TikTok is a popular short-form video sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-60 second videos, often set to music or with creative filters and effects. It was launched in 2016 by the Chinese company ByteDance as Douyin and later rebranded to TikTok for international markets outside of China. As of 2022, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (1).
A key feature that has driven engagement on other leading platforms like Instagram and YouTube is the ability to add voiceovers to videos. Voiceovers allow creators to speak over their videos, providing commentary, narrative, instructions, or any other vocal elements. This helps add context, personality, and originality to videos.
However, the ability to include voiceovers is notably absent on TikTok. This has left many users wondering why they can’t add their own voice to TikTok videos.
(1) https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-tiktok-4588933
The Nature of TikTok
TikTok is, at its core, a short-form video app. Videos on TikTok are typically between 15 seconds to 1 minute long, with dances, challenges, lipsyncs, and comedy sketches dominating as the most popular video formats (1). Short videos allow for easily consumable and shareable content. Trying to add longer audio or voiceovers poses challenges, as it goes against the core nature of the platform.
The short, viral clips have shaped user expectations around what content thrives on TikTok. Even as the maximum video length has expanded to 10 minutes, most videos are still 15 seconds or less (2). Long-form content requires different editing, pacing, and viewer attention, making it an awkward fit. TikTok was built on quick entertainment, not lengthy storytelling or informative videos.
While YouTube has transitioned to more long-form content, the attentiveness and context of TikTok make replicating this difficult. Users tune in for snippets in their feed, not immersive viewing. So voiceovers and audio narration face the challenge of meshing with user expectations.
TikTok’s Focus on Music
Music and sounds are incredibly important on TikTok. Most videos feature a backing track that users can lip-sync or dance to, sparking viral trends and challenges. Research shows that TikTok has fundamentally shifted how hit songs are made, with its unique ability to turn obscure tracks into overnight sensations.
Lip-syncing and dance challenges are central to the TikTok experience. Users showcase their creativity and performance skills by syncing their movements to popular sounds. Dance trends like the Renegade and Mama Dance have spread far beyond the app. TikTok’s tools make it simple to participate in these viral memes, boosting engagement.
The interplay between videos and music is a huge driver of user engagement on TikTok. Sounds often spawn their own subcultures as users riff on them in creative ways. The collaborative nature of these trends creates a sense of community and belonging. By tapping into music and culture, TikTok generates substantial user investment in and loyalty to the platform.
Technical Limitations
TikTok imposes certain technical limitations on videos, particularly around file size and bandwidth capacity. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, TikTok caps video file sizes at 72MB for Android devices and 287.6MB for iOS devices. Descript reports a maximum file size of 500MB across platforms. The constrained file size directly impacts video quality and performance. Higher resolution, longer videos with more complex edits often result in larger file sizes. So creators are limited in how long, high-quality, and complex their TikTok videos can be before hitting the cap.
TikTok’s infrastructure must support enormous volumes of video being uploaded daily across millions of users. This scaling challenge makes large file sizes infeasible. As Wave.video explains, “Smaller file sizes reduce the load on TikTok’s servers and results in faster upload times for users.” So the limitations partly serve a technical purpose in allowing TikTok to operate smoothly at massive scale.
Sources:
https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-video-size/
https://www.descript.com/blog/article/tiktok-video-size
https://wave.video/blog/tiktok-video-size/
Potential Downsides of Voiceovers
One potential downside of allowing voiceovers on TikTok is that it could disrupt the viral sounds and music that are core to the platform’s identity. As studies have shown, TikTok has had a major impact on pop culture and the music industry, with viral sounds on the platform driving music trends and sparking new songs (https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/new-studies-quantify-tiktoks-growing-impact-on-culture-and-music). Allowing voiceovers could dilute this musical identity and make it harder for sounds to go viral organically.
Voiceovers could also add unnecessary complexity both for users and creators. The app’s current simplicity is part of its appeal – allowing short videos set to music, without the need for overlaying voice tracks. Adding voiceovers could clutter the interface and make it more difficult for creators to smoothly edit videos. Given TikTok’s focus on music and sounds, voiceovers may not enhance the core user experience.
Overall, while voiceovers could add an additional creative option, they run the risk of disrupting the musical heart of TikTok and overcomplicating the tightly designed user experience that has driven the platform’s success.
