Here’s a riddle: What’s only 125 characters long, yet has the power to get you sales?
It’s an Instagram caption!
And in today’s video, we’ll share five captions that dropshippers can use to get
noticed on Instagram.
Hey all, it’s Jessica from Oberlo.
Today we’re talking about Instagram captions.
We’ll talk about what they are, why they matter, and what makes a good Instagram caption.
By the end of this video, you’ll have five captions you can use on your Instagram page.
And don’t worry -- these captions work for supplier photos, professional product shots,
and everything in between.
So whether you’re just getting started or already an Instagram heavyweight, you’ll
find these captions super helpful.
Before I give you these captions, just one more thing: To stay competitive in dropshipping,
you have to keep learning.
Hit subscribe to make sure you don’t miss future videos about how to be successful with
dropshipping.
Alright, let’s dive into Instagram captions.
First, what are Instagram captions?
Simply put, Instagram captions are the written descriptions below an Instagram photo.
They can contain text, emojis, hashtags, and tags.
They can’t contain clickable links.
Instagram captions are limited to about 330 words, or 2,200 characters.
Alright, now that we know what Instagram captions are, why do they matter?
Well, if you’re in e-commerce, the whole point of being on Instagram is to get seen
so you can get sales.
When it comes to getting seen, you need to publish Instagram photos that get engagement.
When we say engagement, we’re talking about photo likes, comments, and shares.
Instagram’s new algorithm favors posts that get a lot of engagement.
So if you post a photo on Instagram and it gets a lot of likes and comments, Instagram
will show that photo to more and more people.
Compelling captions are a great way to get more engagement.
Done well, captions can get people to leave a comment on your photo, share your photo
with their friends, follow your account, or even click a link and purchase your product.
Instagram captions are so important that companies pay copywriters hundreds and sometimes thousands
of dollars to write them.
If your budget doesn’t allow for a social media pro, no worries.
We prepared five captions that you can use whenever you post on Instagram.
Ready?
Let’s write some captivating captions.
Instagram Caption #1: The open-ended question
If you want your Instagram photo to get seen, you need to get comments.
And if you want to get comments, there’s no better way than by asking an open-ended
questions.
Open-ended questions aren’t yes-or-no questions.
Instead, the best open-ended questions on Instagram ask for users’ opinions.
For example, this post by backpack designer P. Mai prompts Instagrammers to share what
they’re reading these days.
Users weighed in with their reading material, including books and to-do lists.
Let’s say we’re selling oil diffusers, and posting photos of our product.
Here are some good open-ended questions we could pose in the captions:
What scented oils do you want to try??
Why do you love your oil diffuser?
Where do you use your oil diffuser?
You can use these captions too.
Just substitute “scented oil” and “oil diffuser” with your store’s products.
Or, start selling oil diffusers and use these captions just as they are.
Watch our video on how to sell oil diffusers right here.
Instagram Caption #2: The multiple choice question
Unlike open-ended questions, multiple choice questions give users a few answers to choose
from.
For example, if you’re selling a product that comes in multiple colors, you can write
a caption that asks: “yellow or green?”
like Topshop did here.
Users can engage with this caption by leaving a one-word comment.
This makes it easier -- and more likely -- for users to leave a comment in the first place.
Say you’re selling this Fries Before Guys phone case.
Here are some good multiple choice questions we could pose in our Instagram captions:
What’s your vote: Fries or guys?
With ketchup or without?
Waffle fries or curly fries?
Now, you’ll notice that even though we aren’t selling french fries, we’re talking about
them in the caption.
That’s fine.
Someone likely to buy a fries-before-guys phone case is also likely to have strong opinions
about their fries.
If that’s the kind of topic that’ll get them commenting, riff on it in your Instagram
caption!
Instagram Caption #3: The call-to-action caption
A call-to-action, or CTA for short, is when you ask the user to do something.
Want users to like your photo, leave a comment, or tag a friend?
Well, just ask!
Of course, it’s not quite that simple.
Before you ask users to take an action, you have to appeal to their emotions, make them
laugh, or give them something valuable.
For example, the caption asks users to tag a friend to brighten their Monday.
In essence, the caption gives Instagram users a chance to connect with a friend and bond
over a cute video.
And here’s another example: On Oberlo’s Instagram page, we frequently tell people
to leave a comment in exchange for a free eBook.
Let’s say you’re selling printed hoodies online.
Any of the following call-to-action captions would work:
Tag a friend who would look fierce in this hoodie
Like if you’re feeling ferocious this Friday Leave a comment for an exclusive holiday discount
code
Again, you can change these captions so they’re relevant to the product you’re selling.
Or you can start dropshipping printed hoodies by watching this video here.
Instagram Caption #4: The minimalist caption
A picture is already worth a thousand words.
Why pile on?
Some of the most powerful Instagram captions contain just a few words.
But you have to pick the right words.
The key is to go for emotional words.
Words that trigger dreams, ambitions, or passions.
Montblanc does this perfectly.
Their single-word caption, Limitless, perfectly captures the success-driven tone of their
brand.
Let’s say you sell athletic leggings online.
You can post photos with minimalistic captions the evoke fitness, strength, and grit, such
as:
Find power within.
Stronger every day.
Maximum effort.
If you’re not selling leggings online, you’re missing out in some cold-weather sales.
Check out this video to find out if leggings are right for your dropshipping store.
Instagram Caption #5: The descriptive caption
The last Instagram caption on our list is one of the easiest to write.
There’s just one catch.
Do you remember when you were setting up your dropshipping store?
You wrote detailed product descriptions for every product in your store.
You highlighted product features, you gave product specs, and you described how each
product would benefit your customers.
If you already wrote great product descriptions, good news: You wrote great Instagram captions
too!
But here’s the catch: Instagram’s character limit means you can’t just copy and past
product descriptions into Instagram.
Only the first 125 characters of a caption appear automatically.
Instagram users have to click “More” if they want to read captions longer than that.
Don’t make users click more!
Instead, edit product descriptions so that the most valuable information appears first.
Alternatively, edit descriptions so they fit in 125 words, like Ted Baker does here.
So if you’re selling, say, watches, you can write a caption like: Featuring a marble
face and a slim leather strap, these watches are minimalist cool.
I would give more examples, but we recommend you just watch this video about which watches
are worth selling.
Phew, that’s a tongue twister.
If you found these Instagram captions helpful, good news: There are 200 more caption inspirations
on the Oberlo blog!
For the full list, click the link in the description below.
With that, you’re ready to write great Instagram captions!
What did you think of our list of caption ideas?
What are some of your favorite kinds of captions?
Share them in the description below so we can learn from one another.
I’ll chime in with my thoughts too.
Hit the subscribe button for more videos that will help you get sales.
And until next time, learn often, market better, and sell more.