The one common thing among all your audience is the ‘human’ element. The one common element in every human is “emotion”. Every emotion prompts humans to take action. The first trigger point that compels your audience to take action is the ‘caption’!
As the Tamil poet Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu penned, ‘நீ கண்களை அடைத்தால் காதல் நுழைய இன்னொரு வாசல் இல்லை’, captions serve as an entrance for us to step into the customers’ world. Emotions form the foundation for captivating captions. Let’s discuss the categorization of captions based on emotions in detail.
1) Fear of Missing Out
Syntax: Last chance to XXXXX
Fear is a natural emotion among humans; when you tap into this fear through your captions, your audience subconsciously believes that you are their solution provider.
2) Joy of Missing Out
Syntax: Have a break…
Joy is a genre that varies across every sphere. When speaking of the ‘priceless present,’ the rule of this game is to subtract the past and future. Delight your audience with the present tense, allowing them to momentarily forget about their past and future tenses.
3) Belongingness
Syntax: Join our family of…
Comfort your audience by either entering their world or inviting them into yours. This should happen instantly, achieved through the very first word you speak in your caption.
4) Trust & Recognition
Syntax: Listen to the top rankers…
Only 1% of the audience may prioritize ‘TEST’, while the remaining 99% lean towards ‘TRUST’. Building trust with your brand takes time, but your caption should plant the seed of trust right from the first impression.
5) Emotions of Urgency
Syntax: Only 24 hrs left…
This can be considered a sub-topic of FOMO, as both aim to prompt the audience to take action. We use the Emotion of Urgency to highlight the benefits of taking action, while FOMO specifically emphasizes something desirable. FOMO activates the Monkey Brain, while Urgency triggers the Reptile Brain.
6) Emotions of Immediate Gratification
Syntax: Get instant download…
There is a similarity between the ‘Emotion of Immediate Gratification’ and ‘JOMO’ as both emphasize the importance of the present moment. Energize your audience with the ‘NOW’ state, not the ‘SOON’ state.
7) Emotions of Status & Prestige
Syntax: Elevate your lifestyle…
Who doesn’t want to uplift their lifestyle? No one, right! Make your audience believe that their dream is your vision. In simple words, dramatize their dream in your caption!
8) Emotions of Safety & Security
Syntax: Protect your smartphone with…
You have two chances to make our audience believe that you’re their Bhaubali or Bhaijaan! One is to make them feel insecure, and the other is to assure them that you can provide even greater security.
Conclusion (a) Conversion
Emotion is the ultimate key that opens the door to your audience’s world. Use it wisely because an excess of emotion can leave one feeling exhausted in a very short time!
Raghavan 