Have you ever wondered how some restaurants have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram while others barely have any? It might not seem like a big deal, but gaining new followers can be tough for restaurants, especially if they’re just starting out.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to increase your chances of gaining new followers and boosting your restaurant’s online presence. One of those things is creating effective restaurant Instagram captions.
Your caption is like the cherry on top of your post – it can make or break it. An excellent caption will stop scrollers in their tracks, make them want to learn more about your restaurant, and eventually follow you.
On the other hand, a weak or uninspired caption will do the exact opposite. It’ll make people keep scrolling and forget about your restaurant entirely. So, how do you write restaurant Instagram captions that will get you more followers? We’ve got some tips for you.
First Things First, Why Instagram for Your Restaurant?
Before we get into how to write Instagram captions for restaurants, let’s first answer the question: why should your restaurant be on Instagram?
Well, for starters, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1.2 billion active users. And of those users, 90% follow at least one business on the platform, making it one of the best places to nurture your relationship with your current followers and attract new ones.
Instagram is also a great way to show off your restaurant’s food, décor, and atmosphere – three things that are important to potential diners. And, since people love looking at food photos (regardless of whether they’re hungry or not), you’re bound to get some engagement.
Finally, Instagram provides you with valuable insights into who your followers are, what kind of content they like, and when they’re online. This information can help you decide your marketing strategy and ensure that you’re creating content your followers will want to see.
Now that we’ve answered the question, “why Instagram for restaurants,” let’s move on to our tips for writing great restaurant Instagram captions.
1. Hook Your Audience With the First Sentence
Instagram is not like Facebook, where a longer part of the caption appears before you’re asked to click on “More” to read further. After one or two lines, Instagram hides the rest of your caption, so it’s important to make the most of those first few words. If your audience doesn’t find your first line interesting, they will not bother reading the rest.
You want to hook your readers with the very first sentence and make them want to read more. That way, they’ll get to the juicy part of your caption where you talk about your restaurant, food, or special offer. For example, you could start with a statistic or an interesting fact about your restaurant. If your restaurant mainly serves Chinese food, you could write something like: “Did you know that Chinese food is the most popular cuisine in the United States?”
Or, if you’re running a promotion, you could write something like: “For a limited time, get 20% off your bill when you mention this post!”
Your goal is to make people want to read more, so they’ll actually click on your restaurant’s Instagram page, follow you, and learn more about what you have to offer. Starting your caption with a strong opening line will help you grab your audience’s attention and get them to engage with your content.
2. Use Emotion to Connect With Your Readers
When people scroll through Instagram, they look for content that will make them feel something. Whether it’s happy or excited, you want your restaurant’s Instagram caption to evoke an emotion in your readers. That way, they’ll be more likely to remember and engage with your content. They may even consider following you to see more of your posts in the future.
If you’re sharing a photo of a beautiful dish from your restaurant, you could write a caption that makes people feel hungry. Something like: “This dish looks too good to resist!” Or, if you’re sharing a photo of your restaurant’s cozy atmosphere, you could write a caption that makes people feel warm and invited. Something like: “The perfect place to relax and enjoy some good food and company.”
Remember, people are more likely to engage with content that makes them feel something, so try to evoke an emotion in your readers with your restaurant’s Instagram caption.
3. Use Restaurant Hashtags to Reach a wider Audience
Instagram hashtags are an excellent way to reach a broader audience, especially if you’re using popular or trending hashtags. When you use Instagram hashtags in your caption, people who are searching for that hashtag will find your content. And, if they like what they see, they may even decide to follow your restaurant’s Instagram page.
Let’s say you’re sharing a photo of one of your restaurant’s signature dishes. You could use the hashtag #foodpicsdaily, #foodporn, or #foodiesofinstagram in your caption to reach people who are searching for that hashtag. Or, if you’re sharing a photo of your restaurant’s happy hour, you could use the hashtag #happyhour to reach people who are searching for bars or restaurants with that special.
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, so mix popular, niche, and relevant hashtags to reach the broadest audience possible. Just don’t go overboard with the restaurant hashtags – using too many can come across as spammy and turn people off from your content.
The best thing is to first research and find the most popular and relevant hashtags for your restaurant. Then, find a balance between including too many hashtags and not enough. That way, you can reach a wider audience without seeming like you’re spamming them with restaurant hashtags.
4. Ask Questions to Encourage Engagement
Questions can work wonders for engagement on Instagram. This is because many people can’t resist answering a question. Especially if it’s a question about something they’re passionate about, like food.
When you ask a question in your restaurant’s Instagram caption, you give people a reason to engage with your content. And, if they enjoy answering your question, they may even consider following your restaurant’s Instagram page to see more of your content in the future.
Let’s say you’re sharing a photo of a new dish from your restaurant. You could ask, “How would you describe this dish in three words?” Or, if you’re sharing a photo of your restaurant’s happy hour, you could ask a question like: “What’s your favorite happy hour deal?”
Another example is, “What’s your preferred ambiance in a restaurant?” You can reply and start a conversation when your potential followers leave their answers. This is also one way to quickly get to know your target market and what they’re looking for in a restaurant.
