9 Tips On How To Write Scroll-Stopping Instagram Copy
With over 1.3 billion users, Instagram's users keep growing by the day. As a business owner, you know it's impossible to ignore its reach and usefulness when marketing your products and services.
When it comes to posting, it's all about the photos and visuals. However, if you're not giving proper attention to your copy, you may be missing out on a serious opportunity to grow your brand.
Quality and excitement-driven Instagram captions can help your business by:
- increasing website traffic
- increasing your followers
- improving your sales
The caption of your photos allows you to give a voice to your Instagram posts. A good Instagram caption explains what your photo is about, provides a call-to-action (CTA), or says something playful or relatable your audience can relate to.
What Are Your Campaign Goals?
Before creating a post, you need to consider the primary goals of your strategy and let them guide you. These goals can be:
- running an awareness campaign to increase brand awareness
- promoting a sale or new product launch
- collecting user-generated content (UGC) with branded Instagram hashtags(#)
If you're just running a purely organic campaign without investing in ads or boosting a post, there are two main goals you'll want to achieve in your CTA:
- driving followers to head to your profile and click the link in your bio
- get followers to like, comment, or share (by tagging others)
Since you can't place clickable links in organic posts, you'll have to direct users to click the link in your Instagram bio to visit your site or product page. You can create a custom landing page through Linkpop, an eCommerce tool designed for fast and secure checkouts.
How to Write Effective Instagram Captions
1) Front-load The Important Stuff
If you have a long caption, Instagram shortens it after 3-4 lines. Make sure to include the important details in the beginning. Only the first sentence will be shown in a user's feed. It could be a compelling statement or a question. It's crucial in getting people to stop and read your caption – so make it count!
Like in other writing, you should lead with a hook. It doesn't have to be a banger but it should be at least enticing and interesting. It could be a relatable statement, an interesting question, or something funny.
Once you get their attention, you can dive into detail about your product or service. Tell them what they need to know so they can easily make a decision.
2) Don't Forget To Include CTA Or Ask A Question
When posting something, it should have a purpose. Ask yourself, what do you want your followers to do:
- Visit your site?
- Shop for a product?
- Share the post with friends?
- Enter a contest or giveaway?
It's important to develop a dialogue with your audience. Its algorithm awards Instagram profiles that encourage people to engage with your content and receive a lot of engagement. You're helping Instagram grow its user base because people are loving your content. This will also increase the likelihood of your post appearing in users' feeds.
Some examples of CTAs you may want to include in your caption(s) are:
- Click the link in bio
- Leave a comment
- Tag a friend
- Post a photo using branded hashtag
3) Write like a human
Your Instagram caption is a great opportunity to show some personality. After all, people buy from people – not businesses. By humanizing your brand, you make it relatable and trustworthy.
Some ways to sound more human in your copy are:
- Using contractions like "you're" instead of "you are"
- Talk like you would to a friend
- Tell stories or jokes
- Be vulnerable
Authenticity matters most. You should express your genuine attitude because people want to feel like they can relate to someone.
4) Provide Value
Your Instagram caption is an opportunity to provide your followers with something valuable. Whether that be a coupon code or helpful tips – make there's value.
This goes back to the idea that people buy from people. If you can show that you're not just out there to sell but also to help and serve others, people are more likely to reciprocate.
Some ways you can provide value in your caption are:
- Teach them something (e.g., how to style a piece of clothing)
- Share user-generated content (UGC)
- Provide exclusive information not seen anywhere else
- Share a captivating testimonial
5) Write Several Drafts Before Posting
Have you ever thought of the perfect joke to tell to your audience after it was a little too late? Well, the same goes for Instagram when you just published a post.
With Instagram's feed algorithm change, the level of post engagement will matter more than chronology. The visibility of your post in your followers' feeds will mostly depend on the number of likes and comments it has received. So make sure you don't rush the process. Jot down a few ideas for your captions, let it sit for a while, and then think about it or ask around which one sounds the best.
6) Storytell
You shouldn't sound neutral in your social media posts. You need to add personality and spice to your captions. You'll want to adapt your brand voice to Instagram's more lighthearted tone, but you can have other tones as well. For example, if you are talking about an important issue, adopt a more serious tone; or if you need to write out a recipe, write long.
7) Use Emojis
Emojis are a great way to show personality. They can also help break up long paragraphs of text, which can be helpful if you have a lot of information to share. Make sure you're not overdoing it though.
Here are some ideas on how you can feature emojis in your caption(s):
- Beginning of a post to catch people's eyes
- Lighten the tone of a serious issue
- Use a "punchline"
8) Consider Caption Length
Quality matters more than quantity in Instagram copy. It can be short or long and feature more in-depth text. At the end of the day, if your post adds value or is interesting, people are willing to read the entirety. However, if you're not sure, it's probably best to err on the short side so your post is concise to readers.
9) Use Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to increase your post's reach and get discovered by new people. They function like keywords as they have tracking and searching capabilities, and it makes your posts searchable so users can start or join conversations on specific topics.
However, be careful with how many hashtags you use, because using too many can make your post seem spammy (generally four hashtags are enough).
Here are some examples of great captions:
Captions that Lead with Good Stuff
"[New Product] is now live! Get your free 30-day demo right now and see for yourself..."
"We're here with [partner/company] on a new initiative to [shared goal]. Our staff can't wait to get started..."
"Congrats to our very own [employee name] for winning [award]! A well-deserved honor for someone who crushed it this month..."
Captions With CTAs
Team synergy is crucial to great company culture. Tag a coworker you love working with in the comments below
[Podcast] episode 1 is now available for listening! Couldn't be happier with our guest, [name of guest]. Link in bio.
We'll be closed January 1, but back with an exciting announcement after New Years ... where will you be on New Years Eve? Share your plans, below!
Captions With Emojis
Spotted 👀 the [company name] logo downtown! Love seeing the community give us some love. ❤️
🏆 ALERT! 🏆 Excited to be named in the Top 20 Best Places to Work in [State] for [year]! We owe it all to our hardworking employees and loyal customers. You all rock.
Brief Captions
We've moved! Check out our new office.
Happy New Year!
Happy #Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?
