Scroll-Stopping Caption Formula for Your Next Instagram Post
Every element of a social media post is important in different ways. With that being said though, captions are probably our favorite topic to talk about because that's where the money...oops, I mean magic happens. Effective captions are key for capturing the attention of your audience, encouraging them to engage with your content, and pushing them toward the next steps and moving through your funnel and buyer's journey.
While there's no one-size-fits-all formula, here's a general framework you can follow to craft captivating captions! Remember that all good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. This also applies to Instagram captions.
Here's the formula to Scroll-Stopping Captions on Instagram:
Headline:
This is the first sentence on the caption, and this is your hook. How are you going to make your audience stop scrolling through the news feed to read what you have to say? Your headline should either ask a question or include a title. A great way to structure headline titles is by including a number. For example, a few headline titles we’ve used are:
3 Ways to Increase Your Engagement
5 Things You Should Do Every Day on Instagram
Asking questions is a great way to spark interest and get your audience thinking about your topic. A few questions we’ve shared are:
Are you using Instagram stories?
Are you making any of these 5 common mistakes on social?
Finally, get creative with emojis or text symbols (but don’t go overboard with these!) You don’t want it to look like your dog ran across your emoji keyboard.
Caption:
Your caption should provide value to your audience while also relating back to your expertise. This will set your audience up to say yes to your call-to-action at the end of the caption! Gone are the days of sharing “Happy Friday!” in a caption. We like to think of Instagram captions as micro-blogs. Use your captions to tell a story. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or super long, just make it engaging! If it is something they can relate too, your audience will engage. If you do share a long-form caption, break up the text with line breaks, emojis, and bullet points.
Call-to-Action:
Don't forget to close out your caption with a call to action! This can be a question, asking people to click the link in your bio, or DM you. Without a call-to-action, you are missing out on your followers knowing what action they need to take. If you published a new blog post, encourage them to click the link in your bio to read it. If you are taking applications for your new services, encourage them to send you a DM to find out if the program is right for them
Examples:
Tag a friend who needs to hear this!
Share this post if it resonates with you
Click the link in my bio to learn more
Remember, your captions should align with your brand voice and the expectations of your target audience. Experiment, learn from your audience's responses, and adapt your caption approach accordingly!
