Staring at a blank screen, you know you need to write a captivating caption - something that really connects with your audience on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc... but the words just aren't coming. Or worse yet - you thought that the caption that you wrote for yesterday's post was going to be a WINNER, but, yet again, nobody engaged, nobody commented... all you got was crickets.
Have no fear! Your caption writing tips are here! Implement these 7 easy tips and the captions on your social media posts will be more free-flowing and more engaging to your target audience for your business.
Tip 1: Keep it simple.
This isn't a University dissertation. It's not even a high school English essay. So, keep it simple. In fact, the best writing for marketing purposes, for most audiences, is written at an approximate 5th grade level. So forget about pulling out your most complex sentences and drop the use of all those fancy words! Write like you speak. It really is that simple.
Tip 2: Ditch the jargon. As an expert in your field, you likely have words, phrases, and acronyms that mean a lot to you and your colleagues. It's called jargon. If you remove the jargon from your captions, you'll appeal to a wider audience. Those that are experts in your same field will still be able to read and understand your writing, but better yet, others that aren't experts and don't know all the fancy jargon will also be able to read and understand your writing. Using clear and consise language means that your readers won't have to work as hard to read your captions, which is especially important when you're writing for social media!
Tip 3: Write for your audience. Study the language of your target audience. Know how your most valuable clients regularly speak and write. Have more conversations with the people you are offering your product or service to, and have these conversations online and offline. The better you truly understand your target audience's communication style, the easier it will be for you to really connect with them in your messaging. Do they like and use emojis? 🤷♀️
Do they use the word "awesome" or the millenial jargon "AF"? What are some regular words that they use?
How would they describe your product/service? Is it different than how you would describe it?
Tip 4: Speak to the pain.
Humans are emotional beings. We crave connection, we feel deeply, and we even make buying decisions based on emotion (you can't tell me that you really need allllll those coffee mugs, can you?).
Figure out what problem your product/service solves, and speak about that! In marketing speak, these problems are called "pain points". If you can get a deep understanding of what pain points your product/service solves, then your writing will be stronger.
Think of it this way, someone who gets braces for their crooked teeth isn't really wanting to solve the problem of their crooked teeth. On a deeper level, they are wanting braces so that they can look good and feel more confident in life! Their pain point is that they are feeling insecure about their looks, and the braces can solve that problem for them.
Tip 5: Use copywriting formulas.
There's no need to reinvent the wheel here, when it comes to caption-writing for social media. Professional copywriters use formulas to help frame their writing, and you can too!
One of my favourite formulas is P-A-S. It stands for Problem-Agitate-Solution. When I apply this to a social media caption that I'm writing, it looks like this: Problem: Slipping and sliding all over the road? Feeling nervous when you see cars in the ditch because you don't want to end up there, too? Agitate: The icy roads are dangerous and you want to stay out of the ditch and out of the hospital!
Solution: Get your winter tires installed today and stay safe this winter.
Tip 6: Use a tool. If you aren't a grammar geek, have no fear! There's an online tool for that. Grammarly, Hemingwayapp and copy.ai are all great tools to use to take your writing to that next level (or at least, to catch your typos and errors)!
Social media captions that are riddled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors give off a feeling of mistrust with your audience. They are more likely to trust you if you communicate effectively, clearly, and professionally.
Tip 7: Be yourself!
Last but not least, be yourself! Let your personality shine through your writing and don't be afraid to infuse some humour and fun into your caption-writing. If you write with personality, your target audience will more easily connect with you and your brand, and connection is an important piece of the marketing puzzle indeed!
Writing captions for social media can be a tricky skill to learn, but with some practice, I know that you can do it!
If you'd like to learn more, I have a complimentary Content Creation Mini Course that you might enjoy. Check it out HERE.
