Subtitles are the words that appear at the bottom of a video that transcribe the dialogue. They are essential for videos that are watched on social media with the sound off — a play experience that has become increasingly popular, especially on Instagram and Facebook.

Subtitles are also helpful for people who are hearing impaired or for those who are watching video content in a foreign language. In this blog post, we’ll cover how to add subtitles to your video, as well as a few tips for creating the best subs for your audience.

1. Understand the Different Types of Subtitles

There are a few different types of subtitles that you can use for your video. In general, subtitles are divided into two categories: open and closed.

Open subtitles are always displayed on the screen and cannot be turned off. They are burned into the video file itself.

Closed subtitles, on the other hand, can be turned on and off by the viewer. Closed subtitles are added to the video file as a separate file that can be toggled on and off. This is the type of subtitle we’ll be focusing on in this article.

2. Know Your Target Audience

If you don’t already have a buyer persona, now is a great time to create one. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

When creating your video, think about who you want to reach. What are their interests? What do they need? How can your business help them? Once you can answer these questions, you can tailor your video to your target audience.

3. Plan Your Subtitles in Advance

If you’re creating a video script, it’s a good idea to plan your subtitles at the same time. This will help you to structure your video content in a way that makes sense for both your audience and the platforms you plan to share it on.

For example, if you’re creating a video for YouTube, you may want to include a hook at the beginning to keep your audience watching. This would also be a great place to add some spoken subtitles to let your audience know what they can expect from the video.

4. Use a Professional Translator

If you don’t speak the language you want to subtitle your video in, you can hire a professional translator to write your subtitles for you.

There are lots of services that offer professional translation, such as Rev, Gengo, or One Hour Translation. Some of these services also offer subtitling services, so you can get your video subtitled in one step.

5. Keep It Short and Simple

Your video should be the main focus of the content. The subtitles are there to support the video, not the other way around.

Avoid using long sentences or paragraphs in your subtitles. Instead, keep them short and simple. This will make it easier for people to read the text and watch the video at the same time.

In general, you should aim to keep your subtitles to two lines or less and about 30 characters per line.

6. Make Sure the Subtitles Are in Sync

The most important part of adding subtitles to a video is making sure they are in sync with the audio.

This means you need to make sure the subtitles appear on the screen at the right time and stay on the screen for the right amount of time.

If the subtitles are out of sync, it can be very distracting for the viewer and can make your video seem unprofessional.

To make sure your subtitles are in sync, you can use a video editing tool that has a built-in subtitle editor.

7. Use the Right Software

Not all video editing software is created equal — some programs are better for adding subtitles than others.

For example, if you’re editing in Final Cut Pro, you can use the built-in Subtitle generator to create text-based subtitles and captions. This tool also supports closed captions for the hearing impaired.

If you’re editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, you can use the Essential Graphics panel to create and edit text-based subtitles and captions. You can also import SRT files or use the Speech to Text feature to automatically generate subtitles.

If you’re editing in iMovie, you can use the Titles browser to create and edit text-based subtitles. You can also import SRT files or use the Speech to Text feature to automatically generate subtitles.

If you’re editing in a different program, you can use a third-party app or website to create and edit your subtitles, and then import the finished SRT file into your video project.

8. Use the Right Font and Size

The font and size of your subtitles are important to consider. You want to make sure that your subtitles are easy to read, so avoid using small font sizes.

The font size you choose will depend on the video platform you use. For example, a font size of 24px is recommended for YouTube videos, while a font size of 36px is recommended for Facebook videos.

When it comes to the font, stick to simple, easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana. You may be tempted to use more creative fonts, but they can be distracting and make it harder for viewers to read your subtitles.

9. Use Special Formatting for Special Content

If your video has a guest speaker, you can use special formatting to make it clear who is speaking. You can also use different text colors or background colors to make it clear what is being said. You can also use special formatting to call out the most important part of the video.

For example, if you are making a recipe video, you can use special formatting to make it clear what the ingredients are and how much of each ingredient you need. This can be especially helpful for people who are watching your video on mute.

10. Localize Your Subtitles

Localizing your video subtitles is another way to increase your video’s accessibility and reach a global audience.

Localization means you’ll translate your video’s subtitles into different languages to reach people who speak a different language than the one your video is in.

For example, if your video is in English, you could add Spanish subtitles for Spanish speakers to read while watching your video.

Not only does localizing your video subtitles make your content more accessible, but it can also help you increase your video’s reach and engagement since you’ll be able to connect with people who speak different languages.

11. Add Subtitles to Your Social Media Videos

Social media is a great way to get your videos in front of potential customers. But, with so much content being uploaded every second, it can be hard to stand out.

That’s where subtitles come in. Subtitles can help your videos get noticed on social media by making them more accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, by allowing people to watch your videos without sound, and by making your videos more searchable.

12. Add Subtitles to Your YouTube Videos

When you upload a video to YouTube, you’ll have the option to add a title and description. But, did you know you can also add subtitles and closed captions to your YouTube videos?

This is a great way to make your videos more accessible to people who are hearing-impaired, and it can also help you reach a wider audience.

To add subtitles to your YouTube videos, simply click on the “Subtitles/CC” tab in the video editor. Then, click on the “Add Language” button to select the language you want to add subtitles in.

Next, you can either upload a subtitle file or create your own subtitles by typing them out. Once you’ve added your subtitles, click on the “Publish” button to make them live on your video.

13. Add Subtitles to Your Website

If you don’t have a video hosting platform, you can still add video to your website. But, you’ll need to host the video on a platform like YouTube or Vimeo and embed it onto your website.

When you add subtitles to your video, those subtitles will be embedded onto the video. So, when you embed the video onto your website, the subtitles will appear.

If you’re using a video hosting platform with an embed code, you can also add subtitles to the video after you’ve embedded it onto your website. Simply go back to your video hosting platform and follow the steps to add subtitles. Then, copy the embed code and paste it back onto your website.

14. Add Subtitles to Your Training and Educational Videos

Adding subtitles to your training and educational videos can improve the learning experience for your audience. This is especially true for people who are visual learners and those who are watching video content in a language that is not their first.

The global e-learning market is expected to be worth $325 billion by 2025. If you want to tap into this growing market, adding subtitles to your training and educational videos is a great place to start.

Conclusion

There are plenty of tools and software that can help you add subtitles to your videos. You can use a free online tool, a generator, or even a professional service. It all depends on your budget and how many videos you need to add subtitles to.

Before you start adding subtitles to your videos, you should think about the type of video you are creating. For example, if you are creating an explainer video, it is a good idea to add captions to the video. This will make it easier for your audience to understand the content.

On the other hand, if you are creating a video for a blog post, you can use a tool like Rev to add subtitles to the video. This will help you get more views on your blog post and increase your search engine rankings.