What if I’ve got nothing to say on social media? Should I just “post for the sake of posting”?
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I get asked this question a lot; is a pretty picture with no caption better than not posting at all?
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It depends what your priorities are and who your audience is…
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If your business is “visual”, whether that’s a product or a service, such as photography / florals / stationery, there are some gains to be made by posting more frequently, regardless of your caption. You’re potentially showcasing your work and the algorithm will probably reward your frequent posting IF the content is attracting the engagement of your followers, ie they’re liking it.
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BUT – and this is a big but – consider why you’re doing this? Sure, pretty pictures might help you gain followers in the short term, but…
And if your business isn’t image based, what is the purpose of these images at all?
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Take The Strategy Studio for example. What value is there for me in having people following along purely for pretty photos? Very little! If I’m going to put in the effort to post, I want to ensure the content is valuable for both my followers and my business.
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I’d argue the same applies to us all. Posting without having the intention of adding value to your followers’ online experience is a wasted opportunity.
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I know I sound like a broken record with this but I wholeheartedly believe in it: The more value you can bring to your followers lives without it costing them a cent, the more valuable you and your business become to them in the long run.
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You might think you’ve got nothing to say when writing a caption, but jump back to my blog post “Write engaging Instagram captions” and there’s at least 10 ideas of captions ready to go!
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So I think you gather my answer at this point, right?!
In short: Take the extra few minutes to write captions when you can. You won’t regret it.