Video is THE big story of 2017 in social media, and if you’re not uploading video to Facebook, then you are definitely missing a trick. 

Some research suggests that uploading a video to Facebook, rather than sharing a YouTube video link, means your video will be seen by more than 50x more viewers. 

But there’s one important thing to bear in mind – many viewers on Facebook will be watching without sound, so your video may well need subtitles. Here’s how to add them really quickly. 

Step 1: Upload to YouTube 

Hang on, isn’t this a post about Facebook? Well, yes, but subtitles are easier to make in YouTube, and from there you can easily move them to Facebook. So, upload your video to YouTube to begin with. 

Step 2: Add Auto Subtitles 

In your video manager, click on “edit” next to your chosen video, then “subtitles and CCs” in the top right corner. Click “add new subtitles” and in the options that pop up, you’ll want to choose English (United Kingdom).

If it’s available, choose “Automatic” – this means that YouTube will take a few minutes to automatically create subtitles on your video using speech recognition. Now, this isn’t perfect, and you WILL want to clean up the typos and mistakes. But the alternative is watching the video and transcribing it as you go. Depending on how good your typing is, this is a bit slower than the auto option. 

Step 3: Download your Subtitles File 

Once your subtitles are complete, the “subtitles and cc” screen for your video will show which subtitles have been published. Click on the language you want to download, and you’ll see a drop-down menu. You want to download the .srt version of your subtitles here. 

Step 4: Upload your Video to Facebook 

Now your video is live and subtitled on YouTube, upload the original video file to Facebook. 

Step 5: Add Subtitles to your Facebook Video 

Ready? In your Facebook video settings, there’s an option to upload subtitles. Click on your video and choose “edit post” then the “closed captions” tab. You’ll be prompted to select a file, and upload it. Simply choose your .srt file that you downloaded from YouTube, and you’re all set. One small note – ensure your default language on the video upload box is set to “none” or simply rename your file to fit the Facebook format of filename.en_US.srt (this will be case sensitive) 

And that’s it. Easy, quick subtitles and closed captions for your Facebook and YouTube videos. Let us know if this tip worked for you!