As the Stylebook says, “a ‘dozing’ legislator may be reading.ĭO say where your information comes from, if you mention action not seen in the photo (“ Organizers say more than 500 employees signed up”).ĭON’T leave the reader to wonder if you have a credible source or you are guessing.ĭO consider using a simple photo and longer caption instead of a full article when the topic doesn’t need one. Use some information from the article to explain what’s going on or why.ĭON’T say someone “looks on” or “is shown.” Zzz.ĭO explain the action in the photo and tie the details to the article, but stick to the facts.ĭON’T assume or guess what someone is thinking or doing.
“Don’t merely repeat the story headline or summary, and avoid stating the obvious elements that are captured in the image,” says The Poynter Institute.ĭON’T duplicate what the reader can see (Sue holding a trophy) or might read in the full story. Even then, the reason you’re talking about the date or location is probably more to the point.ĭO add new information and context. Readers can see that “Sue Horner holds a trophy ” they want to know, why?ĭO explain when and where the action is taking place, if appropriate.ĭON’T put this information first, unless the date or location (the Titanic?) is the most important point of the story. Aim for “informative, interesting and lively,” says The Canadian Press Stylebook.ĭO explain the unknown tell readers something they don’t know by looking at the photo, such as a result.ĭON’T state the obvious. Let the caption lead readers to the article for more details.ĭON’T be boring.
Add something that might encourage skimmers to read the full article, or add something new that didn’t make the story.ĭON’T tell the whole story. Here are some do’s and don’ts for captivating captions (also called cutlines) that are worth the read:ĭO tell a story or convey your main message in the caption. Photos “attract even the most casual reader, so captions are probably the most-read words…after headlines,” says The Canadian Press Stylebook. Ideally, those three elements together should tell most of the story, in case the reader bypasses the rest of the article altogether.
Your readers might just skim your text (sorry!), but chances are they’ll look more closely at the headline, photo and caption.
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