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Should UGC ads have captions?
Yes. Many people watch social video with the sound off, so burned-in captions on every spoken line keep the message readable. Use large, high-contrast text inside the safe zone, and put the hook as on-screen text in the first frame. Captions also help viewers follow brand names and product details.
Why captions help
- Muted viewing: many people scroll with sound off, especially in Feed placements and in public.
- Clarity: brand names, ingredients and numbers are easier to follow when read.
- The hook: the opening line as on-screen text is often what stops a muted viewer.
- Accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.
Burned-in vs platform captions
Burned-in captions are part of the video file, so you control font, size, position and timing, and they look the same everywhere. Auto-generated platform captions can be turned off by viewers and may misspell brand names. Most UGC ads use burned-in captions.
Caption style that works
- Large, high-contrast text with an outline or background.
- Two to six words at a time, timed to speech.
- Inside the safe zone, clear of app buttons. TikTok's specs page provides safe-zone templates.
- Highlight key words, but don't animate everything.
- Check spelling of the brand and product names on every line.
Don't confuse captions with ad text
On-video captions are separate from the ad caption field in Ads Manager. Both matter: one carries the spoken message, the other supports it with a headline and call to action.
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