How to Add Text to Voice on TikTok

TikTok’s text-to-speech feature lets you turn any text on your screen into an automated voiceover, and it's one of the easiest ways to level up your content. This guide provides a full walkthrough, showing you exactly how to add text to voice on your TikToks, customize the sound, and use it strategically to make your videos more engaging and accessible. We'll also cover creative ideas for using the feature and how to solve common problems you might run into.

What Exactly Is TikTok's Text-to-Speech Voice?

The text-to-speech (TTS) feature is a built-in TikTok tool that automatically converts any text you add to your video into a spoken voiceover. You've definitely heard it before - it's that iconic, slightly robotic voice narrating everything from "get ready with me" routines to funny pet videos and viral storytimes. It was an instant hit when it launched because it gave creators a simple way to add narration and context without having to record their own voice.

More than just a gimmick, the feature serves several purposes:

• Accessibility: It allows viewers who are visually impaired to understand the context of the video.
• Storytelling: It's perfect for narrating a story, explaining a process, or adding an internal monologue to a clip.
• Retaining Anonymity: Creators who don’t want to use their real voice can still add a narrative layer to their content.
• Comedic Effect: The deadpan, automated delivery is often used for ironic or humorous effect, bringing a unique type of humor to a video.

Using text-to-speech effectively is a simple skill that can have a big impact on your content's reach and creativity. Let's get into how to do it.

How to Add Text to Voice on TikTok: A Step-by-Step Guide

The process is straightforward once you know where to look. Follow these simple steps to add a voiceover to your text.

Step 1: Record or Upload Your Video

First things first, open the TikTok app and start creating. You can either record a new video by holding down the red record button or upload a pre-existing video from your phone’s camera roll by tapping the "Upload" button.

Step 2: Enter the Editing Screen

Once your video is recorded or uploaded, tap the red checkmark at the bottom right corner of the screen. This will take you to the main editing interface, where you can add sounds, effects, stickers, and text.

Step 3: Add Your Text

Look for the "Text" icon (labeled "Aa") in the editing tools on the right side of your screen. Tap it to open the text editor. Type out the words you want the automated voice to read. Keep your text relatively short and break longer sentences into separate text boxes if needed, as this gives you more control over timing.

Step 4: Customize Your Text (Optional but Recommended)

Before you turn it into speech, style your text. You can change the font, select different colors, add a background highlight, or adjust the text alignment. Making your text easy to read helps every viewer, not just those relying on the audio.

Step 5: Find and Apply Text-to-Speech

With your text still selected, a small menu will appear. Tap the text-to-speech icon, which looks like a person's head with soundwaves coming out of it. The icon may also just say "Text-to-speech."

Step 6: Select Your Voice

Once you tap the icon, TikTok will generate the audio. On some devices, a menu with different voice options will pop up right away. You can preview several voices, from the classic "Jessie" to other personalities like "Trickster," "Tenor," or even sound effects. Select the voice that best fits the vibe of your video and tap "Done." If no options appear, it will default to the standard voice.

Step 7: Adjust the Timing and Duration

This is an important step many people miss. After you’ve created the voiceover, you'll see your text box on the video preview. Tap the text box once, and a menu will pop up. Select "Set duration."

Here, you can drag the pink box around the video timeline to control exactly when your text (and the corresponding voiceover) appears and disappears. Pinpoint the start and end of the audio cue so it syncs perfectly with the actions in your video. Tap the checkmark to save the duration.

Step 8: Make Final Edits and Post

Review your video to make sure the audio sounds right and everything is synced up. From here, you can add background music, apply filters, and make any other final adjustments. When you're happy with it, tap "Next," write your caption with relevant hashtags, and post your video.

Creative Ways to Use Text-to-Speech to Go Viral

Knowing how to use the feature is one thing, but knowing why and when is what separates good content from great content. Here are some proven strategies for using text-to-speech to make your videos stand out.

1. Share a Relatable Internal Monologue

Use the robotic voice to narrate the thoughts people have but don't say out loud. Think of videos showing someone at work, staring blankly at the screen, with a text-to-speech voice saying, "I have re-read the same email five times and have no idea what it says." It creates an instant connection with the audience and is highly shareable.

2. Voiceover for Pets or Inanimate Objects

One of the most popular and evergreen trends is using text-to-speech to give your pet a "voice." Show your cat knocking something off a counter with the audio saying, "And I'll do it again." The clash between the cute animal and the deadpan, robotic voice is comedic gold.

3. Simplify Complex Tutorials and How-Tos

Are you demonstrating a recipe, a makeup technique, or a quick DIY craft? Use text-to-speech to provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This method is often clearer and more direct than a human voiceover, as there are no "ums" or "ahs." It allows the viewer to focus on the visual instructions while getting crisp audio cues.

4. Set Up an Ironic "Character"

Use the formal, emotionless voice to contradict what's happening on screen. For example, a video of someone chaotically dropping groceries could have a voiceover calmly stating, "Everything is under control. The mission is proceeding as planned." This creates a strong comedic juxtaposition.

5. Anonymous Storytelling

Text-to-speech is huge for the #Storytime community. It allows creators to share personal, dramatic, or funny stories without revealing their identity or feeling self-conscious about speaking into a camera. The automated voice builds suspense and keeps the audience hooked on the narrative.

Troubleshooting Common Text-to-Speech Issues

Sometimes the feature doesn't work as expected. If you're running into problems, here are a few common causes and their solutions.

"Why don't I have the text-to-speech option?"

If the text-to-speech icon isn't showing up, it's usually for one of these reasons:

• Your App is Outdated: This is the most common culprit. Go to the App Store or Google Play Store and update your TikTok app to the latest version. Features are often rolled out in updates, and an old version might not have it.
• You've Already Added Music: Text-to-speech can sometimes conflict with a sound or song added from TikTok’s library. Try adding your text and voiceover before you add a background song. If you need both, add the music track at a lower volume to avoid overpowering your narration.
• There's Too Much Text: TikTok may not process very long sentences for a single text box. Try splitting up long text into multiple, smaller text boxes and applying the effect to each one individually.
• Language or Regional Limitations: On rare occasions, it might be that the text-to-speech feature or certain voices aren't available in all regions or for all languages yet.

"How can I change the text-to-speech voice?"

Currently, you cannot edit an existing text-to-speech voiceover directly after it's been created. The process is a bit clunky: you have to delete the original text box and create a new one from scratch. Once you create the new text box, you can then tap the text-to-speech icon again and select a different voice.

"The audio is out of sync with my video. How do I fix it?"

This is where adjusting the text duration is absolutely critical. After generating the speech, tap on your text box and choose "Set duration." Use the handles on the timeline editor to precisely line up the start and end of your text and voiceover with the visual cues in your video. This might take a bit of fine-tuning, but it's the only way to get the timing just right.

Final Thoughts

Using TikTok's text-to-speech feature is a fantastic way to add personality, clarity, and accessibility to your videos. Whether you're telling a story, making a joke, or teaching your audience something new, this simple tool can dramatically improve the way your content connects with viewers and help you participate in a wide range of popular trends.

Making great content is the first step, but being consistent is what builds a brand. At Postbase, we understand that chaos is the enemy of creativity. That’s why we built our platform to make planning, scheduling, and analyzing your social media content - especially short-form video for platforms like TikTok and Reels - as simple as possible. With a visual calendar and reliable scheduling that just works, we help you get your best content out there without the headache.