Formatting calls to action in your Instagram captions!! 

Does the mere thought of using calls to action in your Instagram captions send chills down your spine?

Maybe you’re not sure what to ask, or you feel like nobody is listening and your audience has gone cold.

Maybe you’ve been avoiding strategically using calls to action so hard that you’ve inadvertently created a pile of Instagram content that speaks to your audience without any further direction. 

And yes, your audience does need to be directed.

Also yes, you need to use calls to action in order to move the needle in your business!

Strategizing a way to send your Instagram audience into taking the next step at the right time is a lot more than dropping in ‘Link in Bio!’ at the end of your caption.

But, effectively using calls to action doesn’t have to be all that complicated either!

In this post, I’m going to break down the 5 different types of calls to action as well as 3 effective ways to format them in your feed posts!

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What exactly is a call to action?

A call to action is simply directing your Instagram audience to do something.

This can be by asking them to answer a question or instructing them on where to go next in order to move them closer to a sale.

Here are 5 types of calls to action:

Asking a conversational question

• Do you prefer coffee or tea?
• What are you working on this week?
• What’s on your reading list?
• Do you have any favorite automation tools for your business?

Asking a thought-provoking question as it pertains to your audiences’ struggle with the service you provide

• Has this [exact thing] ever happened to you?
• Tell me how you typically handle [the problem you solve]
• I often hear [this stuggle] from my clients, how has [that struggle] affected you?

Guiding your audience into taking a step

• To see more behind the scenes check out my Instagram stories!
• Read more about [how to do X] on my blog via the link in my bio!

A step closer towards a sale

• The waitlist will be opening up in [x] days, send me a Dm for more information!
• The waitlist is officially open, you can join via the link in my bio!
• I am putting together my next offering, would you prefer [this subject]or [that subject]?

A hard sell 

• The signup form is available via the link in my bio!
• If you are interested in [this awesome thing] secure your spot before doors close on [this date]!
• What questions can I answer for you before you sign up?

Now that you have an idea of the 5 major types of calls to action, here’s how to effectively format them in your posts!

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Formatting Your Calls to Action

Your calls to action do not necessarily have to be a ‘hard ask’ at the end of your caption.

Don’t get me wrong, they totally can, but then again, you’ve got options.

1) Place your call to action at the beginning of your caption

This one takes a bit more subtly because you’re not dropping in a hard ask at the beginning of a caption. Unless of course, you want your audience to scroll on by (which you definitely don’t by the way)

Asking your audience something upfront, that you know is relatable to them, is a great way to pique their interest.

It’ll guarantee that they read the rest of your caption, become interested in your selling points and become invested in the story that your brand is telling, or selling.

Once you’ve drawn them in with a question upfront, you can include another, strong ask at the end of the caption to piggyback off of the action that you are attempting to get them to take!

Which leads me to my next point…

2) Adding your call to action at the end of your caption

I tend to think of these as the more ‘traditional’ approach.

You write a great caption, you ask your audience a question, bing – bang – boom, it’s a wrap. Or, at least it used to be.

The more saturated our niches have become, the less effective this method has been, especially if you write a long-ass caption.

It becomes more difficult to create reader retention, assure that your audience has read the entire caption, AND is now primed for the picking when it comes to what you’ve asked them or how you’ve directed them.

Using a call to action at the end of your caption all boils down to knowing your audience.

If you know that they come to you SPECIFICALLY for your long-ass captions, then, by all means, include it at the end.

If you are not really known for long captions but you are in launch mode, then you might need to ask more than one question in your captions to guide them along the way.

For example – asking in the middle of your Instagram caption and then asking again at the end.

3) Include a call to action in the middle of your Instagram Caption

Ahhhh…. Now we are gettin’ crafty over here! Wink wink, nudge-nudge!

I love adding a call to action in the center of my Instagram Captions!

Yep, right there, smack dab in the middle.

If you are already great at pulling your audience in to read your captions with your opening line, then you can ask them a question right in the middle.

If you look back at some of my captions, you’ll notice that I like to accentuate the center call to action with an arrow emoji. But if you want to add some flavor with an emoji to draw in your reader’s eye, it’s really dealers choice!

When it comes to using a call to action in the middle of an Instagram caption, I ask my audience a question that pertains to them, which will get them to think a bit as they read through the rest of my caption!

This helps them get their creative juices flowing as it pertains to their own business. Giving them the answer that they are looking for by the end of my tirade – ahem caption, my caption.

Where else can you use calls to action?

Calls to action do not have to necessarily exist only in your feed posts.

In fact, that should not be the only place they live when it comes to your overall Instagram Marketing gameplan!

When we market through Instagram we are selling our business through our feed posts, stories, bio, and the way that we connect and engage with others.

How often have you used polls and stickers in your stories?

Those are all forms of calls to action on Instagram!