Most people scroll social media with the sound off. If your video doesn't have captions, the vast majority of your audience isn't watching it. Here is how to add them effortlessly using SuperCool.
1. Why Captions Matter More Than You Think
Before we get into the how, it is worth understanding the why:
85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. If your message is only in the audio, you are losing the majority of your audience before they have heard a single word.
Captions improve comprehension even for viewers who are watching with sound, especially for fast-paced content, accented speakers, or technical topics.
Captions boost SEO on platforms like YouTube, where the text is indexed and helps your video get discovered by search algorithms.
Captions are required for accessibility for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Adding captions is one of the highest-return improvements you can make to any video, and on SuperCool, it takes minutes.
2. Upload Your Video
Start by uploading your raw video to SuperCool.
Click the attachment icon in your chat and select your video file.
SuperCool accepts all standard video formats, including MP4, MOV, and AVI.
3. Request Captions
Once your video is uploaded, simply prompt SuperCool to generate and add captions:
"Add accurate captions to this video. Place them at the bottom center of the frame in clean white text with a subtle dark background behind the text for readability. Match the captions precisely to the spoken audio throughout the video."
SuperCool will transcribe the audio, generate time-synced captions, and return a new version of your video with the captions burned right in.
4. Refine Your Captions
Review the captioned video carefully. Check that the transcription is accurate. Proper nouns, brand names, and industry-specific technical terms are the most common areas where auto-transcription needs a slight correction.
If something is wrong, fix it by being specific in your next prompt:
To fix a spelling error:
"The word 'InvoiceFlow' is being transcribed as 'Invoice Flow' with a space. Correct this throughout the video. Keep everything else the same."
To fix the sizing:
"The caption font is too small to read comfortably on mobile. Increase the font size. Keep everything else the same."
To fix the placement:
"Move the caption position slightly higher from the bottom of the frame. It's being cut off on mobile screens. Keep everything else the same."
5. Style Your Captions for the Platform
Different platforms and content styles call for different caption treatments. Here are some style prompts to match your captions exactly to your content's vibe:
For a clean, professional look:
"Style the captions in a minimal sans-serif font, white text, no background box, with a subtle black text shadow for readability. Keep everything else the same."
For bold, social-media-native captions:
"Style the captions as large, bold, centered text in the middle of the frame, one or two words at a time in the style of viral TikTok captions. Keep everything else the same."
For a branded look:
"Style the captions in our brand color: deep navy text on a white pill-shaped background, positioned at the bottom center of the frame. Keep everything else the same."
Always review your captions on a mobile screen before publishing. What looks perfectly sized and positioned on a desktop often appears too small or gets cut off by platform UI elements (like the 'Like' button or the username overlay) on mobile. A quick mobile check before posting saves you from having to republish the same video twice!