How to Write Good Instagram Captions: 9 Bookmarkable Tips for Perfecting Your Copy

Instagram marketing is all about the visuals. The quality of your photos will be the differentiating factor when it comes togaining Instagram followers, getting them interested in your brand and what it's about, and showing off the human side of your business.

But the hard work doesn't end once you've taken that beautiful photo and编辑为完美.Thecaptionof your post is where you can give a voice to that visual content.

A good Instagram captions explains what the photo is about, tells your followers to take action, or cracks a joke that makes your content all the more delightful and shareable.

If you think of the caption on your Instagram posts as an afterthought, you're losing out on an opportunity to engage and delight your followers in ways you can't with just a visual. Here are some tips to help you write better Instagram captions.

1. Write several drafts first.

Ever thought of the perfect joke after it was alittletoo late to tell it? We've all had a similar feeling when we come up with the perfect Instagram caption once we've already published the post.

The lesson? Don't rush the process. Instead, write a few ideas for captions down, sit on them for a bit, poll coworkers on which one is best, and generally take your time.

You might be asking yourself at this point, "But aren't timeliness and chronology important on Instagram?" They can be, depending on the subject of your post. For example,专业Instagrammer Patrick Janelle说he uses Instagram as a kind of chronological journey of his activities and lifestyle. He likes to post in real time to document what he's doing at a given moment.

但是感谢the impending Instagram feed algorithm change, the level of engagement your posts receive will soon matter more than chronology. Soon, our Instagram feeds will be ordered to show the moments Instagram thinks we'll care about the most.The visibility of your posts in your followers' feeds will depend onthe number of Likes and comments a post has, your relationship with the user posting, and other factors.

这就是为什么要花时间构建一个很棒的标题，这将使您的追随者保持周围的状态，这一点很重要，以与他们的朋友分享，并鼓励他们与您的内容互动。

2. Front-load the important stuff.

Themaximum character count for an Instagram caption（（2,200 characters) is basically a formality. But the important thing to note is that captions cut off in users' feeds after three to four lines of text.

这并不意味着您应该保持标题超短，以便用户可以看到其中的100％而无需单击“更多”。取而代之的是，用重要的内容或文本呼吁行动前面加载字幕 - 并留下任何主题标签，@Mentions或其他信息。

这是一个例子enticing, front-loaded caption from coffee-based skincare company Frank Body:

3.包括通话行动。

The best way to increase the share potential of your Instagram post and engage your followers is to have some sort of call-to-action in the captions of your photos. That means using action verbs to prompt people todosomething, instead of just passively scrolling by.We found该动词在Twitter上产生的股票比名词和形容词多 - Instagram也是如此。

例如，您可能会说：“如果发现这个有趣的话，请双击”或“在评论中分享您的故事”。

Here are a few other action-based ideas to get you started:

Ask a question.

鼓励人们以自己的经验发表评论。您也许可以利用这些经验来塑造您的Instagram策略向前发展，或提出新的内容创意。为了增加参与度并使您的追随者更加满意，请回应用户的答案，使其像对话一样。

H&M:"All you need for a weekend get-away. Where would you go?"

Lorna Jane:"Be you, everyone else is taken. Today's inspo inspired by our leading lady @ljclarkson - how are you finding your BELIEVE today?"

Direct people to a link in your bio.

可单击的URL在您的个人简介中不允许任何地方。这就是为什么优化的Instagram配置文件update that URL frequently to point to their latest blog content, YouTube videos, products, or offers -- and then refer to that link in their Instagram captions.

For example, are you running a contest, or want to increase subscribers to your blog? Just change the link, and then post a photo that mentions the new link in its caption.

专家提示:Use shortened links that include UTM tracking codes so you can see how much of your traffic came from your Instagram page. (Learn how to create UTM codes to track your URLs here.)

To change the link in your bio, go to your profile page and click "Edit Profile."

Then, simply insert the URL of your choosing into the URL box.

Invite people to tag their friends.

鼓励您的追随者通过邀请他们标记朋友来与朋友分享您的帖子。这里有一些有趣，巧妙的方式的示例，品牌要求追随者标记朋友。

Frooti:"It's scrabble day! Tag some friends you'd like to play with."

H&M:"Planning for a luxe escape with your bestie? Tag your travel partner in crime!"

集线器:“与同事的咖啡使周五早晨变得更加明亮。标记您的办公室咖啡好友 - 更好的是，休息一下！”

邀请人们进入比赛。

比赛非常适合增加Instagram上的参与度和品牌敞口。

Simply invite people to post their own pictures and tag them in the caption using a hashtag, like BuzzFeed Tasty does below.

Consider including the contest's official rules in your caption for folks who are interested, and even a link in your bio.

4. Limit yourself to four hashtags.

在Instagram上，主题标签的行为与Twitter和Facebook上的行为相同：它将不同用户的对话与一个流相关联。只要您的帐户是公开的，任何搜索该主题标签的人都可以找到您的Instagram帖子。（（Read this blog post要了解有关标签在Instagram，Twitter和Facebook上的工作方式的更多信息。）

Hashtags are great for connecting users who aren't otherwise connected to one another, but who are talking about -- and interested -- in the same topics, events, brands, and so on. They're also a great way to add some fun and coy humor to your posts, like FOMU did below.

