Social SEO: Search Inside Social AppsLesson 2 of 4

Keywords in captions and in speech

How people actually ask

A keyword phrase is how a person actually asks the question. Not “content strategy optimization,” but “why do my Reels get so few saves.”

Where to put them

  1. 1First words on screen
  2. 2First spoken lines (captions get indexed / help a lot)
  3. 3Start of the caption — not after a wall of emoji
  4. 4Name / bio — if it’s a steady theme for the account

Rewrite examples

Weak → stronger
“Uh, quick note on tags”
weak

“How many hashtags to use on Instagram”

“My thoughts on reach”
weak

“Why reach dropped after buying followers”

“Useful Reel”
weak

“Reels hook in 3 seconds: 5 formulas”

Anti-spam

One or two natural mentions beat a robot: “hashtags hashtags buy hashtags.” Talk like a human. Write like a human who’s searching.

Check yourself

Where does a keyword phrase matter most in a short video?

  1. Only at the end, in tiny text
  2. At the start on screen and/or in the first spoken words + in the caption
  3. Only inside the image with no text
  4. Only in English, even if your audience speaks another language
Explanation: Both search and people latch onto a clear opening. Hide the keyword at the end — they won’t hear it, and retention suffers.