Instagram is rapidly becoming one of the most popular and influential
social media platforms around the world. At first a more image-based alternative
to Facebook and a more social version of sites like Flickr, Instagram is
now a diverse nexus for news, entertainment, business, and of course, social
life.When Instagram first debuted, users could only post static images.
Gradually, support was added for short videos in a square format lasting
for a maximum of 60 seconds. Following this, the “reels” feature was added,
allowing for longer videos which fit the whole screen in the same style
of the emerging video platform TikTok. With the introduction of “IGTV,”
the transition from a photo app to a full-fledged multimedia platform was
complete, with users able to post videos up to 15 minutes long.Businesses,
influencers, celebrities, and even governmental agencies have all flocked
to Instagram in recent years to promote products, publicize events, make
public announcements and more. The importance of Instagram for various
public figures and organizations means a high value has been placed on
video production as a means of communication and entertainment. Despite
this, video editing capabilities on Instagram are relatively limited. Specifically,
Instagram’s options for subtitles and captioning are few, with auto captioning
the only choice for those looking to provide accessibility or watchability.
With Maestra, captioning Instagram videos is made easy and effective. Maestra’s
auto captioning software allows Instagram users to quickly add text to
videos in dozens of languages, improving communication, comprehension,
and providing a variety of benefits for both individual users and organizations
present on the platform.
What Is Instagram Used For?
For the most part, Instagram is still used as a social media platform
focused on image sharing. As more users have flocked to it, however, it
has gradually become a prime arena for advertising and entertainment. Practically
every major company and famous individual maintains an Instagram account—streaming
services promote new shows, retailers advertise new products, and music
artists announce new albums. Accounts of influential people and businesses
tend to have a large number of followers, and their posts have the chance
to reach millions of people. Since most large companies also place ads
on the app, content even has the potential to be seen by people outside
this circle of followers. The ability to share content extends this range
even further, and Instagram is now one of the most vital marketing platforms
for all kinds of retailers and service providers. While some of these posts
take the form of pictures, video is becoming the major means of promotion
for products and services. TV-show clips, product demonstrations, music
videos, and a wide variety of other clips are increasingly flooding the
app. Alongside all this promotional material is a huge amount of content
posted purely for entertainment purposes. This includes memes, Youtube
clips, videos taken from Tiktok, cartoons, art and more. Much of this is
video and is shared widely for fun by individuals and pages who maintain
followings by posting interesting and amusing content. Follower counts
on Instagram are very important, both for businesses who utilize it for
marketing purposes and for smaller pages who seek communication and social
connection with their peers. The ability to reach present and potential
followers is greatly increased through the use of captioning, and adding
clear and accurate text to videos can be a huge boon for all users of the
app.
Captioning for Accessibility
Instagram is used by over 1.386 billion people—more than one out of every
six people on Earth. By another statistic, one in twenty people suffers
from some variety of deafness or hearing disability. The primary purpose
for captioning video content is to promote increased accessibility for
those unable to engage with audio content—a sizable demographic on such
a popular platform. Instagram is primarily an app for entertainment, but
captioning can also provide access to news stories, documentary material,
cinematic previews, tutorials, art, and more. All these resources are both
informative and valuable for staying up to date in social spheres. With
textual support added to this content, everyone is able to take equal advantage
of the app and its benefits. These advantages also work the other way,
however. The purveyors of video content, especially of ads and promotions,
are unable to reach those with hearing conditions, and so miss out on potential
followers and revenue. While of course accessibility shouldn’t be deployed
solely as a means of profit, businesses and retailers can gain significantly
by including captions on their videos while also bestowing benefits on
those they endeavor to connect with. In 1990, the U.S. government passed
the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). The aim of this act was to provide
equal access to tools and resources in public workspaces and institutions.
While Instagram isn’t directly within the purview of this law, professional
companies should take into account the implications of this legislation
if the app is used in the workplace. Providing better access to the things
we all enjoy is also a noble goal in and of itself, however, and Maestra
can make it easy to caption any and all video content.
Captioning for Better Reach
Most users of Instagram will be interested in captioning for its potential
to increase follower counts. While in certain situations, like those mentioned
above and below, captioning itself might work directly to expand followers,
in most cases, the key to drawing interest in new sectors is subtitles.
Maestra offers not only easy captioning, but translated subtitle as well.
Maestra’s language library contains over fifty different languages, and
converting text into other dialects is just as fast and simple. Different
content resonates with different audiences, and what fails to elicit a
response in one demographic may take off in another. Adding subtitles to
your videos can help them spread much wider than would normally be possible.
The Instagram algorithm that decides which content to display to users
takes into account what language posts are presented in, so even just placing
text in your videos is enough to help it take off with a new audience.
