How to create content and engaging captions for Instagram

Your Dream Business

English - November 09, 2020 00:00 - 33 minutes - 60.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 34 ratings
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Previous Episode: How to save yourself time and stay consistent with posting on social media

Next Episode: Using videos and YouTube for business with Adrian Salisbury

This week’s podcast carries on from last week’s topic of creating content and staying consistent on social media. I talk all about Instagram and how I come up with my content for Instagram, as well as how to come up with engaging captions.

KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST

Instagram is more personal and aspirational so your content may be different on this platform.There are two places you can post on Instagram – your feed and your story.Instagram stories is great for showing more of the reality behind your brand – showing your personal side. It is also great for promoting what you are up to.Your Instagram feed is your highlight reel.Instagram is a great place to share more about you and your life, allowing people to see more of your family, home, and you.You can separate your content into different categories on Instagram.Choose categories that sum you up and also what your community will enjoy.When you know your categories, you can start to batch your content so you have a bank of images to use.Your Instagram captions should be helpful and informative.Give people a reason to respond to your Instagram posts. Ask a question or start a conversation.Make sure your caption explains who you are or what you do – it should tell your followers more about who you are.Think about the story you want to tell for each of your posts on Instagram.

THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO REMEMBER ABOVE ALL ELSE…

You don’t have to post every single day to be consistent, you can decide on your own posting schedule and then stick to it.

HIGHLIGHTS YOU SIMPLY CAN’T MISS

Instagram content – 07:00Content categories on Instagram – 11:00Instagram captions that engage your audience – 24:52A quick recap – 30:10

LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

Join the waitlist for my academy!

Come over and follow me on Instagram

Transcript below

Hey there, how are you doing this week. Okay. Now we haven't had an interview for a couple of weeks and I'm afraid we're not having one this week either because I got so kind of, um, into the conversation about content creation and how I do it and what we do and all that sort of thing. And we've had some really good feedback from last week, from the episode that talks about general content creation and how I stay consistent that I wanted to talk to you about Instagram and how I do that, because as I mentioned to you last week, I do that a bit different. So that's the reason why I've chosen not to do an interview again this week, because I wanted to finish off that kind of story of where we were and helping you focus on Instagram this week. The alpha reason I haven't got an interview for you is because in all honesty, I've really struggled finding some right people and some good people to come on the podcast.

Now, as you know, I get lots of requests, which is lovely when you've had a podcast. Now, as long as I have 140 something episodes, and I've had some pretty amazing people on it means that people come to you and go, "Can I come on your podcast?" But the truth is, I am so tired of having people come to me going, "I can help your business, help your audience, learn how to make a million dollars in five minutes."

KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST

THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO REMEMBER ABOVE ALL ELSE…

You don’t have to post every single day to be consistent, you can decide on your own posting schedule and then stick to it.

HIGHLIGHTS YOU SIMPLY CAN’T MISS

Instagram content – 07:00Content categories on Instagram – 11:00Instagram captions that engage your audience – 24:52A quick recap – 30:10

LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

Join the waitlist for my academy!

Come over and follow me on Instagram

Transcript below

And I'm just like, no, I don't think so because I'm getting a little bit tired of these crazy claims that people are making in terms of online marketing and the online marketing space. Now I've given this a lot of thought over the last couple of days, it really has been bothering me from a, am I being as authentic and credible as I should be being, which I hope the answer is yes. I'm positive the answer is yes. I am being very honest as I always am. And I think I've always been really realistic. Like, don't get me wrong. There are really amazing successful people who are doing this and doing it well, but it wasn't easy and it wasn't quick and it wasn't simple. So. I think for me, I try and be like, provide you with the motivation and the inspiration, and I want to be inspired and motivated.

However, I'm also really aware that this is a lot of hard work and not everyone is going to make it. Not everyone is going to have the million dollar online business. So anyway, I'm getting completely fed up, seeing these things coming to me, I'm getting so fed up of someone, applying to come on the podcast.

I then spend some time I go through, I look at them. All I see is absolute rubbish. So I've been really, really picky about who's coming on and that's kind of given me a bit of a block in terms of getting people on. However, I have a number of really good episodes lined up for you guys. Don't worry. You don't have to keep listening to me drone on and on, on my own, but I have some really good episodes lined up some great peoples, a few different things that, you know, trying something new on one thing.

And, and then I've come up with a new idea, which I'm not going to tell you about it at this point, but it is to do the podcast and I hate it when people don't do that technique. And I didn't really intend to do that, but I have come up with an idea in terms of helping you with real marketing and making it feel much more tangible for you.

So anyway, leave that with me. I promise you, I wasn't trying to do that horrible. Oh, something's coming. You're going to be so excited. I genuinely just need to work out how it works and then I'll let you know, but it won't be long, next week or so. Okay. So this week, like I said, no episode, no episode, no interview.

