Instagram is a visual-first platform — full of photos, videos, carousels, and Reels. But text plays an important role too.
In fact, the best Instagram captions provide context that you can't get from a picture alone.
They're an opportunity to engage with your followers, show off your personality, and build your brand. But writing the perfect caption is an art form — and it takes practice!
To help you get started, we're sharing 65 of the best Instagram captions, so you can get inspired to create your own.
65 of the Best Instagram Captions for Businesses and Creators
There are so many different ways to structure an Instagram caption. What works best for you will depend on your product, your personality, and what you want your post to achieve.
So whatever your goal — whether it's driving sales, increasing engagement, or building your brand — each of the following examples should help spark your caption-writing creativity:
8 Funny Captions
11 Short (but Sweet) Captions
14 Community-building Captions
13 Sales-focused Captions
11 Engagement-driving Captions
8 User-generated Content Captions
8 Funny Captions
Cracking jokes in captions won't work for every brand, but if you have a laid-back tone of voice, a little humor can be a great way to let your personality shine.
1. Use Puns
Who doesn't love a good pun? They're the perfect combination of funny and clever.
Take this post from Girlfriend Collective, for instance.
It talks about "tree pose," which is a) what the model is doing; she's posing amongst trees, and b) a well-known yoga move.
2. Be Witty
As long as it caters to your audience's sense of humor — and its on-brand — join designer Nicole McLaughlin in making jokes about your posts in the caption.
Being funny is fun!
3. Keep It Simple
People scroll through their Instagram feed fast, so if you're going to write a funny caption, make sure it's easy to understand.
This post from Mejuri is a great example. It's clear, simple, and a little silly.
4. Go Over-the-top
CBD-infused seltzer company Recess makes their marketing intentionally eccentric.
The brand is unapologetically over-the-top, and their Instagram captions are no exception.
5. Show off Your Sassy Side
The polarized sunglasses company Pit Viper uses Instagram as a space to put their personality on full display.
Their brand voice is sassy, so their Instagram captions are full of dry humor.
Some of the captions are so hilarious that you can't help but tag your friends.
6. Juxtapose Visuals and Captions
Taco Bell is known for their hilarious tone of voice and top-tier social media strategy — where they constantly make jokes about (and proclaim their love for) tacos.
In the example above, they contrast their photo and the caption to make a juxtaposed-based joke.
7. Poke Fun at Yourself
The British juice brand innocent uses Instagram captions to (almost exclusively) make fun of their own photos.
It's refreshing that they don't take themselves too seriously, and if you look at their comments, it's clear that users love it.
8. Make It Relatable
Ritual wants to inspire customers to live healthier lives.
That's why, on Instagram, they regularly post content that isn't necessarily product-focused (they sell vitamins and protein powder) but is mission-driven.
Sometimes that means they're sharing a healthy recipe, and other times, it means posts like this:
Customers are drawn in by the cute photo, but Ritual turns it into a funny, relatable meme using a short, silly caption.
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11 Short (but Sweet) Captions
Occasionally, your visual content says it all — no words required.
In that case, you should still pair it with a caption, but instead of writing several paragraphs, opt for something a little more concise.
9. Remind Followers What You're All About
If you're looking for ways to keep your captions brief but still build brand awareness and remind followers what you do, this post from Casper is an excellent source of inspiration.
10. Show Customers You Care
You don't have to share every detail of your company to show your audience you care.
Simply remind them that your business is a labor of love, like Rubirosa Ristorante.
11. Speak in Emoji
If you're an artist, like Vanessa McKeown, you might want your followers to find meaning in your work without the additional context of a caption.
In that case, you can try an all-emoji caption. It's fun and colorful but doesn't give too much away.
NOTE: For those who are visually impaired or blind, emoji characters can make the Instagram experience challenging. But there are ways to use emojis and ensure your Instagram content is still accessible, learn more in this blog post.
12. Pair a Post with the Perfect Quote
If you're at a loss for words, try using somebody else's instead.
The Last Bookstore, an iconic indie book shop in Los Angeles, often uses quotes from famous writers in their Instagram captions.
