# Instagram and TikTok SEO: how to write posts for search > Start with a specific question, answer it with a demonstration, and write a caption that describes what viewers will find. **Instagram and TikTok SEO means preparing content to be found through searches within those apps.** Start with a question your business can answer and make the text and demonstration explain the same thing. A shop could work on the query “how to measure your feet for sneakers online.” [Nike's footwear size guide](https://www.nike.com/size-fit/mens-footwear) provides a real reference: measure both feet on paper, use the longer measurement and consult the foot-length column. It also explains that foot length differs from the CM value on a shoe label. That distinction changes what a useful post should show. ## Turn a question into a video and caption The following is a proposed script for a shop that uses that method and a chart with a foot-length column. It should adapt the instructions to the manufacturer's guidance and the styles it sells. **On-screen text:** “How to measure your feet for sneakers online.” **Shots:** Secure a sheet of paper to a hard, flat floor. Stand on it with your weight evenly distributed between both feet and ask someone to mark the heel and big toe with the pencil held vertically. Show a ruler between the marks and repeat with the other foot. On screen, find the longer measurement in the foot-length column of the shop's chart. End on the fit note for the style being shown. **Voiceover:** “To check your size, measure the length of both feet. Stand on a sheet of paper and ask someone to mark your heel and toe. Measure between the marks and use the longer result in the foot-length column. Check the fit note for the style too.” **Caption:** > How to measure your feet for sneakers online: measure both feet and use the longer length with our size chart. Look for the foot-length column; the CM number on the label can represent a different measurement. Check the style's fit note before choosing. The video shows the marks, the ruler and the specific column to read. The caption keeps the warning that prevents two measurements from being confused. If the shop uses a different system, it needs to demonstrate that process and write its answer around it. We have not published or measured the performance of this example. ## Start with a question someone would type “New sneakers” names a topic, but it leaves many possible posts. “How to measure your feet for sneakers online” asks for a process. Before recording, finish this sentence: **“After searching [question], someone will be able to [specific answer] by watching [demonstration or explanation].”** If you cannot complete it, the post still needs a clear job. Look for the wording in comments, messages, and questions your team receives. On TikTok, [Creator Search Insights](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/growing-your-audience/creator-search-insights) lets creators explore searched topics and content gaps; availability may vary by account or region. TikTok introduced the tool to help creators find ideas connected to frequently searched topics. That is not proof that a query will attract buyers. A content gap still needs an answer your business can provide. ## Make each part help people find or understand the answer In Instagram’s explanation of [how Search works](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/break-down-how-instagram-search-works), the search text is the primary signal used to match relevant names, bios, captions, hashtags, and places. A person’s activity and popularity signals also affect ordering. In that 2021 explanation, Instagram advised putting relevant keywords and hashtags in the caption instead of leaving them only in comments. That official explanation dates to 2021. It describes general signals, not a complete or current ranking formula, and it does not guarantee that a particular phrase will be visible today. Instagram’s broader [ranking explainer](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/instagram-ranking-explained) also describes Search, Feed, Explore, and Reels as surfaces with their own systems. TikTok says its [search results and suggestions](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/how-tiktok-recommends-content) can depend on how well content matches a query, along with hashtags, sounds, search activity, language, and location. For most people, TikTok says content information tends to carry more weight. This is a general description, and systems change. Search is also different from For You recommendations, where viewing interactions tend to matter more. On either platform, keep one main phrase that describes the actual question. Put it in the video’s opening text or cover so viewers can recognize the topic, then use it naturally in the caption. Add the details that make the answer useful: steps, conditions, a model, a location, or limits. Hashtags can clarify the topic when they add context; a string of synonyms does not explain the post. Alt text describes the image for accessibility. Do not turn it into a keyword list. ## Check the post as someone who searched Before posting, watch the video without reading the caption. Can you tell which question it answers and what to do next? Then read only the caption. Does it explain what the demonstration is for without claiming a product feature you have not verified? If the video and caption answer different questions, pick one and revise both. After posting, search the phrase in the app and review the views and questions you receive over time. Results can vary with a person’s activity, so one search on your phone cannot certify a general position. TikTok offers search information for your own posts when the tool is available. Instagram’s personalized ordering also affects what each account sees. Use the signals you have to decide whether the next post needs a different explanation; do not treat one result as proof that a format ranks. If the query also requires knowing where the business sells or serves customers, review its [Instagram business bio](/en/guides/instagram-business-bio-examples/) so the profile and post give compatible answers. ## Plan your next post in HeyMark. Keep the idea, review the draft with your team, and see how it performed in the accounts you connected. [Start free](https://app.heymark.ai) · [See how it works](https://heymark.ai/en/#product) ## Developer and agent resources - [HeyMark MCP documentation](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/) - [llms.txt](https://heymark.ai/llms.txt) - [Full site content for language models](https://heymark.ai/llms-full.txt) - MCP protocol endpoint: `POST https://mcp.heymark.ai` - OAuth protected-resource metadata: [/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource](https://mcp.heymark.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource) - MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)