How to Add Text to Tiktok Videos in 6 Steps

Virlo Team

Oct 15, 2025

round tiktok logo - How to Add Text to Tiktok Videos
round tiktok logo - How to Add Text to Tiktok Videos

Text overlays can boost your TikTok videos, making them more engaging and easier to understand. If you’re unsure how to add text to TikTok, we’ve got you covered. This guide—paired with the Virlo virality analysis tool—will walk you through the process step by step. So, how to Get Started as a Content Creator?

Table of Contents

Importance of Adding Text to TikTok Videos

Importance of Adding Text to TikTok Videos

Expanding Your Audience with Text: Accessibility and Global Reach on TikTok  

Adding text to your TikTok videos isn’t just about aesthetics. Captions, subtitles, and translated text are essential for making your content accessible to everyone, including viewers with hearing impairments. This enhances the user experience and expands your audience reach. By integrating translated text into your videos, you can connect with viewers across the globe, overcome language barriers, and promote universal understanding. This approach not only fosters inclusivity but also unlocks new market opportunities, helping to strengthen your brand’s global presence.  

Boosting Comprehension with Text Overlays: Reinforcing Key Messages and Enhancing Understanding  

Text overlays are a powerful tool for improving comprehension and retention. They help clarify complex information or guides, allowing viewers to absorb content more effectively. For instance, consider a fast-paced tutorial video without any text to highlight key steps or terminology. The absence of text would create confusion, making it challenging for viewers to follow along. In contrast, adding text provides clarity and context, enhancing the overall viewing experience. This is similar to studying a textbook with highlighted terms and definitions — visual cues improve understanding and memory retention.  

Creating Visual Interest and Branding with Text: Elevating Your Video’s Appeal  

Text isn’t just functional; it can also boost your video’s visual appeal. Creative typography, animated lower thirds, and stylish title sequences add interest and reinforce your brand identity. For example, consistent font choices, color palettes, and animation styles contribute to brand recognition, creating a polished look. These visual cues influence how viewers perceive your content, making text a powerful tool for expressing your brand’s personality and messaging.  

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How to Add Text to Tiktok Videos in 6 Steps

How to Add Text to Tiktok Videos in 6 Steps

Text overlays can enhance your TikTok videos. They can provide context, add humor, or highlight key points. Here’s how to add text to your TikTok videos:

Step 1: Open TikTok and Create Your Video

Launch the TikTok app and tap the “+” icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new video or upload an existing one. Once you’ve finished editing your video, tap “Next” to proceed to the post screen.

Step 2: Select Text in the Editing Menu

In the editing interface, find and select the “Text” option to add your text overlay. Use this text box to provide context for your video or include a keyword-rich main title to optimize your clip for search.

Step 3: Type, Customize, and Position Your Text

Tap the text box and use your keyboard to type your desired text. Want to change the look of your text? Use the menus above your keyboard or at the top of the screen to customize the color, font, size, and other styling options. You can also drag the text across the screen to position it where you want it. If you want to edit the text later, just click on the text box and tap “Edit.”

Step 4: Set the Duration for Your Text

To control when your text appears in the video, tap the text box and select “Set duration.” A slider menu will appear, allowing you to edit the timing of your text overlay. When you’re finished, tap the check icon to save your settings.

Optional Step: Turn Text Into Speech

To add an audio element to your video, you can convert your text into speech. Tap the text box, select “Text-to-speech,” and choose your preferred voice. You can either apply the voice to all the text in your video or just the chosen box. When you’re done, tap “Done.”

Step 5: Fine-Tune Your Text Timing

For precise control over your text timing, tap “Edit” to access the timeline menu. From here, you can adjust when specific text appears and disappears in the video, allowing for more creative possibilities.

Step 6: Preview Your Video Before Posting

Once you’ve added and customized your text, tap the red “Next” button to go to the final project screen. Here, you can preview your video and make sure everything looks good before posting. You can also select a thumbnail and add a caption with hashtags. Keep in mind that once your video is live, you cannot edit any on-screen text. When you’re ready to share, hit “Post.”

