How to Write Captions on Social Media

To end this intriguing guide on the right note, we thought we would mention some final tips on how to write great captions on your social media platforms.

Now go out there and make a difference. But not before you read the next final tips on copywriting for social media.

Here we go!

+10 Tips for Writing Social Media Captions

1. Know your audience
2. Determine the goal behind your caption
3. Keep it short
4. Ask a good question and encourage conversation
5. Get creative and stand Out
6. Be fun
7. Use emojis
8. Keep your CTAs clear
9. Don’t forget about hashtags
10. Make use of storytelling
11. Add value to your posts

1. Know Your Audience  

If anything, we can rest assured that this key element in copywriting will not be forgotten by any of you reading this guide. And that will help your copywriting career. Trust us (again). 

Based on what age group demographic you are addressing your caption to, stay relevant in your copy. You can’t talk to a younger demographic the same way you would talk to a 40+ demographic. With younger demographics, for instance, you need to keep your caption straightforward, otherwise, they’ll scroll down past your copy, no matter how wonderful your copy is.

So, make sure to first identify who your audience is and then, simply keep your reader’s interest in mind when crafting your copy.

2. Determine the Goal Behind Your Caption

Knowing what you are trying to achieve with your caption is an important step in creating an engaging copy.

So, determine whether your caption is written to:

• connect with your audience
• take a specific action
• simply share a story
• let them get to know you (your brand)
• get to know your audience by asking them a question

I mean, if you are not aware of your intentions, how could you write a caption that can make people engage with your post?

3. Keep It Short

Nobody wants to read long stories on social media. The shorter the better, as long as it’s relevant and well-targeted. So, train yourself to write brief captions.

The best way you can do that is by writing tweets (even if it’s just for practice). Because of the character restrictions on Twitter, you’ll be forced to learn how to write your copy concisely. Which will eventually help you on all social platforms.

4. Ask a Good Question and Encourage Conversation

Asking a question on social media is a great way to engage with your audience. A clever question in your caption can go a long way if you do it right. It’s also important to encourage your audience to respond, like your post, leave a comment, and share your post.

If you don’t ask, no one will answer. Dare to invite feedback and be open to direct communication. By asking questions, you can also find out what your readers are interested in talking about on social.

5. Get Creative and Stand Out

Standing out from the crowd is not an easy thing to do. That’s why getting creative with your caption and writing in a unique way is so important. This is the only way you can grab your reader’s attention.

Find that specific thing that differentiates you from the rest and use it to your advantage. You can also use Photoshop Instagram actions to make the visuals that accompany your captions stand out. 

6. Be Fun 

Don’t be afraid to add some humor to your captions. This will allow your audience to get in touch with the human side of your brand and taste your sense of humor. You suddenly become easier to relate to. And that’s good.

When used wisely, humor attracts people and makes them want to engage with your brand – leave a comment, like, and share your post. They may even want to follow you to see what other interesting and funny things you’ll post next.

Use humor to your brand’s advantage each time you get the chance.

7. Use Emojis

When you feel you are stuck and can’t find your words, an emoji is there to save the day. We mean you can literally find an emoji for any occasion or situation. And they express it all so well. So, thank God for emojis – a copywriter’s best friend. 

8. Keep Your CTAs Clear 

If you want your audience to do something, you need to tell them what to do. Enter: CTAs! Be clear about what it is you want. Don’t be vague when you write your caption – you’ll lose your reader’s attention and interest.

However, don’t use a call to action in every single one of your captions. Asking people to do something too often, may cause some people to lose interest in you.

9. Don’t Forget About Hashtags

In fact, they are an excellent way to generate more engagement and traffic to your post from people who aren’t already following you. But remember to choose hashtags that are highly relevant to your brand and also easily searchable.

Using hashtags on Instagram and Twitter can provide extra organic reach when done the right way.

An effective way to find and organize your hashtags is by using a social media tool like SocialBee. Besides giving you the ability to create, schedule, and share all your content across multiple social media platforms at once, SocialBee also has incredibly useful features that help you add relevant hashtags to your content with ease.

Don’t know what hashtags to add to your posts? SocialBee can now generate hashtag suggestions based on your content. Moreover, you can create different hashtag collections for every occasion and have them ready to go whenever you want to share new social media content on your accounts. 

Create hashtag collections and add them quickly to your posts with only one click.

Start your 14-day SocialBee trial today!