Adding Your Captions to Social Media

After your captions or subtitles are ready, you can add them to your videos on social media and video platforms. Most platforms let you upload a caption file alongside your video. A few, like Instagram and TikTok, need a video with the captions already burned in. This article explains which file format each platform accepts and how to add your captions.

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In this article

• What Are Caption Files
• Accepted Formats
• Uploading Your Files To Social Media
• Troubleshooting Caption Files

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What Are Caption Files

Rev delivers captions and subtitles as a sidecar file: a text file that plays alongside your video. Adding captions to a platform takes two steps. First upload your video to the platform, such as YouTube or Facebook, then upload your Rev caption file to that video. Viewers can turn these closed captions on or off, which is standard practice for online video.

If you need the captions permanently on the video, order burned-in captions. You’ll receive an MP4 video with the captions displayed on screen. Burned-in captions cost an additional $0.30 per video minute, and you can add them at checkout or to a completed order.

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Accepted Formats

Every caption and subtitle order includes all of Rev’s file formats at no extra cost, so you can download whichever format your platform accepts. Here are the formats accepted by major platforms:

• Facebook: Facebook-ready SubRip (.srt) only
• YouTube: SubRip (.srt), Cheetah .CAP (.cap), WebVTT (.vtt), or Timed Text (.ttml)
• Vimeo: WebVTT (.vtt), SubRip (.srt), Timed Text (.ttml), or Scenarist (.scc)
• Amazon: SubRip (.srt), Timed Text (.ttml), or Scenarist (.scc)
• Netflix: Timed Text (.ttml) or DFXP (.dfxp)
• Adobe Premiere Pro: Scenarist (.scc), MacCaption (.mcc), or Timed Text (.ttml)
• Apple Final Cut Pro: Scenarist (.scc)
• Instagram and TikTok: caption files aren’t accepted. Use burned-in captions instead.

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Uploading Your Files To Social Media

Once your order is complete, download your caption file in a format the platform accepts, then follow the steps for your platform below.

 

YouTube

The easiest way to caption a YouTube video is Rev’s YouTube integration. On the caption order page, select YouTube and give Rev access to your YouTube account. Then select your videos and check out. When your captions are ready, Rev adds them to your YouTube videos automatically. You can also turn on Auto Pull in Settings > My Integrations, so Rev captions each new video as soon as it’s on YouTube. Each video is charged to your payment method on file.

If you’ve already ordered, or prefer to upload the file yourself, download the SubRip (.srt) file and follow YouTube’s steps under Upload a file.

 

Facebook

Facebook requires caption files to follow a specific naming format, so download the Facebook-ready SubRip (.srt). A standard .srt file won’t work. If you chose a different format at checkout, you can download the Facebook-ready SubRip at no extra cost.

Upload your video to Facebook if you haven’t already, then follow Facebook’s steps to add the file:

• Add captions to a video on a Facebook Page
• Add captions to a video on your profile

 

Vimeo

Rev’s Vimeo integration works the same way as the YouTube integration. On the caption order page, select Vimeo, give Rev access to your Vimeo account, select your videos, and check out. Rev adds the captions to your Vimeo videos when they’re ready, and Auto Pull is also available in Settings > My Integrations. You can also order Rev captions from inside Vimeo: open the video in your Vimeo library, select CC, and choose Order captions with Rev.

If you’ve already ordered, or prefer to upload the file yourself, download a WebVTT (.vtt) or SubRip (.srt) file and follow Vimeo’s steps to add captions.

 

Wistia

Wistia accepts SubRip (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt) files. WebVTT files are converted to SRT when you upload them, so caption positioning isn’t kept.

1. Open the media page for your video in Wistia.
2. In the captions section, open the ellipsis menu (…) and select Upload.
3. Drag in the caption file you downloaded from Rev, or click Select files.
4. When the upload finishes and the file passes Wistia’s format check, click Save.

To show captions to all viewers by default, click Customize on the media page, open the Controls tab, and turn on captions by default. For more detail, see Wistia’s Transcripts and Captions guide.

 

LinkedIn

You can add closed captions to videos on personal profiles and LinkedIn Pages. Download the SubRip (.srt) file and follow LinkedIn’s steps to add closed captions.

 

Instagram

Instagram doesn’t accept caption files. Order burned-in captions to receive an MP4 video with the captions on screen, then upload that video to Instagram. You can add burned-in captions at checkout or to a completed order.

 

TikTok

TikTok doesn’t accept caption files. Order burned-in captions to receive an MP4 video with the captions on screen, then upload that video to TikTok. You can add burned-in captions at checkout or to a completed order.

 

X (Formerly Twitter)

Download the SubRip (.srt) file and follow X’s steps for uploading a caption file.