100 Questions to Ask in Your Bookstagram Captions

The Instagram algorithm is a fickle beast, but one thing is for sure: it rewards engagement! Engagement involves the interactions people might have with your posts, such as liking, sharing, saving, and commenting. A lot of interaction signals to Instagram that people enjoy your posts, which makes the algorithm more likely to show your posts to more people.

An easy way to drive engagement is simply by encouraging people to comment on your posts. A lot of people do this by asking questions in their captions and inviting people to answer in the comments. But that leads to the problem: what questions should you ask?

Never fear -- I've created a list of 100 bookish questions that you can put in your captions! These will work for most bookstagram accounts dedicated to fiction, though a couple of them skew a little more toward fantasy.

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What's your favorite book you've read so far this year?
3. What was the last book you finished, and what did you think of it?
4. What's your most anticipated upcoming book?
5. What's a sequel you're hyped for?
6. Do you own any bookish merch?
7. If you could go on a date (romantic or platonic) with any fictional character, who would it be?
8. What's your favorite mythical creature?
9. What's an underrated book you think everyone should read?
10. What's a popular book that you think deserves the hype?
11. What's a book that everyone loves but isn't really for you?
12. What's a book cover that you love?
13. What's your favorite reading spot?
14. If you could visit any fictional place, where would you go?
15. If you could be a character in any book, who would you become?
16. What's a book that you think deserves its own TV show or movie?
17. What's a book-to-movie or book-to-TV adaptation that you like?
18. Do you have to read the book before you watch the movie/show?
19. Are there any books that have made you cry?
20. Do you prefer paperback or hardback books?

21. Do you usually read print books, ebooks, or audiobooks?
22. What's a book that made you stay up late to finish it?
23. What's a book that took you an unusually long time to finish?
24. Where do you typically get your books from?
25. Do you preorder books or wait for them to come out first?
26. What genre of books do you normally read in?
27. Do you have any auto-buy authors?
28. Who's an author you want to read more books by?
29. Have you ever met an author in person?
30. If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would it be?
31. What books are up next on your TBR?
32. What's a book that's been sitting on your TBR for way too long?
33. What's a book you love recommending to anyone who will listen?
34. What's one of your favorite comfort reads?
35. What's a book that bookstagram made you buy?
36. How do you decide what book to read next?
37. How long does it normally take you to finish a book?
38. Do you subscribe to any book boxes?
39. What makes you decide to buy a book?
40. How do you arrange your bookshelf?

41. Do you prefer standalones, duologies, trilogies, or long series?
42. Do you have to have matching editions of a series?
43. What's a sequel you loved?
44. What was the last new book you got?
45. Who are some of your favorite villains?
46. Do you prefer badass love interests or cinnamon roll love interests?
47. What fictional character would you love to be BFFs with?
48. What fictional character would you love to go on an adventure with?
49. What are some of your hobbies outside of reading?
50. What's your favorite weather to read in?
51. What was the book that first got you into reading?
52. Do you prefer books about family, friendship, or romance?
53. Friends-to-lovers or enemies-to-lovers?
54. What's a trope that really annoys you?
55. If you could take a class on anything taught by any fictional character, what and who would it be?
56. Do you like retellings?
57. If you could only keep three of your books, which ones would you choose and why?
58. Do you have any furry reading buddies (i.e. pets)?
59. What's your favorite book that you had to read because of school?
60. How do you get out of a reading slump?

61. Have you ever bought a book that you'd already read?
62. If you had the power to read three books from your TBR in the space of a second, which three books would you choose?
63. Do you ever read multiple books at once?
64. What's a popular book or series that you haven't read yet?
65. Is there a book or series that you wish could have a companion novel or prequel?
66. Do you judge books by their cover?
67. Do you have a favorite drink or snack for reading?
68. Do you prefer fantastical or realistic books?
69. Do you own multiple editions of any books?
70. Do you ever watch booktube/authortube videos?
71. Do you have many book-loving friends in real life, or mainly just on the internet?
72. What's a book that people keep recommending to you?
73. If you were stuck in a broken elevator with the main character of your current read, how screwed would you be?
74. If you were stuck in a broken elevator with the villain of your current read, how screwed would you be?
75. What's a book or series that has a special meaning for you?
76. Do you try to post reviews of everything you read?
77. What's a book on your TBR that you haven't gotten around to buying/borrowing yet?
78. Who's a bookish couple you love?
79. What are your favorite genre mashups?
80. Have you ever gotten an ARC (advance review copy) of a book?

81. Do you own any signed books?
82. Do you own any special editions?
83. What was the last book you rated five stars?
84. Do you know of any books set around where you live?
85. How do you prefer to mark your place in a book? (bookmarks, random scraps of paper, dog-eared pages)
86. If you could erase a book from your brain and experience it for the first time again, which book would you choose?
87. What's a book or series that can instantly transport you back to your childhood?
88. How do you feel about companion novels?
89. How do you feel about movie tie-in covers?
90. Do you have a favorite book quote?
91. If you could have any skill or ability from a book character, what would it be?
92. Would you rather go into a fictional world for a week, or pull your favorite fictional character into the real world for a week?
93. What fictional squad/friendship group would you love to be a part of?
94. If you could have a dinner party with any three fictional characters, who would you invite?
95. If you could protect any fictional character from dying, who would it be? (be sure to avoid spoilers!)
96. Would you rather be a pirate or a mermaid? (switch out for any fictional creature/occupation as desired)
97. Do you listen to music while you read?
98. What time of day do you prefer to read?

99. Do you keep track of your reading for the year?

100. Do you ever re-read books?

Bonus: Comment Games to Play

Questions aren't the only way to encourage people to comment on your posts! Inviting people to play a fun game in your comments can also boost engagement and mix things up a little.

Some comment games include:

1. Predictive text games! For example, you might tell your followers, Let predictive text fill in the blank! "I love reading because _____."
2. Type your current read in the comments BUT do it with your eyes closed!
3. Comment two books you've read and one you haven't, and I'll try to guess which is which
4. Your most frequently-used emoji is how your current read will end -- comment it and show us how screwed the characters are going to be!
5. Your YA fantasy book name is "A [object to your left] of [your current mood] and [last thing you ate]." (e.g. "A Lamp of Boredom and Sandwiches.")

Final Thoughts

Interactions online can feel awkward sometimes, but inviting people to comment on your Instagram posts is an easy way for them to engage with your photos and show you some appreciation. I know I'm much more likely to comment on someone's post if there's a fun question for me to answer! Asking questions is not just a way to increase your engagement for the algorithm -- it's a way to find new bookish friends :)

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