How to write engaging

Insta-
gram
cap-
tions
How to write engaging Instagram captions 1
We’ve analyzed the experience of 2000+ social media
marketers using our tool and formed them into an
action-ready framework to help teams build their
voice in the overcrowded Instagram arena.

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content with experts’ opinions, industry insights, and
guides to master social media marketing game. To learn
more about Instagram marketing, visit sociality.io/blog

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table of contents

04 Introduction
05 How to craft the best Instagram captions: planning carefully
17 Tips for having successful Instagram captions
27 Useful tools for creating the best Instagram captions
31 To wrap it all up
introduction

You’ll find thousands of articles with copy-paste ready engaging

Instagram captions. But the problem is… 99% is already used by
thousands of brands and influencers. Not only your audience will
get bored by seeing the same content, but the algorithm might ban
accounts with plagiarism.

It is the time to be original and think of your unique captions. It is easier

than you think! All you need is clear guidance combined with your own
style. As a result, you will get more loyal followers who actively engage
with your Instagram posts.

SO WHAT IS AN INSTAGRAM CAPTION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

An Instagram caption is a text describing or explaining the image. The

right combination of hashtags, mentions, and emojis is an ideal recipe
for great captions. Posting a picture is not enough to effectively deliver
the message you wanted to convey.

Some social media marketers mistakenly believe that consumer behavior

is changing towards fast, engaging content and changing their content
strategies to reflect the shift. Some studies even argue that Instagram
captions should be between 130-150 characters long, as users won’t
read captions regardless of its quality. This is why you frequently see a
sentence long captions packed with 30 hashtags with the aim to increase
engagement rates. In reality, captions play a crucial role in conveying
your brand’s story.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 4

how to craft the best
Instagram captions:
planning carefully

Posting on Instagram is not just a matter of a couple of minutes. If you

really want to engage with your audience, you need to invest your time
into writing great captions. Are they the best caption you could have
thought for depicting what’s going on in the picture? Or is there anything
you post and then regret not having written the caption differently?

To avoid regret, plan everything carefully, and give yourself time. If

your industry is such that you can’t plan everything for the whole
week, month, doing the following preparations will save lots of time
and create your own brand voice.

This ebook won’t give you 1000 examples of great captions

that you can copy + paste. Instead, we want to show you the
right approach to writing captions that will work for your
brand only!

How to write engaging Instagram captions 5

THINK OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE FIRST

Before posting anything on Instagram, first, make you understand the

target audience. Analyze the tone of voice they prefer, and the type of
content they are eager to see on their feed.

This is presumably the first and foremost aspect you need to consider.
If your audience mainly consists of teenagers, you need to know their
fondness, the vocabulary they are using, or would like to see on your
page the emojis you can use to get your message better.

You can improvise, test a couple of versions and check which ones appeal
to your audience more. The analytics will hint you which caption was
more successful, and hence, new ideas for Instagram captions will arise.

Answer the following questions to find the right direction:

› Does my audience like long or short captions?

› Shall I need to use emojis? If yes, what emojis will my audience like?
› Is my message clear enough? Or do I need to go more into details or
explain from a different perspective?

Answer these questions with your team or show the captions to a friend
and ask for feedback, check if they have clearly understood everything,
and whether they got the emotions you wanted to convey. If the message
is clear for them, it’s ready to be posted, and your audience will love it, too.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 6

CHOOSE YOUR TONE OF VOICE

Depending on the niche, you might need to be funny, serious, neutral,

or emotional. Identify your brand voice in accordance with your niche.

If you are a plastic surgeon, of course, your captions should be way

different from those of a comedian. It would be better for your brand
voice to be neutral or a little bit emotionally positive to express your
happiness for boosting someone’s level of confidence.

Too serious or too humorous content would lead to unfollows as your

audience would think you are not professional enough to choose the
right brand voice for you.

Of course, it also depends on the content you share, but generally,

if you have a specified tone of voice, your audience becomes aware
that it’s your brand’s way of expressing your thoughts, and they get
comfortable with it.

