How to Write Captions for Your Pictures: 4 Tips That Will Help You Every Time
Caption is a short piece of text under a picture/Video or any post you make on social media platfroms.
Section 1: Write a caption
Get a pencil and start drawing a few general words that describe the image in just a few words or phrases. You’ll want to choose a Instagram caption that is not too wordy but not so brief as to be considered rude. Too short a caption, and the reader may not get a clear image of what they are seeing.
Once you have a caption, write it out carefully and change it when it does not describe the image clearly. Also, always try to remember to write both your caption and what is going on in the picture.
Section 2: List possible captions and turn to the board.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes deciding what kinds of captions might apply to your photograph. To make this easier, consider the following:
It is a landscape with a lighthouse in the distance.
It is a building with a huge fan.
Keep it short
Don’t go on and on describing every last detail of the photo. Let the picture do the talking for you.
Break it up
Don’t add more text than is necessary. Instead, say something along the lines of “Anthony is helping Nate cook dinner in the kitchen.”
How to Write Captions for Your Pictures: 4 Tips That Will Help You Every Time
Literal
Read it as if you are listening to the speaker talking, and use their words in your text. For example, if a chef was telling you about a dish he was preparing, and you were in the kitchen, listening to what he was saying, you could say “The chef is showing Nate the soup, and Nate is wearing a hat and stirring the soup with a spoon.”
Read it as if you are listening to the speaker talking, and use their words in your text.
Use simple words
Your caption should be simple to understand and easy to remember
Provide the point of your story without being confusing
Write the caption as your caption as if you were the one taking the picture
When writing captions remember that each picture is different and you should be able to provide at least 2–3 versions.
4. Style Guide
Your styling guide should be very easy to understand.
Choose the best style of your pictures
You should always write captions in your own style
Make your captions easy to read
Avoid technical phrases and people-specific words
Always end with the overall message of the story
Style Guide
Check out our podcast of this blogpost.
Use contrast
Use contrasting colors to make your captions stand out.
Be creative
Don’t be a cliché. Write your own creative caption. People are looking for something interesting that will capture their attention.
Why? Because you can’t put all your effort into the main story and still tell them what they need to know.
How to Write Captions for Your Pictures: 4 Tips That Will Help You Every Time
Avoid using the same types of words over and over
Use simple words and don’t overuse the same words over and over. This is called repetition.
How to Write Captions for Your Pictures: 4 Tips That Will Help You Every Time
Use anecdotes and opinions
List three or four things that you know about the scene or event. This gives a personal touch to your writing and makes it more engaging for your readers.
Don’t forget to proofread
Don’t try to match your writing style with the way the photographer describes the picture. Instead, try to match the way you would like to be described in the caption.
Choose an appropriate title and use it when you’re choosing which picture to add to the piece. In my experience, you will see it a lot of times when a picture was taken for a commercial purpose where they want to make it fit a particular narrative. As with everything else, don’t stray from the rules.
Don’t forget to adjust your writing for various device sizes
Sometimes a picture is not quite visible on one of the main screen, while on another page it is really clear. Sometimes you have to deal with the size of the text while other times you have to deal with the screen size of your phone or tablet.
