Table of Contents
Lead With Something They Care About
Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok only show the first few words of your caption—maybe six or seven—before cutting it off. If those first words don’t instantly resonate, people will keep swiping.
It’s not personal. They just don’t know you yet.
- They don’t care that your album is out.
- They don’t care who directed the video.
- They don’t care about your smartlink or your artist name.
But they do care if your video is about something that relates to them:
- Their hometown
- A famous song
- A trending topic
- A lyric they recognize
- A story they’ve lived through
Be as clear as possible. “I FREESTYLED ON A DRAKE BEAT” is better than something cryptic. “MY COVER OF ‘COUNTING STARS’” works. Even “I GOT MY HEART STOMPED ON” is better than nothing. At least now the viewer knows what they’re about to watch.
And if you’re stuck? Use a hashtag like #LostLove to tell people what it’s about. It might not bring traffic, but it communicates quickly—and that matters.
Keep It Under 100 Characters
On YouTube Shorts, your title has a 100-character limit. Instagram and TikTok will cut your caption off even sooner. No one reads long text under a video unless the video already hooked them.
So get to the point. You’ve got two clear strategies:
- Long & Detailed – If you can write well, tell the story. Some viewers read.
- Short & Poetic – A lyric, a quote, or a striking phrase can set the mood.
Just don’t waste characters on smartlinks or extra socials. Those don’t work in these formats.
Always Tag the People Involved
If someone helped with the beat, the mix, the video, or the performance—tag them. This does two things:
- It alerts them to the post, which makes them more likely to engage or share it.
- It gives the algorithm more surface area to work with, expanding your reach to their audience.
No one builds alone. Let the post reflect that.
Keep It Clean
If you ever plan to run ads on your video, your caption must be squeaky clean. No profanity—even in text. Ads will get rejected, and algorithms may deprioritize your post if the caption triggers moderation filters.
Use Hashtags Thoughtfully
Hashtags are not a magic trick. Use them if they help discovery or clarify the content.
✔️ Use:
- Hashtags tied to the topic (#Heartbreak, #Freestyle, #CoverSong)
- Hashtags your audience might search
❌ Don’t use:
- Spammy filler like #best #new #music #listen
- Hashtags unrelated to the content just to get views
Amateur hashtags make you look like an amateur.
Always Link to the Real Video
The point of short-form video is to get people to go deeper. If they can’t find the full version of the track or the full music video, you wasted their interest.
- On Instagram, update your bio with a smartlink that points to your main release.
- On YouTube Shorts, use the Add Related Video feature to connect viewers to the main thing.
You can’t convert attention if you don’t give people anywhere to go.
If You’re Ready to Post Smarter
If you’re ready to take action on this kind of strategy, check out our campaigns and services that address just this issue — Content Creation at 360Promo
Also check out our post on how to edit vertical shortform videos to level up your content even further.
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360 Promo, follow us on Instagram and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.