Can you add subtitles to Facebook video ads?

With video becoming an increasingly important part of social media marketing, adding subtitles to your Facebook video ads can be a great way to improve engagement and reach more potential customers. Subtitles make your videos more accessible and can help them resonate with wider audiences who may watch videos without sound.

Why add subtitles to Facebook video ads?

There are a few key reasons why adding subtitles to your Facebook video ads can be beneficial:

• Increased accessibility – Subtitles make your videos accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Adding subtitles opens your videos up to a wider potential audience.
• Better engagement – Videos with subtitles tend to see higher view completion rates. Subtitles help keep viewers focused on your content.
• Higher reach – Subtitled ads may be shown more frequently by Facebook’s algorithm due to higher engagement levels. This can help increase your overall reach and impressions.
• Improved understanding – Subtitles reinforce and clarify your video’s audio message. This leads to better comprehension and retention.
• Watching without sound – Many people watch videos on mute, whether due to surroundings, device settings or preferences. Subtitles allow them to understand your video despite no audio.
• Multilingual marketing – You can subtitle your ads in multiple languages to appeal to broader local and international audiences.

How to add subtitles to Facebook video ads

Adding subtitles to your Facebook video ads is easy and straightforward. Here are the basic steps:

1. Create your video ad as normal through Ads Manager. Be sure to write a transcript of the video’s audio.
2. Add the transcript text as captions within your video editing software. Export the video with the baked-in subtitles.
3. Upload the subtitled video file to your Facebook ad as you normally would. The subtitles will be displayed automatically.
4. Check the video preview to ensure the subtitles appear and function correctly before launching the ad.

The key is adding the subtitle text or captions directly within your video file before uploading it to Facebook. This burns them into the video permanently.

Video editing software options

Most major video editing programs provide options for adding and formatting subtitles:

• Adobe Premiere Pro – Standard for professional video editors. Adds subtitles through Captions panel.
• Apple iMovie – Free and simple editing app for Mac. Lets you create subtitles and text overlays.
• Avidemux – Open source video editor. Supports subtitle tracks and subtitle encoding.
• Blender – Free and open source 3D creation software with video editing capabilities. Can add text overlays.
• Camtasia – Screen recording and video editing app. Generates captions from audio automatically.
• Kdenlive – Free open source nonlinear video editor for Linux, Mac and Windows. Can add subtitle tracks.

The above programs provide various options for creating, formatting and embedding subtitles into video content before exporting. Most also allow for saving videos with subtitles in formats supported by Facebook.

Subtitle tips for Facebook video ads

Follow these tips when creating subtitles for your Facebook video ads:

• Transcribe carefully – Proofread your subtitles against the video script to ensure accuracy.
• Time correctly – Match subtitles to speech so viewers can follow along easily.
• Phrase succinctly – Use clear, concise language that fits onscreen. Avoid long sentences.
• Position appropriately – Place subtitles at bottom of frame so they don’t obstruct imagery.
• Format readably – Use sans-serif fonts with enough weight. Include ample spacing between lines.
• Size suitably – Subtitles should be large enough to read easily on small screens.
• Use colors wisely – Dark text with a light outline works best. Avoid busy backgrounds.
• Add language – For multilingual subtitles, identify languages like “[Spanish]”.

Facebook video ad requirements

When creating subtitled ads, be sure to adhere to Facebook’s requirements:

• Video formats – .MP4 or .MOV files under 4GB are recommended.
• Aspect ratios – 1:1, 1.91:1, 1.91:1 square, 4:5 vertical and 16:9 landscape.
• Resolution – At least 720p is preferred. Higher is better.
• Bit rate – Use high bit rate for optimal quality. Facebook recommends 8,000 Kbps – 12,000 Kbps.
• Frame rate – 30fps minimum. Higher frame rates improve motion.
• Length – Facebook video ads can be 4-120 seconds long.
• File size – Upload limits range from 4GB for shorter videos to 1.75GB for 120 second ads.

Review Facebook’s ad policies and their Facebook Ad Video Best Practices guide for additional technical requirements and optimization tips.

Video ad optimization

Optimizing your video ads with subtitles can further boost results:

• Primary goal – Clearly define the ad objective upfront (conversions, traffic, etc).
• Target audience – Research your ideal viewer demographic and target ads accordingly.
• Strong hook – Grab attention immediately with an engaging first 3 seconds.
• Clear CTA – Include a motivated call-to-action for your desired outcome.
• Full funnel – Use a mix of top, mid and lower funnel video ads to attract leads through the sales cycle.
• Relevant KPIs – Select the Key Performance Indicators that best measure your goal success.
• Monitor and tweak – Check back regularly on metrics and optimize for improvements.

Adding high-quality subtitles is one part of maximizing the impact of your video ads on Facebook.

Do subtitles improve video ad performance?

Research indicates subtitles can positively influence video ad metrics:

• Higher reach – Subtitled ads see ~40% more reach on Facebook according to SocialBakers.
• Increased completion rates – Facebook reports subtitles boost video viewing completion rates by 12%.
• Better understanding – 85% of viewers say subtitles help comprehension of branding videos per 3Play Media.
• Higher recall – Adding subtitles improves unaided brand recall by 33% per research by Verve Search.
• More shares – Videos with subtitles see a 157% increase in shares according to Hippo Video.
• Lower CPV – Subtitles can decrease cost-per-view by around 40% per several studies.

The evidence clearly indicates subtitles contribute to stronger video ad performance. The investment is well worth the potential benefits.

Conclusion

Adding subtitles to your Facebook video ads unlocks major advantages. Not only do subtitles make your videos more accessible, but they can also significantly improve viewer engagement, comprehension, reach, recall and sharing. With Facebook’s powerful ad targeting options, subtitles help you connect your marketing videos with broader audiences worldwide. The process is uncomplicated within most major video editing programs. Just transcribe, add text overlays, export and upload. With the possible performance gains subtitles bring, they should be an essential component of any impactful Facebook video ad strategy.