Video is the most engaging content to produce. Whether you’re hosting it on your website, sharing it on social networks or pitching it to streaming services, video is a powerful way to connect to audiences and spread your message.

Video accessibility is also an increasingly important reason for creating closed captions. More and more laws are being created that require videos to include closed captions.

But how do you guarantee that people see your videos? Especially through all the online noise? Add subtitles to video that you produce. Simply adding captions can increase your potential audience, improve comprehension and encourage sharing. Here is the easiest way to add closed captions to video.

Adding Captions to Videos on Different Video Players & Tools

Rev has created multiple guides for adding captions to different video players, see some of our most popular guides.

• YouTube – This guide on How to Add Closed Captions to YouTube highlights Rev’s automatic YouTube integration for the easiest possible YouTube solution
• Vimeo – Learn about How to Add Captions to Vimeo videos
• Adobe Premiere Pro – The easiest solution for Adding Captions in Adobe Premiere Pro
• Instagram – Social media captions are as important as ever – learn how to Add Captions to Instagram Videos
• iMovie – Highlighting one of the most popular free tools for Mac users, check out How to Add Captions and Subtitles in iMovie
• Final Cut Pro – Another popular tool for Mac users, see How to Add Captions and Subtitles to Final Cut Pro
• Handbrake (free option) – Handbrake is a great option for adding subtitle or caption files to video if you don’t want to pay for Final Cut or Premiere: Add Caption or Subtitle Files to Videos with Handbrake

How to Add Closed Captions Yourself

Some teams are big enough that they can add subtitles to video content internally. It is a longer process than outsourcing, but it is a way to save on extra costs, if that’s your priority. Here’s how to put subtitles on videos by yourself.

Transcribe Video

First, you have to transcribe the video. This means not only recording everything that is said in your video, but also making note of other important audio cues in the video. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to transcribe video yourself. You can pass the video file through an audio transcription app, and edit the text file. Or you can have a team member transcribe the video by listening to the file repeatedly. Each option is useful, it only depends on the time and resources your team has.

Remember for closed captions, but particularly subtitles, timing is a crucial element. If the subtitles in your video do not line up with the speakers, it will confuse your audience. Make sure that your transcriptions are as accurate as possible before you move onto the next step.

Save .SRT File

Next, save your text transcription as an .srt file. It’s the most universal file type to add subtitles to video. It’s also the only one that sites like Facebook and LinkedIn accept when publishing video.

Upload with Your Video

Lastly, upload your video file plus the .srt file to the preferred platform. Most sites will allow you to review the subtitles on your video before you publish so you can confirm that they show up at the right time in the video. Take the extra time to confirm the accuracy so you can be sure that the largest audience engages with your video.

How to Add Closed Captions and Subtitles with Rev

If you don’t have time to create subtitles to add to your video content internally, consider using a captioning service. Rev provides everything you need to add captions and subtitles to videos of all lengths and many languages.

All you need to do is provide the video file (or a link to where it’s publicly hosted), select the language and turnaround time you want. Our team will deliver accurate, editable files directly to your inbox. No extra work for you or your team.

Rev offers time codes and is compatible with multiple video players and video editors and makes adding captions to videos seamless and quick.

Learn More About Closed Captions and Subtitles

If you want more information about the benefits of closed captioning your videos or how to subtitle your videos in different languages, check out our blog. We regularly publish new information to help optimize your content.