How do captions and transcripts improve video engagement?

Creating compelling video content is no longer just for big brands.

Now that almost everyone has their smartphone with them 24/7, it's easier than ever to record videos and share them online. But with so many videos being uploaded every day, you may not get the engagement you want on your video content.

So what's the secret to getting more views and engagement on your videos? You may be surprised to learn that captions and text descriptions can change the way people interact with your video content.

Here's how captions and text captions can engage your audience and improve the performance of your content.

How does adding captions to video increase engagement?

If you notice that your video metrics are low, it probably has nothing to do with your content.

We all know that scrolling through videos on the Internet is now common. Initially, that's part of the reason video content became so popular: because the sound of the video stops you from scrolling and grabs your attention.

But a 2016 Facebook study found that 85 percent of people watch Facebook videos without sound. In addition, Verizon Media and Publicis Media conducted a study that found 80 percent of people who use captions don't have a hearing impairment.

People just like captions. According to Verizon and Publicis, 50 percent of respondents believe captioning is important because they often watch videos without sound, whether on a desktop or mobile device.

Whether it's a webinar, a virtual meeting or a social media post, grabbing the viewer's attention early is a game-changer for video content. That's where captioning can help.

Captions improve engagement and extend video view time for a few key reasons:

• Your target audience can watch videos anywhere without turning sound on.
• Your video content becomes accessible to new audiences, like those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
• Moving captions can keep your viewers’ attention and stop them from scrolling elsewhere.

But extending video viewing time isn't the only benefit of adding captions. Instapage, a landing page solutions company, found that captions increased the reach of videos by 16% and led to a 26% increase in click-through rates for calls to action.

Using closed captions can even make your video easier to find Discovery Digital Networks has seen that captions on YouTube videos are indexed in searches. This means your video can appear in YouTube's search results, even for terms that are not in your title or description. In addition, you can also add your transcriptions to YouTube.

Automated transcriptions and machine-generated video captions can engage viewers in live social media videos or live events. For pre-recorded videos, human-generated captions can provide a high-quality viewing experience for your target audience.

Does my video content need to be transcribed?

Many people see the value of adding captions to a video, but they overlook the value of a transcript! Does this mean that the practice of adding a transcript to a video is undesirable? In short, yes. Chances are you'll want a transcript.

Getting a transcript of all your video content can be a game-changer for your marketing strategy.

Many experts offer nuggets of wisdom in their videos, but listening to all those videos to find the gold can be time-consuming. Transcriptions can help you find the best parts and expand them into entirely new content. Not everyone enjoys watching videos, so having a written format can make your video content more palatable.

A great way to use video transcriptions is to create a blog post on your website. When you embed the video and use the transcript as your blog content, you can attract more traffic to your website. Our transcription service offers flawless transcriptions that you can easily add to any web page.

Wistia found that video content increased search engine click-through rates by 10.6%. There is also evidence that adding a thumbnail image can drive more people to your site.