The Importance of Engaging Copy and Why Caption Interaction Works

To draw a viewer in, the caption of a post must immediately grab his or her attention or spark their curiosity to know more. As social media users scroll through their social media feeds they are seeing hundreds of posts a day, which is why it is important to be one of the few posts that will remain in their thoughts even after they exit the social media site or app. Using a social media agency in Los Angeles can give your media the extra buzz it may need to get the results you want. Read on to understand the necessity of attention-grabbing captions and ways in which you can captivate your audience one caption at a time.

Why Do Captions Matter?

The common saying, “A photo is worth a thousand words” only goes so far until one is on Instagram or Facebook viewing photo after photo and quickly forgetting what they had just seen. Do you remember the ten posts you scrolled through yesterday morning? Possibly, but what you likely remember more is the caption that made you laugh out loud or caused you to linger on the site or profile ten minutes longer than you had originally planned. From a unique caption, one can learn more about the background of the photo, what is being advertised, and the next steps a viewer can take in order to learn more about the post or product. Engaging social media copy creates a relationship with your followers and gives them a deeper insight into who they are following, rather than a merely surface level relationship.

Engaging Copy

Nowadays, the average attention span is approximately eight seconds. Eight seconds gives one just enough time to view the details of a photo and read a quick caption. Unless the caption invokes an emotion or appeals to the eye, one will continue scrolling or will finish reading the caption with less interest and focus than they originally began with. Two of the main reasons people open Instagram are to find inspiration and entertainment. Therefore, captions that are witty or inspiring, contain statistics, stories, or puns are the most distinguished versus other bland captions.

Before writing a caption, you must decide who you are writing to and what response you are trying to evoke. If you want an emotional appeal, try writing the story behind the photo or insert a thought-provoking quote. If you want a more rational appeal, try writing an interesting statistic or including logic and reasoning in your caption. However, be careful to use sarcasm or irony when using a rational or emotional appeal, as it otherwise can come off as condescending or give the wrong impression.

Style

To be memorable, one must create his or her own style. This seems easy until someone realizes the word ‘original’ has lost its value because almost everything is inspired by something else. Because of this, use whatever rouses your imagination to create your own style that is unique to you! Use of repetition, alliteration, and assonance can be vital when writing engaging social media copy. “Caption Interaction” will stick with you because it’s catchy and the words work well together. Word choice is crucial to a powerful caption. Words and phrases like: “exclusive”, “now”, “new”, “why”, “how to”, “one day only”, “this is why”, and “you won’t be able to resist” are likely to trigger the reader into wanting to know more. Everyone loves to feel a part of something exclusive or be the first to have the newest item or participate in the latest trend. Because of this, whether you incorporate a song everyone has been singing recently or the recent food fad everyone is hyped about, common interests work well for catchy and relatable captions. However, if trying to sell a product, make sure you speak in a manner that is still consistent with your brand.

 

Contests/Giveaways

In order to create a relationship with your online community while also advertising your product, contests and giveaways are the ultimate promotion. Humans often need extrinsic incentives to complete a task. Hosting contests and giveaways appeal to the competitive nature of people.  Plus, stating that there is a prize helps reach those who may not be able to afford a service or good while also appealing to the ambitious members of your demographic. Further, telling your followers to tag three of their friends and follow the other accounts you are holding the competition on with as the rules for the competition increases brand awareness and serve as free advertisement. Now viewers’ friends will come across your page and perhaps tag even more of their friends, thus increasing the scale of the competition.

No matter what social media platform you are on, captions could arguably be the most critical aspect of a post because it’s the first source of information viewers read when they come across a picture. By writing an intriguing caption, your audience is more likely to engage with your page. Additionally, working with a social media agency in Los Angeles can help tell your story through your social media posts. While the photo you post may be exceptional, putting in the effort to create the caption may be what it takes to finally win over your audience.