How do you come up with captions on Instagram?
Brainstorming creative Instagram caption ideas is an essential part of growing your IG profile – and this guide will show you exactly how to do it!
The text below your images helps potential followers connect with you – it can provide context for your photos as well as helping viewers understand more about what makes you unique and why they should follow you!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I could earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
157+ Best Instagram Captions Ideas for 2021
This guide to writing great Instagram captions includes an introduction to:
- what an Instagram caption is and how to use it
- how to write Instagram captions
- character limitations plus the ideal post length
We’ll also cover Instagram captions for 2021 plus ideas you can easily copy and paste for the following categories:
- Selfies
- Friends
- Short captions
- Funny Instagram captions
- Attitude captions and quotes
Let’s get started with a break down of what your Instagram caption is and how to utilize it to improve your engagement!
What is an Instagram Caption + How to Use It
An Instagram caption is the text portion of your Instagram post.
It’s the perfect place to showcase your unique personality, offer context about your photo or reel, and encourage users to take action.
In the Instagram post example above, I talked a bit about being married to a film guy before asking my followers about their significant others and what to do on a date night!
This kind of personal caption provides a nice balance between talking about us and wanting to know more about each of my followers – something that goes a long way!
How to Caption Instagram Posts
Some great ways to use Instagram post captions include:
- An introduction
- To form a connection
- Call to action
How to Use a Different Font on Instagram Captions
To use a font other than the default one available for posts, check out this Instagram fonts generator.
Then, simply write your caption within the text box at the top of the page or copy and paste it from the notes app on your phone.
Now, have a look at the fonts displayed below and select the one you like most by pressing firmly down on it and moving your cursor over all text you want displayed in your bio or post. Select copy.
Open the IG app, find the post you’re currently working on and press firmly down to prompt your phone’s text options. Click paste.
Presto! You have a custom font in your Instagram post.
Pro Tip: You’ll receive a lot more engagement on your posts and stories if your fonts are legible! That means dark colors and easy to read styles.
Custom fonts might look neat but use them with caution.
If you use a custom font in the Name section of your bio, be sure to run a search for yourself using the magnifying glass at the bottom left hand side of the app – custom fonts aren’t always displayed correctly across all devices!
If the font is an issue, you’ll see a bunch of empty squares like these – ▢▢▢▢▢ – displayed where your name should be.
How to Write an Instagram Caption
Now let’s talk about what to write in an Instagram caption.
The text portion of your Instagram post should do at least one of the following:
- inspire your followers
- teach your viewers something
- encourage your followers to do something
- entertain your viewers
The caption I wrote above this section is a no fluff guide to 30 lessons I learned over 30 years – some of these things are cold hard truths and some are more humorous!
I wanted to inspire my followers to take control of their lives while entertaining them with a funny part of my personality I normally don’t show – this post went over very well!
The second essential part of writing a great Instagram caption is making sure it’s relevant to the image you’re sharing – using quotes is fun but they’re only effective when they make sense.
The Instagram caption ideas list below will give you an amazing starting point 🙂
Instagram Caption Character Limit
As of January 2021, the maximum number of characters you can use in your Instagram post captions is 2,200 characters.
But should you use all 2,200 characters?
No way!
The ideal length of an Instagram caption is actually far lower than that – just 138-150 characters.
However, if you want followers to see your entire caption without experiencing truncation (meaning they’ll need to click the famous see more button), you’ll want to end your posts at just 125 characters!
If character limits concern you, check out Letter Count to see what you’re working with and trim down the size of your post from there.
Pro Tip: Your captions don’t always have to be 150 characters or less but make sure to include the juiciest details within your first 150 characters.
Your first sentence should make them want to know more!
Small business? Letting your followers know you have a coupon code available at the start of your post will definitely bring you more sales than rewarding only those who finish reading your caption in its entirety!
