How to Add Captions to a LinkedIn Video

Adding captions to your LinkedIn videos is one of the simplest and most effective ways to boost your content's performance. This guide walks you through exactly why captions are so important for professionals on the platform and provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to add them to your videos.

Why Captions on LinkedIn Videos Are a Game-Changer

If you're still posting videos on LinkedIn without captions, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your audience. In a professional feed where people are often scrolling quietly at work, captions transform your video from something easily skipped into content that grabs attention. Here’s why adding them is non-negotiable.

• Most Business Video is Watched on Mute: Research has consistently shown that a massive percentage of social media videos, especially in professional contexts like LinkedIn, are viewed with the sound off. Without captions, your message is completely lost. Captions make your video watchable and understandable for this silent majority.
• Increased Accessibility and Inclusivity: Adding captions makes your content accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This isn't just a "nice-to-have", it’s an essential part of creating inclusive content that respects and welcomes everyone in your professional network. It shows you care about reaching all members of your audience.
• Improved Engagement and Watch Time: Videos with captions tend to hold people's attention longer. When viewers can read along, they are more likely to stay engaged with your message, increasing average watch time. LinkedIn's algorithm notices this increased engagement and is more likely to show your content to a wider audience. If you're looking to optimize your LinkedIn posts for engagement, captions are a critical component.
• Enhanced Comprehension and Recall: Reading along while listening aids memory and comprehension. Captions reinforce your spoken message, making it more likely that viewers will remember what you said. This is especially useful for complex topics, technical jargon, or when featuring speakers with different accents.
• Better SEO on and off LinkedIn: While LinkedIn's internal search is the primary concern, search engines can't "watch" your video. Caption files contain a text transcript of your content, which can potentially be indexed, making your video more discoverable.

Understanding SRT Files: The Professional Standard for Captions

Before you add captions, it helps to know about the format LinkedIn uses: the SRT file. The name stands for "SubRip Subtitle" file, and it’s the most common file format for video captions.

An SRT file is just a simple plain-text file that contains your caption text broken down into a sequence. Each segment of the caption has:

1. A sequence number (1, 2, 3, etc.).
2. A timestamp showing when the caption should appear and disappear on screen.
3. The caption text itself (usually one or two lines).
4. A blank line to separate it from the next caption sequence.

Here’s a small example of what the raw text inside an SRT file looks like:


1
00:00:01,234 -->, 00:00:03,456
Hello, and welcome to our weekly update.

2
00:00:03,876 -->, 00:00:06,123
Today, we're talking about a new feature
that will change how you work.


You don't need to be an expert in this format, but understanding that an SRT file is simply a timed script for your video will make the process much clearer. LinkedIn allows you to upload this file alongside your video, and it handles the rest, syncing the text perfectly with your audio.

Method 1: Adding a Caption File Directly on LinkedIn

This is the official, recommended, and most effective way to add captions to your LinkedIn videos. It creates "closed captions," which means viewers have the option to turn them on or off, providing the best user experience.

Follow these steps to upload your video with an SRT caption file:

1. Start a New Post: On your LinkedIn homepage, click "Start a post."
2. Select the Video Icon: In the pop-up window, click the video icon to upload a video file from your computer.
3. Upload Your Video: Choose the video file you want to share. Once it has finished processing and you can see the preview, look for the edit options.
4. Navigate to Video Settings: In the top right corner of the video preview, click the "Edit" icon (it often looks like a pencil). This will open up the video settings.
5. Select the "Video caption" Option: At the bottom of the video settings page, you will see the "Video caption" option. Click the "Select file" button to upload your caption file.
6. Choose Your SRT File: A file selection window will open. Locate the .srt file you created for this video on your computer and click "Open."
7. Save Your Changes: After uploading the SRT file, click "Save" to return to the post creation window. You should now see confirmation that your caption file has been attached.
8. Finish and Post: Write the rest of your post text, add relevant hashtags, tag any people or companies, and click "Post." Your video will now go live with closed captions available for your viewers.

Method 2: Creating and Burning In Open Captions

An alternative method is to "burn in" your captions. This means the captions are permanently embedded into the video frames themselves. Viewers can't turn them off. This is also called "open captions."

When to use this method: Burned-in captions are great if you want complete creative control over the text's appearance - you can choose custom fonts, colors, sizes, and animations that match your brand. It also guarantees that everyone sees the captions, regardless of their device settings.

How it works: You'll need to use a video editing tool to add the captions before you ever upload the video to LinkedIn. Most modern video editors have features to create and style captions.

• For Professionals: Tools like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro offer robust captioning tools that let you import scripts, style the text, and export the final video with captions already merged.
• For Simplicity: Platforms like Descript, Canva, or Veed.io make this process incredibly easy. They often use AI to transcribe your audio, then give you a simple interface to edit the text and customize its look before you download the video file.

Once you've exported the video with the captions burned in, you can just upload it to LinkedIn like any other video file. There's no need to attach an SRT file in this case.

How to Create Your SRT Caption File

Of course, you can't upload an SRT file if you don't have one. Fortunately, creating one is easier than ever. Here are the three best ways to get it done.

1. Use an AI-Powered Transcription Service

This is the fastest and most popular method for most content creators. Services like Otter.ai, Rev, and Descript specialize in turning audio into text.

• How it works: You upload your finished video file to the service. Its AI listens to the audio and generates a time-coded transcript within minutes.
• Editing is Important: No AI is perfect. You'll need to review the generated transcript and correct any mistakes in punctuation, spelling, or any words the AI misheard.
• Export as SRT: Once you're happy with the accuracy, just look for the "Export" button and choose the SRT (.srt) format. The service will automatically generate a perfectly formatted file ready for LinkedIn.

2. The "YouTube Hack" (A Free Method)

If you're on a budget, you can use YouTube’s excellent free auto-captioning tool to generate your SRT file.

1. Upload your video to your YouTube channel. Set its visibility to Private or Unlisted so no one else sees it.
2. Wait a little while (from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the video length) for YouTube to automatically process and generate captions.
3. Go to your YouTube Studio, select the video, and click on "Subtitles" in the left-hand menu.
4. You should see an "Automatic" subtitle track. Click "Duplicate and Edit" to open YouTube's subtitle editor.
5. Carefully correct all the errors in the automatically generated text. This step is mandatory, as auto-captions are often inaccurate.
6. Once you've finished editing, click "Publish."
7. Now, on the subtitles page, click the three dots next to your edited track and select "Download." Choose the ".srt" format.

You now have a clean, accurate SRT file that you can use on LinkedIn, and it didn't cost a thing.

Final Thoughts

Adding captions to your LinkedIn videos isn't a minor tweak, it's a fundamental step to improve performance, reach, and inclusivity. Whether you choose LinkedIn’s native SRT upload or burn the captions directly into your video, taking this extra step ensures your message lands effectively with the professionals you’re trying to reach.

Once your videos are captioned and ready, the next challenge is managing your content schedule reliably. At Postbase, we built our publishing engine specifically for the content that matters today, especially short-form video. We focused on making sure your scheduled posts actually go live - every single time - with a visual calendar that gives you a clear view of your entire strategy across all your platforms, including LinkedIn.

```