Everyone’s on social media these days. And who can blame them? What was seen as a silly novelty for funny cat videos in the early 2000s is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Content creators left and right are scrambling to find the next trend—or ride a current one. Everybody’s got the “magic recipe” and tips for growing your platforms. Unfortunately, many content creators fail to grasp basic tips, such as growing their social media audience with subtitles—made by a professional video transcription company.
So, what should content creators do to ensure the audience stays engaged with the help of subtitles? How can content creators ensure that their subtitles accurately convey the intended tone and emotion of the spoken content?
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Videos with subtitles have a longer view time, as evidenced by a 12% increase in a Facebook study.
- Integrating subtitles makes content more inclusive for people with hearing impairments or those who speak different languages.
- Effective subtitles should be concise, lasting between 3 to 7 seconds, and placed strategically to avoid blocking important visuals.
What Does It Mean to Have a Wide Social Media Audience?
Today, having many social media followers means something, whether for an organization’s reach or an individual’s influence.
Having a huge audience base on leading platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter means the influencer can connect with people from different types of people. That kind of reach is powerful. It lets people and corporate entities promote their content or engage with their audience on a massive scale.
Plus, when someone has a wide social media reach, it can boost their brand as followers share their content with their networks. A strong social media presence can also open up opportunities for targeted marketing campaigns for businesses.
Social Media Sites That Support Video Content
Before we discuss the finer details, below are platforms where you can increase your reach.
| 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 |
Strategies to Grow Social Media Audiences Effectively Using Subtitles
There are multiple ways for a content creator to be relevant to the algorithm, like putting hashtags or description captions for every post; however, below are some ways to utilize subtitles and captions.
Prioritize Subtitle Integration for Inclusive Content
Growing a social media audience can start with integrating captions and subtitles. Although it may not seem very well known, 69% of people watch videos on mute when they’re out and about, according to a study conducted by Verizon Media. Captions and subtitles are necessary for getting the message across. They make content more inclusive for people with hearing issues or who speak different languages.
Also, Netflix saw a boost in views for the movies Squid Game and Money Heist after adding subtitles in multiple languages—proof, if proof is needed, right there.
A Facebook study also showed that videos with subtitles had a 12% higher view time than those without. More engagement means more shares, likes, and followers, which all add up to a bigger social media presence and, of course, earnings potential.
Optimize Placement and Duration of Subtitles or Captions
Subtitles or captions must be positioned so they don’t block important visual content and are easier for viewers to read and understand. Content creators should aim for subtitles to last between 3 and 7 seconds. That’s the sweet spot where people have enough time to read the information without feeling overwhelmed.
When creating subtitles, consider the video’s pacing and the amount of information in each scene. Too much text on the screen can be a turnoff for viewers’ overall experience. Instead, prioritize concise, easy-to-digest text that works well with the visuals. So, pay attention to subtitle placement—it can make a difference in keeping viewers hooked.
Leverage Subtitles for Multilingual Expansion
Subtitles are a fantastic way to connect with viewers who speak different languages. Adding subtitles in multiple languages can open doors to new markets or engage with a global audience.
Take YouTube creator Xiaomanyc, for example. He’s built a successful channel with an international following through his language skills and including subtitles in various languages.
However, content creators should note that cultural relevance is important when branching into multi-language content. Teaming with native speakers can help ensure the message stays on point or avoid cultural faux pas.
Another example is Netflix itself. It’s known for its vast library of international content, and Netflix invests heavily in culturally appropriate subtitles to keep its global audience happy.
Incorporate Relevant Keywords in Subtitles
If you know a bit about SEO, subtitles are also a great place to sneak in relevant keywords that boost content visibility on social media platforms.
Strategically including keywords matching the video’s topic can help the content appear more often in suggested video feeds—similar to putting a hashtag on your posts. That means more views, engagement, ad revenues, followers without paid promotion, etc.
SEO professionals like Brian Dean know how important keyword optimization is for all types of online content, including subtitles. The trick is ensuring the keywords flow naturally with the dialogue and don’t feel out of place. Also, keyword stuffing is a big no-no—it hurts SEO and can ruin the viewing experience.
Enhance Subtitle Design for Visual Impact
Design can affect how viewers engage with content or perceive a brand, which also applies to video content with subtitles and captions. Enhancing the visual appeal of subtitles can create a more memorable experience for the audience. The key is to use fonts, colors, or styles that complement the video’s visual style.
Graphic designer and YouTuber Will Paterson often stresses the importance of cohesive visual branding across all content creation—look up some of his videos about it. Readability and legibility should be top priorities when designing subtitles or captions. Font sizes and colors should be easily read against various backgrounds, with good contrast for optimal visibility.
Maintain Consistent Subtitle Branding
Keeping a consistent subtitle style guide across your videos creates a cohesive viewing experience that reinforces brand identity. Viewers can instantly recognize the content and associate it with the value provided.
BuzzFeed and Tasty are great examples of brands that have nailed consistent subtitle branding, which creates a strong visual identity across their social media channels. The key to consistency is developing a style guide that outlines font choices, color palettes, formatting guidelines, etc.
This style guide should be easily accessible to everyone involved in the video creation process to ensure subtitles are implemented uniformly across all content. Regular quality checks help maintain branding consistency, allowing you to spot any deviations that need to be fixed.
What are the Ways to Get Transcripts for Accurate Subtitles and Captions?
One or more transcription methods for audio or video files might sound like excellent ways to make your content more accessible and engaging. However, not all of them are appropriate for video content transcription. Here’s why:
In-House Transcription
In-house transcription refers to you or a hired employee transcribing video to text. This has certain significant disadvantages, the biggest of which is that transcription is time-consuming. Furthermore, having a professional employee transcribe audio to text can be expensive.
Automatic Transcription
Automatic transcription uses machine learning, AI transcription software, or other trending automated speech-to-text tools to transcribe automatically and caption video or audio recordings.
Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok offer built-in auto-generated closed captions. These captions are also often included as free transcription functions in popular word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
While this might sound like a fast, cheap option, transcribing Instagram videos with AI will lead to less accuracy—14% less, to be exact, as automatic verbatim transcription is often only 86% accurate.
Manual Transcription Is The Best Way To Put Captions on Social Media Videos
In all honesty, professionals are best at handling transcribing social media videos, and Ditto Transcripts is your best option. We’ll take your video or audio file and produce transcripts and captions that are 99% accurate all the time, made by 100% human transcriptionists. This ensures that inaccuracies do not affect your overall marketing and engagement strategies.
We offer manual video transcriptions and captioning of YouTube and Facebook videos, Instagram stories, TikTok, recorded Zoom meetings, and other social media posts. We handle a wide range of spoken content in different industries and offer translation services with the same 99% guarantee.
Tips To Grow Your Social Media Audience With Subtitles? We Got You Covered
Growing your audience base on social media is not a walk in the park, and you don’t want to mess up your video content with inaccurate subtitles that need more time to fix. Get Ditto’s video and audio transcription service and experience 100% U.S.-based human services, more than 99% accuracy rates, fast turnaround times, and excellent customer service.
Our online transcription software is also affordable, and we can handle different video formats. So, what are you waiting for? Hit our inbox or call us for a free trial.
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.
