Guest writer: Cathy Hornback, Community Volunteer Support Senior Specialist at Geocaching HQ

A geocache description is the information you write for other geocachers on your cache page about your cache and its location. It’s also a good way to share information about interesting things to see while there, things to avoid, and what kind of equipment you’ll need. A good cache description can attract more people to visit and find your geocache. Below are two examples of a geocache description.  Which cache would you want to visit?

Cache description one:

Cache description two:

Did you choose the second one? Most people would because it makes the cache location sound beautiful and inspiring, with interesting things to see. Here are some additional tips to help you take your cache descriptions to the next level and inspire people to choose your cache as the next one they will visit.

Describe the experience finders will have

Tell people why they should visit your cache. Describe the location (hopefully you chose a nice one), or explain why the place inspires you. Do you have a great story about the cache? Tell that story! Describe your cool container, or the theme of your gadget cache. Do you have a surprise for them and don’t want to share the secret until they get there? That’s OK, tell them you have a fun surprise waiting for them.

Don’t make it too long.

No one wants to read a wall of text. Try to be concise, and break it into paragraphs if it is still seems long. If you have a lot of history and information to share, consider adding a link to a web page that has the information instead of writing it all in the description. Then people who want to know more can follow the link and those who just want a smiley can get the information they need, find the cache and carry on.

Consider including photos.

A picture paints a thousand words, and they can help divide sections of text. A photo of your beautiful location will make people want to go there. An amusing image that matches the theme of your cache will make them want to go there and see what the joke is.

Do you have an especially good cache description that you have written? Or maybe one you have read for a cache you’ve found? Share it in the comments!