What to put in the first comment of a social media post
A first comment keeps the caption short by moving hashtags, links, credits, and details one level down, as long as the essentials stay in the caption where everyone sees them.
On this page
A first comment is a comment you leave on your own post as soon as it goes live. It lets the caption carry only what a reader needs first, while hashtags, links, credits, and extra details move one level down.
Used well, it keeps the caption easy to read. Used badly, it hides the one thing people needed to know.
What belongs in a first comment
- Hashtags, so the caption reads as a sentence and not as a list of tags.
- A link with a line of context, such as the full article or the product page, so the caption can stay on the story.
- Credits for the photographer, the venue, or the people in the photo.
- Details that would make the caption too long: sizes, ingredients, opening hours, the answer to a question people always ask.
- A question that starts the conversation, if you want replies to gather in one thread.
What stays in the caption
Anything essential to understanding the post belongs in the caption, because not everyone opens the comments. If the post announces a sale, the dates and the discount go in the caption. If it is a job opening, the role and how to apply go in the caption.
A short post rarely needs a first comment. Splitting two lines of text across a caption and a comment adds a step for the reader and saves nothing.
Hashtags: caption or first comment?
Platforms do not publish whether hashtags in a first comment count the same as hashtags in the caption when they decide who sees a post. If hashtags bring you a real share of your reach, test it: put them in the caption for a few weeks, then in the first comment for a few weeks, and compare reach on similar posts. If they do not bring you much reach either way, choose whichever version reads better.
Where you can use it
In the eksis composer, each channel's settings include a First comment field. eksis posts it once the post is live, on the platforms whose APIs allow it:
| Platform | First comment | How it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | A comment under the post | |
| Yes | A comment under the post | |
| YouTube | Yes | A comment under the video |
| Threads | Yes | A reply to your own post |
| X | Yes | A reply to your own post |
| Bluesky | Yes | A reply to your own post |
| TikTok | No | TikTok has no comments API |
| No | Needs LinkedIn's Community Management API | |
| No | A Pin carries its own link instead |
On X, a first comment is a second post. It uses another of your monthly X credits, and if it contains a link it uses more credits than plain text, just like any X post with a link.
A simple pattern to start with
Split the post like this:
- Caption: the opening line, the point, and one thing to do next.
- First comment: hashtags, credits, and the details.
For a ceramics shop, that might look like this.
New batch of speckled teapots, glazed by hand this week. Six made, link in our bio.
Stoneware, holds about 600 ml. Glaze: speckled oat. Dishwasher safe, but hand washing keeps the glaze bright. #ceramics #handmade #teapot
The caption works on its own, and the comment answers the questions the caption raises.
For the caption itself, the caption length guide lists how much each platform shows before the feed cuts it off. To try a first comment on your next post, create a free eksis account and fill in the field in the channel's settings.
