How to Do a Voice-Over on a TikTok Video

Adding a voice-over to your TikTok can transform a simple clip into a hilarious skit, a compelling story, or an informative tutorial. It's one of the most effective tools for adding personality and context to your content. This guide breaks down exactly how to add a voice-over on a TikTok video, from using the simple in-app tools to applying more advanced techniques that make your videos stand out.

Why Voice-Overs are a Game-Changer on TikTok

At its core, a voice-over is a storytelling device. It lets you speak directly to your audience, guide their attention, and add a layer of personal connection that's hard to achieve with text alone. Instead of just showing your audience what's happening, you're telling them why it matters. This simple audio addition can be used in endlessly creative ways.

Here are a few popular ways creators use voice-overs to level up their content:

• Storytelling: Think of the classic "Day in the Life" or "Get Ready With Me" videos. The voice-over turns a montage of clips into a narrative, sharing thoughts, feelings, and details along the way. It's what makes the content feel personal and relatable.
• Tutorials and Explainers: Showing someone how to bake a cake or fix a leaky faucet is good, but explaining each step with a clear voice-over is great. It provides instructions and context that visuals alone might miss, making your content more valuable and easier to follow.
• Comedy and Skits: Some of the funniest content on TikTok relies on voice-overs. This can be anything from creators dubbing over their pets' inner monologues to narrating mundane situations in an overly dramatic fashion. The contrast between what you see and what you hear is a classic recipe for humor.
• Commentary and Reactions: Using the Stitch or Duet feature, creators often add their own voice-over commentary to another user's video, offering a new perspective, a funny reaction, or expert analysis. This is a huge driver of trends and conversations on the platform.

In short, mastering the voice-over gives you another powerful tool in your content creation kit. It helps you control the narrative, inject your personality, and create more engaging, polished videos.

The Easiest Method: Using TikTok's Built-in Voice-Over Tool

Thankfully, TikTok makes it incredibly easy to add a voice-over directly within the app. You don't need any fancy software to get started. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Record or Upload Your Video

Your first step is to get your video footage into the TikTok editor. You have two options:

• Record a new video: Tap the + button at the bottom of the screen to open the camera and record your clip(s) as you normally would.
• Upload from your camera roll: Tap the + button, then tap the "Upload" button on the bottom right to select one or more videos you've already filmed.

Step 2: Go to the Editing Screen

Once you've recorded or selected your video clips, tap the red checkmark (or "Next") in the bottom-right corner. This will take you to the main editing screen where you can add sounds, text, filters, and more.

Step 3: Find the Voice-Over Feature

On the right-hand side of the editing screen, you'll see a vertical list of editing icons. Look for an icon that looks like a microphone, usually labeled "Voiceover". Tap it to open the voice-over recording interface.

(Note: Depending on your app version, you might need to tap a downward arrow or an "Edit" button first to reveal the full list of tools.)

Step 4: Record Your Voice-Over

You're now ready to record. The interface is simple. You'll see your video timeline at the bottom and a large red "Record" button.

Here's how to use it:

1. Use your finger to drag the white line on the video timeline to the exact spot where you want your voice-over to begin.
2. Press and hold the red Record button to record your audio. As long as you hold it, it will record. Lift your finger to stop.
3. You can record in multiple segments. Just move the timeline marker to a new position and press and hold the Record button again to add another piece of audio.

Important Tip: At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a checkbox labeled "Keep original sound." If you want to replace the original audio of your video completely, uncheck this box. If you want your voice-over to play on top of the original video sounds (like background ambiance), leave it checked.

Step 5: Review and Refine

After recording, play your video back to hear how it sounds. If you made a mistake in a segment, you can hit the "Undo" button (the arrow pointing backward) to remove the last audio clip you recorded. Unfortunately, TikTok's editor doesn't allow you to trim or edit a recorded piece of audio, if you mess up, your best bet is often to clear all your recordings and start fresh.

Step 6: Save and Post

Once you're happy with your narration, tap "Save" in the top-right corner. This will take you back to the main editing screen. From here, you can add text overlays, stickers, or trending audio as background music. Then, tap "Next," write your caption with relevant hashtags, and post your video.

