Writing Really Good Instagram Captions
We titled this how-to article The Art and Science of Writing Good Instagram Captions because producing five-star captions is about nailing both creativity and technique. That’s why we back up almost all our best practices with rock-solid studies and statistics that go beyond personal opinions.
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Write More, More, More
Sometimes less is more, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for Instagram captions. The length of Instagram captions has grown steadily over the last 5 years, more than doubling since 2016. Now, the average caption length is 405 characters (which is usually around 65 to 70 words).
Now, keep in mind that 405 is the average. Some successful Instagram accounts use much more (see Later), while others use much less (see PacSun). And then there’s Foundr—we like to mix it up with everything from super-long captions to one-liners.
However, data shows that posts with longer captions generally receive higher engagement rates than those with short captions. Higher engagement rates not only build deeper connections with your audience but also help you appear on the Explore page, which exposes your content to new soon-to-be followers.
Experiment to see what works best with your followers. Shorter captions have performed better in the past, but in 2021, it appears more words lead to more engagement. Try adding 70-100+ words to your Instagram captions for a few weeks to see how your audience responds. If you see an increased engagement rate, keep making them long.
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