Start with a platform delivery matrix

List every destination before editing: the client website, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, paid media placements, and internal channels. Record the supported caption format, whether a separate described version can be linked, the required aspect ratio, and who controls the final upload.

The official Section508.gov social-media guidance recommends captions and audio description for video and gives platform-specific examples for uploading caption files and linking to an audio-described version.

Make the master accessible before making variants

Produce an accurate caption file from the final soundtrack. Then review the picture for meaningful visual information the soundtrack omits. This includes speakers’ names, prices, promo codes, product actions, charts, locations, and calls to action. Create the described master before cropping and shortening so the agency has one approved source of truth.

Keep on-screen text out of caption space

Social videos often stack a headline, animated subtitles, a logo, and a call to action into one small frame. Captions can cover essential text or faces when the layout has no protected area. Keep purposeful campaign text away from the lower caption region and test the real platform player, not just the editing canvas.

Choose how to deliver audio description

  • Integrated description: write essential visuals into the main voiceover during production.
  • Separate described version: publish or link an alternate video when the platform does not expose a selectable AD track.
  • Website player: place the original, captions, and AD in an accessible player on a campaign landing page.

Do not paste a long visual description into the post and assume it creates an equivalent synchronized experience. A text summary can help, but it does not automatically replace the right media alternative for every viewer.

Review short-form timing carefully

Fast edits and word-by-word text animation create two common failures: repeated narration of incomplete text and description that talks over the campaign voice. Wait until a full statement appears before reading it once. Use a natural gap for ordinary details. Reserve an extended pause for essential information that genuinely cannot fit.

Build the agency handoff

Supply the final platform exports, caption files, described version or AD audio, approved post copy, thumbnail alt text, and a publishing note for each channel. The person uploading the content should not have to guess which file belongs where.

For recurring campaigns, standardize naming and approval. Keep the source caption and AD scripts editable when a price, URL, or legal line changes.

Create the described MP4, AD audio, and captions in VoxDescribe, then prepare each platform variant from the reviewed master.