How to write meme text that lands
The top and bottom format works like a two-line joke. The top line is the setup, the bottom line is the punchline, and the image does the rest. Most popular memes follow a handful of patterns.
- Setup and punchline: "WHEN THE MEETING COULD HAVE BEEN AN EMAIL" / "AND IT WAS".
- Contrast: what you expected on top, what happened on the bottom.
- Label only: bottom text alone, naming what the reaction image means.
- Keep each line under about 30 characters. Long lines run off the edges of narrow images.
- Write in ALL CAPS. It's the meme convention and it reads better at small sizes.
The meme font: what it is and what this tool uses
The classic meme font is Impact: tall, condensed, bold capitals in white with a thin black outline. That look took over in the 2000s because Impact shipped with almost every computer, so it rendered the same everywhere.
If you searched for a meme font generator, here's the honest version: this meme maker sets your text in bold white sans-serif (Arial Bold), without an outline. It's clean and readable on most photos. For the best result, pick images with darker or busier tops and bottoms so the white text stands out, and type in capitals to get closer to the classic look.
Meme sizes for each platform
Memes travel best when they fit the feed they're posted to. Crop or resize the image first if needed.
| Where | Good size | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram feed | 1080 × 1080 or 1080 × 1350 | Square or 4:5 |
| Instagram and TikTok stories | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| X (Twitter) | 1200 × 675 | 16:9 |
| Reddit, Discord, group chats | Any, about 1000 px wide | Whatever the image is |
