Ten common caption mistakes and how to fix them

After you have read a few hundred captions, the same problems appear again and again. None of them is serious, but each makes a post a little weaker. Here are ten, with a one-line fix.

1. Writing what the photo already shows. "Sunset at the beach" under a sunset at the beach. Fix: add the feeling or the detail the camera could not catch.
2. Copying a famous line without credit. Fix: use your own words or name the writer.
3. Too many emoji. Fix: three at most, and never in place of words.
4. Hashtags in the middle of the sentence. Fix: put them after the caption.
5. No first line. Fix: say the main point first; people see only the first line.
6. A caption that argues with the photo. Fix: match the tone of the picture.
7. Tagging people without asking. Fix: ask first, especially for children and for private events.
8. Naming a place that is private. Fix: do not post your exact home address or a child's school.
9. Using special-letter fonts. They look stylish but screen readers read them letter by letter. Fix: use normal letters.
10. Posting the same caption everywhere. Fix: change it a little for each platform, since the audience is different.

Check before you post

Read the caption aloud once, check the spelling, and ask: would I be comfortable if this was read by my family and my employer? If yes, post. For more, read how to write a good caption.

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