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Welcome back to class! In the last class, we talked about how to structure your Instagram profile and I added some helpful graphics to give you an idea of how it should look.
In today's class, we will discuss how to make your Instagram Captions really stand out. I will explain how I like to sell without sounding like a used car salesperson.
I will also give some examples of outdated captions that do not work versus engaging captions that set you apart from all the other stylists on the Gram.
You could be knocking your captions out of the park but if you're struggling, stay where you are, and let's get started.
Brainstorming: When I sit down and think about what to post, I ask myself a few questions.
Am I trying to educate, motivate, or entertain my audience?
This is an important step in the caption-writing process; many people post without a plan.
Their posts become long or meaningless and they miss the mark.
Educate: This is where I like to teach or inform my followers.
Depending on the photo, you can educate on the type of services you offer, how you styled the hair, products that you used and how to use them, or my favorite which is solving a problem (pain point) for the client.
Motivate: This post would be an inspirational quote or graphic that is in line with your brand and your core values.
Entertain: This post will showcase your sense of humor and personality. Reels would be a great way to entertain your audience.
First sentence (the hook): The first 125 characters are the first thing a potential client sees when they read a post.
This is prime real estate!
This sentence should grab a client's attention making them want to click the 'more' button and read the entire post.
If you miss the mark, you might lose their attention and they might keep scrolling. Put yourself in the platform user's shoes.
What would make you stop on a post, read & then tap MORE?
Example: Instead of saying, 'Beautiful, blonde blonde balayage on this babe today,' try saying,
'Wow! This picture made me stop scrolling.'
You could use your sense of humor and say something funny or witty.
You could even use a great inspirational quote that is on brand and speaks to your TM.
Tip: I love to use lingojam.com to create a bold font making this caption preview stand out.
Captions: Try to keep your caption short & sweet. No one stays on a post long, so let's keep it simple.
If you need to provide multiple lines of information, try adding line breaks or special characters (emojis) to make it easier on the eyes and allow the reader to flow through the post quickly.
Maybe take a different approach and teach your audience something.
Try educating your followers on the benefits & differences of a balayage highlight versus a traditional foil highlight application.
Explain what a root melt is and what client it is perfect for. Educate your potential client on what a toner/gloss is and why it is necessary to achieve a desired blonde tone.
Try speaking to their pain points.
Some clients struggle with styling their hair, so in that situation, teach them how to style their hair the way you do in the salon.
This could be a post, video, or a Reel!
You could choose to explain the differences between indoor and outdoor lighting. (This would be a great post with 2 pictures side by side.)
We, as professionals, know so much about hair and all the things, so why not teach our audience what we know?
Teach them the simple things, and then move on from there when you become more confident.
Most people don't even know which is the correct shampoo to use and what styling product does what!
That is where WE, as hair stylists, come in to teach them. If you would teach them the how-to's while they're in the salon, why not teach them while at home, too?
Trust me, clients are looking for ways to use products.
Some other stylist is teaching them. Let's level up our game.
Plus, this is a great way to sell without actually selling.
Teach them how to apply the product, why they should use it, and who it is for. Use it on yourself if you have to.
Clients love to see your face!
Call to Action: I like closing my post with a simple Call to Action closing.
A simple CTA is a statement that lets the reader know what to do next. Whether it's asking them to comment, share, or save or it's asking them to click the link in the bio to book an appointment.
I don't like to end a post without some sort of closing so the CTA wraps the post up by telling the reader what to do next.
Hashtags: I feel like the idea of hashtags can be misunderstood.
Let's clear up some confusion on what a hashtag really is precisely.
A hashtag (#) is a word or phrase used on a photo, video, or Reel to categorize digital content on a specific topic.
Put plainly, hashtags group content together according to the specific tag.
You can only use 30 tags on a post. That's why it's important to get it right!
These tags are searchable, meaning IG users can search '#balayage' and about 2 million images pop up that have that tag.
Anyone can search for posts with any tag, so it's important to be specific about what tags you use on your posts.
You want to try to use tags that have 100-200k posts.
Anything over that may be too large and you may never get seen.
That's why using tags that are too broad, like '#balayage,' just won't work anymore.
I suggest changing the tag to something more specific to your city or region.
This way, potential clients in your area can search for stylists close to them and you are more likely to be seen.
example: #yourcitybalayage, #yourcitystylist, #yourcitysalon.
The topic of hashtags is so large that it needs its own lab! Stay tuned...
Here are a couple of things to remember:
think about who you want to attract.
think like a client
make sure your image or video is high quality (clean background & great caption)
If you want potential clients to see your work, use tags they would search for.
If you want industry recognition, then, by all means, use industry tags.
If you want your images to really stand out and make a prospective new client tap on your post, then you've got to make that hair look absolutely amazing!
There shouldn't be any clutter or distractions in the background.
The hair should be flawless, and the image should be high-quality.
Your smartphone takes great photos, so there is no need to drop thousands on a DSLR right away.
Whew! I know that was a ton of information! But we made it through!
I hope you learned something from this lab and found it valuable.
You can never know everything about today's ever-growing and evolving social media.
I'm 100% positive that Instagram will come out with a new feature this year and we will have to learn the platform all over again.
I am constantly learning and growing as a stylist and plan to teach you all I can.
See you in the next lab!
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