How To Write Good Instagram Captions That Convert

Do you want to know how to write Instagram captions that increase engagement? You’re in the right place.

This blog post is all about writing a great caption that will improve engagement for artists selling art on Instagram, and it’s going to teach you some important information that will help you get more likes and followers.

Promoting Art On Instagram

Art collectors and art lovers view art on Instagram every day, and artists post new paintings and drawings on Instagram daily. How can you have your artwork noticed on Instagram with the competition?

The important thing to remember is that it takes much more planning than just posting an image of your latest painting to improve your engagement rate.

Besides posting new art on Instagram, you will want to write good Instagram captions that connect the viewer to the art being showcased.

A great way to do this is by writing captions that promote and tell a story behind the art you’re selling on Instagram and include a call-to-action in those captions.

It does not have to be a long caption to produce positive results. Even though longer captions tend to do well on Instagram, a short caption can hook viewers.

Good Instagram captions can get people to like, share, or comment on your Instagram posts. The more people who engage with your posts, the more popular your posts will be on Instagram, which will increase your following.

What Are Instagram Captions

An Instagram caption is a short sentence or a few paragraphs you write under the Instagram photo to tell people what your posting is about.

For artists, this might be something like, “This painting was inspired by #nature.”

Captions are also helpful if a piece of art in the background needs some explanation and can’t just be shown on its own. For example, if you are showcasing a painting in progress and the canvas is on an easel.

For this example, the caption might be something like, “Today, I was able to add more details to the flowers. PM me if you are interested in purchasing this painting when it is completed. #flowerpaintinginprogress.”

You don’t need an extensive paragraph for each post, but enough information, so viewers know what they’re looking at without digging through hashtags or looking up a description elsewhere.

The text you write should complement your brand voice and connect the view to your artwork personally, which will increase engagement rates and art sales.

Instagram Post Goals

The first step before writing a caption is to know what your objectives are.

Some artists might start with introducing themselves or their work to build brand awareness. Others may want to immediately get a viewer’s attention and make them take action by asking for something, like commenting on the picture, visiting your website, or tagging a friend. Whatever your goal is, be clear about it before you write anything.

The goals you have set for the caption will help you to recognize if your strategy is working or not.

Examples of Instagram Caption Goals:

• Introduce yourself and your work to build brand awareness [Reach]
• Get people commenting or sharing the post with their friends on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram [Engagement]
• Promote a sale, new products, etc., by asking viewers to take action. Maybe tag a friend, visit your website, or comment on the post. [Conversions]

What Is A Good Instagram Caption

Now that you have an outline of your objectives, it is time to write your caption. A good caption provides meaning, adds personality, connects your following to your artwork, and inspires your target audience to take action.

How To Write Good Instagram Captions

There might be times when you are so excited to share your new painting on Instagram that the caption is an afterthought, so you rush to write a quick sentence to share it with your Instagram followers. 

There will be other times when you are staring at your smartphone, trying to think of how you can describe your artwork.

Writer’s block is real, and when you’ve spent time and effort perfecting your Instagram images, crafting a caption can seem like added work you don’t have time for. Doing so could lower the engagement and the number of people who see the post.

If you find yourself struggling to come up with a caption, consider writing about the emotion of your artwork. What feeling do you want to evoke in those who see it? What inspired you to start the project? What are your personal feelings about the subject you are painting?

Instagram Caption Outline

An excellent way to write consistent captions to improve your engagement rates is to follow a simple outline.

Here are the steps to take when you write your Instagram caption:

• Strong first sentence
• Call-to-action
• Storytelling
• Use hashtags
• Use emojis
• Line breaks

Take Advantage Of The First Sentence

Most people scroll through Instagram to look at the images and never read the captions. But when an image catches their attention, they will read the caption. This is an opportunity to quickly tell a story or make them curious about what they are looking at.

The first line of a caption should be short, attention-grabbing, and visible in someone’s feed before they have to click “more.”

The punchy opening to your social media post will capture the reader’s interest and inspire them to scroll down for more information on what is being shared in the photo or video accompanying it.

You can spark their curiosity with an intriguing statement, hard-hitting stats, trigger emotional responses by telling stories about the painting, or share exclusive offers only available through the post.

Write A Call-To-Action

What is a call to action?

A call-to-action button or text within your post tells people what you want them to do.

It’s a phrase in the caption to get someone to take action on an offer and purchase something from your store.

Instagram only allows you to have outbound links in your bio section, making it more challenging to create a call-to-action.

Including a call-to-action in your Instagram caption and inviting your audience to like or comment on your posts can go a long way.

A good CTA should inspire followers to engage with the Instagram post, send them to your website, sign up for your newsletter, or even make an order from your site.

Popular Instagram Call-To Actions

Increase Engagement

Increasing engagement on your Instagram posts will help you to build your following. The more people who see your posts, the better your chance of having them follow you.

• Ask personal questions
• Ask them to double-tap if they agree with your caption or like your artwork.
• Ask them to tag their best friend if they like your painting
• You can also encourage users to share your content with their Instagram Stories. Most Instagram users have the option to share posts to Instagram Stories.

Drive Traffic To Your Artist Website

You can also encourage customers to purchase your products on the landing page of your website.

If you have over 10k followers on Instagram, you can add direct links to your stories and invite viewers who swipe up to learn more.

