How to Add Text to TikToks for More Views

Creating a TikTok with captions improves accessibility, increases engagement, and is quick to do with the auto-caption feature.

Adding text to your TikTok videos isn't only great for accessibility, it's also practical for other reasons too. About 29% of people often use subtitles to consume video content without disturbing others around them. But, if you think about it, most people (92% of them) watch video content with the sound turned off anyway. So, if you have an important message to share in your video, adding text to your TikTok videos is essential. That way, you'll be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas to others while they silently watch your TikTok videos. In this article, we're going to share how to add text to TikTok in three easy ways.

3 ways to add text to TikTok videos:

Text on screen
Auto-text (aka captions)
Text on the cover image

How to Add On-Screen Text to Your TikTok

Adding on-screen text to your TikTok video can be helpful for many reasons. Of course, you shouldn't be using on-screen text to caption the whole video. The goal of using on screen text is to make text stand out or enhance the aesthetic of the video.

You can add on-screen text to title cards to state what your TikTok video is all about. You can also add text to TikTok to provide people with some additional context. For example, you might add a tidbit fact, a five words or less explanation, or a call-out of some sort to help people understand the gist of what's being talked about.

You can also add on-screen text to boost the aesthetic of the video. Adding a quote or a question to your video can help boost engagement and change the vibe of your video content. A witty one-liner can make people laugh at the right moment when paired with the right video content.

Another reason to add on-screen text to your TikTok is for SEO purposes. SEO, aka Search Engine Optimization, is all about making your content more discoverable. Just like with good old-fashioned website SEO, TikTok SEO involves adding keywords into your content. And since the TikTok algorithm can read text on videos, you can add keywords into the on-screen text to help your videos rank higher on TikTok search.

Adding on-screen text to your TikToks is simple. Here's how:

1. Upload or record your video footage in TikTok.

2. On the right-hand side, you'll see the symbol "Aa" that's where you can add plain text to your TikTok video. However, if you're looking to add a text sticker, you'll want to use the graphic just below that features a circle with two eyes.

3. If you choose the plain text icon, you can type in your copy using the pad. You'll notice that there are a series of font options, colors, alignment options, and even bolding features. The text appears as you type it and you'll see automatic changes as you select your TikTok font, colors, and so on. You can edit text in various ways to make it contrast well with your video. Click "Done" after you've completed all your text edits

4. Then, you'll be able to move your text anywhere on the screen. Ideally, you want to place it somewhere visible and easy to read for maximum accessibility (unless you’re hiding a bunch of keywords for SEO purposes, in which case pinch it down as small as possible and drag it out of frame).

5. Then, click "Next" to complete your post, such as uploading a TikTok caption, selecting a cover, tagging people, adding hashtags, and so forth.

Alternatively, if you'd prefer adding a text sticker. You can follow these steps instead:

1. After uploading your TikTok video from your camera roll, click on the Sticker logo on the right-hand side below the "Aa" symbol.

2. If there's a specific word you'd like to find a text graphic of, type in the word in the search bar. Then click on the one you like and it'll automatically be added to your TikTok video.

3. Move the sticker text to the area of the video where it is easiest to read or naturally pops out to grab attention. Click "Next."

4. Add your TikTok video caption, hashtags, cover photo, and any other details to your post that you'd like to share publicly.

How to Add Auto-Captions to Your TikTok

There are so many benefits to adding auto-captions to your TikTok videos. Listening to audio on TikTok isn't always practical. Most people prefer watching videos without it. No one likes the jump scare of audio being blasted when scrolling through their feed. And sometimes we just want to watch something happen instead of listening to someone talk. Making videos with auto-captions allows people to follow along to your video without having to listen to it.

Plus, it's good for accessibility too. There are currently over 1.5 billion people around the world who have hearing loss in at least one of their ears. Considering that there are 7.88 billion people alive right now, that's a huge chunk of the population. Creating accessible video content allows you to reach a wider pool of people on TikTok. So, when you add text to your videos captioning your whole video, anyone with a hearing disability can now access your content with ease.

Adding auto-captions to your TikTok video can boost engagement as well. Not everyone speaks the same language as you nor do they necessarily have the same level of fluency. When you add auto-captions to your video it becomes easier to follow along with what's being said and you can translate those videos too. Plus, if someone is watching your video in a place where they need to be quiet, reading the captions allows them to watch the video. Without auto-captions, most people would just scroll on by if they didn't feel like listening to the video's audio.

How to do it in the TikTok app

You can add text to TikTok videos directly in the TikTok app. Here's how.

1. Upload your video to TikTok.

2. On the left hand-side, click the arrow to find the "Captions" section.

3. Your captions will appear in the middle of the screen. Don't worry you can move the position of where they're located after you click "Save."

4. Move your auto-captions to an area of the screen that fits the frame, is easy to read, and doesn't block any of the main image.

