Why 'that'll do' just won't do
When you land on a caption that works, it’s tempting to use it and move on.
But most good ideas have a bit more to give. It’s easy to write something that does the job and call it a day, but if you try a few different versions, you’ll often uncover one that lands quicker and hits harder. That extra push can separate an okay caption from a really strong one.
We tend to assume that just by making a caption shorter the design will be punchier – short captions read more easily, are understood more quickly, and make a stronger impression when customers are scrolling on site – but that’s not always where the strongest version of the idea lies.
When you write a caption, you’re shaping how that idea comes across to a customer. Even small changes in wording can completely change how quickly (and how well) it lands.
Rather than asking “is this good?”, try asking: “what else could this be?” The idea stays the same, but the execution changes. And those small shifts in wording can lead to very different outcomes.
When you’ve got a caption, the instinct is usually to tweak and refine it straight away. But before you do that, it’s worth expanding it first
Step 1:
Start with the obvious version. Get the idea down as it comes to you. Don’t overthink it or try to make it clever, just write it out in full. This is your baseline, and it gives you something solid to work from.
Step 2:
From there, instead of refining that one version, try pushing it in different directions. Below are a set of prompts you can use to rephrase, flip the perspective, and change the tone of the same idea in a few different ways.
The goal is to explore a range of options. These prompts aren’t designed to give you the final caption, but to push the idea in different directions. That shift in perspective can help you think about it in ways you hadn’t before and lead you to a stronger version that was harder to reach directly.
Angle
Description
Example
You’re in the moment
Write it like something someone would actually say in the situation
“We’re going to need more candles.”
Straight observation
State what’s happening, plainly and clearly
“That’s a lot of candles.”
Cliché / Familiar Structure
Use a recognisable setup or phrasing
“One minute you’re young and fun, the next you’ve got this many candles.”
Exaggeration
Push the idea beyond reality or impact
“There aren’t enough candles in the shop for this.”
Understatement
Downplay it for subtle humour
“Few candles there.”
Blunt/ Laddy Tone
Make it direct, bold and unfiltered
There’s a fuck load of candles.”
Question
Turn the idea into a question
“How many candles is that?”
Comparison
Compare it to something else
“More candles than cake.”
Twist/ Misdirection
Set up expectation, then flip it
“Make a wish… if you’ve got time.”
Label/ Warning
Present it like a title or official statement
“Caution: Excessive Candle Use”
These don’t have to be the only angles; feel free to stretch and twist the idea however you like. The more you push it, the more it gets you thinking.
• How would your nan say this?
• Can you make it rhyme?
• Can you express it in fewer than 5 words?
• What would it sound like coming from a child?
Step 3:
Push it further.
Choose 3-4 angles that stand out to you and use them to create shorter, bolder, more stripped-back versions of your idea.
You can also try approaching the same idea through showing and telling.
A “tell” version explains the idea to the reader.
A “show” version puts you in the moment and lets the customer connect the dots.
For example:
• Tell: “You know you’re getting older when you have this many candles on your cake.”
• Show: “We’re going to need more candles.”
Same idea, but a completely different way of expressing it.
This helps you test the range of the idea and see how far it can be pushed.
Step 4:
Compare, don’t guess. Put your versions side by side and see how they stack up
• Which one lands fastest?
• Which feels the clearest?
• Which would stand out more while scrolling?
Seeing them next to each other can make it easier to spot what’s working and what’s not.
When you explore a few different versions of the same idea, patterns start to emerge; some feel over-explained, some fall flat, and some feel sharper or more direct. Often, the stronger versions are saying the same thing, just more clearly.
It’s easy to stop at the first version because it “works”, but there’s often more to uncover. Try writing at least three versions before choosing one. Even if you go with the first, you’ll know it’s a considered choice.
You don’t need a new idea, you just need to push the one you have a bit further. The difference is rarely the concept, but the execution you choose.