5. Use Emojis to Add Some Personality
This is one of the best Instagram caption tips to get more followers. Adding emojis to your restaurant’s Instagram caption can help you come across as more approachable and relatable. People who feel they can relate to your restaurant are more likely to follow your page.
Emojis can also help add some personality to your restaurant’s Instagram caption. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good emoji? When you use them in your caption, you’re showing people that your restaurant is fun and friendly. And, who doesn’t want to follow a fun and friendly restaurant on Instagram?
When you’re choosing which emojis to use in your caption, make sure they fit with your restaurant’s brand. For example, if your restaurant is a casual pizzeria, you may want to use emojis like the pizza slice emoji 🍕 or the smiley face emoji 😃. But, if your restaurant is a fine dining establishment, you may want to use more sophisticated emojis like the wine glass emoji 🍷 or the fork and knife emoji 🍴.
Other emojis that work great for restaurants are the fire emoji 🔥 (if you’re sharing a photo of your restaurant’s grill), the chef hat emoji 🎩 (if you’re sharing a photo of your chef), or the emoji that shows your food is tasty 😋.
6. Always Include a Call to Action
Call to actions are essential, no matter what kind of content you’re sharing on Instagram. A call to action is simply a phrase or sentence that tells people what you want them to do next. And, when it comes to getting more followers on Instagram, you want people to follow your restaurant’s page.
How can you successfully and effectively convince people to follow you? Start by using persuasive language in your restaurant’s Instagram caption. For example, you could say something like “Make sure to follow us for daily food inspiration!” or “Hit that follow button to stay up-to-date on our latest specials!”
If you want to get really creative with your call to action, you could even offer an incentive for people who follow your restaurant’s page. For example, you could say something like, “The first 100 people to follow us will get a discount on their next meal!” or “Follow us and get into a draw to win a free dinner for two!”
When it comes to call to actions, there are lots of strategies. Just make sure you’re using persuasive language that will convince people to follow you.
7. Get Creative With Your Captions
If you want people to follow your restaurant on Instagram, you need to stand out from all the other restaurants in your area. And one way to do that is by being creative with your captions. Don’t just post a photo and say, “Check out our new dish!” or “Come by for happy hour!” Get creative and develop something that will make people want to follow you.
For instance, you could write a short story about the dish in the photo you’re sharing. You could tell how the dish was made, the inspiration behind it, the chef who made it, or what makes it unique. This is a great way to add some personality to your caption and make your restaurant’s Instagram page more interesting.
You could also share fun facts about the different foods you prepare. You could share interesting facts about pizza or pasta if you offer Italian. If you offer Mexican, you could share fun facts about tacos or enchiladas. And, if you offer American, you could share interesting facts about burgers or hot dogs. Just make sure whatever facts you’re sharing are accurate and interesting!
Bottom line: To convince more people to follow your restaurant on Instagram, you need to get creative with your captions. Don’t just post the same old thing that everyone else is posting. Think outside the box and come up with something unique!
Bonus Tip – What about caption length? Your caption could be short and sweet or long and detailed – it really depends on your content and what you’re trying to say. If you prefer short and sweet, make sure it’s really creative to get people to follow you. If you want to write a longer caption, that’s fine too! Just make sure it’s interesting and doesn’t ramble on.
Another thing, no matter what, always remember to proofread your caption before you hit publish! You don’t want any typos or grammatical errors in your caption. Not only does it make you look unprofessional, but it also shows that you don’t care about your content. So, take the extra few seconds to proofread before you hit publish.
There you have it! These are seven tips to help you write better Instagram captions and get more followers. Don’t forget to track and measure your progress to see how well your caption strategies work. That way, you can implement the strategies that are working and ditch the ones that aren’t.
And, most importantly, have fun with it! Be creative and enjoy sharing your content with the world.
8. Use a Social Media Scheduler
It’s not easy to create a good caption. Very rarely will you get your caption right on the first try.
Take your time to capture the perfect image, write a great caption, and then save it as a draft. You can always come back and post it later.
Posting immediately means your content will be distributed at random intervals instead of at optimal times. This isn’t good for performance. To make sure you’re posting when it matters most, use an Instagram post scheduler.
In addition to letting you save your post as a draft, edit it before schedule, and ensure that it’s published at an opportune time, using a scheduler has the added benefits of:
- Automatically posting your content
- Posting to multiple accounts at once
- Providing in-depth analytics so you can track your progress
Conclusion
Instagram captions are great for showing off your restaurant and attracting new customers. However, crafting good captions can be difficult – it’s more of an art than a science.
That’s why it’s important to take your time and draft your caption before you post. Using a social media scheduler can help make the process easier.
Additionally, ensure you use a consistent post format and keep your most important messages at the beginning. If you run out of ideas, try using a quote related to the image.
Don’t forget to track and measure your progress to see how well your caption strategies work. That way, you can implement the strategies that are working and ditch the ones that aren’t.
There you have it! These tips will help you write better Instagram captions and get more followers. And, most importantly, have fun with it! Be creative and enjoy sharing your content with the world.
As the next step I suggest you check out my other social media resources for restaurants:
