The words beside the picture.
THE FIRST LINE
Most platforms truncate. The first line determines whether anyone expands it.
Say something specific, not a greeting.
LENGTH
Short usually works. Longer works when there is something worth reading.
Do not pad to seem substantial.
WHAT TO INCLUDE
What the picture shows, if not obvious Why it matters
Anything useful: a tip, a detail, a price
What to do next, sometimes
THE CALL TO ACTION
Not on every post. A feed where every caption asks for something becomes tiring.
When you do ask, be specific: "Send us a message to order" rather than "link in bio".
TONE
The way you would talk to a customer. Not corporate.
For a small business, sounding like a person is the advantage.
HASHTAGS
Relevant and modest in number. Local ones, and ones describing what the thing actually is.
Dozens of generic tags produce nothing except a cluttered caption.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Ask engagement questions with no purpose Use language nobody uses Write the same caption repeatedly