Just me talking about Instagram content and how I come up with my content for Instagram. Now, the first thing I want to say before I get started is I don't schedule my content to Instagram. Not because of any particular reason, not because like it's not good or the reach or anything like that, because I think the reason I schedule is because like I am so concern with the way the grid looks. I'm laughing at myself. Yes. I know this is ridiculous and I really do need to have a word with myself, but I'm so particular about how the grid looks that I feel like scheduling too far ahead means I lose that control. Now I know there's loads of apps out there and I'll tell you what apps I use as well, but it's just like a mental block I have in my head.

But the reason I'm telling you that I don't schedule is because the one thing that happens because I'm not scheduling is that I am very inconsistent and I hate that. I hate that I'm so inconsistent on Instagram. Now don't get me wrong. I am, I'm not horrendous. Like a few days might go by and I haven't posted.

And then I post and then maybe I'm consistent for a couple of days, but I am certainly not showing up every single day as I would like to, but that is my own kicking myself at the backside. And like I said, there's a lot of like, besides that it's like a therapy session. There's a lot of issues around Instagram in the sense that I procrastinate about what I'm putting out, because I wanted to look perfect and brilliant, and that I need to get over.

I need to just go that's enough now. What's more important is that you're showing up. Not one, I don't want to go on Instagram stories because my gray hair is coming through. Yes. People I've got gray hair, like I'm sure you've seen it on a story. It's really bad. I'm really dark. And basically like the gray shows up terribly.

So yeah, it's hashtag personal problems, isn't it. But, you know, so I don't want to show up because of that or I don't post because I can't quite find the right picture to go up. So I seriously, know I need a word to myself about that. And I'm, I've tried really hard to improve, but like I said, the reason I'm telling you about the scheduling is because that is one of the things that contributes to me not being consistent.

So again, if it means being consistent and you schedule then great do that. Okay. That was just a side. Really? So let's talk about Instagram. The way I view Instagram is different to how I view the other platforms. When I talk to you about my categories for the other platforms in last week's episode, I talked about categories that were really practical from a business sense of view.

Like I talked about testimonials and frequently asked questions and your core content. I see Instagram much more personal lifestyley aspirational, whereas maybe I see, and I'm not saying this is right or wrong or whatever. This is just how I view my stuff. And maybe I see kind of LinkedIn and Facebook and Twitter as more factual supporting, adding value.

Whereas I do feel like when I look at Instagram, I like looking at the nice pictures. I like I'd say simple, you know, I just liked looking at nice pictures. Um, but like, I, I like seeing things that look nice. I like seeing things that are attractive, that it's a good photo. That it's a nice location or whatever.

So for me, that's how I try and do my Instagram. So let me talk about the two different parts, I guess. So obviously you've got stories and you've got the feed. They predominantly today I'm going to talk about the content for the feed when it comes to stories. The idea of that is that's the realness.

That's the, in fact, if you do follow me on Instagram, you to see me the other day that I blew up my computer, not overworking it. I, I, the fuse went in the house and it upset my computer an awful lot. And I was having a bit of a breakdown. So I thought I was going to buy a new Mac. You know, that's what Instagram stories is about.

It's about the kind of like. Here's the realness, haze me with my gray hair showing up. Cause it's and it's thrown up in a bun or it's looking very messy or here's me telling you that, uh, the dogs drive me insane or they won't stop barking because the fireworks or, you know, it's, it's that kind of real personal side. But also it's, it's work side, as in here's me coming on going, I've got a great new episode of the podcast or I'm doing a free training. So the Instagram story content is different to the feed. The feed for me is like the highlight reel. The feed is like the, the trailer or the, um, It's like the more perfect version of what you're showing to the world.

So for instance, you will see me with my hair thrown up and not looking perfect on Instagram stories. However, the photos that go on my feed, I want to look good. And I, you know, I'm not sorry about that. I'm not kind of like embarrassed or shaming myself for wanting to look good on social media.

Absolutely. I want you to see me the best I can be, but I'm not showing you a falseness. It is me and it is real life, but it's the best version of me. And I've had a nice photo taken and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. So, like I said, I tend to see my feed as the highlight reel, the images that go up there are good quality images.

There is a mix of my images and photos that I've taken or photos taken of me. And there's some stock images, but we're going to come to that. And there's also a few images that are created in Canva. So. Like I said, if you've not gone and had a look at me on Instagram, go and have a look at my feed and see what I mean when I talk about kind of the highlight reel and the really nice looking stuff.

So it is the good stuff I do spend time making sure the images that there are good because of the fact that Instagram feed is very personal. It's very aspirational and people want to see things that they think wow, or great or lovely or whatever it is. Okay. Also on Instagram, I tend to share a lot more personal stuff about me and my family and my life.

Because again, like I said, it is a more lifestyley type sort of platform, or I see, I see it like that. So you will see stuff on there that you won't see in other places. And I'd say actually, most of the stuff you see on Instagram, you will not see in other places. So I still use the same tactic in terms of categories on Instagram, but I have different categories because as I've just said to you, it's a, lifestyley personal get to know me and my life and what I love and what I do and that sort of thing.

So my categories are different. So I still have between 9 and 12 categories. And I'm going to run you through what my categories are. And then I want you to go and have a look on my Instagram. If you don't follow me, come and give me a follow. You know, you've been you've been listening to me anyways for a while now so come in and look at my Instagram, come and see what my husband looks like.

