How to Caption a Post on Instagram

Updated March 4, 2025

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Instagram is all about the photos right? Well, yes, it is. But there is space for a caption below your photo. And the text in your bio. And hashtags… so maybe it isn’t all about the photos… Let’s take a look at how to optimize your Instagram posts AFTER you’ve spent 30 minutes fiddling about with filters on VSCO.

Can We Take a Selfie

So, let’s skip past photo editing tips and let’s assume you’re ready to post. You should see this screen:

This is where you can type your caption and also add hashtags for the photo.

Caption This

A caption can be whatever you want it to be. There is a character limit, but it’s a let’s stretchy 2,200 characters and it isn’t too strange to see a caption running over into two comments if it’s really big news. But like your meta descriptions on your website the first comment will be cut down. So, if you want to ‘go long’ you need to optimize the first few sentences as if they were a mini-meta for your caption.

However, most captions are short and to the point. A couple of words. Maybe two sentences. Unless you’re giving out some detailed information (perhaps details of a competition) then try to keep it brief.

#Hashtag

A hashtag is Instagram’s version of a keyword. It works just like a website. If you’re not optimizing your Instagram by adding hashtags people won’t find your photos unless they search for your profile.

So, just like you would with keywords, you should research what hashtags to use. Again, like keywords, you should avoid spamming your post with hashtags. The main reason to avoid doing this is that users will be able to see your hashtags. So if you add irrelevant hashtags to get likes, everyone will be able to see.

Tricks of the Trade

One trick you can use on your Instagram account involves adding the hashtags later. So, instead of adding them to your actual post (as shown above), you can do the post with a caption. Then, once the post is ‘live’ add a comment with the hashtags. This helps the original post and caption look uncluttered, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule on if you should, or shouldn’t do it. So, do what you think looks best. Just keep it consistent.

On the Gram

So, now you’ve got perfect captions and targeted hashtags your Instagram posts should be raking in the likes and followers. Do you have any tips on how to get the most out of the written parts of your Instagram posts? We’d love to hear your tricks.