Viral challenges, dance videos, makeup transformations, and so much more! The fastest-growing social media platform sure keeps us entertained. Although TikTok was initially considered a silly dance-video app, it has now become one of the most prominent, popular, and controversial social media platforms with over 1 billion monthly active users.
There is no secret recipe for getting viral on TikTok. Anyone can achieve fame by making their videos more accessible. So, no! You don’t have to have a million followers to go viral. You can do that by adding captions to your TikTok videos. While the platform has an auto-caption feature, you should add closed captions on your videos to provide a better user experience.
How to Add Captions to TikTok Videos?
Captions can make your videos more inclusive, allowing deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals to enjoy your content. Let’s explore the different ways of adding captions to your TikTok videos.
Use Auto-Generated Captions
Want to increase your reach but don’t have the time to transcribe your videos? You can take advantage of TikTok’s auto-caption feature. With the latest update, you no longer have to choose the ‘Allow auto-generated captions’ to add captions to your videos.
As long as you speak a supported language, TikTok will automatically include auto-generated captions in your videos. This latest update is a part of the platform’s effort to make entertaining content more accessible. So, even if your viewers cannot hear your spoken words, they can read the captions and marvel at your creative mind.
Manually Add Captions on TikTok
Let’s be real! Automated captions are weird most of the time. They often fail to deliver the correct information due to the quality of the audio, missing words, or using incorrect terms. Hence, most content creators consider them unreliable. So, if you are one such creator looking to break the language barrier, here is how you can manually add captions to TikTok videos.
Step 1: Create or Upload Your Video
Let your creative juices flow in your TikTok videos, and add captions to reach more people. The platform gives you two options for posting your content. You can either upload your video from your device’s library or record it by simply tapping the plus (+) sign at the bottom of the screen. After recording or updating your video, add all the necessary effects and move on to the next step.
Step 2: Find the Text Feature (Aa)
Once you have edited the video, look at the menu on the right side of your screen and find the ‘Add text’ option. It will be a simple Aa icon.
Step 3: Type Your Captions
Now comes the tedious part! Tap on the text feature to start adding your captions manually. This process is time-consuming as you will have to type all your subtitles without the help of any tool, but it is also more reliable. With over 99% accuracy, manual captions can increase your traffic, allowing you to accommodate deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals.
Step 4: Edit Your Captions
The next important step is to time your captions perfectly with the audio. Just tap your text and choose the ‘Edit Duration’ button from the pop-up. This feature will bring up a slider that you can use to adjust the timing of your captions on the screen. Repeat this process for every caption in your video. While this is another tedious task, it is worth all the effort, as your viewers will no longer misinterpret your videos.
Step 5: Adjust the Position & Style of Your Captions
Your captions should not blend into the background. At the same time, they should not distract your audience from the visual content. Therefore, don’t skip this step. Adjust the position of your captions, and choose a style that reflects your online personality and content. We recommend using the same style in every video so you can stand out from others.
Step 6: Post Your Video
You cannot edit the captions after posting your video. So, make sure to review them carefully. Replay your video to recheck your captions’ timing, style, and position. Post your video if everything is in order.
Hire a Captioning Service Provider
The third method is simple and reliable. If you want to invest your time in other important tasks, hire a professional captioning service provider. With an extensive team of skilled linguists, Limegreen Media delivers unmatched captioning and subtitling services, helping industry leaders and individuals reach a global audience. So, why not outsource your captioning process and save yourself from the tedious task of adding manual captions or the embarrassment of incorrect automated captions?
How to Add Subtitles to TikTok Videos?
While captions are excellent for improving your viewers’ user experience by defining every single detail in your audio, subtitles can help you reach people who don’t speak your language. TikTok’s text feature might let you add manual captions, but it does not have the advanced editing features of verified subtitling or captioning software. Here is how you can add subtitles to your TikTok videos.
Step 1: Choose a Reliable Subtitle Software
Countless captioning or subtitling apps are available on the internet, each claiming to be the best of the best. Hence, finding a suitable option can take ages, especially if you are an amateur. Instead of picking a random app from the internet, choose a reliable software that satisfies most of your requirements. Or, you can opt for one of our top favorite subtitle editors, such as Movavi Video Editor, CapCut, Kapwing, or Descript.
Step 2: Generate Subtitles
This phase will depend on your chosen software. However, most apps will have the same steps. Once you have found the perfect subtitling app, upload a video from your device. Generally, you will have to click a button to initiate your chosen software’s transcription process. However, Descript or Riverside users will see automatic transcription. Every software allows you to make necessary changes to the transcriptions. So, carefully review the generated captions and make necessary adjustments so they perfectly match your videos’ audio.
Step 3: Burn Your Subtitles to the Video
The next step is to burn the generated subtitles to your video. After clicking on the option to embed them, you might get a pop-up with different styling choices for your captions. Select the appropriate font and size and check the preview to see how your subtitles look before finalizing your choice.
Step 4: Download the Video
Once you have generated the video with subtitles, export it to your device in .MP4 format. The platform prefers this type, but you can also save your videos in MOV and HEVC (H. 265) formats.
Step 5: Post the Video on TikTok
Finally, post your video with subtitles on TikTok and make your content more accessible.
Benefits of Adding Captions & Subtitles to TikTok Videos
You might already be fed up with our constant emphasis on how subtitles and captions can improve your reach, but it is one of the most significant advantages of captioning your TikTok videos.
Improved Accessibility
Adding captions and subtitles to your videos makes them more accessible, making people feel more included. Your content’s accessibility attracts viewers with hearing impairments, neurodivergence, and limited language capabilities, allowing you to reach a wider audience.
Higher Engagement
Captions and subtitles can be your secret to enhanced engagement. Text overlays create a more inclusive environment, allowing your viewers to feel comfortable and interact with your content. Increased engagement can improve the visibility of your content and boost your ranking on more users’ FYPs (For You Pages).
Improved Visibility & Ranking
Like every platform, TikTok also follows an algorithm to rank your videos. TikTok fame doesn’t depend on sheer luck! Subtitles and captions are some of the best SEO practices to get more organic traffic. Add captions to your TikTok videos to make them more visible so you can naturally appear as recommendations in people’s search results.
Global Audience
Don’t let a language barrier stand in the way of your fame! Add subtitles to your TikTok videos to attract viewers from all over the world and increase the accessibility of your content. If you want to boost your views, add subtitles to your videos in various languages so more people can join the fun.
Summary
Your TikTok videos can get thousands of views, likes, and comments if you understand the platform’s algorithm. Subtitles and captions are a secret weapon for more visibility. As one of the best SEO practices, they boost your content on more users’ For You Pages and compel more people to watch your videos.
So, if you want to reach a diverse audience, add subtitles or captions to your TikTok videos to make them more accessible. TikTok gives you the choice between automated and manual captions. But if you want to attract global viewers and position yourself as a brand with the least effort, either use reliable software to add subtitles to your TikTok videos or hire a professional captioning service provider.
