If you're looking to improve your social media game, one of the best places to start is with your captions. A great caption (with a hook) can mean the difference between someone scrolling past your post and someone stopping to read and maybe even engaging with what you have to say.

But creating social media captions can be the most time-consuming part of social media marketing. Not everyone is a copywriter. And this often trips people up to the point they don't want to share anything.

Whether you're sharing a photo, video, or article, your caption is an important part of your post. A great caption will help draw people in, keep them engaged with your content, and can build trust with your audience (which helps YOU sell your product/service).

Think about the last time you read a social media post that really captivated you… Chances are, it was because the story was well told and it drew you in from the very beginning. And kept you wanting to read more because you were invested.

Use this same principle when crafting your social media captions and see how much more engagement and interaction you get from your posts. 

In the most basic terms, here are the 4 steps to creating social media captions:

• Point:

• Description:

• Why it matters:

• CTA:

Much of my own posts for my Instagram pages, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even blog posts have elements of these four steps for social media captions. 

In more detail, here are the 4 steps to creating social media captions:

1. The point is a hook to capture attention: Tell your audience what the point of your post is right away. Honestly, this is one of the most important things to remember because oftentimes the first line is all that shows up under your video or image, usually with a line to “click more” to read the entire caption. If this first line doesn’t capture attention and make your audience want to read more -- well, nothing else matters.

This could be a headline or question. Something super simple and right to the point of what your post is all about. 

2.  A description or short story: Once you've caught your reader's attention with a strong first sentence, it's time to give them more information. This story should be a few sentences, just a paragraph or two where you get into the nitty-gritty of what you're sharing. 

If you're sharing a story, this is where you tell it. If you're promoting a cause, this is where you explain how people can get involved. Share an anecdote about how you got started or what inspired you to create your product or service. Not only will this make for an interesting read, but it will also give people a better understanding of who you are as a brand.

And remember - Most people skim social media captions, so you need to make sure your captions tell the story without all the unnecessary details. Providing a short story that educates or entertains your audience will not only make your posts more enjoyable to read, but it will also give your connections a better sense of who you are and what you're all about.

Pro tip: If you're struggling to come up with the perfect words for your next social media post, try using your phone's dictation feature and the notes app so you can literally vocalize your story in your own words. Then edit it down to be a few sentences. 

Use your social media captions to show the human side of your business and give people a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes.

3. Say why this matters: in one sentence explain why your readers should care about the topic you're discussing, aka what’s in it for them. 

If you're trying to promote your product or raise awareness about an important issue - simply stating what it is isn't enough. You need to explain why people should care and what THEY stand to gain by purchasing or getting involved. So next time you're crafting a post with the intention of getting people to purchase your product or service, remember to include that key piece of persuasion: why your audience should care about what you're saying! We buy with emotions, not necessarily logic...

4. Include a call-to-action (CTA): Every social media post should have some kind of CTA, whether that's encouraging your readers to like, comment, or share your post, or telling them to visit your website or donate to a cause. 

Your CTA could be as simple as "like if you agree!" or "click the link in my bio for more information." Whatever it is, make sure it's something that will encourage engagement and further discussion around your original idea/photo/story/video/etc.

I’ll share a few examples of how I have used these 4 steps to create my own social media content. Specifically how I created this blog post with these steps aching as a mini-outline at the top of my Google Doc as I wrote out this blog post. 

• Point: There are only 4-steps needed to create a well-crafted social media post. 

• Description: When creating social media captions, it's important to keep four things in mind: a hook (get to the point), a description or story, a sentence on why it matters, and end your post with a call to action.

• Why it matters: Captions create connections and help build trust with your audience. 

• CTA: Check out my 12-month calendar to make sure you utilize these steps in all your social media posts. 

For a recent blog post on showing up in your social media videos, my headline was “Build Confidence With Creating Social Media Videos”. In the body of the post (the description), I provided additional information on each of the tips and why they were effective in helping people build confidence to create more Instagram Reels (explaining why it matters). I also included links to resources where people could find out more information or sign up for my email newsletter (the CTA at the end).

On Twitter, I often share news articles or blog posts using two of the four-step format described above. For example, when sharing an article on Tips On How To Write Engaging FAQ Answers Your Target Audience Will Love, my tweet said “Writing engaging FAQs for social media posts: What Businesses Need To Know https://bit.ly/3v3GR69 #contentcreation #socialmediamarketing ”. This gave people enough information so they could decide whether they wanted to click through and read the article themselves.

In conclusion, following these four steps when creating social media captions can help you produce more engaging and successful posts that will resonate with your audience. Give it a try next time you sit down to write something for your blog or social media channels!

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To help more, check out this 12-month social media content calendar & brainstorm game plan which can help small business owners and marketers save time creating content (and yes, it does have info about the 4-step captions within it also