More ideas for small businesses on Instagram:
Instagram Captions for 2021 + Copy and Paste Quotes for IG
The list below features quotes and ideas for:
- Selfies
- Friends
- Funny captions
- Short captions
- and more
Feel free to use the copy and paste ideas below on your Instagram captions – for more Instagram picture ideas, captions, and hashtags, be sure to follow my boards on Pinterest!
Instagram Caption Ideas for Selfies: Quotes
- “Be more of you and less of them”
- “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken”
- “She remembered who she was and the game changed”
- “Be your own reason to smile”
- “She believed she could so she did”
- “You were born to be real, not to be perfect”
- “When things change inside you, things change around you”
- “I am enough”
- “Love yo self”
- “Dear self, today, you will shine”
- “Let all that you do be done in love”
- “Don’t let anyone with bad eyebrows tell you about life”
- “When you realize your self-worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts”
- “Know your worth. Then add tax”
- “Beautiful people do not just happen”
- “It’s not your job to like me. It’s mine”
- “You ain’t gotta like me. I like me”
- “Own who you are”
- “You can’t change who you are, so why not love yourself”
- “I’m not weird. I’m limited edition”
- “I’m working on my for myself by myself”
- “Confidence level: selfie with no filter”
More Ideas for Selfie Captions
- Introduce / re-introduce yourself
- Talk about what you did that day
- Share a personal goal you have / goal for your small business
- Talk about your outfit / makeup / skincare routine – add your affiliate link in the caption
- Ask your followers for advice
- Share an accomplishment
- Voice an opinion and talk about why it’s important to you
- Talk about a major change you’ve made recently
- Let your followers know how you stay motivated
- Talk about your average work day / day off
Quotes for Friends
- “Life isn’t perfect. But it does have perfect moments”
- “The best is yet to come”
- “God, Goals, Growing, and Growing”
- “You are, hands down, my favorite person”
- “Be as picky with your circle as you are with your selfies”
- “There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family”
- “Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more”
- “Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget”
- “We’re best friends because you match my level of crazy”
- “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends leave footprints in your heart”
- “You can’t do epic things with basic people”
- “There is nothing better than a friend unless it is a friend with chocolate”
- “Friends buy you food. Best friends eat your food”
- “A friend will help you up when you fall down. A best friend will laugh at you so much they fall down”
More ideas for Instagram Friends Captions
- Talk about your relationship with the other person in your photo
- Share details about your friendship / relationship
- Tell your followers the story of you met
- Share some things you love about your friend(s) – ask them to do the same and tag you!
- Talk about the day this photo was taken
- Talk about a significant day in your relationship with this person
- Share a funny story from your friendship
Instagram Captions for Moms
- “What an honour it is to be a tiny somebody’s everything”
- “Dear mom, I get it now”
- “Mom – the only people who know the true meaning of 24/7”
- “I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me”
- “I never knew how much love my heart could hold, until someone called me mommy”
- “Life doesn’t come with a manual. It comes with a mother”
- “Mothers hold their children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever”
- “Being a single parent is twice the work, twice the stress and twice the tears but also twice the hugs, twice the love and twice the pride”
- “Home is wherever mom is”
- “Nothing is lost until your mother can’t find it”
- “Motherhood: powered by love, sustained by wine”
- “Boys: less drama than girls, but harder to keep alive”
- “God couldn’t be everywhere, so that’s why he invested mothers”
- “Mom: one who sacrifices her body, sleep, social life, spending money, eating hot meals, peeing alone, patience, energy, and sanity for love”
- “I don’t want to sleep like a baby. I want to sleep like my husband”
- “It’s like no one in my family appreciates that I stayed up all night overthinking for them”
- “The quickest way for a parent to get a child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable”
- “I used to have functioning brain cells, but I traded them in for children”
- “To be honest, I’m just winging it. Life, motherhood, my eyeliner, everything.”
