With one hundred and fifty million monthly active users in the US alone, it’s hardly surprising so many businesses are leveraging the platform to reach new audiences. However, so much competition can make it tough for brands to stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking to amp up your company’s TikTok game, the new text-to-speech feature could be a game-changer.
Sure, your social media manager may have a nice voice. But imagine Morgan Freeman narrating your next product launch video. Or an alien announcing your next out-of-this-world flash sale. The sky’s the limit with TikTok text-to-speech, and we can’t wait to see what the brilliant minds of the TokVerse come up with.
Keep reading to find out everything your need to know about this game-changing new feature, including:
What is TikTok Text-to-Speech?
TikTok Text-to-Speech (TTS) is a new accessibility feature that enables creators to add an automated voiceover to their videos. Creators simply type the text they want to convert to speech, select the language, and the TikTok voice. Then, the TikTok voice generator narrates the captions.
It essentially means users can add voiceovers to their videos without needing to record their own audio.
There are currently four voices available on TikTok’s tex-to-speech feature, so you can choose the one that aligns best with your content and brand identity. The four voices are:
- Standard: The default Siri-esque voice, it has a neutral tone making it suitable for most types of content.
- Computer: A more robotic voice with an artificial tone, this one is great for a futuristic feel.
- Robot: An exaggerated version of the computer voice, this one has a very robotic (surprise!) pitch and tone.
- WaveNet: A more natural voice with different tones and inflections, this voice uses a neural network to sound more human.
Here’s an example of a TikTok video using the text-to-speech function:
Next up, we explore the reasons why your brand should use this new feature and how to change your voice on TikTok.
📖 Bonus read: Mastering social media trends with Sociality.io Trends
Why use Text-to-Speech?
So, why should your brand use TikTok text-to-speech voice? There are plenty of reasons why using text-to-speech voices can power up your TikTok marketing game. Here’s a closer look.
5 Reasons why your brand should use TikTok Text-to-Speech
- Accessibility: TTS ensures that creators who are non-verbal or have speech difficulties can still create narrated content. It also allows visually impaired users to enjoy and engage with your content.
- Cost-effective: Small brands or TikTok newbies may not have access to high-quality recording equipment to create videos. TTS makes sure you can still record voiceovers.
- Time-saving: Recording in-house voiceovers for every one of your brand’s TikToks requires a lot of time and effort. Text-to-Speech dramatically reduces your content creation workload.
- Consistency and comfort: Maybe your social media team is shy and doesn’t want to lend their voices to your videos, or you have multiple creators and want to keep things consistent. Either way, TTS solves this.
- Dramatic or comedic effect: Adding unique or funny voices to your videos can add an element of surprise or a touch of humor to an otherwise serious message. It’s just fun.
🤫 Pssst! Noticed something different about the TikTok voice?
That’s because it has changed. Voice actor Beverley Standing sued TikTok’s parent company ByteDance for using her voice in the text-to-speech feature without her consent.
Standing was hired as a voice actor in 2018 to provide translations but claims she didn’t authorize the use of her voice for other features outside of that.
How to do Text-to-Speech on TikTok
You’re probably already conjuring up lots of fun ways to add TTS to your content strategy, so now it’s time for the important part. We break down how to do Text-to-Speech on TikTok.
How to do Text-to-Speech on TikTok for iOs
Follow these simple steps to use TikTok’s text-to-talk feature on an iOS device:
- Select the + icon on the bottom of your screen to create a video
- Record or upload a video and continue to the editing screen
- Tap “Text” at the bottom of the screen and type out the text
- Tap on and hold the text on your screen, a pop-up menu will appear with the options: “Text-to-Speech,” “Set Duration,” and “Edit.”
- Select “Text-to-Speech” (it looks like a talking head)
- Pick the voice and language you want to use
- Press “Play” to hear the text spoken out loud
- Continue editing your video and hit save
How to add the Siri voice
iOS users also have the option to add the Siri voice to read their text. Here’s how to do it.
- Open Settings on your iPhone > Accessibility
- Select “Spoken Content” and activate “Speak Selection”
- Open the Notes app on your device and type the text you want to turn into voiceover
- Open the Recording Tool and hit record
- Go back to Notes and select the text
- Hit the “Speak” option to hear Siri read text out loud, stop the recording when finished
- Upload the recording to your saved video on TikTok
🔍 Additional reading: 11 must-have TikTok tools to boost your following
How to do Text-to-Speech on TikTok for iOs for Android
Now here’s how to do Text-to-Talk on an Android device:
- Select the + icon on the bottom of your screen to create a video
- Record or upload a video and continue to the editing screen
- Tap “Text” at the bottom of the screen and type out the text
- Tap on and hold the text on your screen, a pop-up menu will appear with the options: “Text-to-Speech,” “Set Duration,” and “Edit.”
