A caption has three jobs
- First line. A reason to keep watching. It is the only line most people see.
- Middle. What the piece is and how it was made, in plain words. Search reads captions.
- Last line. One ask.
Hashtags: five at most, and specific
Instagram now allows up to five hashtags on a post. The head of Instagram has said hashtags do not raise reach by themselves; they describe a post so it can be found and grouped. Following a hashtag was removed in December 2024.
So use three to five tags that say exactly what the piece is. Instagram’s own guidance warns that irrelevant tags can hurt how far a post travels.
| Tag for | Example |
|---|---|
| The craft | #aifilmmaking |
| The format | #specad |
| The subject | #perfumead |
| The tool, only if you used it | #midjourney |
| The language or place | #telugu |
What moves a reel
Instagram has named three signals for reels: watch time, likes and sends. Sends count most with people who don’t follow you yet, which is where growth comes from.
- Reels longer than three minutes are not recommended to new audiences.
- Low-resolution reels and reels carrying another app’s watermark are shown less.
- Re-uploads and content that isn’t yours are shown less.
Calls to action
| You want | Write something like |
|---|---|
| New people | Send this to the friend who still thinks AI can’t do film. |
| Followers | Follow for the breakdown of this shot. |
| Comments | Which frame would you cut: 1, 2 or 3? |
| Saves | Save this prompt shape for your next project. |
| Work | Brands: the brief form is in the bio. |
One ask per post. Two asks get neither.
Label AI work
Instagram requires a label on photorealistic video and realistic-sounding audio made or altered with AI; switch on “Add AI label” when you post. Clearly stylised or cartoon video doesn’t need it.
YouTube asks you to disclose realistic altered or synthetic content. Disclosing does not limit reach or earnings by itself. Repeatedly not disclosing can.
Label it. Hiding it risks far more than showing it.
A caption shape
[First line: a question or a promise, under 10 words] [Two short lines: what this is and how it was made] [One ask] #tag1 #tag2 #tag3
Shot in a studio that doesn’t exist. A 20-second perfume spec ad, made end to end with AI: stills, motion and sound. Send this to someone who still books the location first. #aifilmmaking #specad #perfumead
Tools, prices and platform rules change often. Everything here was checked in November 2026; confirm on the tool’s own page before you rely on it.