How to Write Instagram Captions That Resonate

While captions like “mood,” “self-care Sundays,” or “anyone relate?” are commonplace among IG devotees, the truth is, they don’t say as much as you would think. 

Your image is always going to be consumed first for followers, but your caption is what gives that image a voice and lasting impression among viewers. 

IG captions aren’t just written companions to your photos, they are a verbal guide to your brand personality. For small businesses and brands alike, it’s essential to take the time to craft original captions to accompany your visual content.

We’re sharing what we know to be a winning content combination for crafting engaging captions that will resonate with your audience. Let’s dive in!

1. Leverage Your Voice

While using your voice tends to mean speaking your mind, it also has a lot to do with your tone and brand persona. Do you speak with irreverence? Is there a lively spirit in your voice? Or do you lead with your sense of humor? 

Without a tone of voice, it’s easy to sound similar to your competitors and that’s when your audience puts you in a box. So find your signature tone and implement it wherever your words are present, consistency is key. 

2. Show Your Personality & Go Deep

Although your brand personality is what sets you apart, getting personal gives you an edge! We believe in getting a little bit vulnerable or sharing a piece of your personal life to build engagement with your community. The more people know about you and your story, the more they will want to be a part of it – and support it!

Talk about your mental health as a busy entrepreneur, share some of the highlights of your week, reveal your frustrations and learnings, and declare your goals along with how you plan to reach them. Maybe you fell short reaching your goals last month, the lows and the highs are ALL worth sharing. The people rooting for you are the ones that yearn for you to keep showing up as yourself. Authenticity is always the best policy. Especially, when it comes to social media.

3. Image Coordination

It may seem like a common practice, but it’s critical for your image on IG to correlate with your caption. So when you’re planning out your feed or posting off the cuff, make sure there is alignment between your photo and the written word. Your followers are scrolling a mile per minute through their feed. Let’s keep it easy for them to understand your post and its intention.

It can be perfectly aligned or obscure, but give it context. Make sure it means something. So if the content is vulnerable, humorous, educational, or just plain silly, make sure that’s felt both in the image and the caption.

4. Keep It Tight

It’s hard to capture your followers' attention when you’ve written a novel in your caption. Keep your sentences tight, digestible, and streamlined. It’s not about dumbing down your copy or keeping it short and sweet, but simply making every word count. 

Creating compelling IG captions not only expands your reach, but it creates the perfect picture of your brand voice and personality. Following the steps above will help your words resonate with your social community and those you're trying to get in front of.