Captions in video ads: why they matter and how to add them

A video ad has about two seconds to say what it is about, and on a phone with the sound off, the picture has to do it alone. Captions fix that: they put the spoken message on the screen word by word. In Fattly you can add them to a finished ad in one step with the captions tool.

Why an ad needs captions

• Sound is often off. People scroll in public, at work or at night, and a muted ad without captions says nothing.
• Captions carry the hook. The first three words on screen can say what the ad is about before the voice finishes its first sentence.
• They help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone watching in a language that is not their first.
• They look the same on every platform. Burned-in captions do not depend on a platform’s own auto-captions or on the viewer switching them on.

From ad to captioned ad in four steps

1. 01Make the ad in Ad Studio (see how to make an AI ad). A talking video ad costs 150 credits.
2. 02When the ad is ready, click “Add captions” under it. Fattly recognises the speech, which is free.
3. 03Fix the text, pick a style and drag the captions to a spot that does not cover the product. The styles are described here.
4. 04Click burn in, then download the MP4 and upload it to your ad platform.

What it costs

Recognising the speech is free, up to 20 times a day. Burning the captions in costs 5 credits per started minute. The 10 free credits at sign-up are enough for captions on two clips, but not for the ad itself. Current packs are on the pricing page.

What to put in an ad’s captions

• Keep the words of your script. Ad Studio already knows what the voice says, so compare the recognised text with your script and fix any difference.
• Highlight the words that sell: the product name and the one number or offer you mention. Tap a word in the editor to highlight it for the whole caption.
• Use short captions of two to four words. A long sentence on screen makes people read instead of watch.
• Keep the captions off the product. Drag them above or below it so the item stays visible.

Common mistakes

• Burning in without reading. A misspelled brand name in an ad is a mistake that hundreds of people see.
• Captions in the bottom strip of the frame, where the platform puts its own description and buttons.
• Mixing styles across a series of ads. Pick one style and keep it, so people recognise your ads at a glance.

To keep adding to the pipeline, learn how to add captions to a video automatically, and see UGC ads in your language for ads with a native voiceover.