3 Things Every Instagram Caption Should Include

One of the most effective ways to connect with your Instagram audience is to write an engaging Instagram caption. If you’re stumped for Instagram caption ideas, you’ve come to the right place! Keep reading to find out the 3 essential parts on a stellar Instagram caption!

THE ABCs OF INSTAGRAM CAPTIONS

You just took the perfect Instagram photo and edited it to perfection. You’re all set to post it but when you go to write the caption, you freeze up… Sound familiar? Believe me, I’ve been there many times!

Read: How to Use VSCO Recipes to Edit Instagram Photos

This scenario usually ends in a caption that says something like #sundayvibes. The issue with these types of Instagram captions is that they don’t explain what the post is about and they don’t invite your readers to engage with you.

Writing Instagram captions can be baffling so I created the ABCs of Instagram captions to help guide you through the process. Use the 3 things every Instagram caption should include and you’ll be cranking out so many captions you won’t even know what to do with all of them!

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A – ANNOUNCE THE MAIN IDEA IN THE FIRST SENTENCE

You only get one chance to make a first impression on your reader with each Instagram post. When your reader is scrolling, they need a reason to stop and read your full caption. Your first sentence needs to catch their attention.

Therefore, you should be ultra clear on what the main idea of your post is in the first sentence. A great way to draw their eye is to capitalize your keywords. If the keyword is something they’re interested in, they’ll stop scrolling to read your caption.

Here’s a few examples:

Took a solo THRIFTING trip today for my Mother’s day gift to myself.
What’s your favorite CUPCAKE flavor?!

GUESS WHAT?! I’m finally starting a BLOG!

3 Things Every Instagram Caption Should Include | Just Jes Lyn

B – BECOME A STORYTELLER

One of the main reasons people follow you on Instagram is because they want to hear about your life, your passions, & your stories. Everyone loves a good story. Telling a story in your Instagram caption, no matter the length, is sure to engage your audience.

Creating a narrative for your audience will invite them into your world in a meaningful way. Make sure your story is easy to read and relate to. Going into too much detail can bore or confuse your readers.

C – CREATE A CALL TO ACTION

The magic buzzword: Engagement. We all want more engagement but are we actively inviting our audience to engage with us? In order to get engagement on your posts, you have to invite your reader to engage. You have to give them a directive. This is often referred to as a call to action.

Read: 6 Ways to Beat The Instagram Algorithm

What is it that you want your readers to do? You might ask them to double tap, comment, share, click a link. Whatever you ask them to do, make sure you are engaging with them in return when they do it. It is social media after all. Be social. 🙂

BONUS: HASHTAGS

When you’re writing your caption don’t forget to use hashtags! Hashtags are how people will find your photos on Instagram. When someone is searching for a hashtag, they will see the photos that people used that hashtag on. Try to find some accounts that are posting content similar to what you will be posting and see which hashtags they are using.

Once you have a few to start with you can use the Instagram search bar to find more. Type in one hashtag and search it. You will see a line of related hashtags that you can add to your list.

You can also use the Tailwind hashtag tool to make your hashtag research much faster. I use it every time I post a photo to my account!

Once you have a few groups chosen, (Instagram lets you use 30 hashtags per photos) you can add them to your caption or into the first comment (Tailwind can do this for you automatically!) It’s completely up to your preference.

I’m confident that when you use the ABCs of Instagram captions, you will create meaningful relationships with your readers and see a rise in engagement. Whenever you’re feeling stumped on an Instagram caption, just remember your ABCs! Let me know how it goes!

A – ANNOUNCE THE MAIN IDEA IN THE FIRST SENTENCE

B – BECOME A STORYTELLER
C – CREATE A CALL TO ACTION