I post a lot about growing on Bookstagram and how important it is to engage with your followers.
One of the key ways to do that is through photo captions (and comments). But captions can often be really difficult to come up with, especially when we’re busy or just want to put up a quick post.
So, here are 20 bookstagram caption ideas to help you out. (Skip to here to get the 20 caption ideas)
But first, some key tips when it comes to writing captions:
Format your caption properly
Just like with blog posts, readers will lose interest if they’re staring at a block of text. Break up your caption with paragraph spacing and punctuation to make it easy to read and digest.
Another easy way to keep your followers engaged is to use emojis throughout your caption. These add a little pop of colour to the caption and keep readers from just scrolling past.
READ MORE: Using Hashtags on Bookstagram- the ultimate guide
Think about tone
How do you want to come across on Instagram?
On my blog, I try to inform from my own experience, meaning I often refer to myself, but also focus on giving ‘you’ tips.
On Bookstagram, it’s a little different. Instagram is an incredibly open platform and it helps a lot to talk in a relatable way with your followers. Try to avoid making your captions feel like a blog post or informational post (unless that’s what you’re going for).
Instead, talk how you would with a friend if you were asking about their interests or telling them a funny story.
Try to link the caption to the photo
This isn’t a hard and fast rule, and it’s more difficult if your photo is more general. But if you’ve featured a book in the photo, many followers who click on the post will most likely be expecting your thoughts on the book, or at least a mention of it.
I find that posts where I feature popular books generally do a lot better. Of course, that makes sense- everyone on Bookstagram wants to chat about books that they’ve read.
Add customized font
Like paragraph spacing and emojis, this can be a fun way to break up your captions and keep them engaging.
I use Instagram Fonts to get a different text for my QOTDs so that they’re easy to spot and answer.
Now we’ve covered the basics, let’s get into the 20 caption ideas:
Book review
One of the simplest caption ideas is the mini review. If some of your photos feature books that you’ve read recently, share a star rating and some of your thoughts.
This works especially well if the book you’re reading is a new (and relatively popular) release, as your followers will likely also have opinions of the book to share.
QOTDs
QOTDs are one of the most popular captions on Bookstagram and for good reason! They encourage followers to engage genuinely and make for great conversation points.
Some fun QOTD ideas that I use regularly are:
- What are you currently reading?
- Which is your favourite genre?
- Where is your favourite place to read?
- Do you prefer paperbacks, hardbacks, e-books or audiobooks?
Book recs
Like with blog posts, these captions work well because the Bookstagram audience is constantly looking for new books to pick up.
For example, share your top 5 fantasy books and ask followers to comment their favourites.
READ MORE: Upcoming Fantasy Releases in 2021
Share a funny story/experience
These are usually captions that I read all the way through because they are real!
Even if you can’t think of something funny to share, talk about a genuine experience, for example, the first book you read, what got you into reading, or life experiences that you want to share with your audience.
Talk about how you’re doing
Instagram captions are the perfect opportunity to talk about how you’re feeling (and don’t shy away from the bad parts) and encourage your followers to engage with their own mental health and talk about their feelings.
This really helps to keep the relationship between you and your audience from feeling fake or transactional. At the end of the day, everyone’s human, and the more you show that to your followers, the more connected they’ll feel to you.
It’s also so important to normalise chatting about mental health! The wider the reach the better.
READ MORE: How to Protect Your Mental Health on Social Media
Talk about the season
I’m from the U.K and there’s nothing we like better than discussing the weather. But this really applies across the globe (and doesn’t just relate to the weather).
Whether it’s asking your followers their favourite season, chatting about snow or talking about which weather they prefer for reading, this can be a great conversation opener.
Rant about a book
Book rants are so fun to read and are guaranteed to keep me engaged.
Is there a popular book that you just couldn’t seem to get into (or even actively hated)? Your followers will definitely want to hear the tea!! (And likely have a lot of their own).
Talk about books you’re looking forward to
Nowadays, it can be incredibly difficult to keep up with all the new releases and popular books flying around bookstagram.
I always enjoy reading about which books people are looking forward; it builds excitement and reminds me which releases are coming up.
So why not share with your followers which books you’re enjoying and which you’re hoping to pick up soon? They’ll thank you for it (and hopefully give you some ideas too)!
Talk about bookish habits
There’s nothing more fun to read about than weird habits, and if you can make it bookish, all the better!
Pretty much everyone on Bookstagram has some (or lots of) weird bookish habits, so this is a great talking point to get people discussing in the comments.
READ MORE: How to Build a Community on Bookstagram
Ask what followers think about a new release
Recently, a new book in the ACOTAR series, A Court of Silver Flames, has been introduced. Even for those on Bookstagram who haven’t read it yet (I haven’t!), it’s impossible to miss its release.
For the most popular new releases, everyone has an opinion (even if it’s that they refuse to read it)!
Even if you haven’t read a new release yet, asking your following to comment whether they have, or whether they’re going to, is a great way to bring in organic engagement.
Talk about your reading goals
This is especially useful at the start of a year or month, but you can really talk about your goals (and they don’t just have to be reading) at any time.
Ask your followers how many books they want to read this month, what their yearly goal is, or if they have a goal to read more diversely, for example.
Bookish pet peeves
Do you hate it when friends borrow books and return them with bent spines? Do dog-eared pages make you cringe?
Tell your followers all your bookish pet peeves and see what their thoughts are!
I recently made this idea into a reel and had a lot of different opinions on the worst things you can do to books (but all friendly!).
Talk about an experience
Not everything you share on Bookstagram has to be about books (because after all, we all have lives outside of our hobbies).
You could share something you’ve recently experienced or something in your life that had a large impact- whatever you feel comfortable with.
Chat about Bookstagram
There are a lot of contentious points within the topic of Bookstagram itself, least of which, the algorithm.
And there are so many other subjects you could address.
Strike up a debate by writing about how much you hate the algorithm (we all do), what you think we should see more of on Bookstagram, or maybe your thoughts on whether popular books should dominate the platform.
Share a bookish quote
A really easy one if you’re lacking inspiration. Here are a few of my favourites:
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”- Wuthering Heights
“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading”- Jane Austen
“He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.”- Circe
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” – Oscar Wilde
“One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” – Cassandra Clare
Join fun tags
There are so many hashtags and competitions flying around Bookstagram, so it’s easy to find one you’ll enjoy.
Sometimes, tags will influence the type of photos you post, and sometimes you’ll have a question or prompt to answer in the caption.
Tags are really easy to use, especially if you’re struggling to keep up with writing different and interesting captions.
Predictive text
These types of captions speak for themselves. Start a sentence, such as ‘my favourite thing is…’ and ask your followers to comment by finishing the sentence with predictive text.
This is even better if you can make it bookish (‘I love books because…’) , or even use a quote/ title of a popular book, such as ‘A Court of…’.
These captions also make for some really funny and often ridiculous comments!
This or that
One of my favourite types of captions, ‘this or thats’ allow your followers to pick their preferences out of options that you provide.
For example:
Hardbacks or paperbacks?
Reading in the morning or evening?
Fantasy books or contemporaries?
Dog-ear books or use bookmarks?
Get followers to ask you a question
If you’re running out of questions to ask in your captions, tell your followers to ask you a question!
Running a Q+A in the comments is an easy (and fun) way for followers to get to know you.
Are you on Bookstagram? Do you sometimes struggle to come up with caption ideas? Let me know if this list helps in the comments down below or in my Instagram dms.
Leave a Reply