Captions for · Short-form

Captions for Facebook that hold up across feed, Reels, and Watch.

Facebook plays 85% of feed video on mute. Captions are how the words make it through. SoCaptions exports a single MP4 that works on Facebook feed, Facebook Reels, and Watch.

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Aspect ratio
1:1 (1080×1080), 4:5 (1080×1350), or 9:16 (1080×1920)
Resolution
1080×1080 square or 1080×1920 vertical
Font size
48–60px on a 1080-wide canvas
Safe zone
Facebook's UI is sparse. Avoid the bottom 10% (sound icon, captions toggle on hover). On Reels-format Facebook video the safe zone matches Instagram Reels: bottom 22%.

Why captions matter on Facebook video

Facebook video accounts for the majority of total video minutes watched in the US. Auto-mute is universal. Without captions, your video plays as silent moving lips while the viewer scrolls.

Recommended style

Cleaner than TikTok. Facebook's audience skews older and reads as more cluttered when captions overdo motion. White sans-serif on a translucent black plate is the safe default.

The Facebook video captioning playbook

  1. 01
    Pick the right aspect ratio
    Square (1:1) or 4:5 for the main feed. Vertical (9:16) for Facebook Reels. Don't post 16:9 horizontal — it loses 40% of the feed real estate.
  2. 02
    Upload to SoCaptions
    Whisper transcribes in 10–60 seconds depending on length.
  3. 03
    Pick a calmer style
    Box or Cinematic preset. Skip Bold Outline — too aggressive for the Facebook audience.
  4. 04
    Export and post natively
    Facebook penalizes external links and YouTube embeds. Always upload the MP4 directly. Cross-post to Reels by uploading separately.
Do
  • Use square (1:1) or 4:5 for the main feed.
  • Caption every video, including ones with text overlay — captions and text overlay solve different problems.
  • Post natively, not as a YouTube link.
  • Test 60-second cuts vs 90-second cuts — Facebook's algorithm preferences shift.
Don’t
  • Don't post 16:9 horizontal — wasted feed real estate.
  • Don't use Facebook's auto-captions for cross-platform clips. They live in Facebook's player only.
  • Don't shout — Facebook's older demographic reads loud captions as low-quality.
  • Don't ship videos without captions. Mute is the default.

Frequently asked

Does Facebook support uploaded SRT files?+

Yes — when you upload a video, the editor lets you attach an SRT for closed captions. Burned-in captions still help for autoplay-mute viewers.

What aspect ratio for Facebook feed?+

1:1 (1080×1080) or 4:5 (1080×1350). 4:5 takes the most feed real estate without going full vertical.

What font size for Facebook captions?+

48–60px on a 1080-wide canvas. Smaller than TikTok — Facebook's audience reads more carefully and doesn't need supersized text.

Are captions required for Facebook ads?+

Not legally, but Meta's own ad benchmarks show 30%+ watch-time uplift on captioned creative. Most ad-buying teams require them.

Keep reading

9 caption styles that actually get views

We watched 200 viral clips and counted caption treatments. Here are the styles that show up over and over — with the exact font, weight, and stroke values to copy.

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