless the option to See all is selected. It is important to note that Instagram has publicly stated that you will receive better reach and impressions if your hashtags are within the caption itself.
10. Call to Action: Want to drive engagement? Ask for it by inviting people to leave a comment, tag their friends, or weigh in with an opinion. Of course, the content of your post will have to be compelling for them to want to do that. So be sure to put your best foot forward before you put your hand out. It will reflect poorly on your brand if you try to solicit engagement but receive only silence in return. Alternatively, you could make your call to action too good to refuse. Run a giveaway, ask compelling questions, and use your imagination.
We hope these tips help you write better captions to help you connect with your potential customers. Try not to overthink every caption. Pay attention to which captions or content receives the most interaction, then duplicate that success with your other posts.
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