Boost Views with Text Overlays: The Complete TikTok Formatting Masterclass

TikTok‘s all about expressing yourself through 15 to 60 seconds of video. But often the visuals alone don‘t fully convey your message. This is where text comes in handy for adding context, style and viral potential!

Whether you‘re looking to grow your TikTok following or make extra cash as an influencer, properly formatted text can be the difference between a flop and a viral hit.

This guide will transform you into a text overlay master so you can use typography strategically to captivate and connect. Let‘s do this!

Why You Should Care About Text Formatting on TikTok

Before diving into the technical how-to, it‘s important to understand why text formatting matters on TikTok:

Text Boosts Clarity and Context

Well-placed captions, subtitles and key phrases clarify details that unfold too quick for viewers to fully grasp. Communicate effectively even in noisy environments!

Formatted Text Improves Accessibility

Ensure those with hearing difficulties can enjoy your content by meticulously transcribing speech.

Stylized Text Adds Visual Personality

Creative fonts, colors and animations infuse videos with your personal flair.

Text Drives Engagement and Sharing

Well-formatted text inspires viewers to interact via comments, duets, stitches and more!

Clearly, perfectly formatted text elevates the viewer experience to drive that coveted engagement. Time to level up!

TikTok Text OverlayFormatting Playbook

TikTok provides both basic and advanced tools for overlaying typography. Learn the fundamentals across editing, captions, special effects and placement options:

Add Basic Text

Tap + > Aa icon > Type text > Tap "Done"

Set Duration

Define exactly when text appears/disappears

Change Fonts

Select stylized fonts to match video style

Alter Colors

Customize text hues to aesthetically pop

Add Outlines

Boost readability by framing text

Reposition Text

Avoid covering key objects by moving boxes

Add Captions

Auto-transcribe speech to text

Edit Captions

Fix inevitable transcription goofs

Add Effects

Make text slide, fade or bounce onto the scene!

And so much more…

Let‘s explore these techniques hands-on. I‘ll walk you through each text trick step-by-step.

Inserting Text Overlays

Adding basic text only requires a few taps:

Step 1) Tap + to record your TikTok draft

Step 2) Tap the Aa icon after recording:

Step 3) A cursor and keyboard appear. Type your text:

Step 4) Tap "Done" to overlay text atop the video:

And scene! You should now see text persist for the video‘s duration.

Repeat to add multiple text boxes as needed.

But true masters go further by customizing…

Formatting Pro Tip #1: Set Text Duration

Make words pop in only when relevant instead of awkwardly sitting there the entire video.

Tap a text box then "Set Duration" to define a custom appearance window. Drag red sliders to set start/end times:

Dialing in the perfect timing takes practice. But the impact can be profound!

Formatting Pro Tip #2: Alter Text Style

Unleash fonts/colors that channel your videos‘ personality by tapping text boxes:

Change Fonts

Custom Color Hues

Add Outlines

Toggle these options endlessly until satisfied!

Captions for Accessibility

Now let‘s ensure those watching without sound can follow along via auto-generated captions:

Step 1) Tap CC icon after recording:

Step 2) Wait for TikTok to transcribe audio to text

Step 3) Tap "Save" once captions appear correctly synced:

AI transcription works decently but always requires fixes for 100% accuracy.

To edit, tap the caption area and tweak text as needed:

Text Positioning Tips

Strategic placement prevents text boxes from obnoxiously covering focal objects.

Tap, hold and drag boxes where desired:

Additionally, consider displaying text in sections via multiple boxes with timing offsets.

This text overlay playbook only scratches the surface of typography tips and tricks! For even more, check out my in-depth guide covering special effects, fonts and universal best practices.