SIBF: Social media users learn how to write catchy captions

Sharjah: Young social media users and content creators learned to write engaging captions during a workshop at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).

In an engaging session at a Social Media Station, Palestinian content creator Jenan Mustafa offered tips tailored for students to capture attention.

“Your caption is your first impression,” said Mustafa while talking about ways to communicate effectively online. “It should grab attention right away. Add a bit of context and think about your goal: why are you sharing this? Who are you speaking to? Your audience matters just as much as what you’re saying.”

The 35-year-old Sharjah-based digital content expert stressed keeping captions concise, creative and purposeful, guiding students to think of their captions as “mini-stories”.

“Instead of just saying ‘nice sunset,’ try ‘watched the sky turn gold,’” she suggested, inspiring the young listeners to add depth to their posts.

She advised students to include a clear call-to-action (CTA) for better engagement, such as “double tap if you agree” or using emojis and hashtags strategically without overdoing them.

“Your hashtags, like your emojis, should be very carefully chosen. Two to five is ideal and anything more is not,” she told a group of students.

The interactive workshop resonated with the young attendees.

Abdullah Jassim, a 17-year-old Emirati, said: “I’ve learned that a caption isn’t just a sentence, it’s a chance to connect with people. Now, I’m excited to think about giving my posts a purpose.”

Jassim’s 16-year-old Sudanese classmate Mohammed Abdulrahman noted: “I used to write whatever came to my mind, but now I understand why it’s important to keep it short and use words that draw people in.”

For Ibrahim Masri, a 13-year-old Syrian student, the workshop opened new perspectives.

“I never thought about this, but it feels good to encourage people to react,” Masri said.

The Social Media Station will feature a diverse programme and workshops on a variety of topics, such as creating stop-motion animations led by renowned content creators, including Yara Bou Monsef, Ibrahim Almarrawi, the duo Nasser and Leila, Shihab Al Hashmi, offering young attendees an inspiring and practical learning experience in digital content creation.