“This chapter should be Writing for Instagram,” Opinionated Me said.
“No! It's Writing for Pinterest!” countered Riled-Up Me, getting agitated.
“What about writing captions for Facebook photos?” piped up Devil's Advocate Me.
“Wait. Should it be a broader chapter on Writing Captions that includes it all?” suggested another part of Me (the part who puts the Me in Mediator).
Then again: Should this be a separate chapter at all? Might it work better as a boxed addition to the previous Writing for Social Media chapter?
* * *
I heard them all out. In the end, Judge Me ruled that … well, you know how I ruled. You're reading this as a separate chapter with a broader Writing Image Captions header.
Here's how to write stronger captions for your images published as standalone posts on the social platforms of your choosing.
Captions give critical context. Don't tell me what's in the photo, tell me why I should care.
Four questions to prompt better captions:
What's going on outside the frame? (hat tip Erin King)
What's going on inside your head?
Add a second sense, besides sight: What's something smell, feel, taste, sound like? (As in Chapter 23, but critical here.)
Humor thrives in the absurd (as we noted in Chapter 21): Can you take something to an improbably ridiculous conclusion, like I did here with my baby-dog Augie in front of my Tiny House Studio?
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