Write a Caption the Editor Notices

When the editor goes through the week’s moments, the photos get you noticed and the captions get you featured. Two people in the same black dress look alike in a grid. The one who wrote “my first night out since the divorce” is the one people remember. Here’s how to write a caption that does that, without overthinking it.

Start With the Moment, Not the Outfit

Lead with what happened or how it felt. What you’re wearing can come second, or not at all.

• Instead of “Black blazer, red lip, gold hoops,” try “Gave my first presentation to the whole company today. Wore the blazer I bought for an interview I didn’t get.”
• Instead of “Sequin gown,” try “Three weeks of hand sewing for one song on Saturday night.”

The examples above are made up for this piece, but they show the pattern. One true detail about your life does more than any list of brands.

One Specific Detail Beats Three General Ones

“Felt amazing” is true for almost every moment on the site, so it doesn’t help a reader picture yours. Look for the detail only you could write. A number, a name, a place, a first. “My grandmother’s brooch.” “Size 18 and finally done hiding it.” “Thirty-one years since my last suit.”

If you’re stuck, finish this sentence in your head and post the answer. “The reason this one matters is…”

Keep It Short Enough to Read in a Breath

Captions can run up to 500 characters, but the best ones are usually one to three sentences. Everything after that can go in a note on your own moment if people ask.

Say Where Things Came From, If You Like

When a piece has a story, like thrifted for $11, borrowed from your sister, made from your dad’s old shirts, say so. Pair it with the matching Look breakdown tag, like Thrifted, Borrowed or Handmade, so people can find it when they search.

You don’t have to name brands. Nobody here is grading the price tag.

Use the Prompt When It Fits

If today’s prompt matches your moment, tick the box to answer it when you post. Your caption doesn’t need to repeat the prompt. Write it the way you’d write any caption, and let the prompt do its job in the background.

Write It for a Stranger

Your friends know the backstory. The editor and most members don’t. Read the caption as if you’d never met yourself. If it only makes sense with context, add the one line that gives it.

• “Finally” means more with “after two years on crutches.”
• “She’d be proud” means more with “my mom taught me to sew.”

Leave Out What You’d Regret

Don’t put your full name, your workplace, your street or your schedule in a caption. Stage names are welcome here for a reason. If the story involves someone else, keep their details out unless they’ve said it’s fine.

Then Let It Go

Captions aren’t graded and nobody counts words. The editor reads every moment on the shortlist, and the ones with a reason in the caption are easier to choose and easier to write a headline for. If yours gets featured, the headline will often come straight from what you wrote.