Ever scrolled through Instagram and saw a post from “just a normal girl” with tons of comments and likes, and wondered to yourself … what is she doing differently to get this kind of engagement?
It’s kind of like … I work in my yoga pants too, have adorable pets, and have some awesome life goals, but somehow it’s just not gaining that much traction.
So what does it come down to then? You don’t have to have a certain job, look a certain way or earn a certain amount of money … but what you do need to do, is find a way to present your story in a way that ADDS VALUE. Now we’ve all heard that a lot, and it’s a very vague term … that’s why I’ve analysed posts from a few influential grammers, tested it for myself and decided to share with you what I’ve picked up as the anatomy of an engaging instagram caption along with worksheets that will help you find how you can add value …
1. The hook
So basically now you know you need to add value somehow, but you also need to get your audience to actually take the time to read your post and get the part where you’re sharing some valuable info. So “The Hook” I’m referring to is that juicy sentence that’s going to make them what to read the whole thing. Something like: “This is so embarrassing …” or “About to drop a truth-bomb …” or “The one thing no one knows about me …”
It’s just creating a little bit of curiosity in that little sentence underneath your post that people will see before hitting “read more.”
2. The story
So here is the part where you let your audience become your friends by letting them get to know you a little bit better, and give your audience a chance to relate to you or a story about you. Paint a picture for them so that they’ll feel like they are there and think “ME TOO!”
An example could be something like this: “Like a nerd instead of going out last night I opted for give-up pants, hair in a bun and Netflix because I just needed to recharge and I find that I do this best when I’m alone … “
This gives your audience the opportunity to get to know you and to see a bit of themselves in you.
3. The value
So now’s your time to take what you’ve told about yourself and somehow connect it to a message or lesson that will mean something to your audience … for instance my embarrassing night-in description could be followed with
“… this got me thinking about how we all need to sometimes just rest and recharge to be the best version of ourselves. And whatever way you prefer to recharge, whether it’s chilling inside or going to the gym, making time for yourself is super important!”
4. The invitation
So here’s where you give your audience an opportunity to interact with your post with a simple invitation … something like “Double tap if you agree,” or “Let me know in the comments what you do to recharge?” …
5. The decoration
This is just the simple formatting of your post and adding of emojis to make it easy to read and to help you paint that picture.
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