With social media being such a huge, talent-filled industry nowadays, the rise of influencers is upon us. Dun dun duuunnnnn…

Food bloggers, fitness junkies, beauty babes, models, mummy bloggers. And the list goes on.

With the influx of influencers, comes a want to be bigger, to be better than everyone else.

(Or at least to be different to everyone else.)

But how do we define ourselves as different, as unique and as someone that people need to follow? We take beautiful photographs, edit them like a pro would & upload them to Instagram. And then that’s it, right? The answer = nope.

Your visual media (i.e. photo/GIF/video) only makes up for about half of what a successful Instagram post needs.

Maybe you’re thinking “huh? Don’t I just create pretty photos, use a few hashtags & then thousands of people will engage with my photos?”

M-mmm, sorry honey but that ain’t how things work in the big game of Instagram. You’ve gotta put in a hell-of-a-lot more work than that. (Although I wish it was that simple, trust me)

So what do you have to do to nail your Instagram content?

Well, I grew my Instagram from 0 to 10k followers in 10 months using a variety of techniques which I grow through in this post (Ctrl + click to read it after) 😉

But today in particular, we’re focusing on our captions & looking at how to strategically improve our engagement using them. Because in the big, bad online world, engaging our viewers is everything.

Instagram captions can make or break your posts.

Write your caption too plain & simple, you’re not going to entice anyone to engage with your post.

The whole point of writing captions to is to literally capture the focus of users & draw them in. You want to make people want to engage with your content, not just like the photo and/or scroll past.

Simply writing “Happy Friday!” on a post just doesn’t cut it on Instagram. Think about it like this – how do you feel when you read this caption? Do you feel engaged enough by this caption to want to comment on it?

Or, are you more likely to comment on a post with this caption.

“Happy Fri-YAY babes! Ready to kick some goals this morning with a killer PT sesh & then out for drinks with the girls tonight 🍹 What are you up to on this fine Friday?”

You see, the first example is too short, too plain, extremely boring & does not in any way entice Instagrammer’s to engage. It doesn’t encourage users to answer a question, it doesn’t include them in anything & it’s, let’s face it, B-O-R-I-N-G.

The second example, on the other hand, is relatable, fun & asks a question (more on these soon!) There’s a little bit of personality coming through too which helps to build your brand & reputation.

And that, my friends, is why Instagram captions can be the ultimate turn-a-round for your engagement.

Let’s look at a few of the sure-fire ways to get your Instagram captions poppin’ –

And I mean pop, pop, poppin’!

Make Your Captions Relatable

Using relatability in anything online is a sure-fire way to increase engagement. But Instagram captions in particular, whoof, we’re talkin’ big engagement increases hey baby!

Why?

Because people love engaging with anything they can relate to. Relatability makes them feel included & valued. It brings them closer to getting to know you (even if they are a million miles away).

So rather than stating cold-hard facts in your Instagram captions 24/7, talk about how these facts make you feel. People can relate to feelings & emotions a lot more than they can a plain old statement.

Include a CTA (Call-To-Action)

Using CTA’s on Instagram is one of the most effective ways to entice users to engage with your content. In fact, Using CTA’s on Instagram

In my signature eCourse SkyRocket Your Instagram I go in depth about engagement including who, what, when, where, why & how *takes huge breath* to engage on Instagram.

But how can using CTA’s help increase Instagram engagement?

Well, what you want to do here is prompt users to do something. Tell them what you want them to do & they’ll do it. Leave your CTA open-ended and you’ll get very little response.

Here’s a few examples of how you could include a strong CTA into your Instagram captions:

► Ask a question | Prompt users to respond to your question with something like “What’s your favourite cafe in Melbourne for bagels at brunch? Let me know in the comments below!”

► Tell them to tag a friend | Asking users to tag a friend not only encourages comments but brings more users to your content. The more users that see your content = the higher chance of growth. YASSSSS.

► Ask for their input/opinions | Just like the relatability factor, another great way to increase engagement is by asking users for their opinion & input. These users will feel valued & respected because you want to hear from them.

Show Off Your Personality

Don’t be afraid to sound like a crazy-nutter (which I’m sure I do the majority of the time). People love getting to know other people online. And what better way to do it than making the most of your Instagram captions?!

Remember, your personality is what makes you unique. No one else talks like you do, uses slang like you do or has the exact same persona as you do. Use this to your advantage in your Instagram captions & people will be dying to engage with you.

And most of all, have fun your captions! Don’t take it too seriously – write out your draft as it first comes to mind. Then, add in your line breaks & emojis and proof-read after.

So, the next time you write out your Instagram caption, remember:

► Is this relatable to my followers? What will they get out of it?

► What CTA have I included? Where have I promoted them to take action?

► Is my Instagram caption perfectly reflecting me & my personality?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, what are you waiting for?! POST IT GIRL!

Pick your graphic to pin this post for later! ⤵