How to write amazing social media captions

So… how many times have you had Facebook or Instagram open and you knew you needed to post something for your business… but you had no idea what to say.

And you flipped through your camera roll, hoping to get inspired… only to close all the apps and think “I’ll do this later.” But later never really arrives and before you know it, weeks or months have gone by and you’ve not posted anything!

Or… even worse… you’ve posted things with no real strategy behind them. Whoops.

Well, it’s time to nail this down. You’re going to learn the 3 step simple formula for writing amazing social media captions. Ya pumped?

Real quick, before we get into the nitty gritty, the steps I cover in this formula help you write a caption but I’ve put together a fill-in-the-blank caption generator for you. Download it using the form below and use it to help you write amazing captions every time.

Okay. Let’s break down this 3 step formula for writing amazing social media captions.

Step 1: What’s your end game?

You’ve got to begin with the end in mind.

When someone reads your caption… what do you want them to do? Think beyond just a “like” or a “heart”.

Instagram recently removed the like count from posts (you can still see the likes on your own posts, just not on everyone else’s) which is another move toward prioritizing engagement. Facebook already prioritizes engagement.

And by “engagement” I mean activity that involves comments, shares, or sending private messages. So… what do you want to happen when someone reads the caption of your social media post?

Your very first answer should be – “I want them to take an action.” And that action could be any of the following:

• Comment – either to share their opinion or thoughts, and/or tag someone
• Share your post to their story, their wall, or with a friend
• Do something else beyond the caption, like visit your website to download something

Think about this question next – how do you get someone to accomplish any of those actions?

Here’s the answer… you ask.

Which means your social media captions should contain a call to action that tells the reader what to do so they get to the end game. Whatever it may be for you.

Step 2: What’s your hook?

Okay, so as you’re writing out your caption you know you need a call to action (CTA).

But to get your reader to that CTA… you need to hook her in.

How? With some kind of compelling, interesting, thought-provoking, shocking, surprising, etc… opening line.

Don’t do all of those things at once though, okay?

Think of the first few sentences of your caption as your “hook”. These sentences should be what inspires your reader to pause and actually read what you’re writing.

The hook needs to bring on an emotion. Now while you’re thinking about that… move on to the last step.

Step 3: What’s your connection?

Why is your ideal client on social media to begin with?

• To be entertained
• To get a break from her day
• To find inspiration
• To feel connected
• To be distracted

Whatever emotion you’re sparking with your hook should be carried through in the rest of your caption to inspire a connection. Or to entertain. Or give your reader a break from the stress of her life. Or help her feel a little distracted.

Ultimately, sharing stuff on social media as a business is (in my opinion) not just a way for you to bring awareness to your brand… it’s a way to passively serve your ideal client.

You kinda make your feed a safe place where she can chill. Get a few laughs in. Maybe learn a thing or two. This is what keeps her coming back for more… which is what helps the algorithm favor your posts versus someone else’s.

In case you didn’t get grab that freebie I mentioned earlier, you’ve got a second chance now. It’s a free caption generator for you. It lays out these three steps in a fill-in-the-blank kinda way, to help writing social media captions so much easier. Download it through the form below.