Instagram is your best bet if you want to transform your normal-person status into that of a celebrity. All you may need is a smartphone, good photos and great captions.

Instagram as we all know, is a place where we find great photography, usually done by amateurs. It has the rare capability of making ordinary people into celebrities, by the sheer quality of photos that they share.

However, the quality of photos is not enough to skyrocket your status and make your posts go viral. You need one more ingredient, and that is ‘Great Instagram Titles’ or selfie captions. That way, people will understand what you are trying to say and identify with it. If you are a small business and want to use Instagram to connect with people at a more personal level, then great captions accompanied by good photos are a key to success.

Here are a few tips to write good Instagram captions:

• Don’t rush it: Think of several selfie captions and write them down. Ask your co-workers or family members, about what they think it and how it can be improved. Make sure that your caption is great, before posting it. It is true that Instagram postings should be spontaneous and done in real time. However, as per the latest Instagram algorithm update, posts having a higher level of engagement, are the ones which will be shown on your followers’ news feed. The posts which have great titles will obviously generate more engagement and likes besides having a higher chance of going viral.
• Comment on your own post: You may use your unique hashtag followed by a short caption.

Although Instagram allows for 2200 characters, don’t fill up the whole space with hashtags. They can either serve as a distraction or as a turnoff. If the hashtag doesn’t fit well with the caption, it can be put at the end. You may use a maximum of 4# hashtags.

• Generate a call to action: Users usually respond to verbs that encourage them to take some sort of action. Your picture or posting may be in the form of a quiz question, prompting viewers to enter the right answer in the comments section. You may also ask fans to tag themselves and their friends by taking selfies in your retail outlet and stand a chance of winning a gift hamper. Likewise, there are many ways to encourage users to like, share and comment on your posts.

• Make sure your hashtags are not too small: Load these hashtags in such a way that the visible part is enticing enough for the visitor to click on ‘more’. Do not limit yourself by attempting to make the whole Hashtag visible, by keeping it very short.

• Don’t use a hashtag with every word that you type: Use relevant hashtags and get the feel of being part of the bigger picture. However, make sure your hashtag is relevant to your subject. For E.g., if you are a restaurant owner in Australia and posting food pictures on Instagram, don’t include the tag #WWE or #SummerSlam as it’s not related to food in any way (although the wrestlers don’t mind eating). You may instead, try a slightly more relevant hashtag like #Breakfast and #Food.

• Get the basic grammar and capitalisation right: Avoid spelling mistakes. Good grammar is still in fashion, and my guess is that it will remain so for a 2 - 3 more aeons.

• Photos without captions are OK if you are a celebrity: When you write captions, you are basically competing for attention. Make your pics have an attention grabbing caption! If you are a celebrity, however, you may skip this point.

• Have a unique caption style: It should be unlike any other and consistent. Make it short, intriguing, and interesting enough, to draw a response from followers.

• Is it necessary to link your photo? Ask yourself this question before linking it. You may do so if necessary. Links may be placed in the website section of your bio description, and your caption may point towards the same. The only drawback with links is that they lead the user away from the Instagram Application.

• Tag people in the photograph: If it is the photographer of the picture, you may tag them and give credit; you may also tag relevant people who were part of that photo shoot.

• Add Mentions to your Instagram Caption:‘Mentions’ are a way to give back to the Instagram community. You may ‘Mention’ other Instagram users, and showcase each other’s pictures to your audience and thus show your ‘Insta-love’ for each other. Instead of just tagging them, make sure you include their handle in your caption as well. This enables your followers to visit their profile too!

• Have some fun, add Emoji’s: Make your posts slightly more colourful by adding Emoji’s; let your posting radiate more emotion. However do it sparingly, and just enough to make things interesting.

Instagram’s popularity is growing by the day, and it is definitely not a bad idea to use this great platform and get yourself or your small business noticed by a “small chunk” of its 400 million users! Knowing how to write good Instagram captions for your photos, can go a long way into making it a reality.