Let me tell you: long-form captions can become your REAL ace in the hole. Gone are the days of a single emoji or cliche quote to caption your graphics, photos, or carousels was enough. Why? The crucial metric that Instagram uses to decide if your post should be boosted by the algorithm is “the time other users are spending on a post”. The easiest trick to get your followers (and the future ones) to spend more time on your content? Easy peasy. Write longer, more engaging captions for them to read.
Many creators believe preparing a new post is the most challenging part of the content creation process. But, unfortunately, that’s not how it is! The most challenging part of running a thriving Instagram is what happens next: reaching new people and attracting them to actually consume your posts and read your captions.
“If you create a new post, people and new potential followers will come” many creators believe in that optimistic theory. Well. Not necessarily. That’s why today we’ll discuss five surefire ways to encourage your audience to read what you’ve prepared for them! There are way too many profiles out there with mediocre captions. Yours need to be better!
First Line Matters. Come Up With Caption Hooks That Will Keep Your Followers (And Potential Followers) Reading.
Oh yes. The first line of your caption is the most critical part of your post! After you invest much time into carefully preparing a gorgeous photo or unique seamless carousel, how do you come up with a hook that intrigues your followers and- that’s even more important – compels them to go on (read on, I mean)?
The first line is the first thing your followers notice. It’s like your first impression on them. Will it be enough to make them fall in love with your post? Or like it, at least? But we actually need chemistry at first sight, right?
Unfortunately, if your first line is generic or a bit boring, it’ll discourage the follower from reading further. You could have prepared the most helpful caption out there, but if the introduction doesn’t cut it – your followers will skip.
A good hook: this is what pulls the follower into reading your caption to the very last word. Make it interesting!
What do you need to come up with a good hook? It can be a sentence or only a word. Your caption opening can be a question or an honest confession about what inspired you to come up with this ‘Gram post concept.
What really hooks Instagram users, according to research? QUESTIONS.
Have you ever noticed that a lot of Instagram posts begin with a question or even a whole set of questions? Starting your caption with a question is like approaching a friend and saying, “What’s up today, what’s new?” The chance that they notice you and give a response is significantly higher, right?
Write for Your Target Audience, Not for SEO (And Then Optimize It for Instagram SEO)
I know it may sound a bit controversial, but let me explain!
When it comes to Instagram captions (because with blog posts, that’s a totally different story): I always begin by writing whatever I feel like I need to write. I just let my writing flow win.
And I’ll be honest here: I think it’s beneficial to write for your followers, for your target audience, and write from your heart rather than writing for Instagram SEO.
Because you can’t end up having your keyword repeated three times in the same sentence! Including your keyword in EVERY sentence takes a lot of the fun out of caption preparation. And then, reading it!
But at the same time, of course – you need to realize the importance of Instagram SEO. And good news, there are some easy things you can do to help your Instagram SEO:
- try to include ONE keyword in your hook
- try to include at least 4-5 keywords in your captions (fortunately, it’s not a lot!)
- use targeted hashtags (my favorite advice: use a hashtag research tool to make it like a pro: IQ Hashtags drives great results, and it will arm you with expert research about your hashtags volume)
That way, your post, and your caption will be essentially the same but with an Instagram algorithm-friendly approach. Knowing essential Instagram SEO and hashtag research principles (+ a good hashtag research tool) can really help you rise in Instagram search rankings.
Look For Solutions to Your Target Audience’s Problems.
Try to ask yourself: How can I make my content so intriguing and so valuable that they’ll DM me to say, “Thanks, this was what I needed”?
Creating epic guides and helpful how-to posts is a proven way to attract more people from your target audience, gain credibility and help your followers by sharing information they need to know to make their lives better.
Good news? This type of post usually ranks really high in search!
But don’t get me wrong: don’t get hooked on trying to create posts that are guides and how-tos only! Don’t all of your posts need to be uber useful! Remember about sharing personal things, straight from your heart, without any bullet points. A nice blend of formats is crucial to avoid burnout!
