Caption

What is a caption?

A caption is a brief piece of text that accompanies an image or video post on social media. They are designed to give extra context, add personality, and encourage followers to engage further with the image or video shared.

For marketers, getting the caption right is crucial, as it can make the difference between a viewer engaging with the content or scrolling past it. A well-crafted caption does more than just describe the image—it can connect with your followers on a deeper level, prompt them to comment, share, or like your post, and even drive more meaningful interactions.

What makes a good caption?

A good caption supports your visual content by offering a window into who you are, educating your audience, or prompting them to engage. It should align with your marketing goals, whether that’s driving sales, increasing engagement, or building brand awareness. 

The best captions are aligned with your brand identity, whether that’s witty, serious, or somewhere in between, and they should be concise, relevant, and easy to read.

You can use Buffer’s AI Social Media Post Creator to help you write your captions, for free. There’s also no need to sign up to Buffer to use this tool. If you are a Buffer user, you’ll find the AI Assistant ready and waiting to help in the post composer window. To find it, just tap the + New Post button, then Use the AI Assistant. A window will open to the left of the composer where you can prompt the AI.

How long should a caption be?

While captions can be as short as a single word or as long as several lines, shorter captions often perform better because they quickly convey the message. But it really depends on the social media platform, for example, on LinkedIn, you’ll often see longer captions get a lot of engagement, while on TikTok, you’ll notice most captions are short and sweet.

The most important thing is to edit captions down to get your point across in the fewest words possible, cutting out any fluff to keep it simple and direct.

Should I use hashtags in my captions?

Yes, using hashtags in your captions can increase your content's visibility by making it discoverable to a broader audience. While hashtags are important, they should be used strategically and not overdone, to keep the focus on the main message of your caption.

Can I edit a caption after posting?

Yes, you can edit a caption after posting on most social media platforms. Here’s how it works on different platforms:

• Instagram: You can edit your caption at any time after posting.
• Facebook: On Facebook, you can edit your post’s caption by clicking the three dots on the top right of the post and selecting "Edit post."
• Twitter (X): As of now, Twitter does not allow users to edit tweets after they’ve been posted. 
• LinkedIn: You can edit the caption of a post on LinkedIn by clicking the three dots on the top right of your post and selecting "Edit post."
• YouTube: For video descriptions or captions on YouTube, you can edit them at any time by going to YouTube Studio.
• TikTok: You cannot edit captions on TikTok after posting. 

Need help coming up with captions?

Use Buffer’s AI Social Media Post Creator to help you write your captions, come up with new ones, or refine current ones–all for free.