Text on a reel does a different job from the caption. The caption is read by people who stopped. The text on screen is read by people deciding whether to stop, often with the sound off. It has about a second to work.
How do you add text in the Instagram editor?
The steps are the same whether you shot in the app or uploaded clips:
- Open the Reels editor with your clips loaded.
- Tap the text tool, shown as Aa.
- Type the line, then pick a font, colour and background style.
- Drag the text where you want it and pinch to resize.
- Tap the text clip in the timeline and drag its ends to set when it appears and disappears.
Repeat for each line. TikTok and YouTube Shorts work the same way: a text tool, a style picker and a timeline to set duration. Menus move between app versions, so if a button isn't where you expect, look for the text icon in the editor's toolbar.
Where should text go on a reel?
In the middle band of the frame. Instagram, TikTok and Shorts all lay their own interface over the video: the caption, username and audio line along the bottom, and the like, comment and share buttons down the right side. Text placed there gets covered.
| Area of a 9:16 frame | What covers it | Safe for text? |
|---|---|---|
| Top strip | Status bar, sometimes the tab header | Risky |
| Middle band | Nothing | Yes |
| Bottom strip | Caption, username, audio | No |
| Right edge | Like, comment, share buttons | No |
Before you post, check the preview with the interface showing. Vertical video dimensions covers the frame size and margins.
How long should text stay on screen?
Long enough to read twice at a normal pace. A few words need about a second and a half; a full sentence needs several seconds, which is why full sentences rarely work. If you can't read a line out loud in the time it's on screen, the line is too long or it isn't on screen long enough.
On a beat-cut reel, change text on the beat too. A line that appears on one cut and leaves on another feels intentional. A line that appears halfway between cuts feels like a mistake. How to cut video to the beat explains where the beats fall.
What should the text say?
One idea per line, in the fewest words that carry it:
- A hook in the first second. "3 mistakes in every home tour" beats "Here are some tips for making better real estate videos". Reel hooks in the first three seconds has more patterns.
- Labels for what's on screen. "Before", "After", "Day 1", "Day 30".
- The point, if there's no voiceover. People watching with the sound off need the words to follow along.
Leave the detail for the caption. Text on screen is a headline, not a paragraph.
How do you make text readable?
Contrast does most of the work. White text over a bright sky disappears; white text with a dark outline, a shadow or a solid background block reads over anything. Use one or two fonts at most, and keep the size large enough to read on a phone held at arm's length.
If you post often, set the style once and reuse it. Same font, same size, same position, so every reel looks like the same account. Reusable text overlays shows how.
Is on-screen text the same as captions?
No. On-screen text is a few words you choose to place. Captions, or subtitles, transcribe what's said in the video, line by line. A talking video usually needs both: captions for the speech and a short text hook at the start. Reel captions and subtitles covers the second.
How Easy Reels handles it
Easy Reels adds text overlays as part of the edit: you set the position, typeface, size and colour once, fill in the words, and the overlay is placed on the beat-cut video it renders, a 9:16 MP4 at 1440×2560. Save the edit as a template and the text style carries over to the next reel, so you only change the words. Every account starts with a 14-day trial.
Common questions
How do I add text to a reel after posting? On Instagram you can edit the caption after posting, but not the text burned into the video. To change on-screen text you need to edit the video and post it again.
Why is my text cut off on Reels? It's probably in an area the app's interface covers: the bottom strip or the right edge. Move it into the middle band of the frame.
How do I make text appear and disappear at certain times? In the editor's timeline, tap the text clip and drag its start and end to the moments you want. Line those up with cuts for a cleaner result.
What's the best font size for reels? Large enough to read on a phone at arm's length. Preview it on your own phone before posting rather than judging on a desktop screen.
Should every reel have text? Most should have at least a short hook in the first second, since many people watch with the sound off. Some visual reels work without any.