These ChatGPT prompts for Instagram write captions for posts, Reels scripts, carousel text, Story frames, content ideas and bios. Each one is written for AI Writer in Toybox AI (choose "Social post" as the Type), and you can paste any of them into ChatGPT as a first draft, with results that vary a little by model. Replace the details in brackets with your own facts before you run them. The photo prompts near the end are different: they need an uploaded photo and run in Smart Editor, not AI Writer.
How a good ChatGPT prompt for Instagram is built
A prompt that gets a usable post has six parts:
- The post. What the photo or video shows, in one plain sentence.
- The facts. Price, date, place, and the one detail only you know.
- The reader. Who follows you and what they came for.
- The format. Caption, Reel script or slide text, with a word limit.
- The voice. "We" or "I", and whether emoji and exclamation points are allowed.
- The ask. One call to action, and how many options you want.
OpenAI's prompt engineering guide recommends putting the context the model needs into the prompt and showing a few examples of the output you want, so paste a caption you liked when you have one. Here is the fill-in version:
Write [number] Instagram [caption / Reel script / carousel text] for [business or account]. The post shows [what's in the photo or video]. Facts: [price, date, place, detail]. Followers are [who they are]. Voice: [we or I, emoji yes or no]. Keep it under [number] words. End with: "[call to action]". Here is a caption we liked, match its tone: [paste it].Instagram caption prompts
These ChatGPT prompts for Instagram captions run in AI Writer with Type "Social post". Use Length "Short" for a single caption and "Medium" when a prompt asks for several options.
Small-batch product drop
For a limited restock or a new item that will sell out.
Give me 3 Instagram caption options for Wickmarrow Candle Studio. The photo shows 12 amber jars of our new fig and cedar candle on a shelf. Facts: only 40 made, $28 each, online at 7 PM Thursday, November 12. Followers are candle collectors who buy gifts early. Voice: calm, "we", no emoji. Each under 50 words, first line under 10 words. End with "Set a reminder: link in bio."Change: the quantity and the release time.
Event countdown
For the post three days before an event, when people decide whether to come.
Write an Instagram caption for a 3-days-to-go post. Tidebarrow Surf Rentals is running a free beginner surf lesson on Saturday, November 14 at 8 AM at the north end of Ploverneck Beach. Boards and wetsuits provided, ages 12 and up, 20 spots. Start with the countdown, then the facts in two lines, then "Reply SURF to claim a spot." Friendly, one emoji at most.Change: the countdown ("tomorrow", "this weekend") and the limit on spots.
Answer a question customers keep asking
For turning a repeated DM question into a post you can point people to.
Write an Instagram caption that answers a question customers ask us every week: "Do you take custom orders?" We're Dovecrate Vintage, a used furniture shop. The answer: yes for refinishing and new hardware, no for building from scratch, and custom work takes 3 to 4 weeks. Keep it under 70 words, plain and friendly, and end with "Send us a photo of your piece in DMs."Change: the question and the true answer, including the no.
Holiday hours
For a clear, skimmable schedule that matches the post image.
Write a short Instagram caption announcing holiday hours for Crullerbury Donut Shop. Wednesday, November 25: 6 AM to 2 PM. Thursday, November 26: closed for Thanksgiving. Friday, November 27: 6 AM to noon. Put each day on its own line. Add one warm sentence thanking regulars and end with "Pre-order dozens by Tuesday at 555-0171."Change: the days and the pre-order deadline.
Instagram Reels script prompts
Each Reel prompt asks for timing and on-screen text, because a Reel is watched before it's read. Use Length "Medium" in AI Writer.
30-second how-to Reel script
For a quick demo with a shot list you can film on your phone.
Write a 30-second Instagram Reels script for a hardware store showing how to stop a squeaky door hinge. Give it in four beats with rough timings: hook (0 to 3 seconds), steps (3 to 22), result (22 to 27), call to action (27 to 30). For each beat, write the spoken line, the on-screen text in 6 words or fewer, and what the camera shows. End with "Follow for more 30-second home fixes."Change: the task and the timing of the steps.
Ten hook lines
For testing openings before you film.
Write 10 different opening lines for an Instagram Reel where a home cook packs five weekday lunches from one tray of roasted vegetables and a pot of rice. Each line must work as spoken words and as on-screen text, 8 words or fewer. Mix a question, a surprising number, a mistake people make, and a promise of what they'll see. No clickbait words like "insane" or "you won't believe".Change: the subject of the Reel.
One-tip talking-head script
For a face-to-camera Reel that teaches one thing.
Write a script for a 45-second Instagram Reel where a hair stylist talks to camera about one tip: letting hair air-dry most of the way before blow-drying. Structure: the problem in one sentence, the tip, why it works in plain words, one mistake to avoid, and a closing line. Write it the way people talk, short sentences, no jargon. Add a caption of under 40 words to post with it.Change: the tip, and cut the "why it works" line if you can't explain it truthfully.
Behind-the-scenes Reel
For a day-in-the-work Reel built from clips you already have.
I have 6 short clips from a pottery studio morning: unloading the kiln, wiping shelves, glazing mugs, packing orders, the dog asleep by the wheel, and the finished mugs on a table. Write a 20-second Instagram Reel plan: the order of clips, 2 to 3 seconds each, on-screen text for each clip in 5 words or fewer, and a 30-word caption that ends with "New mugs drop Friday."Change: your own list of clips.
Carousel, Story and content idea prompts
ChatGPT prompts for Instagram content creation need your real calendar and products, because ChatGPT and AI Writer only know what you tell them about your business.
