Writing Captions

Every great social media post starts with a great caption. Rool gives you two ways to write captions -- let AI generate unique variants for each account, or write them yourself with optional per-platform customization.

Choosing a Caption Mode

When you reach the Captions step (Step 3) of the Create Post wizard, you'll see two mode buttons at the top:

• Generate AI -- Write one base caption and let Rool create a unique version for every account you selected.

• Enter Manually -- Write a separate caption for each account by hand.

You can switch between modes at any time, but switching will clear any captions you've already entered.

AI-Generated Captions

AI mode is the fastest way to create on-brand captions across many locations at once.

1. Write your base caption

Type your core message into the Base Caption field. This is the starting point the AI will riff on -- it doesn't have to be perfect. A running character count appears below the field so you can keep an eye on length.

2. Pick a tone

Use the Tone dropdown to tell the AI how you want your captions to sound. Built-in options include:

• Professional -- polished and business-appropriate

• Casual/Friendly -- conversational and approachable

• Playful/Fun -- energetic with personality

• Urgent/Promotional -- creates a sense of immediacy

• Inspirational -- uplifting and motivating

If your organization has set up custom brand tones, those will also appear in the dropdown under a separate heading.

3. Add optional instructions

Expand the Additional Instructions section if you want to give the AI extra direction, for example:

• "Include a call-to-action"

• "Mention weekend hours"

• "Keep it under 100 characters"

4. Generate variants

Click Generate Variants (or Regenerate All if you've already generated once). Rool will create one unique caption variant for each account you selected in Step 1. You'll see a spinning indicator while the AI works.

5. Review and refine

Once generation completes, an Account-Specific Captions section appears with a card for each account. Every card shows:

• The account name and location

• The generated caption text

• A character count

From each card you can:

• Edit (pencil icon) -- open the caption in an editable text area, then save or cancel your changes.

• Regenerate (refresh icon) -- re-roll just that one account's caption without affecting the others.

Manual Captions

Choose Enter Manually when you want full control over exactly what each account posts.

A caption card appears for every selected account. Type directly into each card's text area. A character count is displayed beneath each field.

Per-platform customization

If you're posting to both Facebook and Instagram, you can toggle on Customize per platform to write separate captions for each social network on a per-account basis.

When enabled, each account card expands to show:

• Base Caption -- the default text used if you leave a platform field empty.

• Facebook field -- override the caption specifically for Facebook.

• Instagram field -- override the caption specifically for Instagram. The placeholder reminds you that hashtags work especially well here.

Leave a platform field empty and Rool will fall back to the base caption for that platform.

Character Limits and Best Practices

Different platforms have different limits. Rool shows you a character count on every caption field and will display a warning badge if you go over a platform's limit.

Tips for writing better captions:

• Lead with the hook. The first line or two is all most people see before tapping "more."

• Match the platform. Instagram rewards hashtags; Facebook favors conversational text and links.

• Use the AI tone selector to stay consistent with your brand voice across locations.

• Review the preview. Switch between Facebook and Instagram tabs in the preview panel to see exactly how your caption will look on each platform.

Previewing Your Captions

As you write, the Preview panel on the right shows a realistic mockup of your post as it will appear on Facebook or Instagram.

• Platform tabs -- Switch between Facebook and Instagram previews to see platform-specific formatting (e.g., Instagram shows the username in bold before the caption).

• Account switcher -- If you've selected multiple accounts, use the left/right arrows above the preview to cycle through each account and see its unique caption.

• Inline editing -- On desktop, you can click directly on the caption text in the preview to edit it in place. Press Cmd+Enter (or Ctrl+Enter) to save, or Escape to cancel.

Caption Summaries for Multi-Account Posts

When you write different manual captions for each account (without a shared base caption), Rool automatically generates a short AI summary of your captions. This summary appears on post cards in list views so you can quickly identify the post without reading every variant.

Next Steps

• Creating a Post -- Full walkthrough of the post creation wizard

• Scheduling Posts -- Choose when your posts go live