According to a 2023 HubSpot report1, 74% of marketers optimize social media content for muted autoplay. When you consider how many people watch content like Instagram Reels and Instagram Stories with the sound off, it’s no longer a choice to add captions to short-form content - it’s essential.
Adding captions to your Instagram Stories improves accessibility for the 430 million people worldwide with hearing difficulties, improves comprehension across the board, and makes your content more memorable.
Unlike Instagram Reels, which have an extensive reach to attract a new audience, Instagram Stories are only seen by your followers. Your followers really want to hear what you have to say, so add captions to your Stories to make sure they always hear your message, even without sound.
How to Add Captions to Instagram Stories
As a content creator, you have several different methods to add captions to your Instagram Stories. We’ll discuss three methods using only the Instagram app, and then an additional method using Submagic, a dedicated captions app, if you want to edit videos professionally.
The four methods to add captions to your Instagram Stories are:
- Captions Sticker: Easiest way to auto-generate video captions
- Manual method: For better control of your captions
- Use auto-captions in Instagram Reels: For content creators who also post on Instagram Reels.
- Third-Party Captions App: Submagic is the best option For creators and teams who need professional and engaging captions on their Instagram posts.
Option 1: Use the Captions Sticker to Auto-Generate Captions
This is the quickest way to add auto-generated captions to Instagram Stories. It is perfect for boosting accessibility and engagement without spending a lot of time uploading the captions manually.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Launch the Instagram App: Open Instagram on your iPhone or Android device.
- Access Stories: Tap the "+" button or swipe right to open the Story camera.
- Record or Upload a Video: Hold the record button to capture a video or swipe up to select a video with audio from your camera roll.
- Add the Captions Sticker: Tap the sticker icon 😄 at the top of the screen and choose the "Captions" option from the sticker menu.
- Customize Your Subtitles: Instagram will transcribe the audio into closed captions automatically. You can then choose the font, color, and positioning of your closed captions.
- Finalize: Tap "Done" and then "Your Story" to post.
Pros:
- Speed: Auto-captions are produced in seconds for Instagram Stories.
- Ease of use: The process is so simple that even beginners can easily do it.
- Accessibility: Closed captions improve accessibility and give a choice for the hard of hearing, non-native speakers, and children.
- Built-in: The caption feature is built into Instagram, so there is no need for additional software.
Cons:
- Limited Regional Availability: The closed caption feature is only available in English-speaking countries at the moment.
- Video-Only: You can only use the captions sticker on videos with audio.
- Low Transcription Accuracy: You may find that the auto-captioning accuracy is quite low, particularly with regional accents and noisy background audio.
- Basic Styling: You have limited control over the caption styling, so it is difficult to create professionally branded captions.
- Open Captions Better for Short-Form: Open captions are a better option for short-form content like Instagram Stories because they are always visible and contribute to the video's engagement.
- Subtitles: Translate dialogue for different languages.
- Closed Captions: Provide accessibility for hearing-impaired viewers, which can be toggled on or off.
- Open Captions: Always visible, "burned" into the video.
Manually Add Text Captions
This method gives you more control over the accuracy and style of your captions, works for both Instagram videos and photos, and is available in every region.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Open Instagram: Start the Instagram app on iOS or Android.
- Go to Stories: Tap "+" or swipe right to access the Story camera.
- Create Your Content: Record a video by holding the record button or upload a video or photo from your camera roll by swiping up.
- Add Text Captions: Tap the "Aa" icon in the top right to open the text tool and then type your subtitles.
- Customize the Look: Select your font, color, and background if needed. Then, drag your captions to the bottom or the top of the screen, and pinch the captions to choose the size you want.
- Sync with Video: For videos, tap the text, and then align it with the audio on the timeline. Add multiple text boxes for a sentence-by-sentence effect.
- Share: Tap "Done" and post to "Your Story."
Pros:
- More Creative Control: You have more choices of fonts, styles, and timings.
- Universal Access: Available everywhere, regardless of region or language.
- Multi-Format Availability: You can manually add text captions to all Instagram post formats, not just videos with audio.
Cons:
- Time-Consuming: It takes time to manually type in captions, particularly if you are creating at scale.
- Human Error: The captions will only be as accurate as you are, and mistakes are easily made.
Automatic Captions in Instagram Reels and Share to Stories
Create a captioned reel with the "Captions" sticker, then share it to Stories. This saves time for content creators who also make Instagram Reels.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Start a Reel: In the Instagram app, tap the "+" button and select "Reel."
- Record or Upload: Record a video by holding the record button or upload from your camera roll by tapping the gallery icon.
- Add Auto-Captions: Tap the sticker icon in the Reels editor and then select the "Captions" sticker to transcribe your audio into subtitles.
- Customize: Choose a caption style and color, reposition it as needed, and preview it to ensure accuracy.
- Publish the Reel: Tap "Next" to post.
- Share to Stories: After publishing, tap the paper airplane icon and select "Add to Your Story."
Pros:
- Dual Purpose: Creates a permanent Reel and a temporary Story in one workflow.
