Some captioning tips for newbies. Most of these have come from here: Caption.Me - Hints and Tips - www.caption.me
Be Funny / Clever / Creative: It’s bleedingly obvious, but sometimes overlooked. Captions should be funny, clever and/or creative. The Supervote types were wisely chosen 
Be Funny - Tell a Story: The easiest way to be funny is to tell a story. Look at the picture and consider what funny thing might be happening, have happened, or will happen. Characterisation can be a great help in forming funny situations / interactions.
Be Clever - Twist Perceptions / Language: If you’re story telling, a perceptive / unexpected angle can help. If your caption is just a description, then clever use of language is essential. Descriptive captions may lack the punch of narrative captions, but people will appreciate clever word plays.
Be Creative - Avoid the Bleeding Obvious: Newbies can’t be expected to know what has been done to death, but chances are if it sticks out like a sore toe, it is a sore toe. You may still gets votes for obvious and/or hackneyed captions, but creativity will be more appreciated.
Short is Good: There are times when a lengthy story works, but, generally, keep your captions concise. Short captions are easier to read, and the art of telling a story in as few words as possible is something voters will value.
Grammar is Great: Some voters don’t mind bad grammar, but others will feel like they’re having red hot needles shoved in their eyes. Maximise your voters by spelling properly, and, more importantly, using punctuation well.
Don’t Shout!!: Unless it serves some purpose, don’t use exclamation marks. Raising the volume of a character or a caption forces a reader into this same interpretation. If there’s room for multiple interpretations then let a reader choose their own volume.
Don’t Telegraph: A joke often ceases to be a joke when it’s explained. Word plays that are highlighted through capitals will immediately lose voters. Hyphens aren’t as bad, but even these could be avoided. Most voters prefer having to work for the reward instead of being hit over the head with it.
Don’t be Obscure: This is where the fine line comes in. Subtlety will be rewarded, obscurity won’t. You don’t need to be definitive, in fact it’s often better if you aren’t, but aim to make readers understand the idea in your head.
Judge Yourself: Read your caption as if you were a voter. If you wouldn’t vote for it, chances are not many others will. Caption quality determines your quota, so focus on posting those you judge to be voteworthy.
