Instagram Tests Ability to Add Captions at the Bottom of Stories

Lindsey Gamble / Instagram

Instagram is testing the ability for creators to add captions to their Stories. When uploading a Story, there’s now an "Add a caption" prompt. When tapped, creators can type out a caption that will appear at the bottom of the Story, similar to comments from viewers once the Story is published.

Why It Matters: While creators have long added captions to Stories via text stickers, this update, integrated with Instagram's recent comment feature for Stories, makes it easier for creators to include captions, especially those longer in nature.

Plus, having captions more prominently featured could prompt viewers to engage with Stories more through comments. Seeing captions from creators could make commenting a more natural next step for viewers, similar to in-feed posts and Reels.

Instagram could potentially build out a more robust caption and comment experience, but there may not be much appetite for that, given Instagram head Adam Mosseri's recent comments about Stories in a recent Ask Me Anything.