Captions should add something the photo doesn't already say
A caption that just restates the obvious ("New color!") wastes an opportunity. Use the caption to add context — the process, an interesting detail, a relevant tip, or a genuine question that invites engagement.
Ending a caption with a genuine question ("What's your go-to summer color?") tends to increase comments, which can help visibility beyond just likes.
Mix informative and promotional captions
Similar to overall content mix, avoid captions that are purely promotional every time — informative or engaging captions build a more genuine connection with your audience than constant "book now" messaging.
Hashtags: relevant and specific beats generic and broad
A mix of specific, relevant hashtags (your city plus your service) tends to perform better for local discovery than only using extremely broad, high-competition tags where your post gets buried instantly.
Avoid unrelated or purely trending hashtags just to gain reach — posts that don't match what someone was actually searching for perform poorly and can even be seen as spammy by the platform's systems.
A simple, repeatable structure
Rather than agonizing over hashtags for every single post, build a small rotating set relevant to your business (your city, your specialty, a couple of broader industry tags) and adjust slightly per post rather than starting from scratch each time.
Frequently asked questions
How many hashtags should I use? Platform norms and effectiveness change over time — a modest, relevant set tends to work better than either none at all or an excessive, unfocused list. Test what works for your specific account.
Do hashtags matter as much as they used to? Their role has evolved as platform algorithms change, but relevant hashtags still support discoverability, especially for reaching people who aren't already following you.