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Captions for short-form video
What captions are for, what good ones include, and where to put them.
What captions do
The W3C describes captions as a text version of the speech and non-speech audio needed to understand the content; they serve people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, among others[1].
Automatic captions need checking
YouTube says its automatic captions come from speech recognition, their quality can vary, and creators should review and edit them[2]. The W3C goes further: automatically generated captions don't meet accessibility needs unless confirmed accurate[1].
What good captions include
- Synchronised with the audio[1].
- Speakers identified when it isn't obvious who is talking[1].
- Important non-speech sounds described[1].
Placement on vertical video
On Reels, Meta recommends keeping text out of the top ~14%, bottom ~35% and ~6% on each side[3]. Meta lists captions as optional but recommended for Reels ads[3]. Check a frame with the safe-zone checker.
More guides
Sources
- W3C WAI: Captions/Subtitles, read 2026-09-30.
- YouTube Help: Use automatic captioning, read 2026-09-30.
- Meta Ads Guide: video ad specs on Instagram Reels, read 2026-09-30.