5. On the "Post" page, write in a caption for your video, add hashtags, choose a cover photo, and when all that's completed, click "Post."

How to add auto-captions with a third-party editor

You can add subtitles to your video using Kapwing, a video editor for teams. Kapwing's AI Subtitle Generator allows you to add text to TikTok videos without having to manually type out the text at all. Here's how to easily add text to TikTok videos with ease using Kapwing.

1. Visit the Auto Subtitle Generator page. Click "Generate subtitles."

2. On the right-hand side, click on "Click to upload" to upload your TikTok video that you'd like to auto-caption.

3. Once you've uploaded your video, click on the “Subtitles” button in the left sidebar. Within the subtitles tab, you’ll see the option for “Auto Subtitles” as well as two other methods for adding subtitles – uploading an SRT/VTT file or manually typing in your subtitles. Choose “Auto Subtitles.”

4. Once you click on "Auto Subtitles" you'll have the option to set the language or translate the video. The asset you want to add subtitles for will be highlighted already. So, you can click "Auto subtitle."

5. You'll find the transcription of the audio done on the left-hand side that you can manually edit as needed.

6. On the right-hand side, you can choose from text styles, font styles and sizes, and more.

To make sure the transcribed text is readable for viewers, we recommend using the TikTok Safe Zones filter to check your placement. This tool adds a transparent overlay to the video showing you where the TikTok user interface will be when you upload your video and whether it will obscure any of your subtitles. After all, if your subtitles are hidden away behind your video’s caption or the sidebar where viewers can’t read them, that kind of defeats the purpose of adding subtitles.

7. Finally, once you've gone through your transcription, adjusted font sizes, and are happy with the result of your video, you can click "Export Project." You'll be able to choose the format, resolution, and compression level.

8. Now, it's time to upload to TikTok!

How to Add Text to Your TikTok Covers

TikTok covers are your TikTok videos thumbnails that people see when scrolling through your TikTok feed. When you add text to your TikTok covers, people will easily know what the video is about and might be more interested in watching it. It’s the same concept as designing a good book cover to catch people’s eye at the bookstore. Good TikTok cover copy should draw viewers in, give them a reasonable idea of what to expect, and get them to click on the video to learn more.

Here are the steps to follow to add text to your TikTok covers:

1. Upload or record your TikTok video.

2. Enhance your post by adding text-to-speech, sound, or other elements to ensure your video is viewing ready. Then, click "Next."

3. On the “Post” page, you’ll see the thumbnail preview of your video with “Select cover” on it to the right of the caption text box. Click on it to edit your cover image and text.

4. You'll be sent to a screen where you can choose the exact frame you'd like to use for your cover. Slide the red slider to the frame that best captures the vibe of the post you're creating.

5. Next, choose the title style you want. There are a variety of styles to choose from, such as Standard which is just plain text, Vector, Glitch, Tint, Emblem, News, Retro, Skew, Pill, Pop, and Bubble. Pick one that pops against the background of your video or that suits the tone of what the video is about.

6. Now it’s time to add cover text to your TikTok. Type out whatever title or description you want for your cover image. And remember: This will show up pretty small as just one of a grid of thumbnails on your page, so you don’t want to cram too much text in there. Keep it short and clear.

When you’re happy with it, click “Save.”

7. Back on the Post page, fill out all the details for your post: write a caption, add hashtags, set the privacy options for the post, etc. When you’re ready, click "Post."

Add text to TikTok, watch your views soar

Now that you know how to add text to TikTok, it'll be easier to increase engagement, accessibility, and views on your TikTok videos. Whether you use the TikTok editor in the TikTok app or use a third party tool like Kapwing, you can easily add subtitles to your video to allow people to easily consume your content. If you're creating content for a mass audience, you can even translate your video into other languages to help you boost your video's reach.

The best part about knowing how to add text to TikTok is knowing that you can use tools like this auto subtitle generator to help you transcribe your videos (without the manual hassle). It's time to add text to your TikTok videos to boost those TikTok views and take your TikTok account to the next level.

FAQs

How do you add text to different parts of a TikTok?

You can add text to different parts of a TikTok video by adding multiple text boxes to the same frame or different TikTok clips in your video. You can preview your video after you've added all your text to ensure that the text placements are where you want them to be at every given point.

How do I auto add text in TikTok?

You can auto add text in TikTok under the Captions section when uploading your TikTok video. Alternatively, you can use Kapwing's Auto Subtitle Generator to automatically add subtitles to your video that you later upload to TikTok.

How to add text on TikTok and make it disappear?

In TikTok, after adding your text in, you can click on it to find the "Set duration" tab. From there, you can change how long the text appears on the video or in other words make it disappear after a set time.

Related Articles

Create content faster with Kapwing's online video editor →