---
title: "Caption: definition for social media posting"
url: "https://get1post.com/glossary/caption.md"
canonical_url: "https://get1post.com/glossary/caption"
last_updated: "2026-10-23"
type: "conceptual"
summary: "What caption means in social media posting, in plain words, with how 1Post handles it."
related: ["https://get1post.com/glossary.md"]
---

# Caption: definition for social media posting

What caption means in social media posting, in plain words, with how 1Post handles it.

A caption is the text that goes with an image or video in a post. Its limit varies: Instagram allows 2,200 characters, Telegram 1,024 for a caption and TikTok 2,200. A caption can hold hashtags, mentions and a call to action, and the first lines are what readers see before they tap to expand.

Put the point in the first line, since many apps cut the caption after a few lines.

Networks differ on whether links in a caption are clickable.

## Questions

**Is a caption different from alt text?**

Yes. A caption is for everyone to read; alt text describes the image for people who cannot see it.

## Related

- [Social media posting glossary: terms explained](https://get1post.com/glossary.md)