Tesla and BMW particularly have different tones of voices, which is

determined by overall company branding.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 7

How to write engaging Instagram captions 8
PLAN AHEAD

You can’t just sit in a cafe and think – hm, what should I post today?
Posting on Instagram needs weekly or sometimes monthly planning.
The most important part of it is thinking of the right caption. This
reduces the chance of regretting not being able to post the best
Instagram caption that came into your mind later.

MAKE A HASHTAG RESEARCH

Looking for all relevant hashtags is not a matter of seconds, but at the
beginning, you can check the performance of the hashtag you are using,
its popularity, and your chances of appearing at the top. Doing hashtag
research is one of the critical components of having active posts.

Brands develop their own hashtag strategies.

Although Dyson and Nike audiences share similar demographics and

their target audiences collide, the two brands follow two different
approaches to using hashtags in their Instagram marketing strategies.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 9

Hashtags used by Dysonhair. We can group them into 3 categories.

Branded hashtags #dyson #dysonhair #dysonhairathome

Product-related hashtags #hairstraightener #straightener #hairtech

#hairtools #hairdryer

Hair related hashtags #hairstylingtips #stylingtips #hairhowto

#beachwaveshair #hairtutorial etc.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 10

After analyzing the most recent 50 Instagram posts here is a list of
Nike’s hashtags. We can group them into 3 categories.

Branded hashtags #justdoit

Campaign hashtags #madetoplay #Nike2020

In support of Nike’s involvement #UntilWeAllWin #YouCantStopUs

in ongoing world challenges #PlayForTheWorld #playinside etc.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 11

CHECK WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE POSTING ON THE SAME TOPIC

It is always important to check your competitors’ posts and engagement.

After all, your followers have the same demographics.

Analyzing their behavior will lead to a conclusion on their Instagram

captions and decide if you want to implement the same format for
your brand. It is also possible to see their shortcomings and based on
their errors, correct your own postings. But remember that competitor
research and copying is not the same. Just make conclusions and
concentrate on your own branding, tone of voice.

CONSIDER THE LENGTH

If your post is longer than 125 characters, your followers will have to
click “More” to read the whole caption. If three lines are enough to
highlight the importance of the post, then you are good, no need to
add more than that. After all, it is not easy to express a whole idea with
limited characters.

However, if your thoughts are longer than 125 characters, don’t hesitate
to write them in a long but organized way. Remember that spacing,
having paragraphs, and relevant emojis will be visually pleasing for your
audience as they will easily find the information they are looking for.

For example, McDonald’s and Starbucks generally write short and

fun captions. Whereas LinkedIn and Instagram tell peoples’ stories
in captions.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 12

How to write engaging Instagram captions 13
How to write engaging Instagram captions 14
CHECK WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE POSTING ON THE SAME TOPIC

It is always important to check your competitors’ posts and their

engagement. After all, your followers have the same demographics
and analyzing their behavior will lead to a conclusion on their Instagram
captions and decide if you want to implement the same format for
your brand. It is also possible to see their shortcomings and based on
their errors, correct your own postings. But remember that competitor
research and copying are not the same. Just make conclusions and
concentrate on your own branding, tone of voice.

BE UNIQUE

Just by googling the best Instagram captions, you will get lots of
suggestions for different situations. These are usually the captions
that everyone uses. Before just copying it and making your own, think
if your audience is going to like it.

Like you, others also find the same post and use these captions. This
makes your followers see the same content on different pages, and they
easily lose their interest in your posts. Having this in mind, we have made
a list of useful tips that you can use to guide your Instagram captions.

Uber’s social media marketers simply like to have some fun!

How to write engaging Instagram captions 15

How to write engaging Instagram captions 16
tips for having successful
Instagram captions

Having made the necessary preparations, we get to the next step to

following the main tips you should follow to make every post great.

ASK A QUESTION

By asking a question, you make your followers think you are speaking
to them. Questions usually perform better when you present two or
more similar items or images and ask them, “Which one do you prefer”
Another best caption is ending the caption with “... and how about you?”.

