TikTok captions are limited to 2,200 characters but shorter is almost always better. The first line is the most important — it appears before the "more" cutoff and determines whether someone keeps watching or scrolls away.
TikTok caption best practices
- Lead with a hook — a question, bold claim, or relatable statement in the first line
- Keep the main caption to 1-3 sentences; save detail for the comments
- End with a call to action: "Save this for later", "Comment your answer", "Follow for part 2"
- Use 3-5 niche hashtags + 1-2 broad hashtags (avoid spamming 30 hashtags)
- Tag trending sounds or topics to ride discovery waves
How many hashtags should I use on TikTok?
Research suggests 3-8 targeted hashtags outperform 20+ generic ones. Mix niche hashtags (under 500K posts), medium hashtags (500K–5M), and one or two broad ones (5M+) to hit multiple discovery layers.
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