Surprise Your Followers With New Topics and Engaging Discussions
How do other creators get so many comments on their posts? Was there a course on Skillshare you forgot to take? Is there any secret sauce trick you’re missing out on? UNFORTUNATELY THE ANSWER IT “NO,” but there are some key engagement factors that are probably missing from your posts. So let’s break them down to fix it!
Long-form captions take way more time to write, but let me tell you: it will be worth it. How to begin and level up your captions? How to come up with so many new topics and ideas?
- Brainstorm thoughts and topics you want to talk about on your Gram with your friends or/and other creators from your niche
- Keep your notebook near you all the time (if you’re anything like me! But writing them down in a mobile’s phone notepad is also a good idea)
- Look for inspiration EVERYWHERE. Even small talk in a local grocery store can turn into exciting conclusions and topics for Instagram discussion.
Don’t Post and Ghost.
Once you publish a new post or Reels, the work is EXTREMELY FAR from being over. It’s time to put on your brave marketing hat. Great content is about getting your audience the results they dream of. But hey, in order to achieve that, you need to attract more people from your target audience!
My pro tip? For your new content to perform better and increase your organic traffic: leave valuable comments right before and right after posting. Comment trending creators from your niche, your favorite ones, and the ones you admire.
Time for Q&A!
I’ve received several DMs and emails about writing engaging captions from you all from our clients! So let’s share some of them, as always!
I’ve been running my Instagram profile for about a year now. I think my posts are reasonably well optimized and have a friendly tone (I’d hesitate to say they’re perfect, of course), but ugh, let me admit: I’m awful at the whole marketing and interaction thing. Being a mom, working full time, and running an Instagram on the side leaves limited time for promoting my account and accelerating my growth!
I hear you! Working a full-time job, taking care of your kid, and growing your IG can be EXTREMELY challenging. However, it’s the only way your Gram is going to grow – so don’t give up, please! How to promote your content when your spare time is so limited? There are many good options!
- Identify which trending hashtags are attracting your target audience’s attention right now (you can use IQ Hashtags and speed the process up).
- Leave positive comments on your favorite creators’ content.
- Take advantage of your Instagram Stories and show off yourself.
- Post your content when your community is online (analyze that in your stats)
- Create a consistent schedule that works for you – so you can stick to it without being overwhelmed or overworked!
Good luck, dear!
What’s more important for an Instagram post: a good photo or a captivating, well-written caption?
As Selena Gomez says: don’t make me choose! Both! Making your captions intriguing easy to read is critical. A picture may tell your follower a thousand words, but an additional set of 200 amazing words can really help as well.
But of course: know your audience and match their expectations. That’s actually the question you can ask them! But I’ll always say BOTH.
What is the best Instagram caption length? Should Instagram posts have long captions? Or are shorter captions better? How long should my Instagram captions be? Do extended captions get more engagement?
My research shows they do! I like to use captions as a mini-blog form. They need an opening line (good hook!), and a friendly CTA somewhere in the middle of text or the last lines – don’t you think they really resemble short blog posts?
Should you be writing long and professional essays? No. If you want, you can, but that’s not what I meant! You just need to let your followers know that you care about them, and you take your time to prepare good and engaging captions. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment with different storytelling methods, and don’t hesitate to include a joke from time to time.
Can you take a look at my captions and tell me if there’s something wrong with them? Pretty please?
I wish I could take a look at everyone’s captions for free, but then I would have no time to work (and write new Instagram lessons for you guys)! That’s why we have recently launched new services: custom audit. This way, I’m able to help you (for a highly reasonable price, 29$), and review not only your captions but your whole profile optimization and your content strategy as well! Win-win. So if you need my guidance and you want to ensure that your profile continues to provide value for your target audience: book your one. I put my whole heart into preparing these audits for you, TBH.
That’s all for today! What other “caption writing tricks” do you use in your content? Which of them do you like the most? Also! Needless to say (I hope): if you have any questions, please do add them to the comments below!