User Experience Concerns
One reason TikTok may not support voiceovers is to preserve the simplicity of the interface and avoid feature overload. As noted in analyses of TikTok’s UX design, the app follows a minimalist approach that places the focus squarely on short-form video content [1]. Adding complex features like voiceovers could clutter the interface and distract from this core function of easy video streaming.
TikTok is laser-focused on enabling users to seamlessly create and consume bite-sized videos [2]. Introducing voiceovers may disrupt this streamlined experience. The app wants to make it as frictionless as possible for users to scroll through a never-ending feed of fresh content. Voiceovers could slow down the pacing and inject unnecessary complexity.
By resisting feature creep and additional options, TikTok maintains an uncluttered UX where short videos reign supreme [3]. While voiceovers may benefit some creators, they could undermine the signature TikTok user experience which generations of users have come to know and love.
Monetization and Advertising
One reason TikTok may not allow voiceovers is related to monetization and advertising. According to First Page Strategy, the minimum TikTok ad campaign budget is $50 and the average cost per 1,000 views is $10. Advertisers often prefer short, catchy videos that grab attention quickly. Voiceovers may disrupt the pace and divert focus from the visuals.
Additionally, TikTok likely wants to maximize ad revenue from its huge volume of short video views. According to LeadsBridge, users visit TikTok for an average of 52 minutes per day. With over 1 billion monthly active users, the potential ad revenue from short videos is massive. Lengthier voiceovers may decrease view time and reduce ad impressions.
Finally, adding voiceovers on top of music could create copyright issues. Much of TikTok relies on users reposting and remixing copyrighted songs. Allowing voiceovers may open the door to illegally reusing substantial portions of music. TikTok likely wants to avoid potential legal issues from unauthorized music reuse in voiceovers.
The TikTok Algorithm
TikTok’s main feed, known as the For You Page (FYP), is powered by a sophisticated algorithm that personalizes the experience for each user. The FYP algorithm aims to determine a user’s interests and preferences based on their interactions with videos. It then recommends content that the user is likely to enjoy and engage with.
Some key factors the TikTok algorithm considers include:
- The types of videos a user likes, shares, comments on or otherwise engages with
- How long a user watches a particular video before scrolling past it
- Which accounts a user follows and interacts with
- The hashtags and sounds used in the videos
By analyzing all these signals, the algorithm can discern a user’s tastes and populate their FYP with personalized content. The more a user interacts with videos on TikTok, the better the algorithm gets at recommending relevant videos.
For creators, understanding how the FYP algorithm works is crucial for optimizing engagement. Videos need to grab attention quickly and be tailored towards specific audience interests. Maintaining high retention rates by having engaging content from start to finish is also key. Lengthy videos may struggle to keep viewers interested unless they are exceptionally captivating.
Overall, the TikTok algorithm rewards authentic content that connects with an audience rather than generic videos optimized just for views. Knowing user behavior patterns and crafting content aligned to those insights is what drives success on TikTok.
Source: https://disiniada98.blogspot.com/2017/11/kumpulan-livery-bus-simulator-indonesia_12.html
Alternative Options for Creators
While TikTok may not allow for direct voiceovers, creators have other options to add narration to short-form video content. One major trend is producing multi-platform content optimized for different platforms.
Many creators make videos for both TikTok and YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels. They can create a short silent video for TikTok, and then use the same visuals to make a longer video with voiceover narration for YouTube Shorts or Reels. This allows them to optimize content for each platform’s algorithm and requirements (source).
YouTube Shorts and Reels are better suited for longer videos with voiceovers, given their 60 second (YouTube) to 90 second (Reels) maximum lengths. TikTok’s 15 second default makes direct voiceovers impractical. Producing multi-platform content gives creators the best of both worlds.
Additionally, creators can use platforms like YouTube to host their long-form, voiceover-enabled videos, and then clip short excerpts to post on TikTok without narration. This allows them to engage audiences on both platforms using tailored approaches.
Conclusion
TikTok’s current limitations on video features like voiceovers stem from the app’s focus on its core strengths – short-form videos set to music and augmented by special effects. As we’ve explored, allowing extensive voiceovers could detract from that central user experience. However, as TikTok branches into long-form content, the app may need to reconsider some of these limitations to stay competitive. Though the future is unclear, TikTok seems committed to evolving its platform at a careful pace – retaining the familiar fun of TikTok even as new formats emerge. For now, TikTok stands unique in its curated approach to video sharing. While the app offers less customization than some competitors, its constraints inspire creativity within a vibrant community.
