TikTok slideshow title field: 90 runes, 15 examples

What is the title of a TikTok photo post?

A photo post has a title that is separate from its caption. As of November 2026, TikTok's Content Posting API reference for photo posts (opens in a new tab) limits the title to 90 UTF-16 runes and allows a description of up to 4,000. The Creator Academy's photo-posting article has a tip called "The Title Counts" that advises writing a hook title (opens in a new tab).

What we could not confirm is how the app shows the title to viewers. We found no description of where it appears or whether long titles are cut off, and the app may present the field differently from the API. Treat 90 as the upper bound and write the title so it still works if only its first words are visible.

How does the title differ from slide 1 and the caption?

Three texts share one post, and each answers a different question for the viewer.

Text	Question it answers	How it is written	Limit
Slide 1 (cover)	Should I swipe?	A few words in large type	None found; see words per slide
Title	What is this post about?	One plain line	90 UTF-16 runes (API)
Caption	Why stay, and what comes next?	Short lines that can run long	4,000 characters

Here is one fictional post written for all three slots.

Slot	Text
Slide 1	Learning to knit? 5 mistakes I made
Title	Learning to knit: five beginner mistakes and how I fixed each one
Caption, first line	Week three of a scarf, and the five stitches I kept getting wrong.

The title repeats the promise (five mistakes) in plain words without copying the cover. The caption's first line adds context the cover could not fit. The caption formulas page covers the rest of the caption.

How long should a title be, and how do you count it?

The hard number is 90. Our working target is shorter, roughly 40 to 75 UTF-16 units (explained below), with the topic in the first few words. That is a habit of ours, not a TikTok figure, and it protects you if the app shortens long titles.

TikTok states the limit as 90 UTF-16 runes and does not explain the term. Counted as UTF-16 code units, which we call units and use for the lengths below, plain letters, digits and spaces count one each and many emoji count two or more, so an emoji-heavy title can be over the limit while it looks short. Keep such titles well under 90. The free caption length checker counts characters and UTF-16 units and has a row for the 90 limit. Run the title through it before you export.

What are 15 title examples?

All titles below are invented. The last column is the length we measured in UTF-16 units, so you can see how much room a normal title uses.

Slide 1 text	Title field	Length (units)	Pattern
Clean your bike chain in 10 minutes	How to clean a bike chain at home with a rag, a brush and degreaser	67	How-to
Read sheet music in 4 steps	Reading sheet music for beginners: clefs, notes and rhythm in four steps	72	Number and audience
6 indoor plans for a rainy city break	Six indoor plans for a rainy city break, ordered from cheapest to priciest	74	Number and order
$20 side table, new look	Thrifted side table makeover: sand, paint and new handles, before and after	75	Result
Why your cookies spread flat	Why cookies spread flat in the oven and the three changes that stop it	70	Cause and fix
Moving in 2 weeks?	A two-week moving checklist for renters, one week at a time	59	Audience and timeframe
Your first podcast setup	A first podcast setup: the three pieces of gear to buy before anything else	75	Priority
A budget sheet in 5 minutes	How to build a simple monthly budget sheet in a spreadsheet	59	How-to
Day 1 vs day 30: piano scales	30 days of five-minute piano scale practice: what changed	57	Before and after
You do not need a capsule wardrobe	Why a capsule wardrobe is not the only way to own fewer clothes	63	Contrarian
Stop washing sneakers like this	Three mistakes to avoid when hand-washing white sneakers	56	Mistakes
I moved all my notes into one notebook	Why I moved all my notes into one notebook, and what I miss about apps	70	Story
Pen or pencil for daily sketching?	Pencil or pen for daily sketching: what I used for 30 days and why	66	Comparison
First time car camping?	A two-night car-camping checklist for a first trip, packed in one tote	70	Checklist
Plants for people who forget	Five easy plants for people who forget to water, and how often to check	71	Audience call-out

Two things show up in the table. Every title names its subject early, and every title would still make sense without the cover next to it. That second point is the test for a title: read it alone, and ask what the post is about.

How do you write a title in five steps?

Say the cover's promise in one plain sentence, as if telling a friend what the post is.
Put the subject first. "Cookies spread flat: three fixes" tells the topic in two words, where "Three fixes for something that annoys bakers" does not.
Add one qualifier: who it is for, how many, how long, or which situation.
Cut filler such as "a quick look at" and check the units.
Compare the title with the slides. If a title says "three changes", the post must show three. The honest hooks page has a test for this.

What should a title avoid?

A word-for-word copy of slide 1. Repeat the promise, not the words. Our reading of the Creator Academy tip is that the title is another chance to state the hook.
Hashtags. In our view they belong in the caption area. The Creator Academy lists hashtags as something you edit separately in the editor.
A teaser with no subject. "You need to see this" fits any post, so it tells nobody what this one is. If you want to withhold the answer, name the topic and hold back only the result, as on the curiosity hooks page.
A promise the slides do not keep. A title is a second place where an overpromise can show up.

What should you check before you post?

The title names the subject within its first few words.
It is not a copy of slide 1.
Any number in it matches the number of items in the post.
It is under 90 UTF-16 runes (check emoji).
The caption's first line adds context instead of repeating the title.
The cover and the first caption line still work if the title is not seen.

Is the title the same as the caption?

No. TikTok's Content Posting API has separate fields for the two: a title of up to 90 UTF-16 runes and a description of up to 4,000. The caption is where context, steps and hashtags go.

Do I have to write a title for a photo post?

We found no TikTok statement that a title is required. The Creator Academy tip "The Title Counts" suggests it is worth writing one.

Does a keyword in the title help people find my post?

We found no TikTok statement about photo-post titles and search. Plain topic words make the post clearer to people, which is a reason to use them. The caption page explains why we do not treat keywords as a ranking technique.

TikTok slideshow title: the 90-character field and 15 examples