13. Say More by Saying Less
Getting your point across in as few characters as possible is a skill. Tea You, for instance, says it all in this caption.
The photo is so stunning it's literally left them (and us!) speechless.
14. Reference Pop Culture
Anyone who grew up watching classic Disney movies will recognize this caption, from creator Laura Tønder, as a reference to Snow White.
If you come up with a clever way to weave pop culture in your caption — and you're confident your followers will understand it — go for it!
15. Keep It Relevant
On a sunny day, talk about the sun, just like Everlane.
Even if you keep your caption brief, talking about something timely is a surefire way to resonate with your followers.
16. Read Your Audience's Mind
When you know your audience well, you can anticipate how they're feeling, like Grammarly. Show them that!
The benefit of this specific caption is that it's a question, which leads to a boost in comments.
17. Build Excitement
Creating anticipation and excitement is one of the best ways to drive engagement on Instagram.
Even better if you can do it in a few words, like Allbirds, because it contributes to an air of mystery.
18. Be Direct and Descriptive
When your photo or video does most of the talking, your caption doesn't need to say much.
In those instances, you can follow Studio AM's lead and write something direct and descriptive.
And feel free to give it a little extra personality using an emoji or two.
19. Embrace Alliteration
Alliteration can be overdone, but if you only use it every once in a while, it comes across as clever.
The literary device is also cute, so it's an even better choice if — like Starbucks — you have a bubbly, friendly brand voice.
14 Community-building Captions
If you want to cultivate an engaged community on Instagram, your captions are one of the best ways to do so.
A well-written Instagram caption can convey emotion, inspire users to take action, and build trust between you and your followers.
These 14 examples do all that and more:
20. Go with a Long, Personal Caption
Brands and influencers — like Bianca Stephenson — use long and thoughtful captions to connect with their audience.
It's called microblogging, and it's been gaining traction on Instagram for a couple of years now.
Why? Because studies show that it works! According to Fohr, Instagram engagement rate increases as caption length goes up.
21. Start a Two-way Conversation
The Tory Burch Foundation is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs, and they use their Instagram account to do just that.
In this post, the caption introduces a community event where users can share their questions and have them answered by a professional in the comments section in real-time.
22. Encourage Followers to Tag a Friend
One of the best ways to build community is to have your followers share your content with like-minded individuals.
Be direct just like The Mayfair Group, and ask users to tag their friends in the comments.
23. Take Users Behind the Scenes
Making your followers feel like insiders is a great way to show you value them.
Take inspiration from Yes Theory, and bring your community behind the scenes of the making of your content. Then use your caption to add context to what they see in your photo or video.
24. Mention Other Accounts
Leverage other people's communities on Instagram to help build your own.
That's what LA-based creator Alyssa Coscarelli does here, with a long, personal caption that mentions several other brands and creators.
Tagging accounts in your captions encourages them to share your post with their community as well — and that drives traffic right back to you.
25. Acknowledge Your Followers
Instead of writing captions all about you, speak to your audience. It's a simple way to make your community feel seen.
Artist and entrepreneur Jess Bird does a great job of this in the Instagram caption above.
Not only is she speaking directly to her followers, but she's also using this as an opportunity to show she cares about them.
26. Be Genuine and Grateful
Strong communities are built on a foundation of honesty, respect, and trust.
In her short but touching caption, beauty influencer Mei Pang gets vulnerable — showing trust in her followers — as she thanks them for their ongoing acceptance and support.
27. Let Users in on a Secret
Like we said, communities are built on trust. So do what KFC did, and show how much you trust your followers by letting them in on a trade secret.
28. Show Confidence in Your Community
It can be helpful to think of your online community as an extension of your family or friends.
You're comfortable calling out your friends because you believe in them and in their ability to improve.
In this caption from The Papaya Podcast, they show that same faith in their followers when they challenge them to be better listeners.
29. Share Content Tailored to Your Target Audience
To write the best Instagram captions, you need to know your audience and tailor your content to them.
