To get found in TikTok and Instagram search, use the exact phrase people type in the first line of your caption, say it in the first few seconds of the video, and show it as on-screen text. Then repeat it in your profile name or bio. Both apps search the words you give them, so every field where you can type something is a place for your phrase.
TLDR: Pick one search phrase per post (2 to 4 words, taken from the app's own search suggestions). Put it in the first line of the caption, the spoken hook, the on-screen text, the cover and the alt text. Skip hashtag stacking: in Mydrop's data, hashtag count moved engagement by 5% at most.
Mydrop data, September 2026: across accounts connected to Mydrop, which manages 55,000+ posts, hashtag count moved median engagement by at most 5% in either direction. Posts with 6 to 10 hashtags ran 5% above their account's typical post, posts with none 4% below. Method and full tables in the Mydrop social media benchmarks.
Pick the phrase from the search bar, not from your head
You don't need a keyword tool. Both apps tell you what people are searching for.
- Type your topic into the TikTok search bar and note every suggestion that pops up.
- Do the same in Instagram search.
- Read the questions in your comments and DMs. They're search phrases in disguise.
Go for phrases of 2 to 4 words with a clear need behind them. "Meal prep for one" tells the app what the video is about. "Food" doesn't. Stick to one main phrase per post, plus one backup that you say just once.
Put the phrase in every field that accepts words
Every field is another chance for the app to read your phrase. Most creators fill in one and leave the rest blank.
| Where | Platform | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| First line of the caption | TikTok, Instagram | The phrase inside a real sentence, before any emoji or tag |
| Spoken hook | TikTok, Instagram | Say the phrase in the first sentence, in plain words |
| On-screen text | TikTok, Instagram | The phrase as a title card in the first 2 seconds |
| Cover text | TikTok, Instagram | A short version of the phrase, big enough to read in the grid |
| Alt text | One plain sentence describing the post, with the phrase if it fits | |
| Name field | Your name plus the one thing you want to be found for | |
| Location tag | Both | Only if the post is genuinely about that place |
Switch on auto-captions too. They turn your spoken words into on-screen text, which gives you the phrase a second time for free.
Write a sentence, not a keyword list
A caption that reads like a pile of tags looks spammy and says next to nothing. Write one or two natural sentences that include the phrase and the answer to it.
Length matters less than you'd think. In Mydrop's data, captions under 80 characters ran 9% below the account's typical post, but from 80 characters up, every length sat within 3% of the median. So write two honest sentences, then stop.
For hashtags, use 3 to 5 that describe the post. TikTok counts hashtags towards its 2,200-character caption limit, and Instagram caps posts and Reels at 5, so a long block of tags just takes up room you could spend on words.
Run one phrase for five posts in a row
One post with a phrase proves very little. A run of posts on the same phrase shows the app, and your audience, what you're about. In our experience, accounts that stick to one topic for a few weeks get found for it faster than accounts that jump around.
Plan the run in a calendar so the phrase doesn't get lost between posts. Mydrop's content calendar shows every scheduled post for each account, and AI captions can draft the first line from a phrase you give it. You still edit it into your own voice.
Want the same method for buyers rather than viewers? Read how to find customers with social search. For shops and venues, see the near me search guide.
Check after two weeks whether the phrase worked
Use the app's own numbers.
- TikTok: open the analytics for a post and find the traffic source called Search. If it's empty after a few posts, the phrase is too broad or your spoken hook doesn't say it.
- Instagram: compare the reach from non-followers on the phrase posts with your last ten posts.
- Both: if a phrase brings views but no follows, the video wasn't what the searcher was after. Rewrite the first 3 seconds, not the keyword.
Keep a short list: phrase, post date, reach, follows. After two weeks, keep the phrases that pulled and drop the rest.
Next step: choose one phrase from the search bar today and write it into the caption, the spoken hook and the cover of your next post. If you run several accounts, start free with Mydrop and schedule the run for all of them in one place.
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