Tips for writing post captions

Sahail Ashraf posted on 19 April 2023

If you’re creating posts that can use captions (such as on Instagram) then you’d better be doing it right. Here are a few key tips to help.

Part of getting your social media posts right is creating the right captions. You need to capture the attention of audiences in a world where attention spans are miniscule. On top of that, the right captions can play a huge role in driving engagement. So how do we ensure that our captions are effective?

Questions

Questions have been part of effective marketing for decades. By asking a question in your caption you are triggering an automatic response in the mind of the reader.

Questions also draw a reader in. They will most likely want to find out more about the topic of the question, and to see if perhaps you have an answer for them. Using a question in your caption means that you will have an instant connection and instant engagement with the reader.

Hashtags

Hashtags are incredibly important in your captions, because they help to widen your reach. Audiences will find you through hashtags, and if they are a part of your caption work, the hashtag will create a mental link for readers. Done right, hashtags will prompt sharing.

For making sure that your strategy pays off, monitor the performance of the hashtags that you use. With those that consistently increase reach and engagement, keep using them in your post content and your captions. This means you are part of a conversation. At the same time, finding hashtags that are a little more niche helps you to widen that net.

Go for clarity

If you know exactly what you want to achieve with your post then your caption should be much easier to create. Having clarity of purpose in your captions is possible if you have clarity in your post.

If you are creating a post that is intended to show your brand’s personality then that tone and mood should come across in your caption. Audiences will respond to this in a positive way. Having plenty of ‘personality’ posts that have the same mood and feel creates consistency in how your audience perceives you and ultimately values you.

The same goes for other types of posts, such as posts that are trying to encourage action. If you need to use a post to help develop interest in and sell a product then your caption can tease value and benefits and pull your readers into the post smoothly.

Essentially, if you know what you are trying to achieve or convey with your posts, you should be able to find creating captions easier. 

Keep the important stuff safe

No matter which platform you’re on, captions are not infinite in length. This means that creating captions has to be a practical matter as well as one that involves creativity.

Whatever your post is about, you need to make sure that it is pushed to the front of your caption. If you have a product announcement that needs to be pushed out there, then make sure your caption has the message at the start. 

There are two reasons for front loading your caption. The first one is that it makes sure your key message doesn’t get lost due to caption length limits. The second is that your main message has to land first, before anything else. This ensures it makes an impact and gets the job done immediately. 

Use emojis and fonts

Remember that your captions are there to get and keep attention. Using emojis and different fonts in your captions can help with that particular mission. 

These visual elements really make your posts pop. Your captions will instantly grab attention and, because you’ve worked hard to pick the very best emojis and fonts that really help your message, the tone and mood will be set.

Choose the fonts and emojis carefully. They have to fit with your message and they have to be attractive enough to get attention. The trick is to make sure you use just enough to grab and engage your audience.

Social media marketing is great fun, but only if you’re doing it right. Try Locowise for the latest data and tips on your industry landscape.