Blume knows their followers are on the lookout for skincare advice, so they've used this carousel post and caption to offer tons of sage tips.
Plus, they make a long caption easy to digest by breaking it up using emojis.
PS: Did you know you can plan and schedule your Instagram carousel posts ahead of time with Later? Available on all paid plans.
30. Show Followers Some Love
Your audience wants to feel appreciated, so why not show specific followers special attention like Parade?
Feature them in your visual content and make sure to shout them out in the caption, too.
PRO TIP: Before sharing a customers' content — whether it's a photo, video, or quote — always ask for permission.
31. Introduce Your Team
Your audience knows that you're not just a business — you're a person. Humanize your brand by introducing your audience to members of your team, like Lazy Oaf.
BONUS: It's also a way to bring followers behind the scenes without giving away any big brand secrets.
32. Celebrate Wins
Your community wants to celebrate you, so let them! Sharing your accomplishments makes them feel like wins for your followers, too.
Extra points if — like Kotn — you use the caption to thank your audience for helping you along the way.
33. Tell Your Audience You Want to Feature Them
Your biggest supporters are most likely already posting about your brand.
If you want to feature them on your account, do what restaurant Lucky Danger did and tell them exactly how to get on your radar.
13 Sales-focused Captions
There are over 1B monthly active users on Instagram. And, according to Facebook, 80% of those people use Instagram to decide whether to buy a product.
Translation? That means 800 million people are making purchasing decisions via Instagram — which makes the app a massive opportunity to boost your brand's sales. And captions can help.
34. Stress Exclusivity
Tons of brands have found success by making their products super exclusive.
The more scarce something is, the more people tend to want it. So, if possible, focus on your products' exclusivity in your captions.
Check out how Liquid Death stresses exclusivity with their mini-fridge drop.
35. Show and Tell What Sets You Apart
Unlike traditional jewelry brands, WWAKE sells pieces made with rare "imperfect" gemstones. They're beautiful and they're uncommon, which sets the company apart.
WWAKE makes use of their caption by providing value to users and explaining what makes their business so special.
36. Use Brand Authority to Your Advantage
When it comes to your business, you're the expert — and your audience knows that.
See how Indigo uses brand authority to their advantage below.
By teasing helpful information and encouraging followers to head to the link in their bio to access the rest, they're able to drive traffic to their website without sounding too salesy.
With this in mind, it’s a good idea to use a link in bio tool to maximize your linking opportunities.
Linkin.bio by Later allows you to create a landing page with multiple buttons and a fully clickable version of your Instagram feed — that you can pop straight in your Instagram link in bio.
Ready to drive more traffic from Instagram? Join Later today to turn your Instagram feed into a clickable landing page!
37. Make Your Call-to-action Clear
Having a clear call-to-action (CTA) is one of the simplest ways to boost sales. Take note from Brightland, and spell out exactly what you want customers to do.
Easy CTAs include, "click the link in bio," "tap the image to shop," and "follow us for additional info."
38. Get Timely with Content
Brooklinen started promoting their fall collection toward the end of summer.
And while calling attention to the end of summer might sound contentious, using a caption to show customers you're anticipating their seasonal needs is always a proactive, good call.
39. Show Some Self-love
Artist Makena Andros makes users want to own her unique designs by showing how much she admires her own handmade creations in this short (but sweet) caption.
40. Tie It Back to Your Mission
What Ellevest did here is genius.
The personal finance company uses their caption to drive home their mission (to help women make more money) and they include a clear CTA promoting one of their products.
41. Highlight Your Most Impressive Clientele
Another great way to make sales is to focus on how much your customers love your product.
This tactic works particularly well if, like APOC STORE, you stock clips worn by celebrities like Dua Lipa.
42. Focus on What Your Followers Care About
If your audience is passionate about a specific aspect of your business, cater your content to their interests.
Miracle Eye, for instance, knows their customers care about sustainability, so they lean into that message in their captions.
43. Share Customers' Stories
A happy customer is the ultimate advocate for your brand. And studies show that 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Use that knowledge to your advantage by telling a happy customer's story, like Square.