- “Every woman has at least one challenge in life. She’s either married to it or gives birth to it”
More Caption Ideas for Instagram Moms
- Talk about how motherhood has changed you
- Share your proudest moment as a mom
- Talk about life as a stay at home mom / working / single mother
- Share what makes your relationship with each of your children so special
- Offer tips for new moms / moms of teenagers / adult children
- Ask for parenting / self-care advice from your followers
- Share details about your last self-care experience
- Talk about mom guilt / offer tips for coping with it
- Tell your followers about a challenging day you had as a mom
- Talk about how you achieve balance in your life
Short Caption Ideas
- Relax
- Don’t go back
- Stay tuned
- Try me
- Oh hi
- Bittersweet
- Days like this
- Bliss
- 10/10
- So blessed
- God’s plan
- My love
- Rain on me
- Throwback Thursday
- Fierce
- Fresh
- Mind over matter
Funny Captions
- “It’s okay if you don’t like me. Not everyone has good taste”
- “I wish common sense was more common”
- “Adulthood is like looking both way before you cross the street and then getting hit by an airplane”
- “It’s not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it”
- “I can’t adult today. Please don’t make me adult”
- “I’m too busy working on my own grass to notice if yours is greener”
- “The first five days after the weekend are the hardest”
- “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day”
- “If you’re still looking for that one person who can change your life, take a look in the mirror”
- “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions”
- “If overthinking burned calories, I’d be super skinny”
- “I think my soulmate might be carbs”
- “You never realize what you have until it’s gone. Toilet paper is a good example”
- “Life is short. Buy the shoes”
- “So it turns out that being an adult is mostly just Google how to do stuff”
- “Being an adult is like folding a fitted sheet”
- “I am presently experience life at a rate of several WTF’s per hour”
- “I’m an adult, but not like a real adult”
- “I need a new head. This one is thinking too much”
- “Hang on. Let me overthink this”
- “All you need if wifi and a dream”
- “Today’s vibe – coffee, lots of coffee”
Strength Quotes
- “Be strong but not rude. Be kind but not weak. Be humble but not timid. Be proud but not arrogant”
- “Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on but you keep going anyway”
- “The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about”
- “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve”
- “Forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught you”
- “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water”
- “I didn’t come this far to only come this far”
- “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”
- “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right”
- “Still, I rise”
- “God is my strength”
- “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried but actually you’ve been planted”
Attitude Captions for Instagram
- “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”
- “It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed”
- “Focused, intelligent, motivated, oh, and cute”
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it”
- “My attitude is based on how you treat me”
- “Hustle for the pretty things”
- “My attitude is my unique gift which I am not obliged to explain to anyone”
- “Silence is the best response to a fool”
- “Underestimate me. That’ll be fun”
- “Be yourself. People don’t have to like you and you don’t have to care”
- “Coffee in one hand, confidence in the other”
- “If you don’t like my attitude, quit talking to me”
- “Be savage. Not average”
- “One day? Or day one? You decide”
- “Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless”
- “Yes, you can”
- “Don’t lose your fire”
- “Invest in yourself first, the rest will follow”
- “You did not wake up today to be mediocre”
- “Blossoming into a badass woman with more faith than fear”
- “Dream. Plan. Do”
- “God bless the woman with ambition”
- “Take risks. Live your passion”
- “I do a thing called what I want”
- “Attempt the impossible”
- “Mood: Savage AF”
The guide to Instagram caption ideas covered:
- a brief introduction to Instagram posts
- how to write Instagram captions
- character limits plus the ideal Instagram post length
- copy and paste caption ideas and writing prompts
Now you’re ready to start writing great Instagram captions to engage your followers!
How will you use Instagram captions for your brand? Small business owner or new Instagram influencer? Share your details in the comments below so we can check out your feed! 🙂
Nikki Slivarich
Writer
Blessed mama of two beautiful little girls. I’m a full-time blogger and social media content creator who teaches moms and boss babes how to start an online business. Follow me on social for clever ideas to make money using the platforms you already love!
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