People like sharing their opinion and ideas. They feel important, their
opinion is valued, and just commenting on which option they like, how
they feel, won’t be confusing and won’t think twice if their opinions are
worth sharing. Especially when you reply to comments, they know it’s
not just a technique you are using to get more comments.

So if your followers like your brand, they will be more eager to answer
your questions, share their thoughts with you.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 17

GIVE INSTRUCTIONS

Sometimes it seems obvious that if a follower likes your post, they will
tag their friends or will tap for sound. But we forget that nowadays
we are so distracted and absent-minded that, except for the phone,
we might even forget an important document at home if there is no
reminder for that.

The same rule applies here – let your followers know what you want them
to do – tag a friend who’d do this, watch now, see more in my bio, etc.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 18

USE EMOJIS AS LITTLE HINTS

Emojis are a good way of expressing emotions. Even when your caption
itself doesn’t convey the emotion behind the image, using the right emoji
can help you out.

With emojis, you can also get creative and use them in one of these ways:

› At the end of the caption

You would want to save the beginning of the caption for starting it with
an interesting text, making the reader eager to tap and read more.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 19

› Instead of a word
There are certain emojis able to replace a word. Inside the sentence,
it looks playful, creative, and grabs the attention to concentrate on
the whole meaning of the caption. But be aware not to overuse emojis
within the text.

› Instead of the whole content

If you want your audience to start gossiping and sharing your info among
their friends, using an emoji that could replace thousands of words will
do half of the job. You won’t even manage to read the comments as they
get more and more.

Using emojis is a good backup if you can’t think of a proper caption at

that moment.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 20

CHOOSE THE MOST RELEVANT HASHTAGS

As we have already discussed, making hashtag research and using the

most relevant ones is essential. But you need to know where to use
them. Some separate the hashtags with dots and make them a different
paragraph. Others hide them in the comments. The second option usually
performs better as it is not disturbing.

For example, Starbucks has posted #FirstDayofFall hashtag on the

first day of the fall promoting its famous seasonal pumpkin spice latte.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 21

A/B TEST

For a similar image, try using a different kind of caption and check which
one provides more engagement. Maybe your audience likes commenting,
and your post, which asks a question, performs better than a post giving
instructions.

This is usually a tedious process, but if you want to understand what

works well for your audience, testing should be a priority.

MENTION OTHERS

If the image or the story is connected with one of your friends, followers,
don’t hesitate to mention them. It will make your story more reliable and
authentic. You can also mention others to give them credits for what they
have done.

Use quotes if you are mentioning what this person said. This is a good
time-saver when it comes to thinking of a caption.

ORGANIZE CONTESTS

Deep inside, we all like winning, being the first. So if you trigger your
audience to be the first to comment, the first to answer a question,
everyone will want to win the game even if there is no medal for it at
the end.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 22

Captions like “Let’s see who knows me/our brand well,” “Who will be the
first to remember...” provoke interest and a desire to act.

Another good idea is a giveaway caption, which can be done through

a contest. Tell your audience the rules and requirements, wait for their
comments.

Alternatively, you can organize an ask-me-anything competition and

the question you liked most, becomes the winner.

But remember that for the above methods, you need a larger audience or
at least one with active followers who like and comment on your posts. To
achieve an engaging audience, you need to read the next step carefully.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 23

CREATE A BOND

Remember that social media is not about you but about your audience.
How do you maintain communication with them? Besides answering
their direct messages and comments, do you use captions that talk
to them? How likely is it for your followers to get addicted to your
Instagram posts?

Would it be you, would you like a brand to talk to you through their
captions? Or would you rather see something which makes you indifferent
and not connected with it in any way?

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

If you have already planned all your social media content way ahead
but while scheduling your posts an interesting idea comes to your mind,
and you think your audience will love it, don’t hesitate to change it.
Thoughts from your heart will pay off.

Or if you have already posted, but you still feel there is a need to tell
more about the image, write that thought in a comment reply. The ones
who are interested in your ideas will definitely read all of your answers.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 24

SOMETIMES THE BEST RULE IS NOT FOLLOWING THE GENERAL RULES

Remember that your page is unique; there is no second you. Even if it’s
a brand, it should still have its own tone of voice.

