The Formula I Use to Write the Best Captions for Instagram

A lot of thought goes into each Instagram post you publish. You’ve considered the creative asset: the graphic, the photo, meme, or video. You’ve considered the caption: the hook, the call to action, how to use lots of keywords without sounding like AI. And there’s the strategy behind each post, the hashtags to improve reach, the alt-text to improve accessibility, even the timing. That’s why I came up with a social-media-strategy approved formula to writing the best captions for Instagram.

After ten years of being a social media strategist for CPG brands, I know that the caption is one of the most important parts of an Instagram post. Especially when your goal is revenue. 

If your goal is engagement, a trending meme and a strong call to action (share this! save this!) will do. If your goal is reach, a well-formatted Instagram reel with a juicy hook is what you need. 

But when your goal is to convert Instagram viewers into excited customers, you need a strong product positioning and a stellar Instagram caption. 

“But You’re Not a Copywriter”

Did you know that copywriting was how I got into social media marketing? My 2014 beauty blog was the platform that sparked my marketing career. After a few years of writing #SponCon, I began freelancing in 2017 by writing the blog posts of coveted wellness brands like Meow Meow Tweet and Well.ca. 

Writing comes naturally to me (my high school English teachers will agree) and it’s a strength my social media marketing clients appreciate all these years later. So you can trust that you’re in good hands.

Why Is an Instagram Caption So Important?

We’re not talking about just an Instagram caption. For the most part, when you’re building your CPG brand online, you’ll communicate with your customers through copy. Whether that be your Instagram captions, email newsletters, or the product descriptions on your website. 

The words you choose, the tone you take, the structure of the paragraph, it’s all how you’re communicating with your customers. It’s how you’re convincing them to follow you, to engage with your brand, to purchase from you, and to become a loyal customer.

How Do You Write the Best Captions for Instagram?

There are so many ways to write good copy. But when it comes to writing the best captions for Instagram, there are three components that make it easy: the hook, the body, and the call to action. 

The “hook” is the first sentence that’s there to grab your customer’s attention. Ask a question, share a controversial opinion, or say the thing your audience is already thinking.

The body is the bulk of your caption; it’s where the value is. This is where you teach, entertain, or make your reader feel seen. Keep it conversational. My best tip is to write exactly how you talk!

The call to action is the last sentence that tells your customer what to do. Most of the time, customers aren’t engaging because you haven’t made it easy for them. Ask a question, tell them where to find the next step, or make it clear they’re welcome in your DMs.

When you’re writing your Instagram captions, break them up into sections. First, write your hook sentence. It should grab your customer’s attention and be strong enough to keep them interested. The body is the bulk of your caption where you’ll share the actual information. And the call to action tells your customer what to do. Maybe it’s to shop, to leave a comment, or to share the post with their friends. 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Instagram Captions

A common misconception is that once you’ve written an Instagram caption, that’s it, you’re done. But there are ways to get so much more out of your captions. 

Use the same copy in your Instagram stories, shorten it for you TikTok captions, and include it in that week’s email newsletter. Reference it for sections on your website, and vice versa. Don’t just write it, post it, and forget about it. 

Did you know that on average, it takes about seven interactions for a customer to purchase? That means a customer needs to see your message about seven times before they purchase. When your messaging is consistent across Instagram, TikTok, your email newsletters, website, even paid ads, your target audience is more likely to see the message over and over, encouraging them to purchase your product.

Your Next Steps

Write better captions today by starting with good product messaging, then getting a list of 54 social media hooks designed for CPG food, beverage, and wellness brands. Finally, you can get my very own eyeballs on your own captions by booking a Clarity Call or a Make-It-Make-Sense Instagram Audit.

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Wait, Who Am I?

Hiiii! 👋🏻 I’m Sarah, a CPG social media strategist with over 10 years of experience. I went from starting a clean beauty blog right out of high school to managing social media for Canada’s largest wellness retailer. Now I live in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina, helping high-growth entrepreneurs get SEEN so they can build a crazy fun life their business supports, and not the other way around.

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