And my, my daughter, I don't think I've put a picture of her for a while actually. And you know what a normal Friday night looks like in my house, which is normally cocktails. So that basically I come up with these categories. So my categories for Instagram are. My first category, this is going to sound like I am so egotistical.

My promise, I'm not, is me. Now. The reason my, my first category is me, is that my business is me. I am the thing that people buy into. It's my knowledge. It's my experience. It's my kind of like, You know, personality and that's the same reason people won't like me and that's absolutely fine, but my business is me and therefore I have to show my face.

Now I know that people will look at this and think, I obviously like showing my face, but you know what? I, I don't always, I don't always like the look of the photo or the face I'm pulling or how I look in photos. Now I don't think we need to go down the route of talking about weight and whatever, whatever, but it's not that I love having my photo taken or love putting my face out there.

I just know I have to, and I know I have to show up and I have to be an example for other people. I have to show you that this is okay because you know what, if I didn't show my face and I kept saying to you like, you need to put your face on it. You know, social media, then you might kind of look at me and think, well, you didn't do it.

So. So I do it because I have to, because I am my business, but also I do it as a way to show you guys, look, you can do it too. But as I've just said too, at the beginning of this episode, I have nice photos taken off me. So I don't put up the horrendous ones of me looking like I've barely done my face and done my hair.

So I obviously put up ones that I'm much happier with. Don't get me wrong if you go through my feed, there are definitely ones that my husband has taken off me very occasionally, very occasionally there might be a selfie. But on the whole, it tends to be a kind of professional type photo. But it's still very much me.

Okay. So that is actually three of my categories. So what you'll find on my Instagram is one in three or one in four images is of me because I need to share my face more. I take someone like Jasmine Star, nearly every single image is of her. Amy, the same sort of thing. So. I'm not quite at that point yet where I want my face to be up there 24/7.

But the other reason you want to pick you as a category, people like faces and again, go and have a look at how many likes I get on my posts and have a look at how many likes I get on pictures of me. I get many more likes, a much more interaction when it's my face, as opposed to when it's a picture of a desk.

So. The face ones really do work, but I'm just not ready at this point. Like I said, to be putting my face out there every single post, and I don't think anybody else wants that quite frankly. And I'd run out of photos within about two weeks. So I definitely can't do that. And maybe that's the reason they can, maybe they have so many photoshoots that they can actually put their photos up all the time.

Anyway, so category number one, me and I, and I kind of say that's three categories because I'm putting up lots of pictures of it. Okay. Another category is coffee. Now you're going to think "What's an earthy you talking about? Why are you talking about coffee?" Well, the truth is I'm not really talking about coffee, but it's a category in terms of the type of picture I might put up.

But the reason I put coffee there is because, like I'm a business owner. I'm a step mom. I'm a mom. I'm a dog mom. Whether I want to be, or not. Sometimes I definitely do not want to be the dog mom. Uh, I'm a wife. I do all these roles and honestly, like, I love a coffee and I need a coffee in the morning to get me going and that is kind of part of my world and part of my routine. So, and it's an easy, nice picture to put up there. They, lots of these coffees that you'll see are real coffees that I've had. And then some of them will be stock images. I'm not afraid to use a stock image when actually someone has got a perfect image that I can use.

I don't profess to say, that's my image. I don't even talk about whether that's my image or not. I just basically talk about the thing I'm going to talk about, but we'll come to captions in a minute. Okay. Next category, cocktails, wine there's gin. And I joke, and it is a bit of a joke, a little bit of a joke, maybe a bit serious, uh, that if I'm not drinking coffee, I'm drinking one of the others.

So it's like, I know what time of day it is based on what drink is on my desk. I just want to let you know, is I was just gone 12 and I'm drinking water, but yeah. So I like a drink, right? This is kind of fairly big in my world. God, that sounds awful. But as in like, you know, Paul and I, we make cocktails, we love gin and we we've been gin tasting.

We go wine tasting when we're in California. Like we like. That part, that is like something I enjoy. So therefore, I am going to talk about that. Also. I talk about celebrating and your business and often celebrating for melby. That's having a glass of champagne or, you know, it's a Friday night, let's relax with a gin and tonic.

Now that's not for everybody. And that's absolutely fine, but that's just the category that actually is very truthful about my world and what I like to do. Like I said, especially during lockdown, we love making a cocktail because we can't go out for cocktails. So, you know, we have a lot of fun doing that in our house as well.

So this is kind of a personal thing for me in terms of, I like to show what I would do on a weekend and that's what I'm doing on a weekend. Okay. Another category is family. So I will occasionally post pictures of my husband and my daughter and the dogs and my home. Just to kind of talk about, you know, "This is what it's like as in, I am a mom and I do have to juggle all these other things and just trying to show some reality of that."

So sometimes I will post pictures of all of that and talk to you about what it's like to try and do all those things, but I'm just scrolling down my feed and I haven't got picture of my daughter for ages. I don't do it very often. I have to say, just because...