Content5 min read
What to Put in a Pinned Comment
The pinned comment is the only part of a published video you can still edit. That is what it is for: the things that change, and the thing you got wrong.
A pinned comment is the only part of a published video you can still edit without touching the upload. That is the argument for using one, and it is the argument for what goes in it: the things that change, the links people keep asking for, and the correction you would otherwise be answering forty times in the replies.
Most advice treats the first comment as a second description. It is not. It has different limits, different link behaviour, and a different lifespan.
The pinned comment is editable and the description is awkward
You can edit a description too. What you cannot do is edit it without opening the upload, and in practice that friction decides what ends up where.
So the useful split is:
- Description — everything that will be true for the life of the video. The summary, the
chapters, the gear, the standing disclosure.
- Pinned comment — everything that will not. The current offer, the link to the follow-up video
that did not exist at upload, the correction.
A correction is the strongest single use of the feature. It is visible at the top of the comments, where the people about to tell you are already looking, and it stops the same reply arriving all week.
FreeMentioned in this article
Pinned Comment BuilderThe first comment: links, timestamps and the disclosure, inside the comment limit.Comment limits are not description limits
This is the part that catches people, because nobody publishes the two numbers next to each other.
| Network | Comment limit | Links clickable? | Timestamps clickable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 10,000 characters | Yes | Yes |
| ~8,000 characters | Yes | No | |
| 2,200 characters | No | No | |
| 1,250 characters | Yes | No | |
| X | 280 characters | Yes | No |
| TikTok | 150 characters | No | No |
A YouTube comment holds twice what its description does. A TikTok comment holds 150 characters — which is not a link block, a timestamp list or a "here is everything I mentioned" round-up. It is one sentence, and every TikTok pinned-comment template you have seen that is longer than that was written by somebody who never tried it.
Timestamps behave differently to how people expect
On YouTube, typing
1:23 in a comment turns it into a clickable seek with no formatting required. That works in any comment, from anyone, on any video.What it does not do is create chapters. The segments on the progress bar come only from the description, and they come with four strict rules attached — why your YouTube chapters are not showing covers those.
Everywhere else, a timestamp in a comment is text. It still helps somebody scrub to the right place; it is just not a link.
A disclosure can go here, and it should not only go here
If the video is a paid partnership or the links are affiliate links, a disclosure belongs in the pinned comment — and also in the description, and also said out loud in the video.
The Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guidance for influencers is consistent on this: a disclosure that requires the viewer to take an action to see it is not adequate on its own. A pinned comment is one tap away on every network in the table above. That makes it a good supplement and a bad only-location.
Where to put "ad" in a caption covers the placement rules per format, and affiliate link disclosure covers the wording.
A shape that works
Order matters more than length, because a comment is collapsed after a couple of lines everywhere.
- Disclosure, if there is one. First, or it has not been made.
- Correction, if there is one. Marked, so it is not read as part of the pitch.
- One line of context. "Everything I mentioned, in one place:" — not a paragraph.
- Timestamps, if the video is long enough to need them.
- Links, labelled. "The starter guide →", not a bare URL.
The builder assembles that order, checks it against the limit for the network you picked, and trims from the bottom rather than the top when it is over — so the disclosure survives and the gear list is what goes.
Pinning it, per network
- YouTube — the comment's own ⋮ menu → Pin. One pinned comment per video, and pinning replaces
whatever was pinned before.
- Instagram — swipe the comment and tap the pin. Up to three per post.
- TikTok — long-press → Pin. One per video.
- Facebook — the ⋯ menu on a Page post.
- LinkedIn — there is no pin. A first comment stays near the top by being first and by
collecting replies, which is a much weaker guarantee.
On LinkedIn specifically, the first comment is the conventional home for an outbound link, on the theory that a post carrying one reaches fewer people. Whether that trade is worth it is a separate argument — the LinkedIn post guide has more on how the format behaves.
How long can a pinned comment be?
10,000 characters on YouTube, around 8,000 on Facebook, 2,200 on Instagram, 1,250 on LinkedIn, 280 on X and 150 on TikTok. The TikTok figure is the one that catches people out.
Do timestamps in a pinned comment create chapters?
No. On YouTube they become clickable seeks, which is useful, but chapters on the progress bar come only from the description.
Should the disclosure go in the pinned comment?
It can, and it should not be the only place. The FTC's position is that a disclosure needing a tap to be seen is not adequate on its own.
Can you pin more than one comment?
On Instagram, up to three. On YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, one. LinkedIn has no pin at all.
Why put links in a comment rather than the description?
Because you can edit the comment later without touching the upload. Put what changes in the comment and what never changes in the description.
Build the block in the pinned comment builder and it will tell you whether it fits where you are posting it.
Put it to work
Tools for the job you just read about
Free to run, most of them without an account.
FreeContent
Pinned Comment Builder
The first comment: links, timestamps and the disclosure, inside the comment limit.
Build →
FreeContent
Bio Builder per Platform
One set of facts about you, built to each network’s actual bio limit.
Build →2 runs
FreeContent
Keyword Cluster Splitter
A keyword dump, grouped into the topics that should each be one page.
Split →
FreePreviews
Google SERP Snippet Preview
See your title and description as a Google result — on a desktop and a phone.
Preview →5 runs
FreeUtilities
Social Media URL Cleaner
Strip the tracking off a link — and see what each parameter was telling somebody.
Clean →1 runs
FreeAnalytics & growth
Instagram Money Calculator
What to charge for a post — priced the way a brand actually prices it.
Calculate →
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