While writing a caption, think of how you can have the best version of it.
Before posting anything, ask your friends who have an idea about the
field to give you constructive feedback. It will help you see the content
from another person’s perspective. This is a good chance to get an idea
of how your audience perceives your captions.

DON’T WRITE ANYTHING IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT

If you constantly post images with interesting captions and this time
you think the image speaks for itself, an interesting idea is not writing
anything and hiding the hashtags in the comments.

Your followers will start looking for a caption, knowing you always have
the best captions and will be surprised once they don’t find it. They will
start wondering if this is a new hint; is there a hidden message behind
your silence? They will start making comments – guessing what you
could have said or just their opinion on the image without a caption.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 25

CONSTANTLY TEST THE PERFORMANCE

Besides A/B testing, you also need to check the time you are going to
publish the caption. If it’s a morning post, what emotions should it give
to the reader? If it’s an evening post, do you want to show them how
productive you were during the day? Maybe tired?

Your audience should feel #relatable and find similarities between you
and themselves. This is also part of creating a special bond.

Check when your audience is most active and what type of content
works best at that very hour.

If you implement at least three of these tips, you will gradually feel the
growth of your page engagement as they will indirectly feel the care
with which you post the images and the perfectly chosen caption for it.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 26

useful tools for creating
the best Instagram captions

Now you have all the planning techniques and tips for moving forward
and being a step closer to creating the best Instagram captions. But
you also need tools at hand which will help you plan, schedule your
posts, check hashtags, and so on. Here are some of the best tools that
will come in handy:

HASHTEST CHROME EXTENSION

If you are not sure whether the hashtag is good enough, you can just write
the word, and Hashtest will check if it’s the best, good, bad, or useless.
The colors are different, so there is no chance you will get confused.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 27

SOCIALITY.IO

Especially if you are using multiple platforms, it is essential to plan

everything accordingly, listen to your audience, and get reports on your
social media performance.

Sociality.io will help you to:

› Schedule and publish the content

› Respond to all conversations from one screen (you might even have
multiple social media channels and managing them will become a
piece of cake)
› Monitor the web and social media
› Track the latest news about your brand
› Get reports of your accounts in a PPT or Excel format
› Analyze competitor pages

How to write engaging Instagram captions 28

Choosing the best social media management platform can be beneficial
for your business. Nowadays, 2000+ of Instagram influencers and digital
marketing specialists are using Sociality.io as they want to concentrate
all of their efforts in one place.

Instead of having to do everything manually, you can plan, check the

performance, and get a report from one tool. This saves you both time
and budget as it is more affordable compared with using multiple
planning, management tools.

GRAMMARLY CHROME EXTENSION

To avoid any typos, Grammarly will help you:

› Correct the errors

› Find synonyms
› Write in American, Australian, British or Canadian English

How to write engaging Instagram captions 29

WORDCOUNTER

If you are concerned with the length of your captions, you can copy
and paste it in Wordcounter, and you will get the number of words,
characters used.

How to write engaging Instagram captions 30

to wrap it all up

One size doesn’t fit all. Simply copy+pasting ideas from a list of 1000
best Instagram captions will cause shadowban and negatively affect
your brand positioning and its differentiation in the market. What is the
point of posting content just for the sake of posting it? And what is the
point of writing an Instagram caption that is not engaging, aligned with
branding, entertaining to read?

Don’t be afraid of difficulties! Instagram’s social media marketing is

not easy! However, once you hack the algorithm by understanding your
target audience and building an outstanding social media presence,
Instagram will reward you by boosting your bottom line. And Instagram
captions are a big part of it. It is an essential puzzle that can’t be
thrown away.

Our ebook had two intentions. Firstly, to show you how a well-known
brand with huge marketing departments write captions. Secondly, how
to develop the right approach to writing Instagram captions that your
audience will love to read and engage with!

How to write engaging Instagram captions 31

 All in one social media
management platform

Learn more at
sociality.io/blog

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