Writing Captions Can Be Tough
You take so much time curating your photo, planning your social strategy. Now comes the hard part. You have to figure out what to write. I’ve been writing captivating captions for my Instagram feed for years now. Over time I’ve learned tips, big and small to make caption that speak to my audience.
It’s a Mini Blog
My Instagram is like a mini blog. It’s a place where I share my feelings, life updates, business struggles and of course promote my business. Are you posting an image of a model wearing a garment you made? Tell the clothings’ story. What inspired you to design it? What material is it made of? How do you connect to it personally?
A few years ago, I did mini Instagram audits for two hairdressers. Both of them showcased incredible work, but didn’t share their clients’ stories or their even their own. There wasn’t anything personal on their feed to connect with their followers. If I were making a suggestion for caption ideas, I’d consider this. Let’s say you have a client that trusted you with major hair change or has had many bad hair experiences before you. Tell your followers that story, engage them so you are more than just a service or product. You are a human worthy of trusting with their life changing transformation.
Start with a Question
Have you ever written a great caption but it didn’t seem to connect with your audience? Many times you can get the engagement you need by giving something for folks to respond to. Ask your followers a question. Start your post with it. Challenge your followers to think and inspire them to share something personal. You will be more likely to catch their eye and get those comments on your post.
Here’s an example for a tattoo artist. How about starting the caption for the above photo with, “What style of tattooing do you love that originally surprised you?” Or, “What is the most unique tattoo you’ve seen in the last month?”
Get Personal
Small business and creatives tend to sell their product first and avoid getting person. Sharing yourself with your followers is essential for small businesses. There is so much you can share. Not every post has to be about you but every once in a while, show would you really are and how what you do is part of who you are. Maybe talk about the creative process of starting your business? Share how the business integrates with your family life. So many options. Show your followers that you are real and someone they want to buy from (invest in your brand.)
Plan in Advance
Have you ever been ready to post a photo but just couldn’t come up with a caption? You stare at your photo and end up posting a one liner or skipping the post all together? Planning ahead can help. Think about planning your photos out on Sunday (or another day) for the whole week. This will give you time to really think about what to write before you actually have to post.
Writing Prompts
There are so many writing prompts all over the internet. The New York Times has some great personal narrative ones, even Pinterest has many ideas for social media caption prompts. You can just scroll through different ones until something jogs your writing. I don’t usually use them directly, rather as a way to be inspired.
Join Me
Join my Instagram community for my version of a mini blog. I discuss cars, queer love and of course plus size fashion. Not only do you get insights on topics that will better your life, but I also offer opportunities to jump in and ask questions that will shape my future blog posts.
Do you appreciate the posts that I write? Please take the time to share it with your friends. Sharing is the best form of gratitude and flattery there is! Feel free to tag Mechanic Shop Femme so I can comment on your post. I would love for you to join my journey through fashion, cars and queer love on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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