Of the past decade, if there is one significant growth, it has to be that of social media. Did you know that only 10% of Americans had a social media profile in 2008? Now, the number has jumped to 79%. Sure, the maximum percentage of social media users are teens, but 37% of people over 65 years also use social media effectively.
This has eventually resulted in exponential growth of many small business owners, e-commerce industries resulting in a vast platform to experiment and connect with fellow people. There are a lot of things that can impact how well your page is working, the most significant ones is a caption.
When it comes to captions, a lot of people underestimate their power. But a great caption is healthy for the algorithm and improves the engagement irrespective of whether it is a personal or business account. Here’s our guide on how to write a good caption for social media:
- Know Your Audience: There are 3.8 billion people who use social media. That's 49% of the world population. Everyone’s interest varies broadly and it is impossible to cater to everyone. So, a simple step would be to analyze your audience. The more you know about the people who show interest in your profile and engage with them, the easier it is to tailor the content accordingly. You can divide your audience by age group, where they live, and the jobs they hold. Once that's available, then you can think of promoting captions for Facebook using appropriate references to appeal to them, emojis, and adding a context.
- Create with Intention: Ask a few questions, especially before you start writing the business captions for Instagram. For example, it can be anything from connecting with the audience, passing information, or solely keeping up with the brand presence. Most of the time, people log on to social media amidst a tough day or to use it as a distraction in general. So try providing them humour, an interesting fact, or be an inspiration.
- Strike a Conversation: One of the ways to improve social media followers is by asking them to participate in the conversation. It can be any type of question, including an open-ended one, testing their skills, or even multiple choice. If you have a caption idea in mind, then think of ways you can turn them into a conversation. An excellent social media caption example, especially if you are a fashion brand is asking your audience of styling tips instead of simply posting them. It can be helpful for the fellow audience.
- Include a Call to Action: Like a question, you can include a call to action to make your social media caption engaging. Some of the promoting caption examples include asking them to visit your website, blog, or even fill a survey. But this should be used as minimal as possible in order not to make it too much like an advertisement. There are other ways to include a call to action such as tagging a friend or leaving a comment.
- Be You: The only answer to how to write Instagram captions is proving that you are different from the rest. And being authentic to your true self or your brand. What is your/brand value? Are you succumbing under the pressure because other brands do it? Remember, it does not matter what other people or brand is doing. You can take inspiration, but make it all about your/your brand’s voice.
- Tell a Story: How to write a caption on Instagram photos that can reach more people? If you are pondering this question, then remember that people love to read contradictory to what you believe. It can be about how you started in the first place, introductions, your goals, your aspirations, or even your failure. By this, you are making the content personalized and relatable by your audience.
- Don't Be Afraid to Use Hashtags: Hashtags that started on Twitter slowly caught up on other platforms. It is one of the most important and valuable features that makes your content more discoverable. If you feel, it is disrupting your content flow, you can add them farther below. For example, you can add the hashtags in comments on Instagram. Use liberally, but not too liberally.
Just like how you would like to keep your pictures looking fairly content on your page/grid; it is equally important to keep your captions consistent as well. Many social media caption templates can prove handy during those times. Whether you want to write a longer caption or not, it is up to you to decide. But remember, a shorter caption can be captivating as well. Also, don't forget to proofread your captions for any spelling or grammatical errors.