- Select “Text-to-Speech” (it looks like a talking head)
- Pick the voice and language you want to use
- Press “Play” to hear the text spoken out loud
- Continue editing your video or publish it
💡 Pro tip: If you want to add a voice to multiple texts in your video, tap the “Apply voice to all text in this video” option.
How to change the Text-to-Speech voice on TikTok?
You know what they say; variety is the spice of life. If you fancy mixing things up, here’s how to change the text to speech voice on TikTok
- Select the + icon on the bottom of your screen to create a video
- Record or upload a video and continue to the editing screen
- Tap on and hold the text on your screen, a pop-up menu will appear with the options: “Text-to-Speech,” “Set Duration,” and “Edit.”
- Select “Text-to-Speech” (it looks like a talking head)
- Pick the voice and language you want to use and click “Done”
- Press “Play” to hear the text spoken out loud
- To change the voice, tap your text again > “Change Voice”
- Continue editing your video or publish it
💡Pro tip: Make sure you have the most up-to-date version of the TikTok app
While TikTok’s TTS is a great feature, it’s not without its flaws. Some users have reported that the feature is unpredictable, even disappearing altogether from their toolkit. This can impact the quality and engagement of your content, so due your due diligence.
Another cardinal sin is cluttering your screen with too much text. Since your script is visible on the screen, this can create a messy feel or give away your hilarious punchlines too soon. As such, we recommend keeping it short and previewing your content before publishing.
📈 Keep learning: How to edit TikTok videos? 4 creative tips and 5 editing tool suggestions
10 top viral Text-to-Speech TikToks
Before you run off to record your very first viral TTS video, we thought we’d wrap up with some inspo.
These 10 brands are giving a masterclass on how to incorporate TikTok’s text-to-Speech tool into their social media campaigns.
Duolingo
If you haven’t seen language app Duolingo’s hilariously unhinged TikToks, we urge you to take a look. Featuring the brand’s owl mascot Duo, the content is fresh, funny, and creative. This, coupled with clever partnerships like their Dua Lipa collab, has positioned it as one of the best brands on TikTok.
Duolingo recently launched a sponsored game with the online gaming platform Roblox. The brand worked with Roblox to create its own online game and boost brand awareness. As part of the promotion efforts, it published this mini-tour video using a text-to-speech voice narration.
Using the TTS feature helped Duolingo create a hilariously unexpected walkthrough which was very much on-brand.
Takeaway: Conjure up some ways to use the text-to-talk feature to add a splash of unexpected comedy to your content. From walkthroughs to BTS footage, it can be an entertaining twist for your audience.
🎶 Up your TikTok game: How to make a sound on TikTok? Uncover the step-by-step guide
Levi’s
User-generated content (UGC) continues to be a huge social media trend, even if it’s not always technically user-generated. TikTok users appreciate a more raw, authentic style of advertising, steering away from overly stylized ads.
Adding AI voice narration to UGC can create consistency, provide some much-needed context, and boost engagement. Just look at this video by denim-wear icons Levi’s.
It uses what appears to be UGC along with the caption, “Her ex has 24 hours to respond to this video”. It’s a funny way to showcase its jeans while creating content that resonates with its audience. The result is a very relatable and shareable video.
Takeaway: As Levi’s shows us, TikTok’s TTS feature is ideal for enhancing UGC and storytelling.
Crocs
Crocs is one of the biggest comeback success stories of our generation (ok, this may be a slight exaggeration, but it’s pretty impressive). Starting out as a practical but rather cringe footwear, Crocs has rebranded as one of the coolest and most coveted brands around. And a large part of this success is due to its stellar social media game. There’s even a #croctok, for Pete’s sake.
Naturally, this TikTok pioneer has jumped on the latest TTS feature. To promote its new Ted Lasso-inspired Jibbitz charms, Crocs uses the TikTok voice filter to kick off this hilarious video.
Takeaway: Crocs keeps the AI voice to a minimum here, using just the three words “every coach says” to lead into the video. A great reminder that sometimes less is more.
Capri Sun
Not all TikTok content is serious or sales-focused. Sometimes you just want to have fun and connect with your audience. Capri Sun knows this, using the TTS feature to create short, humorous videos that subtly promote the brand and resonate with users.
In this short TikTok for New Year’s Eve, Capri Sun showcases a fridge full of its product with some banging music. The voiceover simply says, “Where do you see yourself in 20 years?”.
Not only is the brand subtly promoting its product, but it’s jumping on the POV trend that’s big on TikTok with the on-screen text “POV: when your New Year’s resolution is going well”. This, coupled with some well-chosen hashtags, boosts its chances of going viral.
