Although people turn to Instagram for the inspiration that leaps out of each and every photo, it’s important not to neglect your Instagram captions. Few of us are Beyonce and can post a picture without a single caption or hashtag and receive a bazillion likes within minutes.
Whether you’re a celebrity, a small business, or a photographer looking for growth, people are searching for authenticity on their Instagram feed. And the best way to offer that is to post “real-life” captions that not only tell a story but tell the reader what you can do for them. Here’s the why and they how behind masterclass Insta captions.
They’re the Perfect Length for a Short Tale
Instagram captions are topped off at 2,200 characters, or about 330 words. That said, you want to keep them clear and concise. Basically, get right to the point of “why they should care.” Captions are also cut off in people’s feeds after a few lines of text. So, never before has a good opening line been more important.
What we like to do is to start with an introductory phrase – a headline of sorts. This way, people will know what’s about to come and decide if they want to invest in that extra tap to open the full caption.
It’s important you don’t ask for too much in your caption. This is your time to give. Give your audience something to read; something to learn from. Then, of course, at the end, you can ask them to read more at the link in your bio or on your website.
Smart Tools
Whether or not you’re a Kardashian fan, you can’t deny the recent success of Kourtney Kardashian’s lifestyle brand, Poosh. She had millions of Instagram followers before her website even launched.
What’s great about her profile is the product called “linkin.bio” by the company Later. It allows you to post all the links you’ve ever called people to with your “link in bio” call to action. You’ll never lose an opportunity to monetize a post if you make it easy to find the product people are looking for.
It’s Where the Hashtags Are At
Within your caption, you don’t want to go ham on your hashtags. But, you can slip in one or two thoughtful ones. For example, it’s hard to read, “Spread #light and #love with our latest line of #palosanto #candles for your #home.” That’s nowhere near as smooth as, “Light up the love in your home with our latest line of #palosanto candles.”
Then, perhaps you’ll offer some enticing tidbits about your latest product line. Reel your future customers in with the story behind the elements in your products. Make your captions all about them. What will they get out of your product line? What’s in it that they’ve been waiting for? How is it different than anything else out there?
Hashtag Placement
Then, once you’ve written an intriguing and informative caption, you can consider your hashtag placement. Originally, folks would skip a few lines with a little star emoji or what have you and then insert their 30 hashtags.
Nowadays, people are circling back to leave a comment on the post with those hashtags. It’s a little more demure and less “salesy” to have them all listed in a separate location than underneath your thoughtful caption.
People Love a Good Story
It’s true; we all love a good story. Although the tendency is to scroll and double tap our days away, that’s not entirely true. People do read captions, especially if they offer something juicy.
Instagram is constantly being called out as a highlight reel. Is anybody out there posting the B-reel? Mostly, people only share the good; they forgot about the ugly. But, what kind of life is that? It’s disingenuous is what it is.
So, along with the good days and the company successes, try to get real from time to time, too. Share a photo of the early days of your business when you only had one laptop and a sad looking pup named Buster. Tell your followers that it took a lot of hard work and sleepless nights to get your company where it is today.
A Short Story
We follow this one company, Minte Studio, where the owner recently moved to Bali. When the Balinese New Year came around, she shared her story. Turns out, she moved to Bali for all the freedom and richness it provides only to experience the hardest year of her life.
She suffered a lot of heartache through the early struggles in her business and a breakup with her boyfriend. But look at her now. Her company has nearly 30,000 followers and a slew of five-star reviews on Amazon. It helps to get real. It’s a sure bet, not to mention the side benefit of how you’ll find the whole process completely cathartic.
Instagram Captions People Can Relate To
We know you can kill the Instagram game with smart Instagram captions. Remember, people do read them; it’s not just about mindlessly scrolling through photos.
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