In our multi-tasking world, few of us sit down at our computers to watch online videos. In fact, 75% of all video plays are on mobile devices rather than desktops or laptops.
And since we’re watching these videos while we’re on-the-go, a huge number of them are watched with no sound. At work, on the bus, in line at the grocery store — a full 85% of Facebook videos are watched in silent mode.
Adding subtitles is key if you’re going to get your message to the majority of your video viewers. But there are performance benefits to adding them as well. We’re going to dig into all the reasons why subtitles are a necessity — and how to add them to your videos.
Why Add Subtitles?
There are significant performance benefits that you’ll receive when you add subtitles to your videos. To start, the number of people that will stick with your video until the end will rise dramatically. 80% of consumers are more likely to watch the entire video when there are subtitles — and it’s not because they’re hard of hearing.
Subtitles actually make it easier for viewers to follow along and increase their content recall after the video is over. A study of ads with subtitles showed an 8% lift in ad recall and a 10% increase in ad memory quality over versions without subtitles.
Engagement is also better for subtitled videos. They get 26% more CTA clicks than and a 17% increase in reactions over videos without subtitles. Plus, subtitled videos get 15% more shares than those without.
And beyond the benefits to you, there is the benefit to your viewers. About 15% of American adults have some trouble hearing. Including subtitles is a simple way to be inclusive of this large population.
The only possible downside to adding subtitles to your videos is the time and effort involved to do it. But fortunately, there are tools that make this task simple and quick.
How to Add Subtitles
There’s no need to mess with complicated video editing equipment to add subtitles to your videos. Instead, use one of the user-friendly services currently on the market.
One option is Kapwing. With Kapwing, you can upload your video, and then type and time your subtitles in their intuitive platform.
Kapwing also has an auto-subtitle maker tool currently in testing. It’s not 100% accurate, but you can make any tweaks necessary to make sure the subtitles are correct. Kapwing also offers automatic re-sizing. Once your video is complete you can resize your video to fit Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
One of the biggest benefits to Kapwing is that it has a robust free plan. You can upload files up to 500MB for free, and edit that content for up to 7 days before you have to download and save it.
They also have a paid plan that lets you upload files of up to 1GB, and keep your content in the program for longer than 7 days.
Another great option is called Zubtitle. Zubtitle transcribes the speech in your video for you, and syncs it up with the correct time in your videos.
Zubtitle also lets you add a top border with a title, separate from your subtitles. Adding a border to your video gives it a professional, polished look. Use your brand colors and fonts to make your video stand out and fit in with your website and social media aesthetic.
And when you’re done, it will also resize your video into square, horizontal, or vertical layouts that you can use on different social media platforms.
Zubtitle lets you try one video for free to see how you like it. Then you can sign up for a paid plan, starting at $19.99 per month for up to 10 videos. It could be worth it to save time on transcription or avoid paying someone to transcribe videos for you.
These are just two of the options. There are more programs and apps out there that you can use, some with more tools to help in your video production.
Subtitles are a Must
If you’ve committed to creating videos as part of your content marketing strategy, good for you! But skipping out on subtitles will drastically limit the reach of your content right out of the gate.
Spend an hour learning how to use one of these platforms so you can provide the best viewing experience and deliver value to your audience. And if you don’t have the extra few minutes, this is a perfect task to outsource to an intern or assistant.
This is the easiest way to bring your video content to the next level. So don’t skip it!
