# Keywords in captions and in speech

Course: [Social SEO: Search Inside Social Apps](https://the-app.fyi/academy/social-seo)
Lesson 2 of 4 · 3–5 min
URL: https://the-app.fyi/academy/social-seo/keyword-phrases

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

### Rewrite examples

**“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

> **Rule:** 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.