Ever wish someone could tell you exactly what to write and how to write it on Instagram to attract clients? Well, this is the closest thing. Keep reading to learn the tried and true process I implement when writing Instagram captions for my business!

Perform Market Research

What would you do if I told you to write a letter, but didn’t explain who it was to or why you were writing it? What would you do? How would you even decide how to start or what to talk about?

I mean, seriously… If you asked me to write a letter to my grandma, it’d be MUCH different than writing one to my best friend. The tone, verbiage, and content for one wouldn’t connect with the other. The copy in your business (whether it’s for Instagram captions, your about page on your website, or your email replies) should reflect who you’re talking to and what they need.

So, ask them! Market research is just a fancy way of saying, “talk to your ideal client and pick their brain.” But if you’re still nervous or unsure of how to move forward, here are a few good ways to start!

• Look back on past client notes and track recurring problems, struggles, favorites, and even vocabulary they used.
• Find 3-5 people who seem like they would be your ideal client. Ask if they’re willing to give you 5 minutes to chat! If so, ask open-ended questions. For example, what’s the biggest thing you’re stressed about as it pertains to (insert your biz here)?
• Once you talk to a few people, notice if there are any repeated answers or themes. Then, ask other members of your audience if they can relate to these themes using a series of polls on IG stories or Google Forms!

You’ll get a lot of helpful insight into what your ideal client really needs from you after talking to them and letting them spill their heart. Use all the information you get to create a master list of topics they mentioned.

Bonus points if you can make specific notes about how they explained their problems (AKA their exact words). Getting that “whoa – is she in my brain” feeling comes a lot more easily when we talk like them!

Tell a Story in Your Instagram Captions

Once you have a better idea for the content of your posts, you can start to think about the format. Without getting too nerdy on you, psychology tells us that when people can relate to / find familiarity with something they’re hearing, they’re more likely to remember it.

For example, have you ever met a group of people and despite your best efforts, struggled to remember everyone’s name? But the one person you did remember also shared a name with your sibling or parent? Or maybe you remembered the name of girl who introduced herself as a photographer because you’re a photographer too?

Using story-telling in our captions helps us achieve as similar effect. With all the information flying past us at hyper-speed online, finding a way to connect to your audience via stories will help them remember you later. As you write your caption packed with valuable information, ask yourself how you can explain the lesson wrapped in a relatable story.

This one step will be the difference between your follower saying, “oh, actually I learned this from Cassie because of x, y, and z” or “I don’t remember where I heard this, but I swear I read the other day…” The more people you can get to remember you as the solution, the more clients you’ll convert. Not to mention, storytelling helps us build know, like, and trust because it involves a level of vulnerability.

Open the Virtual Door

At this point, you’ve learned what your ideal client needs (in their own words). You’ve connected to your audience by sharing your lessons wrapped in memorable stories. And you’re starting to feel a little more confident about this whole Instagram captions thing.

Now, you need to open your virtual door and let people in. Ask them to share their stories in the comments below your post. Tell them to DM you to chat more so you can continue to build your connection. It doesn’t matter exactly how you invite them in, but give them a door to walk through.

You wouldn’t invite someone over only to keep them locked outside. So, don’t write a caption and not welcome them to engage!

Your Exact Instagram Captions Formula

When I first started marketing my business on Instagram, it was painful. I literally sucked. In fact, I was so embarrassed about my first business account only getting to 130 followers in months that I deleted it altogether. (Insert monkey covering eyes emoji here.)

Anyways, I want to help you escape the same fate. Snag my proprietary caption-writing formula for free by clicking here and then raise your glass as we toast to better IG content!