How to Add Captions to Reels and Stories on Instagram

Captions are key to a successful Instagram video strategy. They improve accessibility for your content, increase audience, and promote interaction. Fortunately, it's really simple to add captions to an Instagram story or reel on the platform. Although Instagram has a built-in captions generation feature, you can also apply different techniques.

In this article, we'll guide you on how to add captions to Instagram videos, ensuring your content is unique and reaches your target audience.

Why add captions to Instagram reels

In this modern era, enhancing your social media game is vital; everyone wants to be famous and seize huge opportunities. Captions/subtitles are a powerful tool to reach and engage your target audience effectively. Here are the key benefits of adding captions to Instagram reels.

1. Accessible to all
2. The primary reason to add captions to Instagram videos is to ensure accessibility for all your intended audiences. This allows you to reach a broader audience and target specific leads of your choice.
3. Helpful for special viewers
4. Instagram subtitles can be helpful for people who are deaf, have partial hearing loss, or have problems interpreting specific sounds or audio quality. It ensures that all viewers can fully enjoy and understand your Reels without any barriers.
5. Eliminating language barriers
6. Viewers who struggle with accents or speak in different languages can also benefit from captions. Your reels' impact and reach may be limited by language difficulties, but by including captions, you can close this gap and provide a more welcoming environment.
7. Makes you competitive
8. Videos with captions have an advantage over those without when users scroll through their feeds. The text offers a hint that boosts interest and offers readers a sneak peek at what's in your reel.
9. Boost engagement

Captions encourage viewers to take actions like commenting or sharing your Reel. By crafting engaging captions that ask questions or invite participation, you prompt active interaction.

Effective ways to generate Instagram video captions

Now that you see how crucial captions are for your Instagram videos, it's time to delve into the most effective methods for adding subtitles to your reels. Captions not only enhance viewer engagement but also make your content accessible to a wider audience. In this guide, we'll explore two powerful strategies to seamlessly integrate captions into your Instagram videos, ensuring they captivate and resonate with your followers.

1. Using Instagram's built-in feature

Making content more readable and interesting is made easier by Instagram's built-in feature for captioning videos. This tool automatically generates text based on the audio in your video, making it easy to create accurate captions quickly. This functionality makes sure that more people see subtitles on Instagram, including those who need or prefer captions, to interact with your content to the fullest.

Note: Generating captions using the built-in feature is only available on mobile, not on desktop.

How to add captions to reels with a built-in feature

Here's how to add subtitles to reels within Instagram app:

• Open the Instagram app, click the "+" icon, and select "Reel" from the options.
• Click on the sticker tray and select caption sticker; it will automatically generate captions.
• Review the captions to ensure accuracy. If there are errors, tap on the word you want to change and make the necessary edits.
• Adjust the style, color, and placement of the captions to match your video’s aesthetic.
• Tap 'Next,' add a caption or hashtags, and share your reel with your followers.
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How to add captions to Instagram stories with a built-in feature

Captioning Instagram stories is easy. Here’s how to do it:

• On Instagram, click the "+" and select "Story" from the options.
• Record a video or upload one from your gallery.
• Click on the sticker tray and tap "Captions"; it will automatically generate captions.
• Make the necessary adjustments to enhance the accuracy and visual appeal.
• Drag the text to place it where you want on the screen.
• Once you're satisfied with your captioned story, share it with your story.
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2. Using CapCut desktop video editor

Another effective method for generating captions for Instagram videos is using the CapCut desktop video editor. It is a versatile tool known for its user-friendly interface and robust features for creating and editing videos. CapCut includes advanced capabilities like auto caption generation, which simplifies the process of adding subtitles to your videos efficiently. Moreover, it allows you to translate captions into other languages, enhancing accessibility and engagement through captioned video content.



How to add captions to Instagram videos with CapCut

Adding captions for Instagram videos through CapCut is simple and easy by following these steps. Before proceeding, ensure you have installed the CapCut desktop video editor on your device. If you don't have it yet, click the download button below and install it.

Step
1. Upload a video
2. Begin by entering the editing interface and click "Import" to upload your video. Drag it onto the timeline and select the "Ratio" icon below the display panel. Choose 9:16 to adjust the video size to Instagram's dimensions automatically.
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Step
4. Generate auto captions
5. Navigate to the "Text" option in the left toolbar and click on "Auto captions." Choose the language used in your media and click "Generate." After generating the captions, you can edit their placement on the timeline, correct any errors, translate captions into another language, and more. You can also add subtitles to the video by clicking "Captions" > "Auto captions" in the top toolbar.
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Step
7. Export and save

Once your video is finalized with captions, click on "Export." Select the desired quality, frame rate, codec, and bit rate settings, then save the video to your device.



Add captions to Instagram videos for increased engagement using CapCut

• Use interesting text effects and styles

CapCut allows you to add eye-catching text effects and styles to your captions to increase engagement. Try different fonts, colors, and animations to create visually appealing text.

• Employ text-to-speech for accessibility

CapCut's text-to-speech function improves accessibility by turning subtitles into spoken words for inclusive watching experiences.

• Translate into the language of your audience

To increase visibility and interaction on Instagram, CapCut allows you to translate subtitles into the language of your target audience.

• Remove filler words for professionalism

CapCut enhances professionalism by automatically removing filler words from your videos, ensuring concise and polished content.

• Reframe the video for stories and reels

Provides auto reframing tool to easily resize your videos for stories and reels, optimizing them for these specific formats on social media platforms.

Conclusion

Now, you know how to add subtitles to reels and stories on Instagram. Including captions guarantees that your content is accessible to all viewers, regardless of how they consume it, and increases engagement. We recommend giving CapCut a try if you want even more creative flexibility and capability. With its user-friendly features, this adaptable video editing application can help you improve your Instagram game.

FAQs

1. How to add subtitles to Instagram reels automatically?
2. With the use of Instagram's built-in captioning feature, you can add subtitles to your reels. All you have to do is record or upload your video, select the caption icon on the editing screen, and it will generate a caption. You can also add subtitles automatically to Instagram reels with the use of video editing software like the CapCt desktop video editor.
3. How to add captions to a reel in different languages?
4. Adding captions in different languages to an Instagram reel is simple with the CapCut desktop video editor. Just use its translation feature to convert your captions, ensuring your message reaches a global audience.
5. What are some good video captions for Instagram?
6. Great Instagram video captions are short, catchy phrases that match your video’s vibe. They can be inspirational quotes, funny lines, or brief descriptions that grab attention and spark interest. You can add these short captions as quoted in your videos using the CapCut desktop video editor and enhance the professionalism of the video.