Subtitles, the tiny chunks of text you see on videos, are not just a design choice, but they have a huge impact on video performance.
Data from Verizon Media shows that around 69% of viewers watch videos on mute in public areas, while 25% watch them on mute even in private. Naturally, without captions, they won’t be able to fully understand the video.
Additionally, captions are important for people with hearing disabilities, help improve SEO performance, boost engagement, and can even drive more revenue.
Keep reading as we discuss why subtitles matter in 2026, the best practices you should follow when subtitling your videos, and some of the best AI video editors you can use to do it.
Why should you add subtitles to your videos?
Here’s why adding subtitles is no longer a choice but a necessity in today’s content creation landscape.
50% of users watch videos on mute
Verizon conducted a survey of 5,616 U.S. adults aged 18 to 54. Around 50% of respondents said captions are important because they often watch videos without audio, while 80% of users who use captions don’t have any hearing issues.
Another good example is Facebook, which generates at least 8 billion video views every day. More than 100 million hours of video are watched on the platform, and according to research, around 85% of those video views happen without sound.
This shows the importance of adding subtitles to your videos. You could lose a large portion of your audience if your videos don’t include captions or subtitles.
There can be several reasons why users choose to watch videos without sound. They may be in a public setting where playing audio loudly is considered inappropriate, they may have forgotten to carry their headphones or earphones, or they may simply prefer a noise-free viewing experience.
In all these situations, subtitles and captions come to the viewer’s rescue. Without them, the video becomes little more than a collection of visual clips with no context or narration when watched on mute.
Better social engagement
Instapage ran an A/B test using two versions of the same video: one with captions and one without. Here’s what it observed after 4,000 views:
- The video with captions achieved 16% higher reach than the one without.
- Average total view time was 5% higher.
- The video with captions received more than 17% more reactions on average.
- CTA clicks were 26% lower on the video without captions.
This shows that videos with captions not only generate higher engagement but also drive more CTA actions.
The study found that while there was no notable difference in average watch time, every metric measuring interaction was significantly affected, including reactions, shares, and CTA clicks. Simply put, videos without captions tend to generate lower engagement.
Most social media algorithms reward engagement, such as likes and shares, with greater reach. This means captions not only help people understand your videos better but also help your content perform better, resulting in more reach, more reactions, more shares, more conversions, and ultimately, more revenue.
Better SEO performance
Captions and subtitles don't just increase viewer engagement; they also help with search engine optimization (SEO).
3Play Media conducted a study in collaboration with Discovery Digital Networks (DDN), comparing videos with and without closed captions. The research found that videos with captions received 7.32% more views on average.
A similar study by Liveclicker compared 37 web pages before and after adding transcripts. The pages with transcripts generated 16% more revenue.
DDN also tested the SEO capabilities of subtitles. It searched for a phrase that appeared only in the captions of one of its videos and nowhere else. Not in the title, metadata, or description. The video still appeared fourth in YouTube's search results.
Since videos with captions or subtitles are generally watched by more people and for longer periods, they tend to increase overall watch time. Watch time is a critical metric that influences a video's ranking on YouTube. The higher the watch time, the more likely the video is to rank well in search results.
Wider audience reach
Academy Award-winning Parasite director Bong Joon-ho famously said, "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."
The same is true today for all forms of online content, whether on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram. Adding subtitles to your videos can expand your audience beyond native language-speaking regions.
According to Rosetta Stone, there are only around 390 million native English speakers and an additional 1.4 billion people who speak English as a second language, out of a global population of 8 billion. While 55.8% of internet content is in English, only around 20% of the world's population speaks the language.
This creates a significant gap between the content being created and the number of people who can comfortably consume it. Adding subtitles in multiple languages can bridge that gap and help you reach non-English-speaking audiences.
Reaching audiences with hearing impairments
Around 5% of the world's population, or 430 million people, live with some degree of hearing loss. By 2050, that number is expected to exceed 700 million, meaning one in every ten people could be affected. In the US alone, around one in every eight people aged 12 or older has hearing loss in both ears.
Without captions, you're not just losing views, but you’re also excluding millions of potential viewers from your content. A small addition like captions can help people with hearing impairments feel included in the growing world of online content.
Best practices for subtitling
We’ve identified some of the best practices to keep in mind when adding subtitles to your videos.
Choose the type of captions you want
There are two main types of captions: open captions and closed captions, each serving different purposes.
Open captions are embedded into the video, are always visible, and cannot be turned off by the viewer. Closed captions, on the other hand, can be toggled on or off.
Open captions are ideal for social media videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, while closed captions are generally preferred for YouTube videos and other long-form content.
Keep timing in sync
This is one of the most important aspects of subtitling. Make sure your subtitles appear exactly when the dialogue is spoken. Even a one-second mismatch can distract viewers and reduce engagement.
Subtitle positioning
Subtitle placement is equally important. Avoid covering important on-screen elements such as faces, logos, or text overlays.
Also, limit subtitles to one or two lines at a time. Avoid displaying large blocks of text on screen. If you're captioning a branded video, ensure that the subtitle style matches the brand's tone and identity.
Add non-speech cues
You've probably seen subtitles that include cues such as [applause], [tense music playing], or [door slams]. These cues describe sounds or silences within the video.
They are especially helpful for viewers with hearing impairments and improve the overall viewing experience.
Proofread automated subtitles
If you're using auto-generated captions, always proofread them before publishing your content. Many auto-captioning tools are still prone to errors, especially when dealing with names, accents, technical jargon, or poor audio quality.
Be careful while translating
There's an important difference between transcribing and translating subtitles. Transcribing is a word-for-word representation of the spoken dialogue.
Translation, on the other hand, focuses on preserving the meaning, tone, and intent of the original content, often restructuring sentences instead of simply replacing words with their equivalents in another language.
How can you add subtitles to your videos?
There are several ways to add subtitles to your videos.
- Manual editing: The most basic – and most time-consuming – method is manual transcription and syncing. You type the dialogue yourself and synchronize each subtitle with the audio using video editing software such as Final Cut Pro, CapCut, or Wondershare Filmora.
- Platform-built tools: Many platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, offer built-in auto-captioning tools that generate captions using speech-to-text technology. However, accuracy can vary depending on audio quality, background noise, accents, and technical terminology.
- Hiring professionals: Another option is to hire professional captioning or transcription services, or freelancers, to create subtitles for you.
However, one of the most reliable ways to add subtitles is by using an AI-powered video editing software such as Veed.
Veed not only helps you create AI-generated videos from scratch using detailed prompts but also offers a wide range of subtitle styling options. You can add subtitles manually or generate them automatically using its auto-subtitle feature.
Moreover, the platform offers a strong collection of subtitle styling options across both its free and paid plans, making it particularly well suited for social media content.
In addition to subtitles, Veed gives you access to several AI video models, including Seedance, PixVerse 4.5, and Veo 3.1, and lets you export videos in up to 4K quality. You can also generate AI avatars and use them consistently across your content.
Just keep in mind that although Veed offers a very capable free plan, you'll need a paid subscription to unlock its full feature set. Paid plans start at just $12/user/month.