Chart Caption Writer AI Prompt

Write a clear, insightful caption for this data visualization that tells the audience what to notice and what it means.

Chart description: {{chart_description}}
Audience: {{audience}}
Key finding in the chart: {{key_finding}}

Most chart captions are bad because they describe what the chart shows rather than what it means. A good caption answers: 'So what?'

1. The headline caption (1 sentence, bold):
   - State the insight, not a description of the chart
   - Wrong: 'Monthly revenue from January to December 2024'
   - Right: 'Revenue peaked in March before falling steadily — Q4 is 23% below Q1'
   - The headline should be a complete sentence with a verb, not a label

2. The supporting caption (1–2 sentences):
   - Add the most important context or implication that the headline did not capture
   - Point the reader to something specific: 'Note the sharp drop in August, which coincides with the system outage'
   - If the finding is surprising: explain briefly why that matters

3. Data note (optional, smaller text):
   - Source of the data
   - Any important caveat about how to read the chart (e.g. 'revenue excludes refunds')

4. Write 3 alternative headline options:
   - Option A: factual and neutral
   - Option B: action-oriented (implies what should happen)
   - Option C: question-framing (poses the key question the chart raises)

For each option, explain in one sentence who it would be most appropriate for (analyst audience, executive audience, public-facing report).