A Guide to Writing Instagram Captions for Your Business Account

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms with more than one billion active monthly users. It's a wonderful place to showcase the visual aspects of your brand. Instagram posts are most effective when they have stunning photos combined with an engaging caption.

Most users join Instagram to share their pictures and stories with their friends. It encourages connection. Businesses can use Instagram for business to create that connection with their customers. A business with a visual aspect can create a strong social media content strategy that will succeed on Instagram.

Overview: What is the purpose of Instagram captions for businesses?

With good captions, you can incorporate Instagram posts into an effective social media campaign. Your Instagram photos will catch the user’s eye, but the captions must direct them to act. Instagram captions can be used to:

• Add a call to action
• Increase traffic to your website
• Increase your followers
• Connect with your target market
• Build your brand’s message and story
• Boost your sales

Good Instagram captions add details about your photos and encourage interaction with your brand. Most people won’t automatically visit your website or make a purchase without a call to action.

What should your captions contain for your business Instagram posts?

Great Instagram captions prompt followers to act. They don’t just tell them what's going on in the picture; they generate engagement and connection with the consumer. Funny or cute Instagram captions build your brand’s personality. Combine a great persona with good captions to increase your followers.

Instagram captions elevate your brand’s social media success. The Instagram algorithm serves up posts with the greatest engagement rates. Having many followers will not guarantee your posts will be seen. Your posts need to be getting likes, comments, and shares to ensure they're seen.

The following caption tips encourage Instagram engagement.

1. Use a call to action or ask a question

A good question or call to action will improve your business account's engagement rate. Engagement is one of the key Instagram analytics to improve your online success.

The first sentence is the one that will show up in a user’s feed. Ask a question or put your call to action here. The key is to encourage comments and start a conversation with your consumers. This positively influences the Instagram algorithm, serving your posts to more followers. More engagement increases the likelihood your post will become a “recommended account” to follow.

Use these actions in your caption:

• Click the link below
• Answer a question about your product or service
• Post a photo with a branded hashtag

2. Add value to your posts

The more useful your Instagram posts are, the more likely they will be shared. One way to increase the value of your Instagram captions is to add helpful information that educates your followers.

These actions will add value to your posts:

• Offer a discount on the next purchase
• Provide helpful tips and tricks
• Share information on your product or service
• Attract followers with giveaways or contests

3. Use storytelling

A great story will grab someone’s attention and help them connect with you. Storytelling adds personality and spice to your captions because they're more intriguing than simply telling someone to buy a product. They add detail and dimension to the reasons someone may need something.

Important story elements include sensory words, phrases, or anecdotes that paint a picture. This triggers the follower’s imagination. Emphasize touch, taste, sound, sight, emotion, and feelings in your story. For example, don’t just use ‘pasta.’ Trigger their taste buds with ‘creamy alfredo sauce that melts in your mouth on top of al dente noodles.’

4. Incorporate emojis

Emojis add color and flavor and animate your captions. Relevant emojis at the end of sentences can break up blocks of copy, making them more aesthetically pleasing.

Emojis direct the reader’s attention to certain ideas or to a call to action. Make sure the emoji jibes with your tone of voice and branding.

5. Use hashtags

Instagram hashtags are an important way to make your posts searchable. Hashtags function like keywords, with searching capabilities.

Hashtags usually appear at the end of a caption to keep things looking clean. Some companies even add several lines of space to set them apart from the description, but it's acceptable to sprinkle hashtags within the caption.

Which hashtags should you use?

Aim for a variety, including a branded hashtag, community hashtags, product hashtags, and trending hashtags. A great way to discover which hashtags to include: check out influencers and industry leaders, and use some of the same hashtags to get your posts noticed.

Instagram captions from businesses to inspire you

These businesses generate results with Instagram captions. They use the captions to engage their audience, announce giveaways, and craft their brand’s message.

1. Pepperidge Farm uses the caption for giveaways

What is Pepperidge Farm doing well?

• A short caption accompanied by an eye-catching platter of holiday cookies.
• Uses the hashtags #giveaway and #NationalCookieDay to attract cookie lovers and entice people to sign up for a giveaway.
• Pepperidge Farm uses an emoji to catch your attention.

Pepperidge Farm uses Instagram captions to announce a giveaway. Image source: Author

2. Half Baked Harvest writes detailed descriptions

What is Half Baked Harvest doing well?

• They use storytelling to describe their tacos. The shells weren’t just store-bought, they were oven fried and crunchy on the outside.
• The post is short, but it adds value. It gives the followers a recipe to make the tacos.

Combining a mouth-watering description along with an equally enticing photo promotes user engagement. Image source: Author

3. Starbucks uses storytelling to build its brand

What is Starbucks doing well?

• Starbucks builds the brand’s story in this Instagram post. They share their value of feeding the hungry with the story behind their decision to participate in this charity.
• Starbucks connects with its followers by sharing details about the Starbucks general manager who inspired the charitable giving.

Starbucks uses Instagram captions to tell the story of their charitable giving. Image source: Author

4. Kylie Jenner asks questions to spark engagement

What is Kylie Jenner doing well?

• She keeps the caption short and simple.
• She prompts her followers to guess the theme for her new makeup kit.
• She uses emojis which make cute captions.
• She keeps them engaged, telling them to come back tomorrow for the reveal.

Kylie Jenner uses questions in her Instagram caption to engage her audience. Image source: Author

Instagram captions drive engagement

Coming up with good Instagram captions may seem difficult at first, but captions are essential to your success on Instagram. They prompt your followers to take action and engage with you on social media. Your captions should be short, add value to the reader, and encourage them to take action. A captions generator can help you write cute and funny captions that will engage your audience.

Regular posts keep your audience engaged, so use social media management tools to ensure you're consistently posting. They allow you to schedule your Instagram posts, ensuring you're posting regularly. Your followers will look forward to your daily or weekly posts.