Captions and subtitles are essential elements in content creation. These solutions are useful not only for the hearing-impaired but also for non-native speakers trying to keep up or for anyone who needs to watch videos on the down low in quiet places. Video transcription companies such as Ditto can turn audio into text—and help creators maximize the benefits of captioning and subtitling videos.
When content creators embrace captions and subtitles, they open up a new world of possibilities, reaching more people, boosting engagement, ensuring they’re on the right side of the law, and so on. With video content going viral across all platforms, understanding why incorporating captions and subtitles is a must for any creator who wants to make an impact with their work is crucial.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Studies have found that captions can positively impact viewership numbers by an average of 40%.
- Studies show automated transcripts can only achieve an 86% accuracy rate, even in the best circumstances. Captioned videos enjoy a 91% viewing completion rate.
- Ditto’s human-powered transcription services are any content creator’s best choice when looking for accurate, high-quality transcripts and captions.
Social Media Sites That Support Video Content
Before we discuss specifics, let’s discuss which social media sites offer the best value for video content.
| Platform | Year Established | Description | Users As Of 2024 |
| YouTube | 2005 | Video Sharing | 2.7 billion |
| TikTok | 2016 | Short-form Videos | 2 billion |
| 2010 | Photos & Videos | 1.4 billion | |
| 2004 | Social Networking | 3.07 billion | |
| 2006 | Microblogging | 336 million | |
| Snapchat | 2011 | Short-term Content | 513 million |
| 2003 | Professional Networking | 1 billion | |
| Twitch | 2011 | Live Streaming | 140 million |
| 2010 | Idea Sharing | 544.29 million | |
| Vimeo | 2004 | Video Hosting | 260 million |
What are the Benefits of Captioning and Subtitling Videos?
I don’t know about you, but I prefer watching videos with captions. I’m not the only one. Studies have found that captions can positively impact viewership numbers by an average of 40%.
Subtitles and closed captioning can also make content more inclusive by providing access to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, which can expand your potential audience base.
With easy access to the internet, translated subtitles can entice global audiences to engage and watch a video from your channel.
Remember, using closed captions and subtitles can expand your reach—given the quality of your transcripts.
Improves Accessibility
Captioning and subtitling provide valuable benefits, such as enhancing accessibility for people with hearing loss or those who simply want to watch a video without sound.
Also, captions and subtitles help non-native speakers understand your content, making them more likely to watch your videos. For example, while learning Italian, I often watched Italian videos with English subtitles, thus improving my comprehension.
In addition to making your content accessible to hearing-impaired and non-native speakers, native language speakers can benefit from adding captions to videos to better understand different accents. For example, I find the Scottish accent interesting but sometimes challenging to understand.
Increases Engagement
Viewers are likelier to finish Facebook or YouTube videos with subtitles or captions. On average, viewers only watch about 66% of uncaptioned videos to completion. Meanwhile, captioned videos enjoy a 91% viewing completion rate.
Video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Facebook now consider watch time one of the most crucial metrics for ranking and watching videos. Elevated watch times make your content more appealing to the algorithm, increasing your chances of showing up on trending pages.
Additionally, YouTube requires prospective Partners (i.e., video creators with monetized content) to reach 4,000 hours of watch time within the last 12 months. Every minute of watch time helps; transcription can help you reach your goals.
Legal Compliance
Depending on your location, regulations may require you to include subtitles or captions in all your video content to enhance the user experience for everyone. For example, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 enforces accessibility standards in certain states.
The Guidance on Web Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA), published in April 2024, aims to “ensure that web content and mobile applications (apps) are accessible to people with disabilities.”
Repurposing Content With The Help of Transcripts
Repurposing content allows you to take resources you’ve already put a lot of time and effort into making. Your existing content can be converted into a new medium that can be used to reach new audience members, convert new leads, or even turn one-time active income content into passive income.
Some people, for example, won’t want to pay $500 for a webinar, though they would happily pay $100 for an online course that covers the same information via transcripts. This course can be sold repeatedly with little marketing and will continue generating income without extra work.
Another example is turning your videos into blog posts. The principle is the same: edit your transcripts, introduce visual elements, format according to preferences, and tune your video SEO keyword strategy. You have another potential source of income on your hands!
Whether you’re using the repurposed video content to generate leads, create branching businesses, or sell it directly for immediate profit, transcription is key to scaling your business and maximizing profitability.
Boosts Ranking And SEO
Companies uploading video content without taking advantage of transcription services are not maximizing their potential reach. Google utilizes crawlers to search text content and pick up keywords within the text to help guide their search results.
Google ranks these pages through algorithms and signals like EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and shows them in relevant search engine result pages (SERP).
The key point in that explanation is text content. Currently, crawlers only read text, not audio or video content.
Adding transcripts makes your content searchable and allows you to increase and diversify your keywords without keyword stuffing. It allows search engines to crawl through your videos for indexing, giving them a better chance of ranking in search results. This, in turn, makes your content more visible through SERPs, allowing you to reach a wider audience base.
Should You Settle For Automated Transcripts for Captions and Subtitles?
In most cases, it’s best not to settle for automated solutions. While Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) can provide a general idea of the content, it has many limitations that may compromise the usability of the transcripts.
Studies show automated transcripts can only achieve 86% accuracy, even in THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES. This means that automated transcripts are bound to contain errors, misinterpretations, or inconsistencies that could be problematic for certain types of content.
For example, accuracy is the most important factor in educational videos, tutorials, interviews, or legal proceedings, ensuring the information is correctly conveyed.
In those cases, it is highly recommended that you opt for professional human transcription services. These services can convert and provide a more reliable transcript that captures nuances, technical terms, and complicated discussions with better precision.
Let Us Improve Your Video Transcription Accuracy
As an industry leader since 2010, Ditto Transcripts offers world-class transcription services that no other provider can match. Our services include:
- More than 99% accuracy on all types of content transcription
- 100% US-based, human transcription
- Fast turnaround times
- Different and affordable rates to fit different budgets
- Stringent security measures that meet different regulatory requirements
- No long-term commitments or contracts (pay as you go)
- Industry-leading customer service
- Flexible features for varying requirements
- Professional translation services for Arabic, French, Spanish, German, and more
So what are you waiting for? Reap the benefits of additional reach and retention by captioning and subtitling your videos with Ditto’s professional transcription services.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.
