From the very beginning, Instagram has been a photo app. In a December 2010 post on Quora, shortly after the first version of the app was released, Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom chalked its speedy international growth up to a simple, universal factor: "You don't need to speak a specific language to like taking pictures."
At the same time, captions have always been seen as a necessary component of gramming. Although one of the earliest prototypes Systrom and his co-founder, Mike Krieger, played with featured only photos, Systrom acknowledged "it was pretty awful." Eventually they decided on three main features that still make up the core Instagram feed: Photos, comments, and likes.
While photos might have started out as the main way to stand out and build a following, captions have taken on an increasingly important role. This is especially true for influencers, who are now operating in a very crowded space: Standing out requires more than just a pretty picture; it requires a caption that will build, connect with, and engage audiences.
No one knows this better than Amber Venz Box (a.k.a @venzedits), a fashion blogger turned early influencer who, in 2011, launched rewardStyle, one of the first companies to enable influencers to monetize their posts. The service, which counts over 32,000 of the top influencers as members, has since launched LiketoKnow.it, an app that lets its over two million users shop Instagram posts via screenshots, effectively turning the app into an e-commerce platform.
Ahead of the release of LiketoKnow.it's first book, Stories From The Influencer Next Door, Refinery29 asked six of the influencers featured, including Venz Box, to share what goes in to a winning caption (and what doesn't work so well).
The influencer: Melanie Elturk, @HauteHijab
Key to a successful caption: "My definition of a successful caption is one that gets people talking in the comments. What I've learned is that asking questions is one of the surefire ways to create a successful caption. [But]not just a question for the sake of asking a question — a real, thoughtful question that will elicit some great responses.
"I also like to switch things up and ask people to answer questions in all emoji to make it fun and interactive. Who doesn't want to answer what they'll be doing this weekend in emoji?"
When a caption doesn't hit the mark: "The one-liner, ambiguous captions don't do too well for me. People have come to expect substantive, thoughtful captions."
The writing process: "Some days it takes longer to write the caption than [it does to] edit the photo itself. I usually try to tie something about the photo into my caption — particularly the hijab I'm wearing, since I run a hijab brand. If that's not working, I'll talk about something in my life that's been happening lately or an event I'm attending. If I'm still at a loss, my last resort is always to grab an inspiring quote and write a few sentences on why the quote means so much to me."
Caption versus photo — which matters more? "The photo is how you draw people in, so if the photo isn't engaging, more often than not, people aren't going to stick around to read the caption. Get someone engaged with an amazing photo and compel them to write a comment because of your thought-provoking caption."
The influencer: Tanesha Awathi, @GirlWithCurves
Key to a successful caption: "For me it's about being authentic and real. My audience can see right through something that isn't true to me or my brand, so being candid, real, and honest is really important."
When a caption doesn't hit the mark: "Early on, my posts didn't get anywhere near as much engagement as they do now, and I think it's because I wasn't putting much thought into painting the picture behind the image with words. Today, I love sitting down to write a caption as much as I enjoy sitting down to write a thoughtful blog post."
The writing process: "On average it takes me about 5 minutes. I always have a topic idea in mind that's related to the image, and I just go for it. Most importantly, I don't allow myself to edit. If I did, I might be there all day over-analyzing."
Caption versus photo — which matters more? "I think every audience is different, but for me the caption adds to the photo I'm sharing, and sometimes the caption speaks to someone the way the photo wouldn't have."
The influencer: Nastia Liukin, @nastialiukin
Key to a successful caption: "Being real. I think the more you can open up to your followers, and the more authentic and real you can be with them, the better the engagement is. It’s not always easy to be vulnerable, especially on social media, but I think that’s what draws people in. Sharing your feelings, whether that’s excitement or disappointment, happy times or times that are not so great. We’re all human. Yes, people want to see aspirational and inspirational content. But for me, I’ve realized that sharing only that type of content isn’t what resonates with my audience."
When a caption doesn't hit the mark: "I think the captions that don’t do well are actually those that I try too hard with. Making it more of a stream of consciousness has worked well for me. Also, if you know me, you know I love music. I’m definitely guilty of throwing one too many song lyrics in my IG captions. My followers are like, we get it, you like Drake. "
The writing process: "It could take anywhere from 12 seconds to 20 minutes. Some days I just don’t feel as creative as others. It happens. When I’m creatively frustrated is usually the point when I start to Google song lyrics that resonate with my mood or the mood of the photo.
