Sharjah24: Young social media users and content creators were offered key, actionable tips on writing meaningful and engaging social media captions as part of a workshop at the ongoing 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).
Palestinian content creator Jenan Mustafa led the engaging session tailored for school students covering essential strategies to craft captions that capture attention. She spoke all about adding context, and encouraging engagement while sharing valuable tips on how to communicate effectively online, especially in a world where digital presence “matters more than ever”.
“Your caption is your first impression,” said Mustafa. “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 emphasised the importance of keeping captions concise and purposeful, guiding students to think of their captions as "mini-stories."
She encouraged them to be descriptive and creative with their words. “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 also advised students to include a clear call-to-action (CTA) for better engagement, such as “double dap 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 explained to the group of gathered students listening to her with full attention.
The interactive workshop resonated with the young attendees, who eagerly shared their thoughts. 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.”
“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,” added Jassim’s Sudanese classmate Mohammed Abdulrahman, 16.
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,” he 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.
For an optimal experience, please
