Here are 8 tips on how to write better Instagram captions that actually drive engagement

Let us start by saying… words are hard! 

Are you posting every day on Instagram and hearing crickets? Do you wish you could see your posts bring in 20+ comments? Are you spending way too much time writing Instagram captions each day? Do you ask yourself how to write better Instagram captions that actually drive engagement? Don’t be shy. Raise that hand, because we’ve all been there. 

We are definitely not copywriters – although sometimes we think we are pretty witty! But guess what!? You don’t have to be a copywriter in order to write killer Instagram captions. 

We’ve broken it down into 8 simple steps that will lead to better, engaging Instagram captions. But first, let’s understand why this is important. 

Why are comments so important for the Instagram algorithm?

An engaging Instagram caption will lead to more comments. More comments tells Instagram that your content is gold and Instagram therefore will make sure more people see it. In analytical terms, it means your post will get a higher reach. 

The algorithm is changing all the time, but here is what we know:

• According to Instagram the most important engagements for feed ranking are comments, likes and re-shares. We would bet that comments are on top of that list. 
• Comments can alert Instagram that you have a relationship with that follower therefore helping your posts appear higher in their feed.
• All comment lengths count as engagement, meaning even a simple emoji response. However, we would encourage you to try and respond with more than an emoji!

In summary, don’t underestimate the power of comments and how they can have an impact on your Instagram growth.

Do you have a strong social media strategy in place?

One of the reasons why you might be asking yourself how to write better Instagram captions, is because you don’t have a social media strategy in place. This can take all of the guess work out of it. You will never have to ask yourself “what should I post today?” If this sounds like something you need, we suggest you start here: a six step guide to building a killer social media strategy.

Now let’s get into it…

How to write better Instagram captions in only 8 steps

1. Lead every caption with an attention grabbing sentence. Share a jaw dropping stat. Use statements like “slow your scroll” or “you won’t want to miss this” to peak their interest. Ask a question. Summarize your post into one sentence that really packs a punch. Ask yourself, would this make me stop my scroll and read further?

2. Tell a story. Invite your audience in. Do you have a real-life story your audience can relate with or feel inspired by? This goes all the way back to one of our key small business marketing tips and knowing who your audience is. 

3. Small spaces and paragraphs are key. As you tell your story and share content, make sure to space things out. The more spaces you have the more likely your audience will keep reading. Lengthy paragraphs tend to cause people to scroll right on by. 

4. Include steps and “bullets”. Using emojis can be a fun way to bullet out and bucket your content. Again, making things easily digestible for your audience. We are all humans and oftentimes don’t have the patience to read through an entire caption – especially if I don’t yet know who, or what, your business is. 

How to write better Instagram captions: Always, always include a call to action!

5. Always, always include a call to action. This might be the most important step. You won’t create more engagements if you aren’t asking your audience to do something. Here are a few examples of strong CTAs that drive engagement and can boost your feed rankings: double tap, comment, send me a DM, click the link in my bio, save this for later or share to your stories.

6. Use emojis. These fun little emojis can be a great way to break up your content and add some eye candy as your viewer scrolls through the caption. Challenge us, how do you write better Instagram captions without emojis

7. Share a secret in the comments. Drive more engagement by sending your audience to the comments section. Is there an extra secret or tip you can share as the first comment to your post? If you are telling a story, can you finish it in the comments section? Go ahead and answer the question you are asking your audience to answer.

8. Finally, be a social scientist and experiment. We love to test and learn. Experiment with short and long captions and see which performs better. You don’t always have to write a novel. Mixing things up can be a refreshing change of pace for your audience. Check your analytics, maybe your audience is hungry for killer content and lengthy captions on Tuesdays. Then on Fridays they might be exhausted and need a simple motivational sentence to keep going. 

Want to see a few examples from the Duo Collective Instagram feed?

The key ingredient in how to write better Instagram captions is to just get started. We challenge you to take a few of these steps and start infusing them into your post for today or tomorrow. Here are a few examples from our own feed to start inspiring you. Click the images below in order to read the full caption on the gram. P.s. don’t forget to follow us!

Bonus Tip: using Ryan Gosling always help

Looking for more ways to up your Instagram game? Download our free resource: a 30 day Instagram challenge to grow your following. The tools in here are exactly how we grew our own following in just 30 days. Plus, we still use this same model today and continue seeing, not only an increase in our followers, but also strong engagement growth.