But, use hashtags sparingly. Some Instagram users include a string of searchable hashtags as a way to get more followers -- but the fact is, it looks spammy to the followers youdohave. If you use a ton of hashtags, peoplewillnotice, and theywillthink it's lame. Limit your hashtags to three or four, tops.

请记住，如果您不想，您根本不必包括任何内容。您不需要主题标签即可具有很棒的Instagram字幕。这是一个很好的标题，没有星巴克的主题标签：

Use hashtags at the end of your caption.

Unless the hashtagged phrase fits naturally into a sentence, don't list any hashtags until the very end of the caption. That way, the part of your caption that's more appealing to humans will come first, making it more user-friendly.

Plus, if your caption is long enough to get cut off, the hashtags that are there to connect people (as opposed to delight people) will be hidden. So the hashtags in this caption ...

... will be hidden from folks scrolling by in their Instagram feeds -- which is totally fine, since they're just there for search reasons.

专家提示:Need inspiration for a hashtag that's already popular? Instagram will suggest hashtags to you based on their popularity when you open up a new post and type out the # symbol followed by an incomplete search. Here's an example of that in action:

5.与Instagram的轻松音调融合了您的品牌声音。

每个社交网络都有不同的语调，最有效。例如，尽管很认真，术语重的副本可能在LinkedIn上可以很好地工作，但同一副本在Instagram上无法正常工作。最好的Instagram帖子往往具有轻松，有趣的音调，展示品牌的更真实，人性化和风度翩翩的一面。

这就是为什么你想适应您的品牌声音for Instagram's more lighthearted tone. This'll be easier for brands whose brand voices are already lighthearted and fun, like Wistia's:

For others with a more serious brand voice, find a balance between sincerity and relatability.

Being relatively consistent in your Instagram voice can help you build your brand on the channel. For example, think about how long you'll typically want most of your posts to be. Do you want to be a storyteller who writes a paragraph or more?

Or do you need the space to write out instructions, or a recipe?

还是您只用几句话赞成一种极简主义的方法？

When in doubt, be punny. Cleverness tends to perform quite well on social media, especially Instagram. People love when brands crack a joke or include a play on words. JetBlue, for example, is always an excellent source of puns:

Here's another one from Chobani:

If you're experience caption writer's block,theWall Street Journal's Elizabeth Holmes suggestsplaying a word association game or brainstorming with a friend.

6. Use emojis.

Emojis, the cartoon-like emoticons available to most smartphone users, can add some personality to an Instagram caption. That's why a lot of brands use them in their captions -- even the more "serious" brands.

There are a lot of different ways to use emojis in your posts. For example, you can use them at the beginning of post to catch people's eye, like this:

您也可以在句子中间使用它们替换单词, or at the end of a post as a sort of "punchline," like this:

7. Cross-promote your other social channels.

You can also use your caption to cross-promote your other social media accounts. This is a great way to let your followers know where else on social media they can find you -- so that your Instagram followers can become your Twitter followers, your Facebook fans, your Snapchat audience, and so on.

For example, you might promote a campaign that's taking place on another channel, like Coca-Cola did here:

Pro Tip:如果您有Snapchat帐户，那么Snapcodes非常适合您其他社交媒体资料的跨频道推广。每个snapchat用户都有a unique Snapcode, which is an image that looks like the Snapchat logo but with a unique pattern of dots. To follow you on Snapchat, all users will have to do to is open the Snapchat app, take a photo of your Snapcode, and tap their screen.

这是WeWork的一个示例：

8.如有疑问，请简短。

Depending on your audience, your captions might need to be longer than a few words or a sentence. For example, if you're a food company, you might post entire recipes in your captions -- and that's OK, as long as you're front-loading the caption with the most important information (like the name of the recipe) so it doesn't get cut off.

But if you're not sure what your brand voice is yet, a good rule of thumb is to keep it brief. Some of the best Instagram captions are short punchlines, or in some way make their point quickly and let the visual content do most of the talking.

Coca-Cola:"Goodbye, tan lines. Hello #SpringBreak."

WeWork:“每一天”。

BuzzFeed Tasty:"Whip it good."

9. Learn from awesome examples of great captions.

如果有什么to take away from this post, it's that succinctly and cleverly adding some text to an Instagram can be tougher than it looks. That's why we've compiled a list of52伟大stagram Caption Examples From Real Businesses.

Click here to download the guideand get inspired by dozens of outstanding Instagram post captions from your favorite businesses across multiple industries.

How to Write a Good Instagram Caption

那么，是什么在Instagram上获得了好的标题？让我们回顾一下：

• Leading with the good stuff
• A call-to-action (CTA)
• A healthy number of hashtags
• 轻松的语气
• Emojis
• Cross-promoting other social channels
• Brevity
• 有用的信息

The companies cited in the steps above all have their own way of engaging their followers on Instagram, but how can you apply their approach to captions of your own?