Takeaway: You don’t need to spend a lot of time and money creating TikToks for trends and upcoming calendar days. The text-to-speech tool can help you jump on trends quickly.
🚀 More hacks: How to use TikTok filters? The essential list of best filters to try
Reese’s
Reese’s knows its way around chocolate and social media. And it has recently started adding TTS to its wheelhouse, using it to add context and fun to content.
Like in this video. It jumps on the “TikTok made me do it” trend and shares a video experimenting by smearing grape jelly on a Reese’s cup. Yum(?!). The TikTok voice walks viewers through the steps in this short and sweet video.
Reese’s even followed up with another video featuring TTS, asking users to comment on which they preferred; Reeses with grape or strawberry jelly. Smart.
Takeaway: Adding an AI voice narration can do wonders for engagement. Use it to ask viewers to leave a comment or interact with the content.
Young Nails
Young Nails is a nail care brand that is doing great things on TikTok. It regularly shares content to promote its products and offers users hacks on how best to use them.
In the example below, it uses a text-to-talk voice to narrate its product demo video, boosting engagement by asking the question, “Which is your favorite?” at the end.
We all know the algorithm favors content with a lot of comments and interaction, making this a great hack for landing on the FYP.
Takeaway: Young Nails uses voice narration strategically to avoid cluttering the screen with text. Take this on board and keep captions short and sweet.
🌟 Get inspired: The 6 most important TikTok trends to keep up with in 2022
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is known for its epic TikTok content that tickles the funny bone as much as the tastebuds. Its joyful videos (created using the TTS feature) showcase just how handy it can be when your brand wants to create fast, funny content without lengthy creation time.
In this hilarious video, Wendy’s jumps on the popular #marchmadness hashtag being used for the NCAA Division Men’s basketball tournament. The video is slightly nutty and extremely entertaining featuring a Wendy’s paper bag and a text-to-talk voiceover.
Takeaway: Take a leaf out of Wendy’s book and use the TTS feature to inject some fun into your content. It’s a great way to jump on trending hashtags and trends without spending a lot of time and effort.
Starbucks
Starbucks is killing it on TikTok, sharing a variety of content, including new product launches, UGC, menu updates, and funny videos. The brand also provides its audience with plenty of informative content about its products.
While the majority of its TikTok content features real people, it has a sprinkling of videos that use the text-to-speech feature. In most cases, as a way to introduce the video and provide users with extra context.
Like in this example of two users creating tie-dye shirts inspired by the iconic Starbucks cup.
Takeaway: Notice how Starbucks doesn’t overdo it with the voice narration? It simply uses it to introduce and close out the video without distracting from the star content.
Nike
You know that text-to-talk is here to stay when Nike gets in on the action. The athletic wear giant is a world-class brand with a top-tier TikTok presence, sharing a range of impactful content. As part of its strategy, Nike regularly shares clips from sports events and videos with professional athletes. And recently, it has been using text-to-speech to provide context to interviews and BTS footage.
Here’s an example.
Takeaway: As you can see, Nike combines TTS narration with interviews to add context to videos without taking away from the main focus: the athlete. This is a great strategy for brands looking to do interviews with employees, industry experts, or brand influencers.
✨ More inspiration: Most liked TikToks: Top 10 viral TikTok videos of 2023
Disney Parks
Using text-to-talk on your TikTok videos is fantastic for promoting events, especially if you create custom voices like Disney Parks. After teaming up with TikTik, Disney Parks brought three of its most beloved character voices to life for a limited time.
On the run-up to Halloween 2022, TikTok users were able to have their text narrated by a pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean, Madame Leota from Disney’s Haunted Mansion, or Ghost Host.
This limited partnership was only available to TikTok users in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S.
The campaign was a huge success, with users sharing their hilarious videos using text-to-speech and the hashtag #DisneyParksVoices.
Takeaway: TikTok’s text-to-speech is excellent for creating short promo videos for upcoming events and news, especially if your brand can make its own custom voice.
In closing…
TikTok Text-to-Speech is a bit of a game-changer for the platform. On top of building a more accessible and inclusive space, it opens a whole new realm of possibilities. Brands can easily leverage this tool to create engaging content that surprises, delights, and grows their following.
That’s not to say there aren’t downsides too. Businesses need to be careful not to overuse this feature or create messy-looking videos that overwhelm users. As with most things in life, everything in moderation is a good rule to follow.
Of course, staying up-to-date on the latest TikTok features is only half the battle. You’ll also need to keep an eye on the latest trends and user behaviors and measure your performance. That’s where a robust social media management tool like Sociality.io comes in.
You can do everything from one central platform from scheduling your TikTok videos to managing comments for multiple TikTok accounts to analyzing your TikTok performance. Grab your free trial today.
