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How to Add Captions on Videos: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Utkarsh Jaiswal
Utkarsh Jaiswal
Copywriter, Content Writer

A subtitled video is a simple but effective way to cater to a global audience and get more views. 

It captures the attention of silent social media scrollers and makes your content accessible to people with hearing disabilities.

In fact, a whopping 85% of videos are watched on mute on Facebook. (source: Digiday). By including subtitles, viewers can enjoy your videos silently, no matter where they are. But if you skip this, you’ll risk losing out on massive engagement.

And that's not all. 

Search engines cannot watch or listen to your clips, but they can index the text. It lets you boost your chances of ranking higher in searches, attracting more views and exposure.

So, the big question is, how to include elegant and impressive captions in your videos? 

Don't worry; we've got you covered. 

Stick with us to learn how to ignite viewership through captioning.

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How to Add Captions on Videos: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
Table of Contents:

    How to Put on Captions on Videos?

    As we’ve seen above, how valuable subtitles are. Now we'll show you how to add them to your videos using BIGVU.

    Before that, we’ll let you know two various types of captions to include.

    • Closed captions (CC) are well-known and are available on almost all televisions or online players with the ‘CC’ symbol. When added, the viewers can easily turn on or off them, like on YouTube.
    • Open Captions are pre-attached to the video permanently. When added, the viewers can’t turn them off, like on Instagram.

    Now which one should you add to your videos?

    Closed captions are better for audience retention but not for search engines. While open captions are good for SEO as well as retaining your viewers.  

    Now, let’s move on to how to add them…

    How to Add Captions on TikTok Videos?

    Add Captions on TikTok Videos

    Captioning on TikTok increases the overall performance.

    No doubt, the platform itself is engaging…

    But subtitles boost your reach to as many users as possible who would otherwise not consume your video due to language barriers or other factors.

    TikTok makes it a point to make its platform accessible to everyone, including people with hearing problems. And you, as a brand or influencer, should also make your videos viewable to everyone, which ultimately helps in boosting your channel’s authority.

    TikTok allows a quick way to add subtitles from within its platform. But these transcriptions are frumpy, unattractive, and sometimes inaccurate.

    As a brand, you don’t want your videos to look tasteless and incorrect. 

    So take a glance at this video to learn the best practices for subtitling.

    BIGVU transcribes your video with subtitles synchronized with your narration. This process requires your zero involvement. 

    Adding more to it…

    With BIGVU AI Script Writer, you can generate video scripts in seconds that you can later use as subtitles.

    How to Add Captions to Instagram Videos?

    Add Captions to Instagram Videos

    Instagram videos outperform other posts by receiving twice as much engagement. And because 92% of audiences watch videos with no sound (source- Nexttv), captions become critical.

    Today, 80% of individuals rely on Instagram to make buying decisions (source- Facebook). If you want to reach more customers, captions for Instagram videos are invaluable. It makes Instagram videos discoverable - users can search for words in the caption instead of just searching for hashtags.

    This way, more potential customers will come across your profile, which leads to additional views and sales.

    Instagram allows creators and professionals to caption their videos from within the platform. 

    But the same question arises again…

    The automatic texts generated by Instagram aren't impressive and dead on target.

    With BIGVU, add automatic subtitles in four simple steps.

    Add captions on Instagram in 4 simple steps

    BIGVU allows you to add subtitles in multiple languages- more than 70 approx, which opens the door to millions of new viewers. This increases your brand awareness worldwide without hiring expensive specialized linguistics or spending valuable time on manual translations.

    How to Add Captions to Your Facebook Videos?

    Almost 100 million hours of video are watched daily on Facebook (Source- Statista). 

    Given the large amount of video content consumed on the platform, you should leverage Facebook captions to stand out amongst competitors.

    As a marketer, you must understand…

    Transcriptions are not just for people with hearing disabilities; they’re invaluable for people watching in a noisy environment or speaking a different language. 

    In advertisements, Facebook video ads with subtitles had 7.41% more 30 seconds views! (Source- Agorapulse)

    facebook-video-ads-subtitles-data

    Seeing the above data, we can see that video ads with subtitles outperformed those without.

    BIGVU allows you a super-simple way to sparkle your Facebook clips with stylish captions. Just follow these steps-

    1. Select the video that requires captioning.
    2. Select the language.
    3. Boom… Your captions will be ready within a span of seconds, which you can visually enhance and edit further.

    Using BIGVU, you can improve your videos by selecting your preferred fonts, sizes, and colors for subtitles.

    Style your captions with elegant themes

    What Are The Best Practices for Subtitling Your Videos?

    1. Choosing The Right Subtitle Format

    There are several subtitle formats, but not all of them are supported by social media platforms. The most common subtitle formats are SRT, VTT, and SSA/ASS.

    2. Sticking to Clear and Concise Words

    While captioning, it's important to keep them easy to read. Use short, clear sentences and avoid jargon or technical terms that are difficult for viewers to understand.

    3. Syncing it Accurately with The Audio

    Ensure your subtitles are properly timed to match the audio of your footage. Viewers may become confused or frustrated if your subtitles are out of sync with the audio.

    4. Using Proper Punctuation and Formatting in Subtitles

    The use of appropriate punctuation and formatting lets your videos spark professionally. 

    Final Thoughts

    Captions are important for any video you create and publish. They help extend the video’s reach. 

    They cater to all audiences who have difficulties in hearing or prefer to watch without sound.

    Just remember to keep them accurate, concise, and readable, using easy-to-read fonts and colors.

    Try out BIGVU, a user-friendly platform to include captions to your videos in no time.

    Start your 7-day free trial today!