Writing the perfect status update is equal parts art and science. You need to capture someone’s attention, and you only have a fraction of a second to do so as they scroll past.

This is part of the reason why images are so incredibly important–an arresting image helps capture attention and conveys your message at the same time.

But you also have to write a caption to go with your image. Today, we look at some key words that have been proven to create more engagement on social media.

CTAs: whatever it is you want your audience to do, tell them! Ask them to answer a question, comment, like or share, or to click the link. I think we often assume that people will know what we want them to do, but asking them outright increases the chances that they actually will. Use these words: post, comment, take, submit, like or tell us.

Contests: everyone likes to get something for free! Your prize doesn’t even need to be huge–even a Starbucks gift card can be quite an effective prize. Post your contest and ask people to comment on the post as the way to enter the prize. I then set a cutoff date, and enter the final number of comments into random.org to do the draw. In this case, use words like winner, win, and winning. 

Now, here’s today’s infographic which outlines the best words to use on social media updates:

Infographic courtesy of Quick Sprout