Seven-slide carousel
For a save-worthy tips post, one idea per slide.
Write the text for a 7-slide Instagram carousel for a plant shop: "7 signs your houseplant needs a bigger pot". Slide 1 is the title. Slides 2 to 6 each give one sign in a headline of 6 words or fewer plus one sentence. Slide 7 says "Bring it in, we repot for $10." Then write a caption of under 50 words that tells people to swipe.Change: the topic and the offer on the last slide.
Four-frame Story with a poll
For a Story that asks followers to choose, then shows the answer.
Write text for a 4-frame Instagram Story for a small bakery choosing its next seasonal loaf. Frame 1: a question in 8 words or fewer. Frame 2: a poll with two options, cranberry walnut or cardamom orange, each 3 words or fewer. Frame 3: one line on when the winner goes on sale, Saturday, December 5. Frame 4: a thank-you line and "Check back Saturday for the winner." Keep every frame under 15 words.Change: the two poll options and the sale date.
Two weeks of post ideas from your real calendar
For planning, using only events that are actually on your schedule.
Plan 10 Instagram posts for the next two weeks for a neighborhood coffee shop. What's really happening: new maple latte starts Monday, November 2; open mic Friday, November 6 at 7 PM; we're closed Wednesday, November 11 for staff training; bags of our house blend are $15. For each post give the day, the format (photo, carousel or Reel), a one-line idea and a first line for the caption. Use only these events.Change: your own dates, and delete any idea that invents an event.
Turn a newsletter into posts
For reusing writing you've already done.
Turn the newsletter below into 3 separate Instagram captions, each under 60 words, each focused on a different point from it. Keep every fact, date and price the same, and add nothing new. End each caption with a different call to action: shop, visit, or reply. Newsletter: [paste your newsletter text here]Change: the number of captions and the calls to action.
Instagram profile and bio prompts
Bio options
For the short text at the top of your profile.
Write 5 Instagram bio options for Tidebarrow Surf Rentals, a surf board and wetsuit rental shack at Ploverneck Beach, open daily 8 AM to 5 PM from April to October, with beginner lessons on weekends. Each bio: two short lines, what we do and where, then a call to action pointing to the link. No emoji in two of the options.Change: the season and the call to action.
Replies to common comments
For answering the same comments quickly without sounding copied.
Write 3 different friendly replies for each of these Instagram comments on a taco truck's posts: "Do you cater?" (yes, events of 30 to 150 people, book at least 3 weeks ahead), "Anything vegan?" (two vegan tacos on the menu every day), "Where are you today?" (we post the day's spot in Stories by 10 AM). Keep each reply under 20 words and include the fact every time.Change: your own common comments and the true answers.
Instagram photo and profile picture prompts
These ChatGPT prompts for Instagram photos, including a new profile picture, edit an uploaded picture, so they run in Smart Editor (Pro plan) or in ChatGPT with the photo attached, not in AI Writer. Upload the photo, then type an instruction like these into "What should change?":
- Profile picture: "Turn this into a centered portrait from the shoulders up, on a plain soft gray background, lit evenly from the front. Keep my face, hair, glasses, expression and shirt exactly the same." Under "More options", set Shape to Square (1:1).
- Brighter feed photo: "Brighten this photo so it looks like daylight from the window on the left. Keep the food, the table and the colors of the plates the same."
- Clean background: "Remove the paper towel roll and the phone charger on the counter behind the cake. Keep the cake, the stand and the lighting exactly as they are."
- Story version: "Show more of the room above and below so the whole shelf fits." Set Shape to Story (9:16), and check the edges, since a new shape makes Smart Editor redraw everything in the frame.
For more edits in the same style, see the library of photo editing prompts, and for the shapes and pixel counts Instagram expects, see Instagram post sizes. How Toybox handles uploaded photos is set out in its privacy policy.
Tips for better Instagram results
- Paste facts the AI can't guess. Prices, dates and the one detail from your day. Without them, all a draft can offer is general praise.
- Set a word limit every time. Write "under 50 words" into the prompt. Meta's documentation caps captions at 2,200 characters, far more than a feed post needs.
- Ask for options, then choose. Three first lines side by side make the strongest one obvious.
- Show one caption you liked. OpenAI's guide says a model picks up the pattern from examples of the output you want.
- Keep hashtags to five. Ask for five specific ones and delete the generic ones.
- Film to the script, then fix the script. Read a Reel script aloud with a timer before you film; cut lines until it fits the length you asked for.
Fixes for common problems
| Problem | Add this to your prompt |
|---|---|
| The caption sounds like an ad | "Write it the way I'd text a regular customer. No marketing words." |
| It's too long | "Under 40 words. First line under 10 words." |
| It invented a detail | "Use only the facts in this prompt. Don't add prices, dates or claims." |
| Every option starts the same way | "Start each option with a different kind of line: a number, a question, a fact." |
| Too many emoji | "No emoji." or "One emoji at the end." |
| Thirty hashtags | "End with exactly 5 specific hashtags." |
| The Reel script runs long when read aloud | "Each spoken line under 12 words. Total script under 75 words." |
| Content ideas include events you aren't holding | "Only use the events listed above." |
Run these prompts in AI Writer
Open AI Writer, set Type to "Social post", paste a prompt into "What should we write?" and select "Write it". Each run currently costs 5 credits on the Free plan, and new accounts get 20 free credits. AI Writer writes plain text you copy into Instagram, so read every date and price before you post. For caption formulas by post type and Instagram's current limits, see the Instagram caption generator guide.