Trendy recipes, memes, and life hacks all have one thing in common on TikTok: they often rely on text to deliver their punch.
But do you know how to add text to TikTok videos? If you want to try your hand at creating content for the network, you’ll need to know how to add captions to help get your message across.
Thankfully, it’s simple! In this article, you’ll learn how to add text to TikTok videos in 5 simple steps.
Just a head’s up, you’ll need to edit your video before you can add any text to it. So clip, adjust the speed, and once you’re happy with it, click Next. Now you’re ready to add text.
How to add text to TikTok videos
Step 1. Once you’re in the video editing menu, click the text icon.
Step 2. Type in the text you want to include in your video. Choose the color, and if you’d like to change the font, select one from below.
Step 3. Clicking the A icon also lets you change the style of the text. For example, in the photo below you can see that I’ve given the text an outline.
Step 4. If you click on the text where it appears on your video, you can edit the duration and text-to-speech. Text-to-speech, which is when a robot voice reads out what you’ve written, has become a trend on TikTok. The duration function lets you choose when your text pops up, and how long it stays visible.
Step 5. Once you have your text exactly as you want it, click Next. Now you can add captions, hashtags, tag friends, and configure other settings related to how people view your video.
Why you should add text to your TikTok videos
Text isn’t always necessary on TikTok. A choreography, for example, might not need any words to communicate what it wants to say.
But, in many cases, text helps people understand your content on a deeper level. Let’s look at a few reasons why you should include text in your TikTok videos.
Give context to your content
Is that ricotta or cottage cheese that I need to use in this TikTok pasta recipe? And how much do I need to put?
Context is important. For videos that give instructions, include different ingredients, or outline processes in steps, text is probably necessary.
The example questions above show us how important text is in the context of a recipe. Your pasta could turn out drastically different from your favorite TikToker’s if you don’t know what cheese you need or how much of it to put.
Make videos that everyone can enjoy and understand
If I’m out in public and don’t have headphones, I keep my phone on mute. However, I still like to consume social media content. How do I do it? By reading the captions.
Adding text to your TikTok videos can help people enjoy your videos even when they can’t hear them. This goes for people with different hearing abilities as well.
Also, if you have an international audience (or are trying to target one), they might understand written words better than spoken. For example, of the five countries with the most growth in IOS downloads of TikTok in 2021, none is an English-speaking country.
Remember that everyone is different and if you want to optimize your videos to get the most engagement, make it possible for everyone to enjoy them.
Set up a sequence and catch viewers’ attention
All good stories have sequencing. The beginning, the middle, and the end. While you might be able to get that across with video alone, text can really help you instill sequencing in your viewers’ understanding of your content.
Also, text on videos helps capture viewers’ attention. Their eyes will immediately go to the text, so make every word count.
Does your video help someone solve a common problem? State it in text right at the beginning. Are you directing your video at a certain group of people? Shout them out so they know you’re talking to them.
Market your products and services
This ties into the first point. But if you’re a brand, or an influencer working with a brand, you might be using TikTok for influencer marketing. Imagine you want to show off some products in a video.
By adding text, you can share important details about those products, like the brand name, their features, a launch date, or where they’re available. You could also do this in the caption or with hashtags, but as I said above, viewers will notice text on your video much faster and easier.
Conclusion
Now you know how to add text to TikTok videos, and some of the reasons why it’s a good idea to do so. If you want to learn more about TikTok, check out our articles about how to go live on TikTok or TikTok playlists. And remember you can find influencers with TikTok accounts using Heepsy!