What makes this caption particularly interesting is that the text itself doesn't mention Square. Instead, it tells a heartwarming story of a customer and their growing business.
But that story, when combined with the photo (which shows the customer using Square's products), acts as an indirect yet persuasive testimonial for the brand.
44. Promote Your Product Offerings
Sometimes the most direct captions are also the most effective.
Los Angeles-based cookie dough company DEUX highlights one of their newest products — a birthday cake flavor — with a super clear caption (and image to match!) that delivers the news.
45. Use Studies to Support Your Story
When Madhappy launched their latest outdoor apparel collection, the brand cited studies about the importance of spending time in nature.
Using data, they encouraged customers to go outside. Because if you're going to head outdoors, you might as well be decked in Madhappy designed clothing made just for the occasion.
46. Turn Content into a Testimonial
Oftentimes the best way to sell a product is to let your existing customers do the talking. That's how SAMARA approached this post.
The company paired a picture of their Shoulder Bag with a customer quote explaining why they love the product.
11 Engagement-driving Captions
Most social media marketers consider engagement to be a primary metric of success on Instagram.
Your engagement rate goes up as more people comment, like, share, and save your content. And captions can play a central role in boosting those numbers.
47. Get Followers Involved
It's always fun when a brand asks its customers for ideas — it makes followers feel intimately involved in the company. And if you have an engaged community, they'll jump at the chance to give their input.
Take the undergarment label Jonesy's approach below.
They asked followers to help name their new print, and it's one of the most engaged posts on their Instagram page.
48. Host a Thoughtful Giveaway
People love freebies, which is why you'll rarely find branded posts with more engagement than giveaways.
Manscaped takes their giveaway up a notch by using the caption to explain why they're running a contest and why the product is meaningful to them.
49. Ask Direct Questions
One of the simplest ways to make your Instagram caption engaging is to ask your followers a question, like IKON KØBENHAVN.
If it's a fun, clear, and easy question, people will be more inclined to answer!
50. Build Hype
Are you getting ready to make a big announcement? If so, tease it in your Instagram posts like Lisa Says Gah.
Use the captions to tell users something cool is coming soon. If they like what they see, they'll be inclined to share it, tag friends, and save it for later.
51. Share Practical Information
Including helpful information in your Instagram caption will lead users to share and save your posts, which will boost your engagement rate.
This post from the U.S. National Park Service is a prime example.
The caption includes several practical pieces of advice for visiting a national park with your pet.
52. Let Your Audience Do the Work
If you're having a hard time coming up with a good caption, occasionally, you can make a joke out of it to drum up some ideas and drive engagement.
Follow Nelson De Coninck's lead and ask your followers to come up with the caption for you.
53. Make Education Entertaining
Dictionary.com uses their Instagram account to share the definitions of odd-sounding, little-known words.
In their captions, they either write the word into a sentence or make a funny pun about it. It shows off their personality AND it's educational.
54. Open the Floor to Opinions
Sharing something slightly controversial is a good way to get your followers engaged in a discussion.
Take this post from The Cut.
The caption is a question sent to the publication's advice columnist and the comment section is full of opinions from followers.
55. Test Out Longer Captions
A study by Later and Fohr on influencer's captions found that the more you share, the better your engagement rate.
So play around with caption length like DIYer Julian Thomas.
Try some longer-length captions that champion story-telling and authenticity to drive big results.
56. Encourage Your Audience to Share
If increasing engagement is your goal, a clear CTA can make a big difference.
Peloton gets straight to the point and tells followers to share their post with friends in the caption.
57. Show Off Your Personality
Like people, a brand without personality is hard to develop a deep connection with. Luckily, your Instagram captions are the perfect place to show off your character, quirks and all.
BEHAVE, a low-sugar candy company, knows their product might sound boring at first, but they make up for that with colorful branding and a vibrant personality that comes through in their Instagram captions.
Ready to level up your Instagram captions? Take Later's free caption-writing workshop.
8 User-generated Content Captions
Before you make a purchase, do you read reviews?
