Trying to build an engaged audience on Instagram but can’t seem to get people to care?

Constantly looking at other successful social media accounts wondering how they get so many comments? Want to get more people to notice you?

Oh, the wonderful world of Instagram.

Having a bright and engaging Instagram account is one of the best tools for building an audience, creating awareness of who you are, and communicating with others who are also interested in (or part of) your niche. But like all businesses trying to build a brand (and as a “creative”, YOU are your personal brand), you have to have a strategy for success.

So how can Instagram captions help? Do they help? Does having a long or short caption make a difference? Should you use emojis? How many hashtags are acceptable in a caption? How do you even write a good caption?!

Have no fear, because we are going to tell you everything you need to do to create the BEST Instagram captions.

Why are good captions important?

The new Instagram algorithm favours posts that get lots of engagement. So the more people like and comment on your photo, the more your photo is going to show up in people’s feeds. Makes sense right? The more people comment on your posts, the more your post will show up on their friends’ feeds. The caption is just one of the many factors that can encourage more people to interact with your post – as well as showing people who you are! And social media is all about personality.

So how can we use our captions to get engagement?

1. Adding value

Look at your caption as something that should add value – for your audience and your post.

We can add value to our Instagram photos with a few specific things (or a combination of all three):

1.    Giving some context

Explaining what’s going on in the picture not only helps the reader to understand who you are and why you’re sharing it, but also gives you the opportunity to give them more valuable information. It also builds a relationship between yourself and your audience, who begin to feel like they know you better.

2.    Showing off your personality!

When we make friends with people, we show them who we are as a person. That’s what people are attracted to – whatever makes you uniquely you! Just like the way we make new friends in real life, we want to approach social media in this way too in order to build relationships and show people what makes you unique.

3.    A call-to-action

Or in other words – asking your audience a question!

When you ask someone a question you’re inviting them to engage in a conversation with you. This builds the relationship between you and your audience as they feel you value their opinions and are interested in what they have to say. With Instagram cutting off your caption after a few lines, the need to suck your readers in super quick with a really engaging first line is paramount. Add a call-to-action!

But note…

Don’t think you have to use this formula for every post. Sometimes just a simple statement will suffice. Or even just a single emoji. It’s all about trying to gauge how your followers will respond to it, and whether it’s going to be beneficial to both your audience and your brand image.

2. Creating a consistent ‘brand voice’

Are you going to write informally or formally? Do you want to sound like you’re talking to a friend, or like you’re informing people in a professional, formal manner? Are you going for a laidback tone or a serious one? Do you want to be jokey or do you want to be informative?

Whatever you choose, try to stick to it. A consistent brand voice will make your profile look more professional, and like an honest representation of you. Viewers know when you don’t sound genuine, so speak your truth!

3. Using emojis 😊😄🤔

Did you know that emojis were created as a way to mimic non-verbal communication online?

Whether to use emojis is really dependent on what sort of image you are trying to portray. In general, emojis are more colloquial or lighthearted way to express yourself, so they may not be appropriate for those who want to portray a more formal tone.

Try to remember that when people are reading a caption, they are reading it as if you are sitting right opposite them, saying it to their face. Except, on social media they can’t see your facial expressions or body language as you’re talking. Using a smiley or angry emoji face can be a good way to express body language when the other person can’t see you.

Using emojis can also be a fun way to add some lightheartedness, sarcasm or informality to a post. For example, if you’re eating sushi you might want to add some sushi emojis to your caption, or if you’re going on a trip somewhere a plane emoji is fun to add. The point of emojis is to make the text the person is reading more fun, more light-hearted, and more interesting. It also makes the person reading feel like a friend is talking to them – and that’s a great way to build an audience that really cares about you and your projects!

4. Tagging people

If somebody’s in the picture, tag them. If somebody took the picture, tag them! If the picture is related to something in particular, tag it! When you tag another account it’s like you’re recommending other people for your audience to follow. It can also give the appearance of you being “well-connected” or… social! Use common sense when tagging. You don’t want to tag users in a post that is not relevant to them.

5. Using #hashtags

You can add some key hashtags to your caption (3-4 max) but any more and the caption starts to look messy. If you want to post more hashtags, put them in a comment. That way your audience don’t get distracted by useless text, yet you can still make the most of the hashtag discovery tool.

Using hashtags can make a huge difference to the amount of engagement you get on your post so don’t be afraid to use them – just make sure they’re relevant to what you’re posting. There are people out there looking for what you have to offer – and hashtags are going to lead them to you!

With these tips, you should be able to now go on and write amazing Instagram captions that actually engage your followers (and potential followers!). But remember – great captions are just one piece of the Instagram success pie. To build the audience you dream of it takes time, patience and commitment. Good luck!

Did you learn something new? How do you create engaging Instagram captions? Let us know in the comments below!