Should business videos have subtitles, and in which language?

Why sound-off viewing changes everything

A huge share of video on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook gets watched with no sound at all, on a commute, in a waiting room, at a desk. If your video only makes sense with audio, you lose that entire audience in the first two seconds, however good the message is. Subtitles aren't a nice extra, they're what keeps a muted scroll from becoming a skip.

This matters even more for anything with real information in the words, testimonials, explanations, pricing or a call to action spoken rather than shown on screen. A viewer who scrolls past a muted video with no captions never even learns what you were offering, which makes the whole clip a wasted opportunity, however well it was filmed.

Burned-in, platform captions or a subtitle file?

There are three ways to add captions, and each suits a different use:

• Burned-in captions: the text is part of the video file itself. This is the most reliable option for reels, stories and anywhere the video might be reposted or downloaded, since the captions travel with it wherever it goes.
• Platform auto-captions: generated by Instagram, TikTok or YouTube after upload. Quick and free, but accuracy varies, and they can misread names, prices or industry terms, so always check them before publishing.
• Subtitle files (.srt or similar): separate from the video, toggled on or off by the viewer. These suit a website, where a visitor might want sound on and no captions, and they're the natural choice when you need the same video in several languages.

Matching the format to where the video lives

The right choice usually follows the platform. A reel that might get downloaded and shared outside the app needs burned-in captions so the message survives the trip. A video embedded on your own website is better with a subtle subtitle file, since it stays optional and doesn't clutter the frame for someone who does have their sound on. A YouTube video sits somewhere in between: platform captions are a reasonable starting point, but reviewing and correcting them before publishing avoids an obviously wrong caption sitting under your video indefinitely.

Choosing languages for a multilingual market

If you're working across markets, for example an English core audience plus Dutch, German or Bulgarian customers, you don't need to film the video several times. One video with several subtitle files, one per language, covers most needs, with the spoken audio in whichever language fits the primary audience or with no dialogue at all beyond music.

This is close to how I handled Danini Correct's accounting firm website, built in both Bulgarian and English from the same content, adapted per language rather than duplicated by guesswork. The same logic applies to video: one well-shot piece, translated properly for each market, goes further than filming separately for each one.

For a translation, use a proper translation rather than an automatic one, at least for anything public-facing and permanent, such as a website video. Automatic translation is fine for a quick check but often misses tone or gets industry terms wrong in ways a native speaker would catch instantly.

Accessibility is a real reason on its own

Beyond sound-off viewing, subtitles make video usable for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and for anyone watching in a noisy environment where sound genuinely isn't an option, not just a preference. It's a small addition with a real, practical benefit for part of your audience, separate from any algorithm or reach argument.

It costs very little extra once captions are already part of your editing process, and it means nobody is quietly excluded from content you've otherwise put real effort into.

Getting the style right

Badly placed captions can do more harm than no captions at all. A few practical rules keep them readable:

• Size: large enough to read on a small phone screen without pausing.
• Placement: clear of the bottom and right edge of the screen, where each app's own buttons and caption boxes sit.
• Timing: short lines that match natural speech, not whole sentences dumped on screen at once.
• Consistency: the same font and style across a set of videos, so your content is recognisable at a glance.

Building it in from the start

Captions are far easier to get right when they're planned into the edit rather than bolted on afterwards, which is why I build them into every reel and short-form video I deliver, styled and positioned properly for the platform it's going to. Have a look at reels and short-form video if that's part of what you need.