“I would post more often, but I just don’t know what to say!” If you’ve ever thought this, don’t worry because you’re not alone. This is super common amongst agents. As with most things I talk about on this podcast, having a system in place makes it so much easier to complete the task of writing captions, for both still-photo and video content.
The first priority of content creation is ALWAYS to define the purpose of your content. Here are 4 simple questions to ask yourself when creating any piece of content.
- How does this content benefit my ideal client? (As in, do I want to educate, entertain or empower with this?)
- Is this content intended for people in my cold, warm or hot market?
- What is the take away from this piece of content?
- What specific action do I want someone to take after seeing or reading this content?
Once you have answers to these questions clear in your mind, then you can easily write a caption to help you connect with your intended audience. You want your content to authentically connect with people because this is how you build know-like-trust by making someone feel seen, heard and understood. You can use this 3-part framework to help you write captions that will connect with and motivate potential clients to take action!
- The Scroll-Stopper: Most people are consuming content on a phone and scroll through their feeds, stopping when something catches their attention. Not only do you need videos and images that cause someone to pause for a second – you also need to start your caption with something that causes them to tap “read more”. On Instagram you have basically one line of text to accomplish that, while on Facebook and LinkedIn you have a whopping 2 lines. Simple questions are great scroll-stoppers because people love to share opinions, AND think about themselves. Stick with questions that are yes/no, true/false, or this/that. Other scroll-stoppers could be along the lines of, “You’ll never believe this!” or “I cried the first time this happened.” Think of things that make YOU want to read more – like a cliff-hanger, only put it right at the beginning.
- The Spin: This is your message, but also your unique take on what you are communicating. What insights can you share based on personal experiences? What story can you (briefly) tell? This all comes back to the purpose of the content that you defined in those 4 questions earlier. Are you trying to save your ideal client from making a costly mistake? Or are you just demonstrating your personality that someone can expect from you? If you’re educating through the content, you may need to trigger a pain point or two, and explain the causes of this pain before you present your unique solution, wrapped up with a bow.
- The Call-to-Action, or “CTA”: In my opinion this is the most important part of the caption because the goal of everything you do on social, at least for your business, is to have more connections and more conversations. Do you want people to comment their opinion or share a favorite cafe? Or do you want them to visit your website, download your seller guide or save your post for future reference? Your CTA will always be specific to the particular content, but be careful not to overwhelm the viewer. Keep your directions very specific and simple with ONLY ONE call to action. You do NOT always need to include your contact information in every post. If someone on Instagram wants to know more about you, they will visit your profile – and if you have followed the steps in Episode 3 of this podcast, they will find an optimized Instagram bio including contact info and a dynamic link to visit.
To summarize: After you have a clear purpose in mind for your post, create your caption using the 3-part framework – your Scroll-Stopper, your Spin, and finally your simple Call-to-Action. I cannot stress the word “simple” enough. If it is too wordy or complicated you will lose the viewer’s attention.
Writing captions that connect absolutely takes practice, but the results are worth it when you have those conversations with someone you can really help. AND if you don’t want to learn this skill all by yourself, well I can help you! I teach agents through 1-on-1 coaching to learn how to do this themselves. I ALSO write content FOR YOU! Unlike other services that provide stock, generic posts that look the same for all subscribers, I create content customized to your personal brand and message. Schedule a free 15-min consultation with me and we’ll find out if we are a good fit to grow your business on social media! Visit skyblue.media/marketing
