Skip to content

FREE TOOLS

SEO Caption Generator
for Social Media 7 Networks

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest icons

Wanna get more eyes on your content? Use this tool to SEO-ify your captions — and boost your engagement as a result — with absolutely no heavy lifting.

0/200
0/200

Please note: This tool may display inaccurate or offensive material that doesn’t represent Hootsuite’s views. You’re solely responsible for use of any content generated using this tool, including its compliance with applicable laws and third-party rights.



What is social SEO?

Social search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of adding elements to your social media posts to help them appear when users search for related topics.

Until recently, digital marketers treated SEO and social media marketing as two very different balls of wax. SEO is all about traditional search engines like Google and Bing, while social media marketing concerns social networks. Never the twain shall meet, right? 

Wrong. These days, consumers treat social networks a lot like search engines, using their search bars to find information, reviews, entertainment, and inspiration. In fact, nearly 40% of Gen Z prefers searching for information on TikTok and Instagram over Google. An even higher percentage of women start with social media to do their everyday searching.

So what does this mean for digital marketers? Well, for one: we’ve got to start making our social media content easier for users to find on social media (and fast). That’s where social search optimization — and this tool — comes into play.


How to use this social media SEO caption generator

Want to get ahead of the social media game and edge out your competitors? You’ve got to start creating SEO-friendly social media captions right now. Creating lots of content is the key to the algorithm’s heart, and you don’t want to fall behind. Luckily, this lightning-fast caption generator will handle it for you. 

If you manage multiple accounts across various networks, Hootsuite can help you automate the writing process and cut your content creation time in half. Use OwlyWriter AI, Hootsuite’s AI-powered social media writer, to generate unlimited social media captions and build out your content calendar fast. 


Step 1: Select your network

First: select your preferred social network. This tool writes captions for Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook, Pinterest, and Threads.

Network selector dropdown menu showing different social media platform options


Step 2: Select your style

Next: select your tone of voice. Remember, you don’t just want to create posts that are easy to find in search. You also want to create ones that closely match your voice and branding. Select from the list of tones in the drop-down menu to find a style that suits your brand.


Step 3: Select your language

To ensure that your new captions speak the language of your target audience, choose your preferred language from the dropdown menu. This tool will generate captions in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German.


Step 4: Add a short description

Next: add a description. This is where you tell the tool a little bit about your post. When writing your description, include the type of post (video, reel, story, feed post, etc.) as well as some information about the content. A few words or phrases is enough to get you started.

An example of how you can use the SEO caption generator. The prompt says "a reel showing the most popular spring footwear of 2024",

Step 5: Add your primary keywords

Finally: Add your primary keyword(s)

Keywords are the ticket to high-quality, well-optimized social media posts. But how do you know which ones to use? You’ll find keyword inspo by searching through suggested keywords, hashtags, and trending terms on your preferred social network.

Stumped? Ask yourself “what questions does this content answer?” and “what words would I search for to discover this content?”

You can add more than one keyword, but be sure to list the most important keyword first.

caption generator result saying "step into the season with our spring shoes extravaganza! From sandals to sneakers, our top 10 picks will have you strutting in style. Get ready to kick off the warmer days with these must-have footwear trends!"


How does this social SEO tool work?

Our handy-dandy social SEO tool generates keyword-rich social media captions that make your content easier to find through in-app search. That way, when someone types a relevant keyword into the search bar on your preferred social network, your content has a much higher chance of showing up at the top of the search results page.

Properly optimized social media captions can also help the algorithm prioritize showing your content to users who have previously searched for a topic that might relate to your brand. That means it’ll help earn you prime real estate later on, as users scroll through the feed or the network’s explore page.


Which networks does this SEO tool work for?

Our social media SEO caption generator works for all the major social networks. Use it to generate SEO captions for Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Threads. 

With that said, you could technically use it for pretty much any social network you’d like. Those are just the networks that users most commonly use in place of search engines. (Instagram and TikTok, especially).

If you want to use it for a network not listed, simply select the one with the caption character limit that’s closest to the network where you plan to post. Just make sure to add or delete characters, depending on the rules of that platform.


Best practices for writing SEO social media captions

A caption generator such as this one can take a ton of brainstorming and hard-thinking off your plate. But it’s still important to know a bit about how to optimize your social media posts for search. And while captions are arguably the most important part of the equation, they’re not everything.

Here’s what you need to optimize to ensure that your posts get the glory they deserve on social media.


Optimize your captions

If you’re here, you already know that enriching your social media captions with strategically chosen words, phrases, and hashtags can help boost their appearance in search. Make sure to include relevant keywords and hashtags in each caption.

Be sure to keep an eye on what people are searching for on your preferred platform. Many social networks show trending topics and suggested terms in the search bar. These are filled with great keyword ideas to use in your posts.

To make the brainstorming process even easier, you can use Hootsuite to automatically generate relevant hashtags based on your content.


Optimize your social media bios

When people search on social media, they’re not always looking for specific posts. Often, they’re looking for the top creators of content within a certain online niche. They want to follow like-minded creators and brands that speak to their specific interests. That’s why it’s critical to include descriptive keywords in your social media bio.

To write the perfect social media bio, make sure to include relevant keywords, hashtags, and phrases. If you’re stuck on what to say, you can always use our social media bio generator to help get your wheels spinning.


Optimize your images and videos

Lastly, make sure to optimize the media within your post. You can do this by creating clear, descriptive alt text for your photos and videos. Not only will alt text improve your social SEO, it’ll also help your content be more accessible to users who use screen readers and other assistive technologies. 

Oh, and make sure to add correct subtitles or closed captions to all videos, reels, and TikToks. This will make your posts more discoverable and more accessible to a larger audience.

OwlyWriter caption generator

Get unlimited AI captions

Save thousands of hours with Hootsuite's AI social media writer. Generate on-brand social media captions, hashtags, and post ideas instantly.

A dozen social media tools. One tab.

Grow on social media in half the time. Hootsuite brings scheduling, analytics, automation, and inbox management to one dashboard.

Free 30-day trialBook a demo