How to Talk Over a Video on TikTok

Adding your own voice over a TikTok video is one of the fastest ways to add personality, context, and storytelling power to your content. It turns a simple clip into an engaging guide, a funny observation, or a heartfelt narrative. This guide will walk you through the two best methods for talking over your videos, from the quick built-in tool to a more advanced technique for perfectly polished audio, plus tips to make you sound like a pro.

Why Your Voice is Your Superpower on TikTok

Before getting into the how-to, it's worth understanding why voiceovers are so effective. In a sea of trending sounds and music, your unique voice cuts through the noise. It's a direct line to your audience that builds a genuine connection that can be hard to create with just visuals and text.

• Builds Authenticity: Hearing your undiluted thoughts and feelings helps viewers get to know the real person behind the account. This raw, unfiltered approach is what TikTok culture is all about.
• Ultimate Storytelling Tool: You can narrate anything. Turn a montage of travel clips into a story, explain the steps of a recipe as you go, or share the behind-the-scenes process of your art.
• Educational Authority: For coaches, experts, or anyone sharing information, a voiceover is unbeatable. It allows you to explain complex topics clearly and concisely, positioning you as a knowledgeable source.
• Perfect Comedic Timing: A well-timed line or sarcastic comment over a video can be the difference between a chuckle and a viral hit. Your voice delivers the punchline in a way text overlays can't.

Simply put, voiceovers transform you from a passive content curator into an active storyteller. It's a skill every serious TikTok creator should have in their toolkit.

Method 1: Using the Built-In TikTok Voiceover Tool

This is the most common and straightforward way to add your voice to a video directly inside the TikTok app. It's perfect for spontaneous commentary, quick explanations, and adding a personal touch without needing any external apps.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Voiceover

Follow these steps to record your audio right over your video clip.

1. Record or Upload Your Video

Start by either recording a new video using the TikTok camera or uploading a pre-existing clip from your phone's camera roll. Go through your normal recording process until you have the visual part of your video ready.

2. Proceed to the Editing Screen

Once you are happy with your video clips, tap the red checkmark in the bottom right corner to move to the editor. This is where you'll find all the tools to add text, stickers, effects, and - most importantly - your voice.

3. Find and Select "Voiceover"

On the right-hand side of the editing screen, you'll see a column of icons. Tap the arrow to expand the menu if needed, and look for an icon that looks like a microphone labeled "Voiceover." It's often located under the "Audio Editing" or "Sounds" option. Tap it to open the voiceover tool.

4. Record Your Narration

You'll now see your video timeline at the bottom of the screen. You can drag the white marker to the exact spot where you want your voiceover to begin. When you're ready, press and hold the large red Record button to start recording your voice. Speak clearly into your phone's microphone. You can lift your finger to pause and press and hold again to continue recording in different sections of the video.

Pro Tip: Untick the box at the bottom that says "Keep original sound" if you want your voice to be the only audio. If you want the original video's audio to play quietly in the background, leave this box checked.

5. Review and Save

After you're done recording, tap "Play" to listen to how it sounds with your video. If you're not happy with it, you can't edit small parts, your only option is to start the recording over. Once you like the result, tap "Save" in the top right corner.

6. Adjust the Final Audio Mix

After saving your voiceover, you'll be taken back to the main editing screen. From here, you can tap on "Audio Editing" again. You'll see two volume sliders: "Original sound" and "Added sound." "Added sound" refers to both your voiceover and any music you might add. This is where you can fine-tune the mix. A good rule of thumb is to keep your voiceover volume high (around 150-200%) and lower the original sound or background music significantly (around 5-15%) so it doesn't compete with your voice.

Method 2: The "Green Screen Trick" for Pre-Recorded Audio

What if you want your audio to be perfect? Maybe you wrote a script and want to record it in a quiet place without stumbling over your words. The built-in voiceover tool feels too "live" for that. This workaround lets you use a perfectly polished, pre-recorded audio track and make it seem like you're saying it on camera.

How It Works: Combining Voice Memos and Green Screen

1. First, Record Perfect Audio

Forget the TikTok app for a moment. Open the voice recording app on your phone (like Voice Memos on iPhone). Record your script in a quiet environment. Here you can do as many takes as you need. When you have the perfect one, save it.

2. Create a "Sound Only" Video

Now you need to turn that audio file into a video file that TikTok can use. Open a simple video editing app (CapCut is great and free). Start a new project, import a black screen or any random photo, and then import your voice memo as the audio. Make the image last the entire duration of the audio, then export this as a video. You'll now have a video file that is just a black screen with your perfect audio.

3. Use the Green Screen Effect in TikTok

Open TikTok and start a new video. Instead of recording, tap on Effects on the left. Go to the Green Screen tab and choose the very first effect, which puts a video from your camera roll behind you.

4. Select Your "Sound Only" Video

The app will now prompt you to choose a video from your camera roll. Select the black screen video you just created with your voice memo attached. Your voiceover audio will now start playing in the background as you record.

5. Record Yourself "On Camera"

Now, just hit record in TikTok. Film yourself talking, emoting, or gesturing as your own pre-recorded voice plays. For the viewer, it will look and sound like you're speaking live, but you're actually just acting along to your own professionally recorded track.

Once you finish this step, you will have a perfect, front-facing video with clean audio acting as the original sound of the clip.

Tips for Making Your Voiceovers Sound Amazing

Regardless of which method you choose, a few simple techniques can dramatically improve the quality of your audio and make your videos more professional.

1. Your Mic Matters (But Not as Much as You Think)

You don't need expensive gear. The microphone on the bottom of your phone is designed for calls and can pick up a lot of ambient noise. Instead, plug in any pair of headphones that have a built-in mic (like the ones that come with most smartphones). Holding the mic a few inches from your mouth will give you a much richer, clearer sound.

2. Find a Quiet, Soft Space

The biggest killer of good audio is echo and background noise. Recording in a small room with soft surfaces is ideal. The classic trick is to record in a closet - the clothes absorb sound waves and prevent echo. Just avoid large, empty rooms or rooms with lots of hard surfaces like kitchens and bathrooms.

3. Use a Script or an Outline

To avoid rambling and filling your audio with "ums" and "ahs," jot down some bullet points before you hit record. You don't need a word-for-word script, but having a clear outline keeps you on track and makes you sound more confident and authoritative.

4. Speak with Energy!

Your passion (or lack thereof) is incredibly obvious in your voice. Speak a little louder than you normally would and enunciate clearly. A fantastic trick is to smile while you're talking. Even if you're not on camera, smiling naturally lifts the tone of your voice and makes you sound more friendly and engaging.

5. Get That Audio Mix Right

Pay close attention to your sound levels. If you have background music or ambient noise from the original video, make sure it's just that - in the background. Your voice should be the primary focus, loud and clear. There's nothing more frustrating for a viewer than straining to hear what you're saying over loud music.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the art of the voiceover on TikTok opens up a world of creative possibilities, helping you connect more deeply with your audience and tell compelling stories. Whether you use the simple built-in tool for quick, authentic commentary or the green screen method for more polished, professional narration, adding your voice is a powerful way to make your content stand out.

Once you've created your amazing video, the work isn't done - you still have to plan and schedule it. To take some of that work off your plate, we built Postbase from the ground up for modern, video-first social media. You can visually plan your TikToks and Reels in a clear content calendar, schedule everything to post at the perfect time, and manage all your engagement in one place. It streamlines everything that comes after creation, giving you more time to focus on making great content.