Pro-Tips for Recording a High-Quality Voice-Over

The technical steps are easy, but the difference between amateur and pro content often comes down to audio quality. Here are a few tips to make your voice-overs sound clear, crisp, and professional.

Write a Script (Even a Simple One!)

It's tempting to just wing it, but that often leads to filler words ("um," "like," "you know") and rambling. You don't need a word-for-word manuscript, but jotting down a few bullet points will help you stay on track, sound more confident, and deliver your message concisely. This simple prep work dramatically improves the final product.

Find a Quiet Recording Space

Your phone's microphone is surprisingly good, but it's also great at picking up background noise - the hum of an air conditioner, barking dogs, echoing in an empty room. Find the quietest space you can. Small rooms with soft surfaces (like clothes, carpets, and curtains) are ideal because they absorb sound and prevent echo. A walk-in closet is the classic go-to for a reason!

Speak Clearly and With Energy

A monotone delivery will cause viewers to scroll away instantly. Speak slightly louder than you normally would and don't be afraid to put some personality and energy into your voice. Vary your pace and tone to emphasize key points and keep things interesting. The goal is to sound like you're having a conversation, not reading a script.

Use a Headset with a Mic

If you have a set of wired headphones that came with your phone, use them. The microphone on headphones is positioned closer to your mouth, which helps isolate your voice and reduce background noise, resulting in clearer audio than the phone's built-in mic alone.

Level Up: The AI Voice and Voice Changer Effects

Beyond standard voice-overs, TikTok offers other fun audio tools that have become signatures of the platform.

Using Text-to-Speech (The Viral AI Voice)

You've seen it everywhere. The automated, slightly robotic voice that reads text on the screen is a massively popular feature for its clarity, accessibility, and because it adds a distinct "TikTok flavor."

To use it:

1. On the editing screen, tap the "Text" tool.
2. Type out what you want the voice to say.
3. Tap on the text box you just created, and an options menu will appear.
4. Select "Text-to-speech" and choose from the available voice styles. Voila!

Using Voice Effects

Voice effects can add comedic or dramatic flair to your narration. They work on audio you record for a voice-over.

After you record your narration in the voice-over tool, don't tap save just yet. Look for an option called "Voice effects" (sometimes it's back on the main editing screen's right-side menu). Here, you can apply filters that make you sound like a chipmunk, a robot, or like you're speaking through a microphone, among other options. They're perfect for creating distinct characters in a skit.

When to Use an External App for Your Voice-Over

TikTok's built-in editor is amazing for quick and easy voice-overs, but it has limits. You can't trim out mistakes, add audio fades, or fine-tune sound and music levels with much precision. When you need more control, it's time to use an external video editing app.

This approach is better for:

• Long, scripted videos: where recording in a single, perfect take is unrealistic.
• High-production content: where you want to add cinematic music, sound effects, and perform advanced audio mixing.
• Fixing mistakes: when you need to cut out coughs, long pauses, or fumbled words without re-recording the entire thing.

The Basic External Workflow:

1. Record Audio Separately: Use your phone's built-in Voice Memos app to record your script. This allows you to focus solely on getting a great audio take.
2. Edit in a Video App: An app like CapCut (which is also owned by TikTok's parent company, Bytedance) is a fantastic, free option. Import your video footage and the audio file you just recorded.
3. Sync and Refine: In the editing app, you can trim your audio, cut out mistakes, adjust the volume, add background music, and lay it perfectly against your video clips.
4. Export and Upload: Once everything is perfect, export the final video from the editing app. Then, simply upload that finished video file to TikTok.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're using TikTok's fast and easy built-in tool or a dedicated app for more polish, adding a voice-over is one of the best ways to elevate your content. It allows you to tell better stories, share knowledge more clearly, and connect with your audience on a much deeper level.

Once your perfectly voiced-over video is ready, the next step is getting it in front of the right audience at the right time. At Postbase, we built our whole platform for brands and creators who live and breathe short-form video. Our tools are designed video-first, so you can schedule your TikToks, Reels, and Shorts from a single visual calendar without the reliability issues or formatting headaches common with older platforms. It lets our team focus less on the hassle of posting and more on creating content that captivates people.