10+ Tips On How To Write Good Instagram Captions

“First impression is the last impression” – this saying goes perfectly well with the Instagram captions.

It is your Instagram caption that decides whether the people will read your post further or prefer to take an early exit. Only if your caption can arouse that excitement or interest in the people’s minds, they will further engage with the complete post.

Even if your post content is truly intriguing, but your caption is dull, chances are that many people will not engage with the post. So if you truly want people to engage with your posts a good Instagram caption is very important.

Your Instagram caption plays a crucial role in determining the performance of  your Instagram post. When creating Instagram captions follow these guidelines to get more engagement.

Step 1: Know The Purpose Of Your Post

Without a second thought, the main purpose of every Instagram caption is to get good engagement metrics. But is there anything else besides engagement that you want to accomplish?

Do you want to bring awareness about something? Or do you want to directly sell something? Always plan your captions keeping in mind the purpose of the caption.

Step 2: Ideal Length Of Your Caption

Instagram has described 2200 characters as your maximum length of the caption. But that does not imply that your caption has to be 2200 characters. The ideal length of the caption depends solely on the post.

Sometimes a small, one-liner caption is sufficient to arouse interest in the audience, and sometimes a longer caption to engage your audience.

Step 3: Your Caption Should Reflect Your Brand Voice

Keeping your brand voice in your Instagram captions intact is the third most important thing to ensure. Good Instagram captions reflect your brand.

It should be such that people can connect the caption with your brand as soon as they read it. Whether it’s the tone, use of words, or emotions, all should be in sync with your brand identity.

Step 4: Your Caption Must Complement The Image

The fourth most important thing to take care of while you draft Instagram caption text is that it should complement the image.

A caption not related to the image might make your audience lose interest in your post. Your caption should be able to portray the story behind the image.

Writing a good Instagram post is no rocket science, but it requires good writing skills and following some of the best practices for writing an Instagram caption. 

Here are some of the tips that will ensure that the generated Instagram caption is engaging:

Tip 1: Make Your First Line Attention Grabbing 

Always keep your first line catchy, it should tickle the reader’s instinct to follow and unveil the complete post and encourage users to engage with your post. They can engage wth your posts by liking the post, commenting on it, or sharing it. 

Here are a few tips to make your first line engaging and interesting:

• You can ask a question making the reader discover its answer.
• Keep it short and catchy.
• A thought-provoking quote can be a great way to start a caption. 
• Putting down some unusual statistics can grab the reader’s attention effectively.

Whether you start your first line with a question a quote or some stat, it should be very interesting and enticing, building interest in readers’ minds. Here is an example of how a powerful first line can grab the attention of the audience.

(Image Source:  britishvogue IG Profile)

Tip 2: Include CTA 

Are you the one who thinks your audience knows how to engage with your post? Then you might be committing a mistake. It is always a good practice to ask your audience how they can engage with your caption. Tell them if they have to click on the attached link, tag a friend, leave a comment, or do anything else to engage with the caption. 

According to Socialpilot, CTA can increase the conversion rate by 83%. So, whether in the beginning, in the mid-way or at the end, a CTA can be immensely useful for increasing the credibility of your Instagram caption. 

Here is an example of how to incorporate CTA in your Instagram caption.

(Image Source- donna_adi IG Profile)

Tip 3: Ask Open-ended Questions 

Have you ever noticed questions in Instagram captions? It is one of the best tips to increase your engagement. An open-ended question with a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer can provoke the audience to engage with the post and start interaction. 

So either you aim to know your prospective customers’ thoughts or start a conversation with them, an open-ended question in your caption can be a good way to engage your audience. 

(Image Source: wetnwildbeauty – IG Profile)

See how beautifully they have engaged their audience by asking them a simple question.

Tip 4: Add Value 

When you post on Instagram, refrain from giving preference to the pictures only. People read captions too! A good caption can help improve your post. 

Below are tips that can help you add value to your caption:

• Your caption should assist people in understanding the meaning that the picture or video intends to convey.
• Additionally, you can raise brand awareness as you can also include helpful links to your website in the caption.
• Make your caption content interesting so that people will trust your brand more. 
• Be friendly and engage your followers as you would if in a conversation with them. 

Adding value to your captions is a win-win strategy to engage the people you. See how adding value to a caption, increases your engagement:

(Image Source: hudabeauty IG Profile)

Tip 5: Use Storytelling:

Storytelling is a great way to make your caption engaging. It gives the audience a better understanding of the post and you as a brand. Storytelling helps them better relate to the brand, resulting in better engagement. 

