Videos are one of the most effective ways of communicating with your audience. It’s so potent that 79% of people prefer to watch a video instead of reading about a product. So, if you’re not leveraging video in your marketing efforts, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities.
Although videos are a powerful channel for reaching your target audience, you won’t get the desired results if they are not properly executed. That’s why you must follow the best practices in video-making. One such practice is the use of text in videos. It is very powerful and delivers excellent results.
However, oftentimes, adding text to videos is not done right and the effort ends up being counterproductive. This is because many content creators don’t know the rules guiding video-making, especially text in videos. If you want to get video texts right 100% of the time, use the designer-endorsed tips in this article.
7 designer-endorsed tips for using text in videos
Are you struggling with putting text in your videos? Perhaps you don’t even have any clue about how to add text to videos. Not to worry, here are tips from designers on how you can make the best use of text in your videos.
Invest in a good video subtitle generator
Work processes are much better now with software and video-making is not left out. Leveraging the benefits of a video subtitle generator is one good tip for using text in videos. Manually generating your subtitles can be time- and energy-consuming. However, a video subtitle generator automatically generates subtitles for your videos. All you need to do is upload your files, let the software generate the subtitles, review and publish.
Use the right font
There are many types of fonts and you can feel lost in the sea of options. Some fonts are simple and clear, while others are artistic and abstract. Choosing the right one for your video texts can be a game-changer.
To choose the right font, the first factor to consider is readability. There’s no point in choosing a pretty font that’s difficult to read. How easily your viewers can read the text in your videos determines whether they’ll continue to watch.
Another factor you must consider when choosing fonts for your video text is the kind of video it is. Is it formal or casual? Using casual fonts for a serious video or formal fonts for a casual video makes you look unprofessional. Take time to learn more about fonts so that you can choose the right one for your videos.
Use the right font size
The font size you use for your video captions or transcript matters a lot. If they are too small, your viewers may have to squint to read them, giving them a bad user experience. If they’re too big, they may become distracting. Using the proper font size makes all the difference. Knowing when and how your viewers will watch the video determines the font size you will use.
Additionally, you can use font size to emphasize a particular message or call to action. Increasing or decreasing the size of the font of a specific message draws attention to it. Be careful not to use this trick too much in a video, though; it may lose its magic. Apply it only when necessary.
Include safe margins
Take note that your video will be seen on different devices, so make sure you put enough margins around your texts to accommodate different devices. Some videos are great to watch on a laptop but on a mobile phone, some parts will be cut off, especially texts. To ensure this doesn’t happen to your videos, leave enough margin around your texts.
Avoid obstructions
Obstructed text can easily happen when putting text in videos. It refers to occasions when the text clashes with background objects. When this happens, the text will be obstructed by the background and distract the viewer. To grab the full attention of your viewers, ensure your texts are well-placed and do not obstruct any image behind them.
Don’t use too many words
When you use too much text in your video, you will bore your viewer. It’s a video, remember? The text is supposed to help buttress the message in the video, not to turn the video into a writing board. Your viewer wants to have fun watching your video, not be subjected to reading lines and lines of text. The fewer words you use, the better.
Consider reading time
Have you ever watched a video and it moved to the next scene while you were still reading the text? You will agree that it could be an annoying experience. So that your viewers will not have this terrible experience, input enough reading time for your video text. This is very important, so you do not lose your audience.
However, make sure you input just enough time. Too much time is equally frustrating. Imagine trying to watch a video quickly and you’re stuck on a page for many seconds. Endeavor to put just enough time for the average reader and no more. To test this, try playing back the video several times and see how long it takes you to read the text. Alternatively, get neutral users to test the timing for you.
5 reasons to add text to your videos
You may be wondering what the fuss about text in videos is, and rightly so. Why do designers emphasize the use of text in videos? Why is it essential to your viewers? Find out why you need to add text to your videos.
It boosts content accessibility
There are different categories of viewers and you must consider them if you want to maximize the efficiency of video. People who are deaf or hard at hearing are a category of viewers you don’t want to lose. For example, in the US, 13% of people are deaf. That’s about 30 million people who would not be able to access your videos if they don’t have text. Adding text or captions to your videos enables this population to have access to your content.
It pinpoints key actions or takeaways
Videos have purposes and the main purpose of a video can be lost if text is not added to highlight the main points. When you add text to your videos, your viewers easily get the crux of your message and what action they’re expected to take. Without text, however, your viewers may just enjoy the video and move on without taking the action you want them to take.
It helps with content retention
When you add text to a video, you enhance the narrative of that video and that, in turn, boosts content retention in viewers. A video without text is more easily forgotten than one that has. The multiple cue points of text, picture/animation and audio in the video help your viewer remember the message of the video as opposed to when it’s without text. Using tested graphic design posters elements when designing your posters also helps with content retention.
It boosts viewing in sound-sensitive environments
People often want to view videos but don’t want others around them to hear the sound. For example, if you’re in a program that’s starting late, you might want to fill the time by watching some videos. However, you don’t have an earpiece. What do you do? You choose videos with text and mute them! You still get the message without disturbing others in your vicinity.
It improves SEO
Search engines cannot read videos, but when you add transcripts to your videos, you make them accessible to search engines. With texts, search engines can crawl the transcript in your video and index it. This means your video will come up whenever a related topic is searched, unlike a video without text. As a result, you will boost your SEO and many more people will be able to view your video.
Make your videos stand out with attention-grabbing text
Everyone makes videos; it’s one of the most effective online communication channels. However, does everyone know the rules guiding text input in videos? Well, you now do. You know how to use tips like using a video subtitle generator, font and font size, safe margins, avoiding obstructions, not using too many words, and considering reading time.
When these tips are well-executed, the benefits include improved accessibility, content retention, highlight of key actions, increased viewing in sound-sensitive environments and SEO enhancement. Begin to use text the right way in your videos and enjoy the numerous benefits for your business.
