Guide
Captions for video ads: short, bold and burned in
Updated
Many people scroll with the sound off, so captions are the only way they get your message. Keep them short and bold, below the speaker's face and clear of the app's buttons.
In short
- Every video ad needs captions burned into the video, because many people watch with the sound off.
- A caption should show 2 to 4 words at a time. Longer lines make people read instead of watch.
- Captions read best in a bold font with an outline or box, below the speaker's face and above the app's buttons.
- Auto captions often get product names wrong, so read every line before you export.
- Cutroom times the captions to your voice and gives you 40 caption styles to choose from.
- Words on screen at a time in a short vertical ad
- 2-4
- Words a second people speak, roughly
- 2.5
- Caption styles to pick from in Cutroom
- 40
Should video ads have captions?
Yes. Without captions, a viewer with the sound off gets nothing from what you say.
- Captions help with the sound on too. They back up what you say and help where the audio is unclear.
- Burned-in captions are part of the video file, so they look the same in every app and placement.
- The auto captions an app adds depend on the app and the viewer's settings, and you cannot choose how they look.
Burned-in captions and app auto captions
What they are
- Burned-in captions
- Text that is part of the video
- App auto captions
- Text the app adds while it plays
Who sees them
- Burned-in captions
- Every viewer
- App auto captions
- Depends on the app and the viewer's settings
Font, colour and size
- Burned-in captions
- You choose them
- App auto captions
- The app chooses them
Best for
- Burned-in captions
- Paid ads
- App auto captions
- Organic posts, as a backup
| Burned-in captions | App auto captions | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Text that is part of the video | Text the app adds while it plays |
| Who sees them | Every viewer | Depends on the app and the viewer's settings |
| Font, colour and size | You choose them | The app chooses them |
| Best for | Paid ads | Organic posts, as a backup |
How many words should a caption show?
Show 2 to 4 words at a time in a short vertical ad.
- People speak about 2.5 words a second, so 2 to 4 words at a time keeps up with the voice.
- A whole sentence on screen makes people stop watching you and start reading.
- Calm explainer videos can show a few more words per line.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What should captions look like?
Make captions big, bold and easy to read on a phone.
- Use a heavy, bold font. Thin fonts disappear on a phone screen.
- Put an outline, a shadow or a box behind the text, so it stays readable on any background.
- Check the brightest moment of your video. White text on a white wall or sky is hard to read.
- Sentence case reads faster than all capitals once a line has more than a couple of words.
- Make only a few words stand out, like a price or a number. If every line has a coloured word, none of them stands out.
- Keep the animation simple. Words that appear one by one are fine; bouncing and spinning text distracts.
Eight of the 40 caption styles in Cutroom
Bold fonts with an outline or a box behind them stay readable on a small screen.
Shout
Note
Tag
Plain
Clean
Press
Slam
Sticker
Where should captions go on a vertical video?
Put captions in the lower middle of the screen, below the speaker's face and above the app's buttons and text.
- TikTok, Reels and Shorts cover the bottom of the screen with your username, the ad text and buttons.
- Captions at the very bottom of the video end up hidden under the ad text.
- The like, comment and share buttons sit on the right side, so keep captions away from the right edge.
- Captions in the middle of a video of someone talking can cover their mouth and chin.
How to check captions before you export
Auto captions often get brand names, product names and ingredients wrong. One wrong word can make a claim sound like nonsense.
Checking captions before you export
Read every caption
Brand, product and ingredient names first
Fix the wrong words
In the transcript or the caption text
Watch it on a phone
At arm's length, the way people will see it
Then export
Before the ad goes live, not after
Which tools add captions to video ads?
Most video editors now write captions for you from the audio. They differ in price and in how much else they do.
Caption tools and prices
As each company publishes them, checked 21 September 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CapCut | Free editing on your phone. Auto captions need Pro. | Free editor; Pro $19.99/month (varies by region) |
| VEED | Editing in the browser, with unlimited auto subtitles on paid plans | From $10 per user a month, billed yearly |
| Submagic | Captioned short clips, in 123 languages | From $12/month billed yearly, for 15 videos a month |
| Captions | Editing on your phone, with captions in 100+ languages | Free version; Max plan $24.99/month (iOS price) |
| Cutroom | A finished 9:16 ad from one video of you talking, with 40 caption styles | First video free; Lite $19.99/month |
Tool: CapCut
- Best for
- Free editing on your phone. Auto captions need Pro.
- Price
- Free editor; Pro $19.99/month (varies by region)
Tool: VEED
- Best for
- Editing in the browser, with unlimited auto subtitles on paid plans
- Price
- From $10 per user a month, billed yearly
Tool: Submagic
- Best for
- Captioned short clips, in 123 languages
- Price
- From $12/month billed yearly, for 15 videos a month
Tool: Captions
- Best for
- Editing on your phone, with captions in 100+ languages
- Price
- Free version; Max plan $24.99/month (iOS price)
Tool: Cutroom
- Best for
- A finished 9:16 ad from one video of you talking, with 40 caption styles
- Price
- First video free; Lite $19.99/month
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom adds the captions as part of a finished ad. You upload one video of yourself talking, and it comes back cut, captioned and with b-roll.
- Cutroom times each caption to your voice, word by word, and burns it into a 9:16 MP4.
- You pick one of 40 caption styles, then its font and one of 16 colours.
- You can move the captions up or down and set their size with a slider.
- If a word is wrong, you fix it in the transcript and the captions update.
- You can select a few words and give just those their own style, colour and font.
- Each caption style comes with up to three fonts to choose from. You cannot upload a font file.
Questions people ask
- Should video ads have captions?
- Yes. Many people watch with the sound off, and captions are the only way they get your message. They help with the sound on too.
- Should I burn in captions or use the app's auto captions?
- Burn them in for ads. Burned-in captions look the same in every app and you choose the style. App auto captions depend on the app and the viewer's settings.
- How many words should a caption show at once?
- 2 to 4 words in a short vertical ad. Calm explainer videos can show a few more.
- Where should captions go on a TikTok or Reels ad?
- In the lower middle of the screen, below the speaker's face. The app covers the very bottom with your username, the ad text and buttons, and the right side with the like and share buttons.
- What font is best for video captions?
- A heavy, simple font with an outline or a box behind it. Anton, Bebas Neue, Montserrat and Oswald are common choices for vertical ads.
- Do most people watch ads with the sound off?
- Many do, but there is no single number for every app and placement. Captions are worth adding either way, because they help with the sound on too.
Upload one video of yourself talking and get it back with captions timed to your voice. Your first video is free.