Captions telling a story, are a hit among the audiences for their captivating nature. These captions are a great way to encourage audiences to keep reading your captions till the end and keep them engaged in your post. Here is how NASA uses storytelling to engage its audience. 

(Image Source: nasa IG Profile)

Tip 6: Use Hashtags 

Adding hashtags to your caption is essential. People query hashtags for the stuff that they take an interest in. The good thing about hashtags is that you can incorporate them into any type of caption. It enables you to incorporate keywords better and engage with your audience through hashtags. 

But don’t overdo hashtags, keeping them clean, and using them sparingly is always the best option. Being over-emphasized on them can make your caption annoying and thus reduce the number of people who will engage with the caption. 

(Image Source: umasiberian IG Profile)

Tip 7: Use Emoji: 

With emojis in your Instagram posts, your content will be livelier and more attractive! They aren’t only adorable and entertaining; they also assist you in getting your audience engagement. Emojis are a tool to let other people know how you are feeling or to add fun to your messages. 

Besides, they may even highlight the information people need more. As a result, the captions will also be more captivating to the eyes. That means the photo becomes a point of interest as well. The next time you post, think about adding a couple of emojis to your post that will catch your followers’ eye!

(Image Source: kyliejenner IG Profile)

Tip 8: Write Short Captions

Lengthy captions are not always a way to retain followers’ engagement on Instagram; precise captions can do the job perfectly. Try going for short and attractive captions as opposed to long and descriptive stories. 

People usually have no time to address something long, therefore catchy captions win. Bullet points are also an effective tool to fix your caption, making it easier to read. As long as you are being concise, your audience will get involved more easily and respond to your posts interactively.

(Image Source: kyliejenner’s IG Profile)

Tip 9: Consistent Language 

Consistency, among other things, is what will make you a magnet on Instagram. Adopting language similar in your captions helps you unite your images under a recognizable brand voice and appeals to your audience. This familiarity with common words and sentences helps followers feel close to the content and understand the type of posts to expect. 

Such continuity in providing content makes people believe in you, thereby leading to more user engagement in the future. Therefore, stay consistent with your language style to maintain your viewers’ participation in your Instagram channel.

(Image Source: nike IG Profile)

Tip 10: Experiment With Different Strategies

There is no specific way to get success on social media. You have to keep trying until something hits the mark. The same goes for writing Instagram captions. Keep trying new strategies till you start engaging with your audience.

The audiences easily and quickly get bored of similar types of captions. If your captions become very predictive for your audience, they might lose interest in your post. Hence you will have to keep trying new strategies to keep your audiences engaged.

Examples have immense power to effectively describe a topic. Below are a few examples of good Instagram captions, to portray how a good caption work wonders.

Example 1: Short Instagram captions:

Short, bold, and to-the-point captions can be very impactful. These captions could be a one-line text, a few hashtags or emojis.

1. Good Vibes Only

2. Happiness Is Contagious

3. Chasing Dreams

Example 2: Call-to-action Instagram captions

The power of a call to action cannot be portrayed better than in the example given below. A simple post got a huge response by artistically putting its call to action caption.

1. Tap. Shop. Shine.

2. Click for joy!

3. Swipe up & get inspired!

Example 3: Informative Instagram captions:

An image many times is not capable of delivering complete details. An informative caption can play a big role here. The below post is a good example of it.

1. Did you know? Bees communicate through dance!

2. Today’s forecast: Sunny with a chance of adventure!

3. Did you catch our latest blog post? Tap the link to stay in the know!

Example 4: Funny Instagram captions:

Funny Instagram captions have their craze. A witty, fun caption can be a great help to increase the engagement of an Instagram post.

1. Lemons in my drink, not in my life!

2. Selfies: double-chin edition!

3. Netflix:  Are you still watching? Me: Yes, obviously!

A good caption is a lifeline of an Instagram post. It instigates audiences to engage with the post.  Whether you are using captions to intensify audience engagement or to boost your brand identity, this blog can help you build a stronger online presence and form better relationships with your followers by utilizing captivating captions.

The art of writing a good Instagram caption can be of great help to you if you want to go viral with your posts and increase the number of followers on your Instagram page. Whether you want to sell your products or want to engage and entertain your audience with your content, creating a good Instagram caption can help you accomplish your goal.