What Kind of Texts Can You Add to TikTok Videos

What Kind of Texts Can You Add to TikTok Videos

Captions and Subtitles: The Essential Addition to Your TikTok Videos

Captions and subtitles are a critical component of your TikTok videos. Research shows that approximately 85% of users watch content with the sound off, often in public environments. Therefore, including captions is essential for effective message delivery. Professionally created captions enhance your content’s accessibility while also strengthening the impact of your messaging. They provide clear, timed text that aligns with spoken content. 

They also emphasize key stats and data points visually, offer step-by-step instructions for tutorial-style content, highlight product features and benefits, and support multi-language outreach for a global audience. You can easily update TikTok captions to ensure your message reaches your audience effectively.

Call-to-Action Text: Your Key to Converting Passive Viewers into Engaged Participants

Call-to-action text is another essential element to add to your TikTok videos. Internal TikTok research reveals that videos with clear CTAs achieve 150% higher conversion rates. Strategic CTAs transform passive viewers into active participants by positioning prompts during peak engagement moments, using action-oriented phrases that drive specific behaviors, and creating visual contrast to highlight important messages. It’s also smart to test different CTA placements for optimal results and maintain brand voice in promotional messages.

Text-to-Speech Features: Enhancing Engagement and Accessibility 

TikTok’s text-to-speech feature provides yet another valuable opportunity to enhance your videos. According to research, using this technology boosts information retention by 47% compared to visual-only content. Making your TikTok videos accessible through text-to-speech enhances your messaging by converting written content into natural-sounding narration, creating professional voice-overs without additional resources, and ensuring consistent message delivery across videos. It also adds an accessible audio layer to your content and supports viewers who prefer audio consumption while multitasking.

Combining Text with Stickers: Creating Engaging Visual Hierarchies 

TikTok’s creative tools allow for sophisticated information layering that drives 32% higher engagement rates. The strategic combination of text and stickers creates visual hierarchies that guide viewer attention, enhance emphasis on key metrics and results, offer flexible product showcase opportunities, include interactive elements that encourage participation, and ensure brand-consistent visual storytelling.

How to Find Content Ideas for TikTok Videos in 6 Ways

How to Find Content Ideas for TikTok Videos in 6 Ways

1. Leverage Virlo for Content Insights

Virlo is a game-changer for TikTok creators focused on growing their audience and engagement. The platform uses AI to analyze viral trends, helping you optimize your content strategy and improve your chances of going viral.

2. Research Trends That Align With Your Niche

Identifying trending topics is a no-brainer for generating TikTok content ideas. However, it’s essential to focus your efforts on trends that align with your niche to stay relevant and not just chase clout. Use social media research tools to filter trending posts and find insights that will resonate with your audience.

3. Analyze Successful Creators in Your Space

Want to know what works on TikTok? Study successful creators in your niche. Analyze their content to identify common themes, formats, and topics that resonate with audiences. This will give you a wealth of ideas and help you refine your own content strategy.

4. Understand What Your Audience Wants to See

TikTok is a discovery engine as much as an entertainment platform. Users search for niche content, tutorials, and product reviews, leaving clues about what they want to see. Research keywords and hashtags to identify trending topics in your niche and create content that aligns with user interests.

5. Use TikTok’s Interactive Features for Content Inspiration

Your audience is a valuable source of content ideas. Pay attention to their comments and questions, and use TikTok’s interactive features—like Q&As and comment replies—to create content that resonates with them. This will help strengthen your community while providing a steady stream of content inspiration.

6. Experiment With Different Content Formats

Not all TikTok content formats drive engagement equally. Test different styles—like videos, carousels, and stitched clips—and analyze performance to identify what resonates with your audience. This will help you create smarter, more impactful content that meets your goals.

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Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Virlo is an innovative platform that takes the guesswork out of content creation. By using powerful AI technology to analyze the latest viral trends, Virlo provides actionable insights that help you optimize your content for maximum reach and engagement. Whether you’re a seasoned creator or just starting, Virlo will help you navigate the ever-changing social media landscape and increase your chances of going viral. 

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