But it is more challenging to direct your followers to your site from your post captions because they do not allow links on Instagram captions.

The best way is to encourage your followers to click the link on your Bio or visit a specific URL. Keep in mind most people will not spend the time to write down a URL and type it in Google’s search. You will see better results by including a link in your Bio.

Storytelling

What is storytelling in marketing, and how can it help you on Instagram?

Storytelling is a great way to get your followers more connected with you through your posts. The best Instagram captions for businesses will tell a story instead of just saying what the product does.

The goal is to connect your followers on an emotional level. When you can achieve this, you will see more engagement on your posts, but you will also see an increase in sales.

When crafting your posts, try to think about how the photo will make them feel and the story behind your images.

One way is to create a series of works in progress. People love to see art come to life, and many artists sell the piece before it is completed using work-in-progress photos. Tell the story behind the artwork and what inspired you to create it.

Instagram Hashtags

One of the most important things to do is include hashtags in the caption. It will be more challenging to reach new people on Instagram if you are not using hashtags because they function like keywords in search engines. 

Before typing in random hashtags, the first thing to do is to research popular hashtags.

When searching for popular tags, use a hashtag aggregator like Manageflitter, which has a search bar where you could put #art, and they will show all top trending art-related tags. This will help you learn what types of captions tend to get more likes on average than others.

A better tool is Tailwind’s Instagram Hashtag Generator. This app will generate the best hashtags for your captions, but it will also tell you what your average likes and comments are on each post.

Tailwind also has an Instagram schedular that will allow creating Instagram posts ahead of time, and they will share your posts at the best times.

Another tip is to use branded hashtags to build name recognition online.

Keep in mind that hashtags are not used for increasing engagement rates. Hashtags are used to reach new people and build an online presence.

Is using too many hashtags wrong?

Yes, using too many hashtags is considered spammy and could negatively affect your post. You can have 30 hashtags, but most posts perform better with 3-5 hashtags. Pick out the most relevant hashtags for your posts.

How Long Can An Instagram Caption Be

The number of characters allowed in an Instagram caption is 2,200 characters. You do not have to use all of the characters allowed. The best rule of thumb is to be clear, short, and concise.

Try different lengths to see what works best for your audience.

You might find that shorter captions generate more engagement than longer ones.

Use Grammarly to check for any spelling mistakes or grammar issues.

You can also copy and paste your caption into Wordcounter to see how many words it has.

How To Add Emojis

Many businesses are finding that the use of emojis is increasing engagement on social network platforms.

Emojis, if appropriately used, can add a lot of personality and emotion to your captions, which may be why people engage with them more than plain text.

The most popular emojis for Instagram posts are the following:

• Laughing face
• Heart eyes
• Tears of joy
• Kissy face or lips emoji

How To Add Space In Instagram Captions

Adding space in your Instagram captions will create a better Instagram user experience. To add space, all you have to do is insert a comma or a “*” and press enter.

Adding space will make your captions look less crowded, so it’s essential to use line breaks to improve the user experience of the post.

To learn more, visit How To Add Paragraphs In Your Instagram Captions.

Study What Works For Other Artists

To discover more tips, study what other Instagram influencers are doing to create more engagement on their Instagram account. Follower other artists and read the captions and the comments people leave for the post. Discover if there is anything they are doing differently that you can use to write better Instagram captions.

Analysis What Works Best For You

The last step is to see what works best for your followers to create a better social media marketing plan.

If your followers enjoy reading funny captions, then consider adding them to Instagram posts to get more positive engagement from other users who want a laugh in their day.

If you are an artist with a particular niche, such as painting abstract paintings, it will make sense for your captions to reflect this style, and don’t be afraid to use hashtags specific to that genre.

The goal is always engagement on social media so do what works best for you and your followers.

Study your Instagram analytics to discover what your target audience wants to see in their newsfeed.

Polish Your Art Description

As an artist, one of the most important things you can do to sell your work is to write well-crafted art descriptions. A good description will provide potential buyers with information about your piece, but it will also give them a sense of your style and voice as an artist. Furthermore, a well-written description can help create an emotional connection between the buyer and the artwork, which is essential for making a sale.

While it may seem daunting to write an art description, there are a few simple tips you can follow to make the process easier.

First, include all the relevant information about the piece, such as its medium, size, and price.

Next, take some time to describe the piece in detail, using objective and subjective language.

Finally, don’t forget to proofread your description before posting it online or sending it out to potential buyers.

By taking the time to write a well-rounded art description, you’ll be more likely to sell your work and build a strong rapport with potential clients.

One More Pro Tip

Another tip that Instagram influencers art taking advantage of is to host an Instagram giveaway. Instagram giveaways do very well on Instagram and can increase the engagement of your posts. Everyone likes free products. Create a strong call-to-action for the giveaway and watch your following grow.

Final Thoughts On Good Instagram Captions

As you can see, many different types of captions will increase your engagement on Instagram.

These Instagram tips will help you write the perfect Instagram caption to maximize your posts’ click-through rate.

Don’t just post a picture and expect great Instagram engagement. You will have to work hard to encourage engagement, but the time invested will be worth the efforts with increased art sales.

The Instagram algorithm is designed to prioritize the best posts and push them toward the top of the Instagram feeds. Do your homework to write better Instagram captions at the top of your follower’s newsfeed.

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