How to Create Engaging Instagram Images and Captions

What’s the use of Instagram if you can’t create engaging content?

Instagram is a great way to engage with your target audience. It lets you show off your brand in a creative, interesting way. But all Instagram images and captions are not created equal.

This blog post will teach you how to make Instagram content that drives engagement.

Why Marketers Need Images and Captions

Content creation on Instagram is one of the most critical aspects of social media marketing. Engagement on Instagram has grown exponentially in recent years, and marketers are taking notice. When you create engaging Instagram images and captions, more users will see your posts.

Before Instagram rolled out its algorithm that decides what shows up in a user’s feed, people didn’t use hashtags or write caption copy to get their photos seen by others.

But now, Instagram uses algorithms to determine which posts show higher in other users’ feeds, and this means that well-written captions can make your Instagram content more visible.

For those who don’t have the celebrity factor of a popular Instagram business account, captions and images can help your engagement numbers. You’ll need to use the correct hashtags and write engaging content for this strategy to work, though.

Instagram Images and Captions: The Dos and Don’ts

So you know why Instagram captions are essential. Now it’s time to learn some tips on how they should look! Here are some things that Instagrammers love (and hate).

Post Images With faces

Yes, photos of your product are great. But Instagram users love seeing people in their Instagram photos too.

When you take a photo of someone using your product or eating at your restaurant, it gives the image more meaning. People like to see beautiful Instagram photos that feature other humans — especially if they can relate to them on an emotional level.

So use Instagram images with faces to make a connection between your brand and the people who love it.

Nobody likes seeing the same image over and over again! If all you post is pictures of your products without any context or human elements involved, then few people will engage with your posts — even if they like your products.

Choose the Best Best Image Size for Instagram

Instagram image dimensions are essential for engagement.

People scrolling through their Instagram feed on a phone screen don’t have time to look at every single image that pops up. They’re looking for images that jump out and catch their eye immediately. So, you need to make sure your photos meet this criterion before sharing them.

To do this, use the best Instagram image size. This is an aspect ratio of 1:1 (or square). If you’ve ever taken any pictures with your smartphone or digital camera, then chances are good these dimensions will work well with Instagram’s photo sizes.

The other aspect ratios offered by Instagram (such as landscape and portrait) will work too. But make sure to use square ones most often because they’re the most visible and get more engagement.

If you’re unable to take Instagram images with your smartphone, then there are free stock photos you can use to create engaging posts.

Choose the Right Length for Your Captions

You’ve probably heard by now that most digital content doesn’t get read. A lot of content gets skimmed through at most.

And this is especially true on Instagram, where your captions can be as short as 120 characters. After all, people use their phones to browse social media — and no one wants to read long posts when they’re viewing something from the palm of their hand!

So keep your captions brief and engaging for optimal engagement rates. You’ll lose followers quickly if you post content that nobody reads or cares about.

When it comes to writing captions for photos on Instagram, brevity rules! But don’t go so over-the-top with keeping them short that you sacrifice quality.

Choose the Right Voice for Your Captions

Not only should your content be short, but it should also have the right voice.

People don’t want to see content that sounds like an advertisement. If you were scrolling through social media and saw posts with overly promotional language, wouldn’t you quickly dismiss them?

You can use different types of content on Instagram — including:

Quotes from famous people or leaders in your industry
Real user content (such as photos)
Text-based tips for using your product

Use this type of content to create captions that sound more interesting than a simple promotion would be.

And when it comes time to promote yourself on Instagram, make sure not to come across as too salesy. No one wants their feed cluttered up by brands trying hard to sell them something.

Captions should be about making connections with your audience rather than pushing content onto them. Soon enough, you’ll have loyal customers who want more of what you’re selling.

Use Paragraphs

When you’re writing content for your website, it’s best to use paragraphs. The same rule applies when creating Instagram captions. When people are scrolling through their feeds on mobile phones, they don’t want to see huge blocks of content that look intimidating.

Don’t be afraid to create paragraph breaks so that your content is easier to read and more engaging for your audience. Remember: nobody wants to write a novel in an Instagram caption — but being concise isn’t always better either.

You can still have long posts with many paragraphs. The trick is finding a balance between length and brevity.

Paragraphs are great if you want users to read what you’re saying and act on it. For example, if you’re creating content that has tips or advice for your followers, then write them out in paragraph form so people will follow the steps and use your product or service.

Include CTA in Your Captions

Nobody likes to be sold on content without being asked for their input first.

So don’t just say “buy my product” or “use this service.” Instead, create an engaging caption that makes people want to take the next step with you.

You can ask questions of your audience by asking them what they think about a particular topic. Then give some insight into how you feel and finish it off with a CTA at the end! For example:

Do you have any tips for creating captions? Comment below so we can chat!

Remember, content is king when it comes to Instagram marketing — but engagement will win every time. So if no one engages with your content, all of your efforts are wasted because nobody will see it.