Social Media Captions: How-to write when you have nothing to say!

Some days I can whip out social media captions for all of my profiles in like an hour. Other days, I’ve been staring at a blank screen while that dang cursor taunts me with its incessant blinking for 4 hours straight!

We’ve all been there… even those of us who LOVE writing content! 😉 So here are my 10 Tips to get those creative juices flowing on the days you feel STUCK!

#1- Who am I talking to?

When I’ve been staring at that blinking cursor for what seems like hours and still feel lost. The first thing I will do is remember who I am talking to. Who is my ideal client? Who am I trying to attract to my online community with this post?

The better you know your ideal client, the easier it is to write captions that they will love.

Remember when we were in Kindergarten and had to write prompts in journals, things like, “My favorite color is ________________” or, “When I grow up I want to be _____________ because ___________________.”

The reason we never had writers block then is because the topic of writing was given to us. So the easiest way to overcome writers block is to find a topic. And the easiest way to find a topic is to know your ideal client and pick something that is relevant to them! Download my free “Ideal Client Worksheet” here or get my 10 formulas I’ve used to create over 3,000 pieces of content in THIS GUIDE.

#2- Remember the purpose

Quality > Quantity when it comes to social media captions. If your captions don’t serve a purpose, then don’t post them! We shouldn’t just be telling stories or throwing out product features for the heck of it! So when you sit down to write content ask yourself, “what am I trying to accomplish with this post?” or even more importantly, “How do I want this post to make them feel?”

• Is this post to nurture my current community or invite new people in?
• Will it solve one of their problems?
• Is it going to inspire action, like sending them to my website?
• Will it inspire them and build that foundation of trust needed for them to book?
• Is it going to leave them wanting more?
• What kind of story is this post telling?

Once you determine what you want this post to do, it’ll be easier to sit down and write it!

#3- Gain Inspiration

Visit sources that your ideal clients follow (but aren’t really “competitors”) for inspiration. For example, if I am a wedding photographer and want to write blog topics for potential brides… I might visit a site like the Knot for inspiration.

#4- Answer a FAQ

One of the quickest ways for me to whip on content when I’m in a crunch is to answer a Frequently Asked Question within a post. For example, I might do a post about picking outfits for fall photos. What to consider when picking a wedding DJ. I might write a post tagging my favorite vendors. I might give 3 quick tips for a successful newborn session. Etc.

#5- Turn it up!

The music I mean….

One of my fave ways to get inspired is to turn on music that inspires me. It’s a scientific fact that listening to music helps us to recall memories we didn’t even know were there and feel things we haven’t felt in a long time! So when I’m feeling uninspired, I find that turning up the music is a quick fix!

#6- Walk away!

Some of my best, most engaging social media captions were written when I stepped away from the computer and lived my life.

So, when I’m feeling writers block I take a break, play with my kids, go on a walk, work out, meet up with some friends. Content is driven by the experiences we have so make sure you get out there and experience things so you have something to write about!

#7- Create a Storybank

I have a google doc on my computer that is filled to the brim with stories. And not just facts and “this is what happened” stories, but stories that communicate real emotion. When they are happening, I am quick to stop what i’m doing and jot down some notes that will help me recall the story later. Then, when I’m having some tough writers block, I get on here, pick out a story and make it relevant and meaningful to my ideal client and hit publish! More on this method in my upcoming course, More than Marketing.

#8- Ask your audience

On occasion if I start to feel like I have written everything that could ever be written already and there is nothing left to say, I will ask my audience! I will invite them to give me input on what THEY want to know and see what the have to say! The results are a fresh stockpile of ideas straight from the people i’m trying to reach!

#9- Recycle something Old

Here’s the deal, people! Only a measly 6% of our followers see the things we are posting… that means that when I spend time writing this freaking AMAZING social media caption that got tons of engagement and then have writers block 6 months later… IT’S OKAY FOR ME TO RECYCLE THAT CONTENT! I will literally go copy and paste it (maybe change a thing here or there) and hit publish! The odds of anyone remembering this post from 6 months ago is slim! So if it’s still meaningful and relevant… do NOT feel guilty about reusing it!

#10- Share something from someone else!

Obviously I’m not telling you to share a blog post from another photographer in your area as one of your social media captions! If Parent’s magazine just posted an awesome article about the 10 things moms register for that they don’t actually need and my Ideal clients are moms, you better believe i’m going to be sharing that baby on my page!

Word of Caution: do not do this all the time or it will hinder your audience’s ability to see YOU as the expert!

Hopefully one of these ideas was helpful in getting you back on track! Let me know which tip was your favorite in the comments!