HOW TO WRITE KILLER CAPTIONS. OUR 5 STEP FORMULA.
Writing good Instagram captions…. feels like it’s an art form sometimes doesn’t it?
Asking yourself if they should be funny? Serious? Inspirational? Should you use emojis and hashtags? And what about your call-to-action? You would think after a decade of caption writing we would have this cracked, but it’s still a very common question we get asked to this day. How do you write engaging captions?
Before we go any further it might be worth pointing out that there is no one amazing caption that fits all. Sorry!
But what we are sharing with you today is our 5 step formula for creating killer captions for some of our top tips…
A great Instagram caption will stop your audience mid scroll.
Captions are an important part of your Social Media strategy. Your copy is a a powerful tool that can be used to encourage likes, comments, saves, shares and the ultimate website click. The longer someone spends reading your caption and engaging with your post, the better your post will rank with the algorithm. You want people to share, save and comment on your post to help you rank higher in the eyes of the algorithm. And if your post gets enough engagement, you may find you hit that sweet spot on the explore page.
So it understandable that at times we all feel the caption writing pressure.
So what does a good Instagram caption look like?
A good Instagram caption is one that builds a relationship with your audience, provides context, adds personality, and inspires your followers to take action.
We have been writing captions not only for our own Social Media channels but for many fashion brands over the last few years and as Social Media Managers we spend a far bit of time on Instagram and we can see the type of captions that generally perform well. So we are sharing our 5 steps to a killer caption.
STEP ONE
Give your captions a title. Almost think of your captions like a blog post. What would you write on a blog post title to catch peoples attention and make them read your post?
As you will be aware your captions are shortened so we only get shown the first few lines so the main aim here is to get people to hit that read more…
You need to get that hook nailed. What will catch peoples attention as they scroll to make them stop. If they see a generic post that doesn’t look like it is saying anything valuable to them the chances of them ‘reading more’ is less likely.
STEP TWO
Add value to every post. Making captions valuable is a key part of driving engagement. As a small fashion business you can be providing answers, guidance and advice for your audience. Whether that’s how you can offer styling tips or how your products can help them, every time you write a post think of a lesson, tip, hack or resource so you are sharing something valuable that is hitting those pain points of your audience.
Adding value to your captions is a sure way to encourage your audience to share, comment and save your posts as you become their go to source for style and fashion advice!
STEP THREE
@mention other accounts. Social Media is all about being social, so a great way to get more engagement on your posts through conversation is to try and @mention other accounts in your captions. ONLY if it’s relevant of course. If someone inspired you to post what you are talking about, make sure you tag tag them in your post, or shout out other people that you feel fits your content.
It encourages conversation, collaboration and getting your post shared and seen by more people.
STEP FOUR
Use relevant hashtags. We know that for most people, using the same hashtags is a common practice. Researching new hashtags for every post is just not the best use of your time. However, investing some time each month to research new hashtags for your content pillars is defiantly worth it!
You need to use a range of hashtags that describe you, your business, your audience and the topic. Also use hashtags that you know your audience are engaging in (again only if relevant to your post) so you have the best chances of being seen by more people.
Another top tip is to check your posts individual insights so you can track how well your hashtags actually perform. If your hashtags are not reaching enough people then it’s time to update your hashtag strategy!
P.S. Did you know we have a fashion hashtag newsletter that goes out every month so we do the hard work for you?! You can sign up here
STEP FIVE
Always give a call to action (CTA). Hopefully by the time your audience have got to the end of the post they feel inspired to like, comment or share etc. But always go that step further by ensuring you tell them what to do. Most of the time people on Social Media are viewers unless they are told to do something. Tell them to save, share, comment, tag a fashion friend or to click through to your bio and hit the link. Never presume your audience will do anything, always give them an action to take.
Coming up with good Instagram captions might seem hard, but if you want to be successful on Instagram, it’s important to not let your Instagram captions become an afterthought. It is time to move away from the posting on the fly!
Whether you’re an e-commerce brand selling products or a stylist sharing tips and services, writing good Instagram captions can be a game changer for engagement!
Don’t forget to drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
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Love Verity and Kate x ⚡️