As with increased accessibility, translation has benefits for both influencers/public
figures and companies. Social media is becoming a powerful business tool,
and with subtitles companies can explore new markets, test material on
new demographics, and expand into new regions which seem promising and
profitable.
Captioning for Connections
The benefits of captioning for businesses don’t just consist of increased
follower counts and new markets, however. As a social platform, Instagram
is also a major forum for collaboration. Adding subtitles to videos (and
captions) is, as said, a great way to expand the reach of content and make
contact with other people and businesses. Interacting with new audiences
and organizations then creates opportunities for constructive collaboration.
Collabs on Instagram can take many forms. Celebrities can team up to make
photo and video posts or even “go live” through the story function. Together,
they can promote new projects and capture the attention of both their follower
circles, helping each other garner more collective interest. Influencers
are a major part of Instagram, acting as sorts of mini-celebrities by sharing
their routines and travels and generally promoting a premium luxury lifestyle.
Influencers make most of their income by advertising products for major
companies. Widened reach through captioning can help connect companies
and influencers, driving collabs and helping both parties in the process.
To draw the attention of businesses, celebs, and other pages to collaborate
with, a large follower count is imperative. This circles back to the importance
of captioning in drawing in new and wider audiences, creating a cycle of
mutual benefit.
Captioning for Watchability
Finally, adding captioning to Instagram videos can have a significant
impact on their watchability for audiences all over the world. Even for
those who don’t suffer from hearing complications, being able to watch
a video with an audio track depends on having a stable viewing environment.
People browse Instagram on their phones dozens of times throughout the
day, and often aren’t in a position to hear the sound from the content
they’re viewing. Public places like busses, parks, stores, and cars can
be loud and distracting, preventing one from hearing videos even with earbuds.
The same problem can arise in the exact opposite situation. Libraries,
classrooms, or bedrooms where others are sleeping are places where it’s
considered impolite or disruptive to make noise, likewise preventing engagement
with any audio content. Captioning allows viewership and comprehension
in any kind of environment, permitting Instagram users to engage with the
app and all its content whenever they want.
How Does Instagram Handle Captioning?
Captioning videos with Instagram’s in-built auto-captioning tool is better
than not captioning at all, but it comes with a number of drawbacks. To
begin, users select the option to make a new post and select the video
they want to upload. Depending on the length of the video, it will be uploaded
as either a regular video, a reel, or an IGTV clip. From there, they can
select the square sticker icon on the top of the screen to open the menu
of special add-ons. After scrolling down to the blue “captions” option
and tapping it, users are able to change the color, size, and font of the
resulting text. At this point, Instagram’s auto captioning software will
analyze the audio of the chosen video and its speech-recognition algorithm
will generate automatic captions to overlay when it’s posted. Instagram
captioning is easy, but is less versatile and more prone to error than
other captioning software. To begin with, Instagram’s captions can only
be generated in English and the option itself is only available in English-speaking
countries. This precludes any kind of subtitles and prevents companies
or individuals using the function to reach out into different regions and
countries. On top of this, Instagram’s speech recognition software can
be frequently prone to error. Even the best captioning software can make
a mistake from time to time, but Instagram offers no way to edit the text
once it’s generated. Creators are thus forced to choose between incorrect
captions or none at all. For smaller accounts this may not be a big issue,
but for professional businesses and public figures, a better solution is
needed.
How to Add Captions to Videos on Instagram
Maestra offers captioning solutions for all kinds of content and for all
types of creators and businesses. To begin, go to Maestra’s website and
select the captioning tool. From there, you’ll be prompted to upload your
video; Maestra can handle all video formats, so there’s no need to deal
with online file converters beforehand. Once your video is uploaded, Maestra’s
own industry-leading speech-recognition software will go through the entire
audio track and transcribe it into text. Maestra’s algorithm is extremely
accurate, but for any names or mumbled bits of dialogue that are missed,
users can quickly make fine adjustments with the simple in-built editor
application. From there, you have the option to choose what language you
want the resulting captions to be generated in. Maestra supports over fifty
different languages covering countries and regions across the globe, so
you can target practically any audience with your content. Once everything
is set the way you like it, you can then export the file back to your computer
or smart device. Maestra can automatically convert videos into a variety
of formats, but Instagram users will want to save their content as .mp4
files, since this is the only video type the platform recognizes. Now you’re
free to upload your video to Instagram with hard-coded subtitles visible
to everyone who watches it. Captioning with Maestra is the best choice
for individuals and companies looking to take full advantage of Instagram
as a platform. Captioning is only one facet of Maestra’s full-featured
software suite, however. Transcription, translation, and voiceover are
also included, plus dedicated virtual workspaces to help marketing and
creative teams collaborate effortlessly online. To see what Maestra can
do for you, both on and off social media, visit our website and
sign up for a free trial where you’ll have full access to the entire suite.