Uploading subtitles for videos in the composer

Adding subtitles to your video helps everyone enjoy your content, whether they are hard of hearing or choose to have the sound off while scrolling on their phone.

Things to consider ✅

To create content, users will need the 'Post' permission enabled for the social media accounts they need access to

Benefits of adding subtitles to your videos 🙌

Ensures inclusivity - by providing subtitles, you demonstrate inclusivity and cater to a diverse audience, fostering a positive brand image
Increased watch time - Videos with subtitles tend to have longer watch times as viewers are more likely to stay engaged when they can easily follow along
User preference - Some viewers prefer to read along with the audio, even if they can hear it clearly

In this article:

How to add subtitles to your video
File types by social networks
How to create SRT and XML files
Example XML file
Example SRT file

How to add subtitles to your video

Follow the steps in this article when creating your post, here, up to and including step 4, and add your video. Then, click on the three dots on the image and select 'Add Captions' ➡️ Click 'Upload SRT File' ➡️ Click 'Choose Your Language' ➡️ Click 'Add Captions'.

File types by social networks

To add subtitles to a YouTube video, you will need to upload an XML file.

To add subtitles to a Facebook or X video, you need to upload an SRT file.

❌ Due to API restrictions, we're unable to upload subtitles for Instagram, Nextdoor, LinkedIn and Bluesky

How to create SRT and XML files

Some software can produce subtitles from your video itself, which is often quick and straightforward. However, if you already have the subtitles written down, you can follow the steps below for creating an SRT file:

Open a text editor: Choose a text editor like Notepad (Windows), TextEdit (Mac), or your preferred text editor.
Start with sequence numbers: Begin by numbering each subtitle entry sequentially, starting with 1.
Add timestamps: Follow the sequence number with a line containing the start and end times for the subtitle in the format HH:MM:SS,MS, where HH is hours, MM is minutes, SS is seconds, and MS is milliseconds.
Enter the subtitle text: On the next line, add the actual text of the subtitle.
Repeat for all subtitles: Repeat steps 2-4 for each subtitle you want to add.
Save the file as .srt: Save the file with a name of your choice, and change the file extension from .txt to .srt.

For an XML file:

Open a text editor: Use Notepad (Windows), TextEdit (Mac - save as plain text), or any code editor.
First Line: XML Declaration (Recommended):

XML
```
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
```
Set the Root Element: This is the main container. Choose a descriptive name:

XML
```
<yourRootElementName>
</yourRootElementName>
```

Add Child Elements: Place your data within the root element using start and end tags. You can nest elements:

XML

<yourRootElementName>
    <childElement attribute="value">Some data</childElement>
    <anotherChild>More data</anotherChild>
</yourRootElementName>

Review for Errors: Ensure:
One root element.
Matching and properly nested tags (case-sensitive).
Attribute values are in quotes.
Special characters are handled correctly (<, >, &, ', ").
Save as .xml: Choose "All Files" and use the .xml extension (e.g., myfile.xml).
Test in Browser: Open the .xml file in a web browser to check for well-formedness (it should display the structure or show an error).

Example XML file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<transcript>
  <text start="0.01" dur="1.814">(blah blah)</text>
  <text start="2.0" dur="4.0">Hey everybody, I am a dog. </text>
</transcript>

Example SRT file

1
00:00:00,498 --> 00:00:02,827
- Here's what I love most
about food and diet.

2
00:00:02,827 --> 00:00:06,383
We all eat several times a day,
and we're totally in charge

3
00:00:06,383 --> 00:00:09,427
of what goes on our plate
and what stays off.