Let's take a look at some more Instagram captions that celebrate these important qualities and that you can apply to your business's Instagram strategy.

带有好东西的标题

"That's a wrap on [company event], day 1! It was a great day of good people, sessions, and keynotes..."

"[New product] is now live!Get your free 30-day demo right now and see for yourself..."

"We're working with [partner/company]on a new initiative to [shared goal]. Our staff can't wait to get started..."

"我们正在这里[行业活动]！Come say hi at [booth #] and see our CEO before he takes the stage at [panel discussion]..."

"恭喜我们自己的[员工名称]for winning [award]! A well-deserved honor for someone who crushed it this month..."

Captions with CTAs

The best [product] for this time of year. What's your favorite part of the fall?让我们在评论中知道！

We'll be closed January 1, but back with an exciting announcement after New Years ... where will you be on New Years Eve?Share your plans, below!

[Podcast] episode 1 is now available for listening! Couldn't be happier with our guest, [name of guest].Link in bio.

Team synergy is crucial to a great company culture.Tag a coworkeryou love working with in the comments below.

我们很高兴推出[新产品]，但是每种出色的产品]都需要一个好名字。提交您的姓名建议and the best one wins a year of free service!Link in bio.

Captions with one to four hashtags

We're here at Mile 17 of the#NYCMarathoncheering on our company running club! Amazing day for 26.2.#ILoveNYC

[Event name] attendees: Join us at the 3 PM panel to learn how#NewTrend正在改变行业。#EventHashtag

Surprised the marketing team with donuts for hitting their#LeadGenerationgoal and because they're free today!#FreeDonutDay#FridayFeeling

Captions with a lighthearted tone

High fives to everyone who hit their goal for the quarter! If not, get psyched to crush it this quarter. You're gonna' do great. #goals

Recycling isn't just a requirement in our office park -- it's the right thing to do. Happy Recycling Day! #RecyclingDay

周一快乐！不要害怕一周，拥抱它！快乐的员工为快乐的客户提供。:) #mondaymotivation

带有表情符号的标题

Spotted the [company name] logo downtown! Love seeing the community give us some love. ❤️

Everybody contributes to the health of our planet. To be successful at [company name], we need to be respectful of . Happy #EarthDay!

#MarchMadness已经开始，我们今晚在[大学名称]为我们的州团队欢呼。让我们去做吧[团队吉祥物]！

ALERT! Excited to be named in the Top 20 Best Places to Work in [State] for [year]! We owe it all to our hardworking employees and loyal customers. You all rock.

Captions that cross-promote other social channels

At 11 AM tomorrow, we'll be live tweeting from our CEO's keynote at [industry event]. Follow along on ourTwitterpage! Link in bio.

We're so sorry if you couldn't log in to your [company name] account yesterday, and want to make it right. Check in with us onFacebook Messengerand get your redeemable discount code.

We're up and running on LinkedIn, and so are our employees! Find and connect with us now (we don't bite). Link in bio.

简短标题

New year, new logo.

We've moved! Check out our new office.

Happy #Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

#TGIF.

Happy New Year!!

[Your slogan or tagline].

Captions with Helpful Information

When you do go into detail in an Instagram caption, make sure the information you give is valuable and eye-catching to the viewer. Here's a great example where SmartBug's Instagram posted a photo and caption with a mini-article about how to avoid poor bounce rates.

View this post on Instagram

Wondering why your bounce rate is high?⁣ ⁣⁣ Content marketing attracts people of all stages of awareness and purchase intent. ⁣ ⁣ Those blog posts you’re publishing in order to drive more traffic to your website may be the reason. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ And that's okay because when a need presents itself that aligns with your product or service, guess who’s in a good position to be their potential solution? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That’s right, you. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you have questions about your site's bounce rate, check out our blog. Jessica Malnik from @databoxhq answers the following questions:⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 1️⃣ Is bounce rate important for SEO? ⁣⁣ 2️⃣ How can I track the bounce rate for my blog posts?⁣⁣ 3️⃣ What’s a good bounce rate for blog posts?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Link in bio.

A post shared bySmartbug Media（（@smartbugmedia) onMar 13, 2020 at 2:44pm PDT

Embracing All of the Tips Above

如果您可以，请尝试拥抱上面的所有技巧，以获取发布Instagram用户的标题的最佳机会。这是一个例子international HubSpot parterthat weaved many of the tactics noted above into an Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

Want to join our pod? We’re looking for a search engine marketing specialist. If you’re the one, get in touch #ppc #sem #digitalagency

A post shared byalphawhale（（@alphawhaleau) onDec 5, 2019 at 8:41pm PST

Tracking and Refining Instagram Caption Strategies

As you test outInstagram上的不同类型的帖子，跟踪不同的帖子类型的工作方式 - 包括您的字幕。Instagram在分析方面没有很多可提供的内容，因此您必须手动执行此操作。

Try listing each post on a spreadsheet and keeping track of its URL, the time it was posted, how many Likes and comments it got, and the types of feedback you're getting from your followers.

Editor's Note: This blog post was originally published in October 2018, but was updated in March 2020 for comprehensiveness and freshness.