The vast majority of people do. Studies even show that 91% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and 84% trust them as much as a personal recommendation.
That's why user-generated content (aka UGC) is a powerful tool for growing your community and converting customers.
So if your followers regularly post photos and videos using your product, consider making UGC part of your social media strategy!
Get inspired with these eight examples:
58. Use UGC to Prove a Point
Inkbox knew that butterfly tattoos were popular — but instead of simply telling their followers about the growing trend, they used 10 unique user-generated photos to show it.
And the caption? They called out the trend, gave customers context on its history, and ended with a clear CTA.
59. Start a UGC Challenge
One of the main ways the Museum of Modern Art finds photos to share on their socials is through UGC photo challenges.
Every month, they introduce a new challenge with the hashtag #MoMaPhotoClub and share all of the details on how to enter in their caption.
It's an easy way to keep track of the photos they have permission to share and encourage people to engage with their brand on Instagram.
Now we know finding great user-generated content can present a bit of a challenge, but we're here to help.
Later makes it easy to quickly find and collect UGC straight from Instagram. It’s a great way to save time on content creation, and engage your fans while you’re at it.
Ready to start curating and sharing UGC on Instagram? Check out Later's content creation tools and features to easily find, schedule and post user-generated content to your social feeds!
60. Inspire a Larger Conversation
When Cheerios shared a customer photo of a bowl of cereal topped with yogurt and berries, they used it to start a larger conversation with the rest of their audience.
61. Borrow a Quote From a Customer
If you're posting a UGC photo, turn it into a testimonial by putting a quote from your featured customers in the caption, like MeUndies.
62. Explain How They Did It
When you post a photo of a customer using your products to create a look, tell your audience how they did it in the caption!
Glossier follows this advice with all of their UGC. That way, followers who like the look can recreate it for themselves.
63. Tell Customers' Stories
Your customers are your most genuine advocates.
Sharing true stories about the folks who use your product — ideally using quotes, like Clearco — is a powerful way to let followers know how much people love your brand.
64. Get Educational
All of your posts should serve a purpose — and one of those purposes can be product education.
The popular sunscreen brand Supergoop!, often uses UGC as an opportunity to shout out customers and talk about the proper way to apply products for optimal sun protection.
65. Put Followers Front-and-center
People prefer brands that come across as genuine, and according to Stackla, consumers are 2.4x more likely to say UGC is authentic compared to brand-created content.
That's because UGC is created by the people who use your product IRL, so let those customers shine in your posts!
Pepper, spotlights a customer in their caption (and makes sure to tag them, too).
There are tons of ways to write a great Instagram caption. But finding the right style, tone, and content that works best for your brand will require a bit of research and testing.
So play around with your captions and keep track of what performs best. Soon you'll be crafting Instagram captions like a pro!
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What Makes a Great Instagram Caption?
On a social platform where visuals reign supreme, you might wonder, "what use is a caption anyway?"
But a great caption can increase your engagement (which might lead to a feature on the Instagram Explore Page) and convert customers.
And while there's no one "right" way to craft captions for Instagram, there are some elements that the best Instagram captions have in common:
Put important info at the beginning: If your caption is more than 125 characters long, users will have to press the "More" button to read it in full. By putting essential information at the start, viewers get all the context they need straight from the top.
Include a clear call-to-action (CTA): If you want your followers to click the link in your bio or leave a comment, tell them!
Personality is key: Instagram is informal and conversational, so have fun with your captions.
Get audience-centric: The secret to writing the best Instagram captions is to write them for your target audience. Make sure you know who they are and what they enjoy.
Use hashtags: Captions can include up to 30 hashtags — and in a recent Later study, results showed that posts with 30 Instagram hashtags received the highest engagement rates, on average.
Pssst If you want to get organized with captions, you can plan them in advance with Later’s Saved Captions feature! This way, you can create templates to save caption ideas and notes:
When it’s time to schedule, simply select one of your Saved Captions and add it to your post.
Ready to get organized and plan your Instagram content in advance? Start scheduling with Later. Sign up now – explore our plans here.
