The formula to write the best Instagram captions 

Instagram is for images, but it’s the captions that can make or break a post. Captions are powerful as they draw the viewer in to learn more about your business and the value it provides. It’s important to understand that different types of captions drive different actions. It all depends on your business or brand and what you want from your customers. Let’s dive in to learn the formula to get the most out of this valuable piece of social media real estate.

The rules of copywriting

Balance is important in all aspects of life and captions are no exception. It’s a good idea to have captions and posts that help you increase engagement on your account, generate leads, and get people to your website. The secret to a successful post hides in some hard rules you probably didn’t know about. Such as the fact that Instagram has a caption limit of 2,200 characters and therefore shortens your caption after three to four lines. This is why your first sentence should act as a headline or hook to encourage your audience to read the complete caption. Captions need to follow the ABCs of copywriting – attention, benefit, and close -. Grab attention with an emotional sentence or an intriguing question. Provide a benefit in the form of entertainment, education, or inspiration. Finally, close your caption with a clear and concise call to action.

Types of Instagram captions for businesses

Experts state that there are five different types of Instagram captions that are effective at driving engagement through actions such as likes, comments, saves, shares, and website clicks. They work particularly well because of the “know, like, trust” factor – your customers need to know, like, and trust you before they buy from you.

1. Tell a relatable story: Telling a relatable story helps your audience get to know you. Share content that your audience might relate to or see themselves in. The point of this is to help your audience get to know you beyond your service or product, so it’s okay to get a little personal.

2. Post thought-provoking quotes or memes: Memes and quotes are popular post formats since they are very easy to digest, engaging, and shareable. Because they’re so quick to consume, most people don’t think twice about sharing these kinds of posts. The quote or meme you post should speak for itself, though you can add more value with a caption that provides context.

3. Ask simple questions: If you want people to comment more on your posts, ask them a question and tell them to share their replies in the comments. Make sure it’s a simple, straightforward question that your followers can answer quickly.

4. Share helpful tips or tools: Sharing helpful tips and tools will help followers trust you as someone who can solve their problems. Give them helpful advice or resources that they can apply to their lives. This offers potential customers a taste of the value you provide and will help them be more receptive to your paid offers.

5. Provide valuable resources: Instagram currently prohibits users from putting hyperlinks in their captions. This can be challenging to drive followers to a website. Most business owners have to get their followers to go to their profiles and click the link in their bio to visit their website. As this can be a bit of a process for your followers, you need to make it worth their while. That’s why the best way to generate leads through Instagram is to give them a highly valuable and relevant resource that will fulfill an urgent need or solve a problem.

In social media, everything plays a part in a major strategy. Captions will make your audience and customer list grow through the content you give to them. Always ask yourself, “what can my audience gain from this?” The creation of thoughtful Instagram captions that have your audience’s needs and wants in mind will help you build a deep connection that will keep them coming back for more. Contact us at Ibis Studio for more information.