For the most part, I like to draw from the energy of the photo: What was I thinking when I took it? How did I feel? Where was I? There’s nothing worse than a caption that doesn’t match a photo. I’m guilty of that at times, too, but on the whole, it just feels so contrived. I want the content I put out to the world mean something. I don’t want to just post a photo to post a photo."
Caption versus photo — which matters more? "I think they definitely go hand-in-hand. I’ve posted photos before that I didn't think would do as well as others, but the captions were solid. And, surprisingly, it’s always the photos that have meaningful captions that do the best. That being said, any time I post a gymnastics or Olympics-related photo, I could have no caption in it and it generates a ton of engagement. Shout out to my Day Ones!"
The influencer: Amber Venz Box, @venzedits
Key to a successful caption: "Using a caption to start a conversation with my audience has always been a part of my feed. Adding in a question or provoking thought or experience and engaging with my followers in the comment section adds more life and meaning to the content and also builds community."
When a caption doesn't hit the mark: "Sometimes the intended sentiment is not communicated clearly or is taken out of context. Other times it was just not as funny as I had hoped or does not speak to my audience the way I think it will. This picnic shot [right] was beautiful but my caption seemed to fall flat when mentioning 'cooler days.' Now that content is everywhere, I focus on being mindful and delivering more powerful messages."
The writing process: "[It doesn't take me] very long, typically less than five minutes. I try to think of something creative that ties to the photo, then make sure I am using all the right tags to make it easy to find and shop. To keep my captions light and fun, I almost always add an emoji."
Caption versus photo — which matters more? "The photo is definitely the most important — if it does not gain the attention of the reader, then there is no chance for the caption to be read. Mobile platforms have moved to be image-based and there is a lot of research that goes behind those product moves; I trust their research.
"Consumers are scrolling through Instagram quickly so a picture needs to be what grabs my audience's attention. But, it does not stop at the image. @venzedits is focused on building a community, and conversation and sharing is critical, so the image is certainly not everything."
The influencer: Kathleen Barnes, @kathleen_barnes
Key a successful caption: "Of course everyone's audience is different, but I know that sharing humor and staying relatable is what increases the likelihood of success for my captions."
When a caption doesn't hit the mark: "I think a photo performing poorly is usually more connected to the photo than the caption."
The writing process: "I'll write captions ahead of time if I'm traveling or if know I'll be distracted. Other times, I write them on the spot. I haven't noticed a trend either way."
Caption versus photo — which matters more? "I think this really varies person to person, but I would claim around 60% photo and 40% caption for my own account. Over time, you show your audience who you are, what's important to you, and your humor and they look for that in your content. So they notice when you share something that doesn't align with your personal esthetic, your brand, and personality. Stay genuine, know what you stand for, and value your readers."
The influencer: Jenn Lake, @jenniferlake
Key to a successful caption: "Consistency. While many influencers conjecture about how captions can affect the algorithm, I've chosen to stay the course. My captions are a reflection of the positive and lighthearted tone of my brand, and my audience looks forward to clever openers and fun emojis."
When a caption doesn't hit the mark: "The only time my captions have failed is when someone doesn't understand one of my puns. I always love doing a play on words, but sometimes it doesn't work. Many times, it's something generational. For example, I've done a play on The Weeknd's lyric, 'I can't feel my face when I'm with you,' and changed it to 'I can't feel my face when I'm with blue.' Right after posting, I got a text from an older aunt asking what my caption meant. The takeaway? Not all puns and idioms are universally understood."
The writing process: "Brainstorming my captions takes forever, especially the puns and idioms. In fact, I've started to create notes in my phone with caption ideas as they come to me. My process is simple — my pun relates to the hero piece of my outfit or the location that I'm in. Once I have the first part set, the rest is easy."
Caption versus photo — which matters more? "Every aspect of an Instagram post matters — the photo, caption, geotag, hashtags, and tags. In the end, I want to create thumb-stopping content, but how I capture someone's attention will vary. For some, my caption might make someone laugh or smile, the photo may be saved due a unique location, or a hashtag might make my feed more discoverable."
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