Instagram is your chance to engage through visuals. While images and videos are the keys to success on Instagram, words still matter.
Unlike Twitter, which built its entire platform around a character limit, most people are unaware of whether an Instagram character limit applies.
Is there a character limit on Instagram? Yes, in recent years, they have imposed tighter restrictions to limit spam. Here’s everything you need to know about the Instagram text limit.
Does Instagram Have a Character Limit?
The overall Instagram post character limit is 2,200 characters, which equals an average of around 400 words. The 2,200-character limit doesn’t tell the full story though.
Just because you have 2,200 characters to play with doesn’t mean you should be using all those characters. Let’s look at the Instagram character limit for different parts of the Instagram experience.
Instagram Character Limit for Bios
The Instagram text limit for bios is a much shorter 150 characters. It’s why you’ll see links, emojis, and flags in people’s bios.
On the other hand, your username limit is just 30 characters, so keep your branding short and snappy.
Instagram Caption Limit
If you’re running Instagram Ads, you have extra limits to account for. The Instagram caption limit is 2,200 characters, which is the same that applies to posts.
Figuring out how long can an Instagram caption be is easy, but just because you can use 2,200 characters doesn’t mean you should.
Facebook, Instagram’s owner, recommends using no more than 125 characters.
Instagram Hashtag Limit
Hashtag spam was a feature of Instagram for years. Since then, the platform has cracked down on the practice. Now you can post no more than 30 hashtags per post.
Like with the 2,200 limits, just because you can use 30 doesn’t mean you should. We recommend using 5-10 hashtags at most, but it’s very much a matter of trial and error, testing what works best for your audience.
Instagram Message Character Limit
The Instagram message character limit is 1,000 characters, including spaces. For most users, this is more than enough characters to get their point across.
If you need a more in-depth conversation with a user, take them off the platform with shortened links.
Instagram Comment Character Limit
The Instagram comment character limit is the same as captions at 2,200 per post. You are limited on the number of comments you can post per day.
It’s not a hard limit and ranges between 180 and 200. More active users may find that they have greater limits.
What is the Ideal Instagram Character Count?
Did you know that Instagram captions truncate when they reach 125 characters? In other words, if you want to see the whole caption on display, you cannot go over this limit.
Most marketers agree that sticking to 125-150 characters is the way forward for visibility purposes. It means you need to practice getting your entire story into a tight character limit.
To help you out with this, Bitly’s link shortener helps you to cut down on the number of characters used when linking externally.
Even if you’re a budding novelist on Instagram, less is more.
Making the Most of Your Instagram Character Limit
Now you know how many characters in an Instagram post you have to play with, it’s time to consider how you can make the most of those limits. Here are some great tips for maximizing your small piece of real estate:
- Tell a story – Stories encourage engagement. Set the scene. Invite further inquiries.
- Pose a question – Asking a question is the simplest way of engaging without using up too many characters.
- Invite action – Use a call-to-action in your posts. For an external link, try out a shortened, branded social media link from Bitly.
- Save for hashtags – Hashtags expand your reach far more than your words. When writing, make sure you leave enough space to add in some hashtags.
- Get the perfect image – You can have the greatest caption in the world, but if you don’t have the perfect image, you’re not going to get anywhere. Save the fancy language for Facebook. Instagram is all about images.
Instagram is all about experimentation. Play around with different styles and tones. Try out different hashtags, and you’ll find the brand voice that invites engagement.
This is a long-term investment, so don’t be afraid to try new things until you get the results you’re looking for.
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