- Advanced Video Editing: You have more options as a video editor, such as transitions, trimming, and adding audio.
- Accessibility: You improve accessibility for everyone.
- Improved Reach: You get to improve your videos' reach by adding them to Reels as well as Stories.
Cons:
- Extra Step: If you only want to post on Stories, this adds an extra step.
- Limited Availability: You are still limited to English-speaking countries, as it still uses the caption sticker.
- Video-Only: You can only add to videos with audio.
- Low Transcription Accuracy: You may still suffer from low transcription accuracy.
AI-Powered Caption App - Submagic
For a simple but professional workflow for everyone from beginners to agency teams, Submagic allows you full creative control and industry-leading AI-captioning accuracy. Here is the step-by-step tutorial for adding Instagram Story captions in Submagic.
- Upload Your Video: Drag and drop your video into the upload box or browse from your computer.
- Auto-Generate Captions: Submagic will auto-generate captions for you in moments, and then you can make any manual edits you want.
Customize Your Captions: Submagic offers a comprehensive editing toolkit to make your captions look professional. Add transitions, emojis, B-roll, animated text, and much more to achieve the perfect brand feel and drive engagement in a way you simply cannot achieve through Instagram editing alone. (Optional)
- Export: Now, simply export your video in up to 4K and 60 FPS with your captions burned in. It is now ready to be uploaded to Instagram and posted as a Story.
Pros:
- Industry-leading auto-caption accuracy - Submagic offers an AI caption accuracy of 98.9% for creators concerned with speed and efficiency.
- Smooth cross-platform output - Submagic supports all major short-form video aspect ratios with built-in templates (e.g., 9:16 for Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, 1:1 for Instagram posts).
- AI-based auto-clipping for content repurposing - Submagic has a clever auto-clipping feature for producers who want to get the most out of their content. Its AI automatically identifies the most engaging segments of longer videos or podcasts and repurposes them into short, shareable clips ready to go viral.
- Interactive AI captions - Submagic doesn’t just add plain subtitles like other software; it creates them with the latest styles, animations, and engaging graphics to drive maximum interaction on Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and more.
- Professional-quality output – With 60 FPS, 4K resolution, and over 50 supported languages, Submagic provides high-quality output built for professional content creators and enterprises looking to attract a global audience.
- Smooth workflow for agencies – Built to scale, Submagic has multi-user collaboration, client review workflows, and bulk content processing - all perfect for agencies consistently producing large amounts of video content.
- Simple and intuitive interface - Its easy-to-use interface allows beginners and pros to create clean subtitles without a steep learning curve.
Cons:
- Separate software - Submagic is a third-party auto subtitle generator, so additional steps are required to create captions and edit videos effectively.
- Paid subscription for complete features – While basic features can be used for free, advanced features such as team collaboration, bulk processing, and best-in-class AI capabilities are available only on paid subscriptions.
Why Add Captions to IG Stories?
Adding subtitles to your Instagram videos, whether they are Stories or Reels, has become the industry standard for serious marketers and content creators. Here are the top 11 reasons to add captions to your IG Stories:
Highlight Key Points
Selective captions and emojis can highlight key information in your Stories so it stands out more.
Show More Personality
Captions can be used to create emotion or humor, or simply reinforce your brand identity and personality.
Reach a Global Audience
Automatic caption translations allow you to expand your audience reach globally to non-English speakers.
Boost Silent Viewing Engagement
Instagram Stories are built for mobile viewing, and 75% of people watch mobile videos without sound. Adding captions allows silent viewers to engage with your content fully.
Improve Comprehension
It has been scientifically proven that captions increase comprehension for children, non-native speakers, and adults with learning difficulties. Again, this expands your audience massively.
Increased Watch Time
80% of people are more likely to finish watching a video if it has captions. This helps your overall metrics and ensures viewers see your whole message.
Enhance Brand Perception
91% of consumers say video quality impacts their trust in a brand. High-quality subtitles are crucial for overall video quality and brand perception.
Strengthen Your CTA
When written in captions, your “Swipe up” or “follow” prompts are unmistakable. Strong CTAs are crucial for growth on Instagram.
FAQs
How do I caption an Instagram Story after posting?
You can't add captions to an Instagram Story once you post it. Instead, add captions to your videos using the "Captions" sticker or text tool beforehand, following the simple steps in this article.
How do you re-share a caption on a post?
To re-share an Instagram post caption on a Story, take a screenshot of the post, post it to your Story from the camera roll, and manually input the caption via the "Aa" text tool - sync the text and audio to the timeline if it's a video.
Can we edit Instagram captions after posting?
Instagram Stories captions (added through the "Captions" sticker or text) can't be edited after posting; for regular posts, you can edit captions by tapping the three dots and "Edit," but not on Stories.
How can you repost on Instagram Stories in the new way?
To add content to Instagram Stories, press the paper airplane icon on a post or Reel, choose "Add to Your Story," and then add subtitles via the "Captions" sticker or "Aa" text tool as detailed in the tutorials in this guide.
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