By now everyone knows that a caption is a short text that you add to your photos. In other words, it's what you write below your photo when you post it on Instagram.
Your captions on Instagram will help you better connect with your friends, followers and other people who like your posts. But... How do you create the best Instagram captions? This seems like a challenge but you'll see that it's easier than you think!
Why Instagram Captions are Important?
The caption is what you need to make your photo complete!
When you create the right Instagram captions for your photos, you'll gain...
- More followers and more likes: When people see your photos and read your Instagram captions, they will feel what you want to say. If you write funny, well-written, and creative captions for your photos, people will want to know more. They will follow you to see what else are you going to post.
- Better results in your social media marketing campaigns: When people connect with your Instagram photos, it's easy for them to also connect with other things that you are promoting with your Instagram account.
- More engagement on Instagram: Even when you post the most beautiful photos, but you don't create good captions for them, they will never get noticed by many people.
You may be wondering... What should I write in my Instagram captions?
There are no rules - do whatever feels right for you. But if you need some inspiration, here's a guide on how to create the best Instagram captions for your photos.
How to create the best Instagram Captions for your photos
Use call-to-actions in your post
A "call-to-action" is a command that asks people to take an action. You'll hear marketers and business owners use this term quite often, and it applies to Instagram too—even though you probably didn't think of it as such.
Although some people might call them "advanced hashtags", We find that the use of calls-to-action is more about writing captions that are clickable, rather than including specific hashtags.
If you want someone to take an action—comment under your post, or follow you for example—then write a caption that encourages it.
For example: "Can't believe I almost forgot to post this! Follow my friend @justkidding for more awesome photos like this one."
Use Hashtags in Instagram Captions
Writing the best Instagram captions is important if you want your feed to stand out. And hashtags are just one part of the equation.
Use hashtags at the end of your captions for Instagram posts. The best Instagram captions use hashtags because it makes it easier for you to get engagement, followers, likes and more.
Of course, don't go randomly adding hashtags everywhere just because you want to gain followers or whatever your goal is. Using hashtags for Instagram posts should be strategic.
Choose the right hashtag by doing some research on what's trending on Instagram. Use popular hashtags when you post your Instagram photos, but don't over-tag them because it can make your caption look like spam if there are too many hashtags in one comment section.
Use Emojis & Symbols in Captions
Emojis and symbols are a great way to express your feelings without using words. In fact, one study found that Instagram captions with emojis get double the number of likes compared to other photos.
Using too many emojis can make you look immature though. So don't go overboard!
Ask questions in your Instagram Captions
Questions are a great way to get people thinking about your post, and they're also good at sparking conversations. Some examples of questions might be "What do you think?", or "What was your favorite part of this photo?". You'll get some replies, which will get more people talking—just make sure that the questions are appropriate!
Don't ask something that might be considered inappropriate. For example, "Is this outfit not so beautiful?" would be a bad question. The person might agree with you, but others will see it as rude or shallow—not exactly what you want for your brand!
Practice, Practice and Practice!
Captions don't have to be perfect. You just have to avoid the most common mistakes.
The best way to learn how to do it is by practicing, practicing, and practicing some more. Try writing different types of captions—captions for sunsets, for your favorite book or movie, captions with quotes, funny captions, and so on.
So use this guide, practice them on some old photos, then apply them to some new ones. You'll learn how to make great captions for Instagram, and you'll see your number of likes grow!