Here’s why you need to caption your videos
We’ve heard it before — video is the way forward when it comes to social media.
Tik Tok and Instagram give you lots of ways to connect with your audience on video.
Tik Tok, IG stories, and Reels are a great way to create juicy, bite-sized content for your target audience.
Here’s the thing though — if you’re not captioning your videos, you could lose up to 80% of viewers! That’s right: a huge majority of users watch video content on silent.
And that’s not the only reason to use captions.
Accessible content for all
Both Tik Tok and Instagram have auto-caption options, which (with varying levels of accuracy) transcribe your videos. Still, for maximum engagement, I recommend typing out what you’re saying. This ensures error-free copy and also accounts for the fast-reading brigade.
Social Media apps have been working at making their platforms more accessible to people with different abilities. Captioning features make life easier for Deaf or hard of hearing community.
One in six Australians are hard of hearing, and we reckon making our content as accessible as possible for them is important for inclusion.
After all, you wouldn’t want your valuable, helpful content to make someone feel excluded, would you?
But here’s the thing
Making things more accessible makes like easier for everyone. Take automatic doors for example. They’re essential for people who use wheelchairs to get around. But their benefits are wider than that.
They’re also super helpful for pram pushers, germaphobes, and people with their hands full.
Same goes for captions. They’re essential for the Deaf community. They’re also important for the ADHD community (who watch videos WHILE they also watch television). The breastfeeding community (who need something to keep them awake in the wee-smalls) and the stuck-in-a-boring-meeting community.
Bottom line: when we improve accessibility, everybody wins.
Martha Barnard-Rae is a Denmark WA-based SEO copywriter. She supports businesses in Denmark, Albany, the Great Southern and beyond with all the wordy things they need to stand out in the best possible way.
Her words live on the websites, blogs, videos, emails, and socials of businesses all over Australia. An accomplished speaker, Martha helps brands, business owners, schools, and Government Departments understand what they need to do to find their voices.
Martha holds an Honours Degree in English and a Master’s Degree in Education — communication truly lights her up. When she’s not crafting delicious words, you’ll find her walking two giant pooches, practicing her ukulele, or wrapped around a cup of tea, planning out her next Instagram reel.
To stay up to date, join the Word Candy crew on Instagram, or connect with Martha on LinkedIn.