Why captions keep people watching
Reading and listening at the same time holds attention. Captions also help viewers whose first language isn't the narrator's, and anyone who's hard of hearing.
Make them readable
A few words at a time, not whole sentences. Large, bold text with a dark outline or shadow so it reads on any background.
Keep them in the middle third of the screen. The bottom is covered by the platform's own buttons and captions; the very top by the status bar.
Common mistakes
Captions that don't match the voice - mistimed or misspelt - are worse than none.
Too many colours and effects. One highlight colour for the key word is plenty.
Automatic captions
TallClip times captions to the voiceover word by word and keeps them clear of each platform's buttons. The platforms' own auto-captions are a fallback, but you can't control how they look.
Style choices that work
Two to four words per caption, appearing as they're spoken, is the style most short-video viewers now expect. Whole sentences on screen are harder to follow at speed.
Use one font across your channel. It becomes part of how people recognise you.
Highlight the key word in each line in a second colour - the number, the name, the surprising part - and leave the rest plain.
Accessibility
Captions are how deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers follow your video. Make them accurate, including names and numbers, and keep them on screen long enough to read.
Avoid fast flashing effects, which can be uncomfortable or unsafe for some viewers.
Captions in other languages
If you make the same video in several languages, the captions should match the voice in each - not an English caption over a Spanish voice. Viewers notice straight away.
Questions
Should captions be in the video or uploaded separately?
For short-video feeds, burned-in captions are more reliable - they show on every device and in every feed.