When it comes to IG, we all want Instagram captions that get likes.
There’s nothing worse than taking the “perfect” photo, editing it just right only to go blank on a caption, settle on a mediocre one and have almost no one react to it. If social media is your thing, then you know that Instagram is where most people are spending their social energy. And captions are a big deal.
To come up with good Instagram caption ideas, you want to keep what I call the Instagram caption trifecta in mind. Your caption must stunt, tell a story or share. If you can make your caption one of these things while making it relevant to the photo or video you post, usually you can create some Instagram caption gold.
While I’m not guaranteeing you’ll become an Instagram megastar if you do these things, I do believe that this formula will allow you to create more engagement with your existing IG audience.
Before we get into it, ask yourself this question: why are people even following you on Instagram? Why should they? Once you’re able to answer this question honestly and wholeheartedly, you should be able to know which part of the trifecta you should rely on more than others.
Let’s elaborate on the 3 types of Instagram captions that get you likes and I’ll give you examples from my own Instagram to give you some ideas.
THE STUNT
The stunt is a type of Instagram caption that we’re all familiar with. It’s basically when you’re trying to show off a moment or thing you have to your audience. Usually people do this with Drake lyrics, some fake deep quote or a one word punchline. Let’s be clear – there is absolutely nothing wrong with the stunt caption. It’s actually what Instagram dreams are made of. But, if you’re going to stunt, do just that – STUNT. This is not that kind of caption you want to halfass or cut corners on. If you’re bold enough to stunt to your audience, commit to it.
For example, I wore this really cute two piece co-ord set from Nichole Lynel (one of my fave Black fashion brands) and I definitely knew I wanted to stunt in it. I didn’t know what to say, so I gave it an hour until the right caption came to me. After awhile I referred back to something I said in a #MattieMinute email – “Aesthetic will get you noticed, influence will get you paid.” I usually consider quotes of mine #mattiesims, so I was sure to include the hashtag as well.
The photo of the cute outfit coupled with the stunt caption worked because it ended up getting 2700 likes and 124 comments.
THE STORY
What I love about Instagram is that it is a micro blogging promotional machine. But it’s also a place to tell personal stories if you choose to. They don’t always have to be deep – but always authentic enough that your audience relates and responds to it. This type of caption allows you to humanize whatever content you’re putting up even if it is uber photogenic and picture perfect. What the story caption says to your followers is that there’s more to what meets the eye. And when your followers feel like you trust them with a real story, they pay you pack with real engagement.
When I was editing video from an outfit post I shot a few months ago, I found some footage where I was telling my photographer how to get my shot. It was poignant to me, because when I first began my influencer journey, I was so convinced that people just woke up and took beautiful photos & videos naturally. Turns out, it’s a lot of work. I wanted to make sure that my followers who were interested in being in my shoes one day, knew and understood this. So I posted the clip to tell the story of how naive I was in the beginning of my content creating journey.
The video clip was a hit and ended up getting 8500 views and 50 comments. Definitely much more engagement from that post than I anticipated.
THE SHARE
As a lifestyle influencer, I can usually predict when people are going to question where I got item from or not. My job as influencer is to share that information. Whether it’s share info on the latest social trend or where I got my new bag from, sharing isn’t only caring as an influencer – it’s currency. I’m pretty active on my Instagram Stories and when I notice I’m getting a load of questions about something that I’m willing to answer, I’ll go ahead and create an Instagram post where I can share the clear answer to. Stories only last for 24 hours (unless you make it a Highlight) while a post lasts forever. Plus, when you share with your audience in an Instagram caption, you can direct them to your Stories, link in bio or even an affiliate link like rewardStyle.
When I recently wore this orange knit set from ASOS, I knew that people would ask where I purchased it so they could buy it as well. Instead of waiting for people to ask, I went ahead and shared the rewardStyle link with the caption. I also added the story of when I first started blogging and how I never knew how to pose which really encouraged engagement. So my caption ended up being a humanized share (double win!).
The post ended up getting 2283 likes and 141 comments – engagement gold!
This is the Instagram caption formula that has worked for me this past year. The Caption Trifecta – Stunt, Story & Share – has rarely failed me and seems to work even better the more I use them. They are the 3 types of Instagram captions that get me likes.
Do you have a hard time coming up with Instagram captions? How do you usually go about creating them? Do you have a go to formula? Let me know in the comments!
