With the domination of short form video content through platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, it’s no surprise that 82% of internet traffic is driven by video content. But a 15 second video isn’t enough to engage viewers and retain their attention.

One of the easiest ways you can ensure you do that is by posting video content with captions and here’s four reasons why!

#1: Creating a better experience for your viewers

Convenient, digestible content is what your audience wants to see on social media - but why is that? With the ability to consume content on the go, people don’t want to forfeit the ability to watch TikToks or Reels on their daily commute to and from work. TikTok has increased the importance of content sounds in a way that other platforms have never done. Having compelling audio as part of your content is now a determining factor of how successful it can be, which shows just how important it is to have captions.When people are in environments where their focus may not be 100% on their phone, providing additional ways to keep them engaged is key, and adding captions does just that.

#2: Improving your video SEO and discoverability via Google

Google announced last year that they would be working on indexing Instagram Reels and TikToks. Whilst Google isn’t able to watch your videos, it can crawl your captions and audio transcripts to rank your video against any keywords it finds. To ensure you consistently maximize the opportunity to rank on Google, always make sure you’re adding keywords into your content title, description and hashtags, and captioning your videos to increase the opportunity to be discovered. 

#3: Being an inclusive contributor

Not only do captions increase the overall viewing experience for users, but they also ensure your content is available to the masses. Over 5% of the world's population (430 million people) require some form of aid or rehabilitation for their hearing. Simply adding captions adds a level of inclusivity and increases how accessible your content is to a wider audience.

#4: Increasing engagement

When it comes to measuring the performance of video content, watch time is key! Engaging a viewer instantly can be easy, but maintaining their attention in today’s world of distractions is the challenge. Verizon discovered that 80% of people say they’re more likely to watch an entire video when captions are available.

With platforms like TikTok and IG Reels, watch time is potentially the most important metric when it comes to analyzing the performance of your content. Consistently maintaining a high average watch time indicates a few things to the algorithm:

• It shows the algorithm that your audience is highly engaged and receptive to the videos you’re creating.

• It shows that the context of your content directly interests the audience you’re trying to reach, so much so that you’re achieving 100% watch time, or close to it.

• It shows that the hashtags and keywords that you’re using correlate with the content you’ve published and the audience you’re hoping to reach.

All of the above cements how impactful adding captions to your content can be. If you’re looking to maximize on discoverability, engage and grow your audience,  create content consumable by the masses and provide a better viewing experience, the most valuable thing you can do this year is ensure that all of your video content is captioned.

Captioning social content doesn’t need to be difficult or tedious. Our latest update includes our auto captioning feature which allows you to create social media captions in seconds! You can simply add in any media and with a tap of a button your audio will be transcribed into branded captions which you can then edit to change the style or add emphasis!Interested in a demo? You can request one here - we'd love to show you around!

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Do you want to find out how Slate can help transform your social media content workflow? Check out case studies from some of our customers like the Los Angeles Lakers and the PGA tour.