How To Add Captions to Reels on Instagram

Do you want to know how to add captions to reels on Instagram? It’s good practice to create captions to boost the quality of your Instagram Reels. Create the right captions, and you’ll see an increase in engagement and overall viewership. 

However, creating the right captions can be tricky if you have no experience. Therefore, we have shared some of the best strategies that you can apply when creating captions.

Finally, read the article to the end for insights into how Plixi can help grow your Instagram account. We specialize in targeting specific audiences to get you the right followers with organic growth strategies.

What Are Captions In Reels?

An Instagram caption is the text that you place alongside your reel to provide context. You may have seen these when viewing Instagram Reels during your experience on the platform. Instagram captions have a limit of 2,200 characters. Therefore, you need to make every word count, and you can take advantage of emojis to say more with less.  

You should make an effort to add captions to every post to improve the result. Some users appreciate having something to read regardless of the picture quality. Also, you can use the caption area to pursue your Instagram goals. This might be to sell more products or increase brand awareness. 

Captions on Instagram are also the text at the bottom, which transcribes the audio. This allows users with no sound to understand the content.

How To Add Multiple Captions on Reels

Do you want to learn how to add multiple captions on reels? This allows you to add different captions at various parts of the video. Here’s the step-by-step process to add more than one caption:

1. Create a video for which you want to add the captions and upload. 
2. Tap on the Aa icon to add the caption to the video. 
3. Add the caption and then press Done in the top right-hand corner. 
4. Repeat the process to add more than one caption. 

Furthermore, you can add captions so they only show for specific durations of the video. This allows you to mix and match different captions throughout the content.

How To Add Closed Captions on Instagram Reels

Are you interested in learning how to add closed captions on Instagram Reels? This is ideal when you have an Instagram Reel with a voiceover. Captions are important to users who have their volume turned all the way down and want to read instead. 

Here’s the process of adding captions to your reels:

1. Create a reel that has a voiceover. 
2. Once you have made the required edits to the video, click on Preview Mode. 
3. Here, you can alter the transcribed audio. 
4. Resize the text to match your preferences, and click Done.

It’s a good idea to add closed captions to most Instagram Reels since it can increase the number of views. Try it for yourself and look at the results within your analytics software.

How To Add Captions To Reels Audio via Stickers

Now, let’s take a look at how to add captions to reels audio using stickers. Here are the steps you can use to add captions:

1. Upload or record the reel for which you want to add captions.
2. Click on Next to go to the editing stage. 
3. Click on the sticker icon. 
4. Select the Captions sticker. 
5. Make sure the captions are accurate, and click Publish.

6 Top Strategies for Writing Captions for Reels

Now, let’s consider the different things you can work on to improve the quality of your Instagram Reels. Here are the top 6 strategies that anyone can practice and perfect to create the best content. 

1. Analyze the Competition

You can start by taking a look at the captions your competition is using to get ahead. Perhaps they have already done the research and A/B split testing to see what works. Ideally, you should be researching other Instagram accounts that are after the same target audience. 

Also, they should have similar goals to ensure the research is meaningful. This includes growing a personal brand or selling physical products. 

Sign up to your competitor accounts to increase the likelihood of getting reels from their accounts. Also, this allows you to look at their captions on posts and other types of content. 

2. Front Load Your Caption

You need to grab the attention of viewers right from the outset of the caption. Therefore, it’s a good idea to put the juicy stuff in the first line. Then, you can elaborate on the IG reel in the other sections. Also, front-load your keywords if possible. This will help the Instagram algorithm figure out what your reel is about and possibly improve the rankings. 

Understanding how to add value to your caption in the first line can take a bit of practice. You don’t have excellent copywriting skills yourself? Then, consider hiring a social media expert to complete the work on your behalf. The investment can be worth it as you’ll dramatically improve the success of your reels. 

3. Include a Call to Action

Never miss an opportunity to include a call to action in your captions. This ensures that users take the desired action after looking at your Instagram Reel. The call to action should include a link to a website, landing page, Instagram product page, or other asset.

Here are some ideas to increase the conversion rate of your caption call to action:

• Use action words: You need to be direct with your audience by telling them what they need to do. For example, if you want them to sign up for your newsletter, then state that in the anchor text. This leaves no doubt about what action the users are required to take. 
• Mix them up: Ad blindness is a real thing, which means that repeat exposure to the same advertisement reduces visibility. Therefore, you need to choose a different call to action with each reel. Rotate them so the user doesn’t see the same line of text in multiple reels. This is likely to increase the conversion rate in the long run. 
• Measure your success: It’s vital to measure the success of your call to action with data analytics. Therefore, you can compare what’s working and the ones you should discard in the future. Ideally, you should come up with a handful of the best-performing CTAs that you can use repeatedly. 
• Strong offer: Ensure that you make a strong offer in the CTA to increase the conversion rate. This might be a promotion, discount, or exclusive access to new products first. Look at the type of offers your competitors are providing to give you an idea of what’s required. 
• Sense of urgency: Consider creating a sense of urgency, which might spur the viewer into action. However, don’t fake a sense of urgency with gimmicks since that can backfire.

4. Use the Right Hashtags

Use hashtags in your captions to increase searchability. You can use software such as Instagram Insights to figure out the best-performing hashtags in your niche. Then, sprinkle them in your content to give them a viewership boost. 

Also, don’t add too many hashtags in each caption since that will look poor visually. Instead, use 1-3 hashtags per caption to retain a positive user experience. 

5. Boost Engagement 

The Instagram Reels caption should ideally increase the engagement rate. It’s important for boosting your reel so that it gets in front of more viewers. After all, the Instagram algorithm views higher engagement as a positive metric for popularity. 

Here are some ideas to increase engagement with captions on reels:

• Ask questions: The caption could ask the audience a question about the content they are viewing. This may dramatically improve the number of comments you receive for the post. Make sure the questions are genuinely interesting to answer since that will increase engagement. 
• Encourage likes: Create captions that encourage the user to like your posts. You could include a milestone target. Then, when your audience reaches the milestone, you should reward them. This could be with follow-up content that expands on the Instagram Reel you’ve created. 
• Improve shareability: Ask your audience to share the reel with their online social circles. This can dramatically increase the views you get per piece of released content. However, it’s a good idea to weave the share request organically within the subject matter.

6. Write Multiple Drafts

You’re unlikely to write the best caption on your first try. Hence, it’s a good idea to create a document with several attempts to craft the best option. You can create a shortlist of captions that you can decide between at a later date. Also, you can show your different caption ideas to others for their opinion. 

Writing multiple drafts can get the creative juices flowing, and you can readily compare them. One version could be filled with emojis, while another takes a different approach. Also, you’ll have different captions on standby should the primary ones not work.

Should You Add Captions on Instagram?

Adding captions on Instagram is a good idea when creating reel content. This gives your audience different ways to enjoy the content that makes sense for their preferences. Also, when creating Instagram Reels, don’t forget to add CTAs, ask for likes, research competitors, and use hashtags. 

Now that you know how to add captions to reels on Instagram, give it a try for yourself. It’s easy to implement and can add a lot of value to your content. Instagram is always adding new features to reels, and this is another one that you cannot ignore. 

Are you looking for strategies to grow your Instagram account? Then, take advantage of the services provided here at Plixi. We provide a combination of an in-house algorithm and Instagram influencers to target specific audiences. So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.