Instagram captions that get saved: what Instagram says and what is our view

A save is the quietest thing a person can do to your post. It does not show up in the comments, and nobody sees it but them.

This post separates two things that usually get blended: what Instagram has actually said about saves, and what is just our view of how to write a caption people keep.

Does Instagram count saves?

Yes. Instagram's ranking explainer says it looks at "how many people have liked it and how quickly people are liking, commenting, sharing and saving a post." For Explore it goes further: "The most important actions we predict in Explore include likes, saves, and shares."

It also says what you saved teaches Instagram about you: "Posts you've liked, shared, saved or commented on help us understand what you might be interested in."

What does Instagram say about what to write?

Less than people claim. The ranking page tells you saves are a signal. It does not tell you how much a save weighs against a like, and it does not say that a certain caption length or style earns more of them.

We looked for a source on caption length and saves and did not find one. So we will not tell you a magic character count. If a guide gives you one, ask where the number came from.

What gets a post saved?

Our view, not Instagram's: people save things they expect to need again. A recipe, a checklist, a script they might copy, a list of places, a step-by-step they will follow later.

It follows that a post the person will use once and forget is a bad candidate for a save, however good the writing. A post they may need next week is a good one.

How do you write a caption worth saving?

Again, this is our practice and not a rule from Instagram. We write the caption to tell someone what they will be able to do with the post later.

• Say what is inside in the first line, so the reason to keep it is obvious.
• Make it a thing to return to: a list, steps, a template.
• Put the useful part in the post itself, and let the caption point to it.
• End with a plain reason to save, in your own voice, if it fits.
• Do not tell people to save it ten times. Once, if at all.

Then check what happened. Look at which of your posts were saved most and see what they had in common. That tells you more about your audience than any rule.

Questions people ask