Lesson 4 of 5 · 4 min
The first picture and the caption
Before a Reel plays, people see one still picture. A weak one looks like nothing. The caption under it does a different job.
The first picture
Instagram and TikTok take that picture from the start of your video. So the first photo of your Reel is the one people see first, and that is the second reason to choose it with care.
Want a first photo that already has a title on it? In Design, pick Reel covers in the row of kinds. These are tall 9:16 pictures made for this. Pick one, put in your photo and a short title, and save it to Media. Then add it as the first picture in your post, before Make it a reel. Keep the words in the middle, away from the very top and bottom, where the apps put their buttons.
Write the caption
The caption does not repeat the video. It adds what the video could not say.
- One line that adds something. The price, the time, where to find it. "Free first class, book at sunrise.studio".
- A question or a next step. "Which pose is your favorite?" gets comments. "Book this week" gets bookings.
- A few hashtags, not thirty. Put them last.
On Instagram and TikTok a link in the caption does not open. Use Link in bio for this post, and say in the caption that the link is in your bio.
First comment
On Instagram you can put the hashtags in a First comment, so the caption stays clean. You find it in the Instagram tab of the post. Postfjord writes it a moment after the post goes live.
Before the next lesson
Write the caption for your Reel in three parts: the line, the question, the hashtags. Put it in the text of the draft.
Quick check · 3 questions
Check what stuck
Where does the picture people see before the Reel plays come from?
Show the answer
The start of your video. Instagram and TikTok take a picture from the start of the video.
Your caption has a link in it. What happens on Instagram and TikTok?
Show the answer
The link does not open, so use your link in bio. Links in captions on those apps do not open, so send people to your link in bio.
What should the caption do?
Show the answer
Add what the video could not say, and ask for one next step. A caption that adds something gets read. One that repeats gets skipped.
In this course
- 1A hook in the first secondsWhy the first seconds decide everything, how to write a hook in six words or fewer, and how to put it on your Reel. · 4 min
- 2Photos into a ReelPick photos that tell a story, put them in order, and let Postfjord turn them into a tall video with slow movement. · 4 min
- 3Words that fit the screenShort words on the video, kept clear of the buttons the apps put on top, and easy to read with the sound off. · 4 min
- 4The first picture and the captionWhat people see before the video plays, and a caption that helps without repeating the video. · 4 min
- 5Post it where it belongsSchedule the Reel for Instagram, send it to TikTok, and look at the numbers a few days later. · 4 min