Facebook captions are read by people who know you, or by people within a few miles of your shop. That audience changes what works. Clever lines aimed at strangers fall flat; plain, specific updates do well, because the reader already has the context that an Instagram stranger lacks.
The other difference is length. Facebook gives you more room before it truncates than Instagram does, so a full sentence or two is normal rather than excessive. Use it for the detail, not for padding.
Personal updates
- Moved house on Saturday. Everything is in a box and I have lost the kettle.
- Started the new job today. First day nerves at 38, apparently.
- We got a dog. He is asleep on the sofa he is not allowed on.
- Finished the kitchen after four months. It only took two arguments.
- Passed the test on the third attempt, which is the only attempt that counts.
- Back home after a week away and the garden has staged a takeover.
- Small update: she took her first steps in the hallway last night.
Photo albums
- Album from the weekend, about 40 photos, most of them of the same dog.
- Full set from the wedding. Tag yourself, I have no idea who half of you are.
- Holiday photos, finally sorted, three months late.
- The whole trip in one album, in order, including the bad hotel.
- Photos from Saturday are up. Sorry about the one of Dave.
Local business posts
- Open until 8pm tonight, and there is still bread.
- New on the menu this week: three specials, all under a tenner.
- We are closed Monday for a family thing and back Tuesday morning.
- Booking for December opens this Friday at 9am.
- The van is at the market until 2pm today, corner spot by the church.
- Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday. Best day we have had.
- We have moved next door. Same shop, better windows.
Events and invitations
- Quiz night Thursday at eight. Teams of four, bring a pen.
- Fundraiser on the 14th, doors at seven, everything goes to the club.
- Kids party at the hall on Sunday, all welcome, please tell me numbers.
- Village fair this weekend, we have a stall near the gate.
- Live music from nine on Friday, no ticket needed.
Community and asking for help
- Does anyone have a ladder I can borrow for an hour?
- Lost cat on Mill Lane, black with a white chest, please check sheds.
- Looking for a plumber people actually rate, recommendations welcome.
- Free to a good home: a sofa, a chair and a table nobody wants.
- Anyone driving to the coast on Saturday with a spare seat?
Milestones and thanks
- Ten years of the shop this month. Thank you, genuinely.
- Fifty years married today. They are still arguing about the thermostat.
- Retired on Friday after 31 years. Strange feeling.
- Thanks for the birthday messages, all 200 of them, I read every one.
- We hit our target for the fundraiser this morning.
Short and simple
- Good day.
- Back at last.
- Open as usual.
- We are all fine, thanks for asking.
- New photos below.
- Long week, good ending.
- More soon.
Anniversaries and thanks
- Five years since we opened. Same street, same oven, better bread.
- Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday, it was the best day we have had.
- Twenty years of coaching this team and I am handing over the whistle.
- The fundraiser closed this morning and it went past the target.
- Thanks to the neighbours who checked in while we were away.
Writing your own
Say the useful thing in the first sentence, because Facebook posts get skimmed even though they do not get cut as early as Instagram ones. For a business, the useful thing is almost always a time, a date, a price or an address, and burying it under a friendly paragraph is the most common mistake local pages make. Match the caption to the photo instead of describing it: if the picture shows the van at the market, the caption should give the pitch location and the closing time. Ask questions when you want replies, and answer them, because Facebook comment threads are where local posts get their reach. Keep the tone the same as how you talk in the shop. If you post the same update across several platforms, the AI social media post generator will adjust the wording per platform, and the Facebook post generator is a decent starting point for a business update.