Writing Instagram Captions for Wedding Photographers has become the cornerstone of my business!
As visual artists wedding, photographers often struggle with putting into words the moment long after it’s been captured.
They’ve got the gorgeous photos – now it’s time to post them on Instagram.
Stuck on how to build captions that will: draw in new clients, convey your value, build your know like and trust factor while actually sounding interesting?
Phew – that was a mouthful!
Crafting the perfect Instagram caption is a constant mixed bag of elements that can feel overwhelming, unexciting and at above all, daunting.
It tends to be one of the first things we dread when it comes to Instagram Marketing.
Which is usually promptly followed up with procrastination.
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media outlets of all time so keeping your business’s presence alive and well within the app feels like a fundamental building block of marketing.
Of Instagram’s over 1 billion users, over 110 million of them are located in the U.S.
Ignoring Instagram as a valuable marketing tool will not make your caption woes disappear, but working through them with the tips in this post just might!
Let’s get back to that mixed bag, shall we?
Crafting Instagram Captions that work for you can do wonders in booking new clients, growing your audience, building authority, and positioning yourself as a go-to in your niche.
I’ve put together a few hard and fast rules for writing Instagram Captions for Wedding Photographers in this post, and I’m going to kick it off with the what not to do’s
Here are my top 4 major ‘no-nos’ of writing Instagram Captions for Wedding Photographers:
1) Quoting a Song
This can be an easy ‘go-to’ when you are feeling stuck in the mud.
A quick google search of ‘Instagram captions for wedding photographers’ will yield page after page of this exact advice.
Try to avoid it at all costs, and here’s why!
It conveys absolutely nothing personal about the experience that your business strives to offer your couples.
Copying or quoting a song comes off as a half-hearted attempt to fill your feed.
You are missing out on portraying what was special about this particular couples wedding day (and I’m sure there were many special moments).
You’ve just missed another opportunity at connecting with a new audience, or better yet, a new client!
2) Re-using a Popular or Trending Phrase
Ever throw one of these in your Instagram Captions?
“Walking into the weekend like….”
“Twirling into the week like……”
How many times have we come across this exact caption regurgitated in account after account?
Reusing popular quotes or phrases that do not pertain directly to your business is yet another missed opportunity of deepening your brand’s connection and booking new clients.
What about connecting with a new audience?
Let’s assume that a potential client found you through a niche based hashtag, would you feel comfortable knowing that phrase was the first thing they read on your account?
My guess is – hard no.
3) Saying Nothing
Writing no caption, at all, does nothing to further your Wedding Photography’s Instagram Marketing gameplan.
Posting a photo without a caption will leave your audience guessing what you were attempting to accomplish by sharing this particular photo…. Say, what were you attempting anyway?
There is no way to know what was special about this moment that you worked to capture, how you captured it, where you captured, who this couple is.. you get the idea!
Your post dies right where it was found leaving no room for engaging comments by those who found it!
4) Contact me to Book Now!
Straight up selling in caption after caption with no build-up, just plain doesn’t work.
How many times have you purchased something from Instagram that said ‘DM Me Now To purchase’? Probably zero.
How many times have you booked a new client after posting ‘DM Me Now to Book’
Also probably zero.
Calls to action are not captions, and when used in captions, are to be used sparingly, make sense?
Straight selling in captions will cause your audience to scroll by faster than I can turn on Netflix at the end of a long day.
That scroll-by just lost your post engagement, which in turn lost visibility.
Now that post is sitting on your feed, hapless and alone, leaving you wondering if you should archive it and leave Instagram forever.
Before you leave Instagram in your best Charlie Brown ‘all I got was a rock‘ dismay, take heart!
Crafting an awesome super duper kick-ass caption is firmly within your grasp and I’m going to show you how.
Now that we’ve covered what not to do when it comes to writing Instagram Captions for Wedding Photographers, let’s go over the absolute Must Do’s!
1) Share Your Mission
Your business has a mission and a purpose!
You started your wedding photography business for a reason and you serve a specific niche in a specific location. If you are a wandering destination photographer, also cool and also still full of purpose!
Be open about your mission when it comes to your Instagram Captions!
Sharing your mission reaffirms the value of your business and let’s potential clients know that they are in the right place.
The great thing about sharing your mission through your Instagram Captions is that it is an evergreen topic.
You can share your mission over and over again, and the topic will never sour!
Set a caption with the mission of your business on autopilot and schedule it to go live every 20-30 days on Instagram!
Rearrange the wording if you are concerned about the caption going stale and be sure to include a fun call to action at the end!
2) Share Your Brand’s Experience
What is included in your brand experience?
Do you offer a complimentary engagement shoot or bridal portraits?
Are you known for your ability to capture golden hour no matter the season?
Do you scout your couples venue or location in advance so you can compile the best spots for composition and light?
Humblebrag on yourself! Tell your audience all that and a bag of chips! (I know this phrase is so 90s but can we bring it back please?)
For many couples, wedding photography is a big portion and investment of their wedding day budget.
It’s also one of the few things they will cherish long after their wedding day has passed.
It is a-ok to put that experience in the spotlight and tell the world what goes into the experience that they are investing in!
3) Share Your Process
When should your potential couples begin their search for a wedding photographer?
How many months in advance do you typically book your wedding photography clients?
What is your cutoff date for booking last-minute weddings? Is it 60 days before the date of the wedding, or 30 days before the date of the wedding?
What about the delivery day?
How long does it take you to edit, and how long after the wedding day can your couples expect to receive their gallery?
Do you meet with your couples in person to go over printing options or can couples expect to receive their gallery via email?
How can your Instagram captions work to educate couples who are in the beginning stages of their wedding planning process?
What faq’s do you receive from inquires that you can decipher right in your Instagram captions?
What do they need to know about what is forthcoming in the process of working with you?
All of these swirling questions and answers can be constructed into amazing Instagram captions!
4) It’s All About Your Couples
While putting the focus on the value you bring to the table and connecting with your audience on a personal level is super–crazy–important, let’s not forget – it’s all about your couples!
Tell their love story when you share their photos!
Is there something special about the date of their wedding or the venue they chose? What about the bond they share? Do they have tons of inside jokes or a shared affinity for Dinosaurs?
Keying into the small details that ignites their love story and sharing them with your audience shows your impeccable attention to detail, your ability to connect with your clients, and the focus you have for each individual couple that you work with!
5) Sometimes it’s About You
Have you ever heard the phrase, “People buy from people” Yes, yes you have because you are people and chances are that you also buy amazing products and services from other people, soooo….. I rest my case.
As a small business owner, your marketing should aim to build the all too important know, like, and trust factor.
If you run your business solo or with a small team, that means putting yourself face first and caption first when it comes to Instagram (yes, even if you don’t have a personal brand per se)
First, decide how much of your personal life you feel comfortable sharing. Then chose 3-5 specific themes or topics that you feel comfortable re-visiting over and over again. Your topics can be anything ranging from your family life, personal hobbies, your daily walks, or a passion project of yours!
Talk to your audience, not at them.
Invite them in, show them how much you are alike by opening up the doors to your personal life and inviting them in
