Most venue posts fail in the first line. Not because the photo was bad or the offer wasn't good, but because the words opened with the venue talking about itself. This is how to write the caption, what to post, and the habits that quietly kill a good post.
8 minute read Includes examples you can copy Updated 25 July 2026
Your members aren't looking for your posts. They're scrolling past their family, their mates, the news and forty other pages, and your post gets about a second to earn a stop. Everything below is about that second — and then about being worth the ten that follow it.
If you only read one thing
Lead with what's in it for them, not with your venue's name. "$18 parmi night is back" beats "The Club is pleased to announce…"
One idea per post. Two offers in one post means neither gets remembered.
Write like a person talking, not a noticeboard. Read it aloud — if you wouldn't say it, don't post it.
Say what to do next. Book, ring, come in, ask at the bar. A post without an action is just an announcement.
Answer the obvious questions in the post — when, how much, do I need to book. Otherwise they're in your comments, and then your phone.
01 — The openerThe first line does all the work
On a phone, only the first line or two of your caption shows before it's cut off. That fragment has to earn the tap. Which means the most valuable real estate you have is routinely spent on the words "The Club is excited to announce".
Openers that lose
"The Club is pleased to announce…"
"ATTENTION MEMBERS!!!"
"Don't forget…"
"Please see below for details of…"
"Happy Friday everyone!"
"We are excited to share that…"
"As per our previous post…"
Openers that work
"Parmi night's back — $18, every Wednesday."
"Two sittings left for Mother's Day."
"The new deck opens Saturday."
"$9,500 in the jackpot this Friday."
"Chef's put slow-cooked lamb on this week."
"Kids eat free these school holidays."
"Bowls comp results are in — and there's an upset."
The test. Cover everything except your first line. Would a member who doesn't know your venue stop for that alone? If not, the post starts in the wrong place. The fix is almost always to delete the first sentence entirely — the real opener is usually sitting there as sentence two.
02 — StructureThe shape of a good post
The hook — one line
The thing that matters, in the plainest words you have. A price, a date, a change, a result. No preamble.
The detail — one or two lines
When, how much, where, who it's for. Just enough that nobody has to ask.
The action — one line
"Book on 02 xxxx xxxx." "Just rock up." "Ask at the bar." "Link in bio." Tell them exactly what to do, and make it easy.
Stop there
Genuinely. Three or four short lines is a complete post. The instinct to add a paragraph of context, a thank-you to the committee and eleven hashtags is what turns a good post into wallpaper.
Write it as a text message to a mate
If you were telling a friend about it, you'd say "parmi night's back, eighteen bucks, Wednesdays". You wouldn't say "The Club is delighted to advise that our popular chicken parmigiana promotion will recommence". Write the first one. It's not less professional — it's more likely to be read, and it sounds like the actual people who work at your venue.
03 — ExamplesBefore and after
Before — a members' draw
Post
"ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS! The Club is pleased to advise that our Members Badge Draw will once again be conducted this Friday evening commencing at 6:00pm with subsequent draws every half hour until 8:00pm. Members must be present to claim. Conditions apply. We look forward to seeing you all there!"
Problem
Opens with the club, not the member. The interesting number — how much — isn't there at all.
After
Post
"$4,000 in the members' draw this Friday. Draws every half hour from 6pm to 8pm. Be here to win it. See you Friday 🍀"
Why
Leads with the money. Says when. Says what's required. Three lines.
Before — a new menu
Post
"Our new winter menu is now available! Come in and try our delicious range of hearty winter favourites, prepared fresh daily by our talented kitchen team. Available for lunch and dinner 7 days."
Problem
Says nothing specific. "Delicious" and "hearty" are words nobody pictures. There's no single dish to want.
After
Post
"Slow-cooked lamb shanks are on the new winter menu. Six hours in the oven, mash, red wine gravy. $32, lunch and dinner, seven days. Book on 02 xxxx xxxx — Fridays go early."
Why
One dish, described so you can picture it. A price. A reason to book now.
Before — a sub-club result
Post
"Congratulations to all participants in Saturday's bowls competition. A great day was had by all. Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers."
Problem
No names, no result, nothing to react to. Members can't tell whether it's about them.
After
Post
"Barry and Denise took the mixed pairs on Saturday — first time in eleven years of trying. Full results on the board in the clubhouse. Next comp is 14 September, names up at the bar. Thanks to everyone who turned out, and to [sponsor] for backing the day."
Why
Names, a story, and a reason for members to come and look. This is the post that gets shared.
04 — The best oneThe story post
The single best-performing content most venues have isn't a promotion at all. It's a short piece about a person or a thing the club did — a staff member's twenty years behind the bar, a life member's honour, the swimming program the club paid for, the new synthetic green, a supplier from down the road.
They work because they're the only thing on your page a member can't get anywhere else. Anyone can advertise a parmi. Only your club can tell them about Glen, who's been here since 2004 and knows every regular's order.
How to write one
One person or one thing. Not "our wonderful team" — a name and a face.
Open with the surprising fact. "Glen's been pouring beers here since 2004." Not "meet our staff".
Use their actual words. Ask two questions — "what's changed most since you started?" and "what's the best part of the job?" — and quote the answer. Real speech always beats written-up praise.
Keep it short. Four or five lines. It's a post, not a profile.
Get a decent photo of them — see the phone guide, and get their permission.
Don't tack a promotion on the end. Let it just be about the person. That's what makes it work.
Community stories work the same way: the local charity your club supports, the junior team you sponsor, the fundraising total, the school program. Say the specific thing you did and the specific number, and let it stand without a sales line.
If you send us a name and a couple of quotes, we'll write these for you. Say who's worth a story and we'll do the rest — it's one of the easiest wins available.
