When we often talk about a "visuals first" approach to social media, it can be easy to forget that the caption is important too. With the right approach it can improve your discoverability and with the right wording it can even improve engagement.
SEO
On Instagram it’s not just the hashtags that are searchable but the rest of the caption as well. This means you should be trying to use keywords whenever possible. The keywords should reflect your content, in other words, make it relevant! Think about what the core of your content and business are. Are you a hairdresser specialising in vibrant styles? Make sure you mention hair-dye and maybe even the brand you're using.
Know Your Audience
Start with a deep understanding of your audience and tailor captions to their interests and emotions. Is your audience after information on a certain subject? Write something informative. Are you trying to build a community and improve engagement? Talk about something relatable or ask them questions.
Storytelling Magic
Craft captions that weave narratives around your content. Share brand stories, values and people. Narratives evoke emotions and create authenticity, building a deeper bond with followers.
Some ideas for this are:
Letting your audience know about any initiatives your business is a part of and why that’s important to you (like being carbon neutral)
Giving a shout out to a top employee
Sharing important milestones for the business
Know When to Be Concise for Impact
Telling a story might take time but if you’re doing something more promotional, be wary of short attention spans! Convey your message concisely where you can. Start with an impactful opening that either gives the reader the information they need up front or entices them to continue. Use compelling language, avoid jargon, and provide value swiftly.
Evoke Emotion and Empathy
We’ve all had the algorithm recommend something heart-warming and likely to make you tear up. People rescuing dogs, babies laughing at something silly, an act of charity, these all have the potential to go viral. Why? Because emotions drive behaviour!
Remember this when writing your captions. Use them to evoke feelings and hopefully comments too. Share relatable experiences, acknowledge challenges, or celebrate victories to resonate with your audience.
Calls to Action (CTAs)
It sounds too simple to be true, but asking your audience to do what you want does improve results. Encourage likes and comments or drive more website clicks by asking them to follow the link or direct them to your bio.
Hashtags
Strategically use hashtags for discoverability. These could warrant an entire article in themselves (in fact we covered them in one of our emails) so we’ll try to keep it brief. Just like keywords they need to be relevant. For Instagram, Meta recommends using 3-5 hyper relevant tags while some marketers recommend using the entire 30 allocated tags.
Our recommendation? Test, test, test. Some accounts see much better reach from using lots of tags. Meanwhile we’ve seen some accounts do just as well with a handful. We suspect this varies by industry so it’s best to experiment to find your own sweet spot.
Emojis
Emojis add visual appeal and can help break up bulky text. But use them judiciously; excessive use can be distracting.
For the sake of accessibility try not to repeat too many of the same emoji either. A couple of years ago there was a Twitter meme to post about “red flags” followed by a line of emojis. Almost everyone was posting their own version until a visually impaired user pointed out that it “sounds like hell when using screen readers”
Edit and Refine
Your social media content reflects your business, so it’s important to avoid poorly edited copy. Mistakes can reflect poorly on you and your business by giving an impression that you don’t care.
Write, review for clarity, then edit. If possible, ask someone else to perform a “sanity check” and look for any spelling errors, incorrect facts or prices, or poor wording.
Slang words and phrases can work depending on the business but be consistent with it. So you should also think about your brand voice as early as possible.
Test and Adapt
Experiment with caption styles and lengths. Analyse metrics to understand what resonates with your audience. The results might even surprise you and encourage you to take your content planning in a new direction.
Conclusion
Captions breathe life into social media. Craft captivating captions through creativity, empathy, and strategy. Know your audience, embrace storytelling, and infuse your brand's personality.
So, with each caption, remember: it's more than words. It's a path to connection, turning scrollers into dedicated fans, eagerly awaiting your next captivating post.
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