It is 2022 and let’s keep working smarter, not harder. Writing captions can seem like a mundane chore but it is actually an opportunity to express your creative freedom. Think of it like you are advertising the article like a movie trailer — you have to grab the viewer’s attention and draw them in for more.
Now, not everything that crosses your path is going to be a thrilling piece of work. The article itself may be something relatively simple, but it is still your job to make it fun. Reflect on aspects that would make you want to read it. Ask yourself, “What would pique my interest?” This can be a helpful indicator of what will grab the attention of your audience. Luckily with captions you have a plethora of opportunities. You can pull an interesting quote from the article to grab the reader’s attention, highlight colorful adjectives or write the caption with a cliffhanger. A great article can get overlooked by something as simple as a bad caption, this is a part of the reason they are so essential.
Quotes
Some may ask, why quotes? Pulling a quote from the article can give your audience a taste of what the article is like. You are giving them just a sneak peek, and pulling a quote can say more with fewer words, as opposed to you trying to describe the full article.
Obviously if you are pulling a quote, you want it to be an interesting one. Your quote should either entice your audience to want an answer, and that is why they will read the article, or it should pique their curiosity to learn more.
Creativity
You have creative freedom, and it is your job to make the article seem appealing and to convince your audience to read it. Think about how many articles you have glanced through on social media in your life — the caption was likely what grabbed your attention.
Like a snowflake, every article is different and unique, as are the ways you can approach captions is endless and will depend on the style of the article. Other than for the most serious topics, captions can be fun, so have fun writing them and write something that will make them want to read.
No matter what the article is about, have the mindset of “why should they read this?” because your reader will be thinking the same thing. Leave the reader wanting more, and therefore willing to click to read the full article.
Concise
You want to say the most with the fewest words. Your audience does not want to read a four-sentence caption as an introduction to an article with a few paragraphs. Keep it short, sweet and to the point. At times this may be difficult, so it is important to put yourself in your readers’ shoes, and make sure you are not boring them.
Overall, you have a lot of freedom while writing captions, one size does not fit all. Just ensure you are keeping it brief yet interesting. Like I said before, sometimes a great article can be overlooked based on the caption. Always remember to write something that you would want to read. There are endless ways to capture the reader’s attention with captions.