05 — MixWhat to post, and how often
A rough weekly rhythm that suits most venues — three or four posts a week, not fourteen:
What's on this weekRaffles, draws, trivia, live music, the specials. Your bread and butter.1–2 a week
Food and drinkOne dish, well photographed, with a price. The reliable performer.1 a week
A storyA staff member, a member, a sub-club result, something the club did for the community.1 a fortnight
Something happening nowA full room, the band mid-set, a sunset off the deck. Posted the same day, not a fortnight later.When it happens
Practical noticesTrading hours, holiday closures, car park works, a change members need to know.As needed
The big campaignsMother's Day, Melbourne Cup, Christmas. Planned properly and run over weeks, not posted once.Per the calendar
Consistency beats volume. Three good posts a week, every week, will do more than a burst of eleven and then a fortnight of silence. And it's much easier to sustain — which is the whole point.
Post when your members are actually looking. For most venues that's late afternoon and evening, and Sunday mornings are surprisingly strong. If we run your socials we'll schedule around what your own page's numbers show, rather than a general rule.
06 — MistakesWhat quietly kills a good post
Habit
Why it hurts
A poster JPEG as the whole post
Text in an image can't be read by screen readers, doesn't show in search, and goes fuzzy on a phone. Put the words in the caption and use a photo.
A wall of hashtags
Reads as spam and does very little for a local venue. Two or three relevant ones is plenty; your town's name is worth more than #foodie.
Posting the same thing to every platform unchanged
What works on Facebook isn't what works on Instagram. Same message, different shape.
Landscape photos in a vertical world
Most people are on a phone. Vertical fills the screen; landscape becomes a small strip. See the phone guide.
Announcing something once
A single post reaches a fraction of your followers. Anything that matters needs several posts over a couple of weeks, said differently.
Leaving comments unanswered
Someone asking "do you need to book?" and getting nothing is a lost booking and a bad look. See handling comments.
Posting the same photo repeatedly
Members do notice the same three images cycling for two years. It reads as a venue with nothing new.
Long paragraphs
Nobody reads them on a phone. Short lines, line breaks, one idea each.
Posting and going quiet for a fortnight
Rhythm matters more than any individual post.
07 — CarePosts that need extra care
Your page is publishing, and the same rules apply
Gaming. For registered clubs in NSW, restrictions on publishing gaming machine advertising apply to social media just as they do to a website — and "publish" expressly covers the internet. No gaming machine imagery, and care with anything promoting gaming. Check with your compliance manager before it's posted, not after. Our what not to film section sets out the detail.
Trade promotions. Competitions, giveaways and prize draws often require a permit and specific terms depending on the state and the prize. Get that confirmed before you post, and include whatever the permit requires.
Alcohol. Responsible-service expectations apply to how you promote drinks — no encouragement of rapid or excessive consumption, and care around anything that could appeal to minors.
People. Permission for anyone identifiable, written permission from a parent or guardian for children, and nobody visibly intoxicated.
Music and images. Don't use music, photos or artwork you don't have the rights to. It can get a post muted, removed, or worse.
General guidance only, not legal advice — your compliance manager and your regulator are the authority.
08 — QuestionsThe ones we get asked
How often should we post?
Three or four times a week, consistently, is a good target for a club or pub. More than daily and quality drops; less than weekly and your page stops appearing. Consistency is the thing that compounds.
Should we boost or pay for posts?
A small spend behind the right post — a big campaign, a function push, a new menu — usually goes further than the same money spread across everything. Talk to us about which posts are worth putting money behind; boosting a weak post just buys a wider audience for something that wasn't working.
Who should be writing our posts?
One person with the voice, or us. What doesn't work is four people posting in four different tones with no plan. If your team writes them, agree the voice once and keep a couple of good examples pinned up as a reference.
Can you just write them for us?
Yes — that's a core part of what we do for venues. Send us what's coming up, or share your yearly calendar, and we'll write, design and schedule. You keep approval on anything sensitive.
Do we need to be on TikTok?
Only if you'll actually feed it. A neglected account on a fourth platform is worse than not being there. Get Facebook and Instagram working properly first — for most clubs that's where your members are.
Our posts get no engagement. What's wrong?
Usually one of three things: everything is a poster image, everything is a promotion with no stories, or the first line always starts with the club. Fix those in that order and it changes. Send us a few recent posts and we'll tell you honestly what we'd change.
Should we post about a member who's died?
Many clubs do, and done well it means a lot. Speak to the family first, always. Keep it short and warm, turn off any promotion for that day, and be ready to moderate the comments kindly. If you'd like us to draft it, send us the details and we'll handle it with care.
09 — Print thisThe caption card
Print it and keep it wherever posts get written. Check every post against it before it goes out.
Before you post — the caption check
Cyberry Know-How · cyberry.com.au/know-how
The words
First line leads with what's in it for them
Doesn't start with "The Club is pleased to…"
One idea only
When, how much, and do they need to book
A clear action — book, ring, come in
Three or four short lines, no paragraphs
Read it aloud — would you say it?
Two or three hashtags, not twenty
The picture
A real photo, not a poster JPEG
Vertical or square, not landscape
Not one you've used recently
No gaming machines anywhere in frame
Permission for anyone identifiable
Check before publishing
Day and date actually agree
Price is current
Phone number correct
Competition permit details if required
Anything gaming-related checked with compliance
Want us to write them? support@cyberry.com.au — send us what's coming up and we'll write, design and schedule it.1300 755 242
Last reviewed 25 July 2026. Gaming advertising restrictions, trade promotion permits, responsible-service requirements and music and image rights are your club's to confirm with its compliance manager. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
