Caption your Video Ads for Better Engagement

Have you ever watched any video ads while browsing social media? Of course, you have. Who hasn't watched it? Video ads have become common, with brands releasing eye-catching videos to stand out. Marketers and advertisers create these online videos to advertise their products on social media to target the right audience. But, apart from these flashy videos, is there any other way to make the video ads more engaging to the audience? How can your video ads stand out in this tight competition?  

Captioning these video ads can be a solution to these questions. But how can captions help the audio-based video ads? Let's explore this further.  

Maximize the engagement of video ads through captions 

We all have heard the saying, "First impressions are the best impressions." The same is applicable for video ads. According to recent studies, the first six seconds of the video determine the viewer’s engagement. If you can't grasp the viewer's attention during those six seconds, they might close the video before the six seconds are over.   Now, the question is, how can we grasp the attention of the consumer? Let’s take the research findings about video ads conducted by one of the social media apps, Facebook. It depicts that 80% of consumers find it annoying when the audio gets played automatically. This shows that the current trend to watch a video has shifted to low volume or mute altogether. 

Let's list out some of the reasons why people would like to watch the video ads in low volume or mute:  

• They are in a shared space (e.g., coffee shop, library)  

• They don't have their hearing devices with them  

• They are unable to understand the language spoken in the video. 

• They are commuting  

• High-pitched sound bothers them  

• They understand the content better when it's on mute  

• They are working during that time.  

So, if the consumers aren't hearing the audio of your ads, how can they understand the message behind them? That's why adding captions to the ads is highly recommended.  

How can captions be beneficial in video ads?  

• Accessibility: Around 5% of the world’s population suffers from hearing impairment, and captions help them access the content. Captions also address language barriers, allowing non-natives to understand the content.  

• Better retention and brand recall: According to studies, captions can assist in capturing attention and making a lasting impression of the video to the consumers. Thus, it helps to remember a brand and its products.  

• SEO Benefits: Along with improving engagement and searchability, captions allow the algorithm to understand your content and serve it to the right audience.   

Explore more about the benefits of the captions in our blog: What Are Captions.  

Are you still wondering if captions enhance the effectiveness of the video ads? Here are some of the statistics proving the power of captions in video ads:  

• In terms of viewership:  

• Internal tests from Facebook revealed that captioned video ads increased video view time by 12%.  

• In terms of engagement:  

• Ad recall: Captions promoted ad engagement, with an 18.8% increase in ad recall.  

• Brand linkage: Captions helped in a 13% lift in brand linkage.  

• Memory retention: Studies have proven a 10% increase in memory retention of ads when captions are provided.  

• In terms of comprehension:  

• 29% of people could understand the content better due to the captions.   

To support the captions, Brad Gans, Creative Technical Director of act.tv, commented:  

"Readable video helps get more eyeballs on your content. Readable video allows us to communicate with the viewer very quickly and efficiently. Especially in the social feed, you want to deliver the video's meaning and message as fast as possible. On-screen text is one way to do that because you can craft it and create the narrative."    

How to Create Captions for Video Ads?  

Now that you know the advantages, let's discuss some key points to consider when creating captions for video ads.  

Type of captions:  

Captions used in video ads can be either open captions or closed captions.   

• Open captions: These captions are burned in the video and cannot be turned off.  

• Closed captions: These can be turned on or off at their convenience.   

To learn more about these captions, visit our blog:  What Are Captions?  

Type of platform:  

Currently, various social media platforms are available, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok. Therefore, it’s necessary to consider the platform to decide the appropriate captions for your video ads. Here’s an overview of the types of captions that can be used for these platforms:  

• YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook: These platforms encourage closed captions, where you can upload .srt files along with the video. YouTube also supports other caption file formats, such as .txt, .smi, etc., for closed captions. Open captions are also an option based on your preference.    

• Instagram: Unlike YouTube, Instagram has no option to enable closed captions, therefore it only supports open captions. Although you can generate automated captions using Instagram’s captioning tool, manual or third-party captions are recommended to avoid the inaccuracy of the automated captions. 

• TikTok: Like Instagram, TikTok only supports the open captions.  

Type of text: 

When creating captions, it’s crucial to ensure the text is visible, readable, and attractive enough to catch the audience’s attention. These are some of the key points that are to be considered while creating captions for video ads: 

• Size: Ensure that the captions are of appropriate size. They should be large enough to read easily but not so large that they obscure the attractive visuals of the video.  

• Contrast: Captions should be visible to everyone, so the color provided for them should have enough contrast with the background so that customers will see them. 

• Amount of text: Too much of everything is as bad as too little. When adding captions, ensure ample text is provided so the viewer can read it without difficulty.   

• Design: Make your captions dynamic to match the visuals and attract consumers to the video.  

Captions paired with the video’s visuals can help it stand out from the rest. If you find it overwhelming to create captions independently, Textar is here to help you. With years of experience, Textar can provide you with the appropriate captions tailored to your video ads and the platforms where you plan to post them.  

Drop a mail at sales@timbel.net to caption your video ads.