Like Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels has become a success, with millions of users utilizing this feature to consume video content.
Many users, however, scroll too quickly, watch the videos on mute, or sometimes get distracted by other content on the platform.
As a creator, you must learn how to stop them in their tracks, keep them engaged, and make your videos more accessible. You can achieve this by adding captions to your Facebook Reels.
This post will show you the following:
- How to add captions to reels on Facebook directly or using a third-party app like Submagic
- The benefits you’ll get from Facebook captions
- Great tips for creating captivating captions for Facebook Reels quickly.
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Let’s dive in.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Captions to Facebook Reels
The two methods we’ll explore for adding captions to reels on Facebook are:
Using an auto-caption tool - Submagic
Adding your captions directly on Facebook Reel
Using an Auto-caption Tool- Submagic
If you want to create captivating captions for your Facebook reels in minutes without the stress of writing out a single line of text, use Submagic.
Submagic is an AI tool for content creators that generates amazing captions (auto-caption) with emojis for short-form content in under 2 minutes. Here’s the step-by-step process to create subtitles for your reels on Facebook using Submagic.
Step 1. Upload your Video
Search for “Submagic.co” directly from your web browser. Record and prepare your video in vertical format (1080x1920) pixels.
Upload your video. Click or drag/drop to upload your video.
Name your project, and choose the language linked to your video's audio. Submagic supports over 48 languages!
Step 2. Generate your Subtitles
Submagic generates your subtitles within minutes through its auto-subtitle generator. You can change the color, animation, emojis, timing when the text appears, and even fonts.🎨
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Adding Captions Directly on Facebook Reel
You can follow these steps to add captions directly to Facebook reels.
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device and navigate to the Reels section.
- Tap the “+” icon to create a new Reel or select an existing one to edit.
- Look for the “Text” option and tap on it to start your editing process.
- A text box will appear on your video—type in the caption you want to add.
- Customize the appearance of the caption by selecting different fonts, sizes, colors, and positioning options available in the editing toolbar.
- You can adjust the timing and duration of the caption by dragging it along the timeline.
- Preview your Reel to see how it looks with the captions when you’re done.
- After previewing, tap on the “Next” button to proceed.
- Publish your Reel by tapping the “Share” button.
Why Should You Add Captions to Facebook Reels?
If your Facebook Reel is not carefully created to stop users in their tracks and keep them engaged, you’ll lose their attention.
So, here are a few reasons you need to add captions to your Facebook Reels.
It Makes your Content More Engaging
Adding captions to Facebook Reels will make your content more engaging for viewers, as they’ll be able to follow along with the spoken word regardless of the audio quality.
Creators like Alex Hormozi use captions for their videos, increasing their viewers' engagement.
It Increases your video Watch Time
As said earlier, Facebook has many features competing for a user’s attention, making it difficult to keep a user hooked to your video.
However, when a Facebook reel has subtitles, it encourages viewers to watch until the end, as captions help users enjoy and understand the content better.
Studies have found that captions increase video viewing by 80%. As more users watch your Facebook Reels for a longer duration, your Reel gets more visibility from Facebook’s algorithm.
It Improves Accessibility
Adding great captions to your Facebook Reels makes your content engaging to all audiences and accessible to viewers with hearing disabilities.
6 Best Practices for Facebook Video Captions
If you want to create Reels on Facebook that will be captivating and accessible, here are a few best practices to keep in mind.
- 1. Avoid mistakes in spelling or grammar to make your content look professional and polished.
- 2. Use a clear and easy-to-read font style and size for your captions, avoiding fancy fonts that can be hard to read.
- 3. Place your captions where they won't block the video, and use colors or shadows to make them stand out.
- 4. Keep your captions short and focused on the video's main points, considering viewers may only read short captions.
- 5. Make sure your captions match the timing of the spoken words or actions in the video for a smooth experience.
- 6. Add extra information to the captions so viewers can understand the content better, especially when audio or visuals alone are unclear.
Directly adding captions to Facebook Reel is exhausting and wildly inaccurate. While it seems straightforward, it takes a lot of time, and you won’t get the best results.
However, using a third-party tool like Submagic gets you the best captions for your reels on Facebook. Another benefit of using Submagic to create captions for your Facebook reels is that you can use the same piece of content for other short-form content platforms like YouTube shorts and TikTok.