In the fast-scrolling world of TikTok, every visual touch point matters. When our designers were sick of the templated subtitles not speaking to the ad concept and vibe, they did something about it. And the data continues to reinforce one of our core beliefs: thoughtful details that speak the language of the platform significantly impact ad performance.

Auto-Generated Subtitles are Boring

Like many who advertise on TikTok's, we’ve found the auto-generated subtitles convenient and adequate. But our designer, Marina, was unsatisfied with the standard design that didn’t heed any attention to concept at play, or tap into TikTok’s organic content creation style.

So, she created different subtitle styles that would be more engaging, and speak the visual language of the ad and platform.

We’re talking a complete font system with different layouts tailored to various brand tones. IE a typewriter font, a handwritten font with a cartoonish wiggle in animation, subtitles that become dynamic headlines, subtitles in sticky notes, and a variety of styles/colors to put behind the text.

But this wasn’t just nice for the design team, she also and created a workflow that allowed our motion team to easily implement these custom subtitles in the editing process.

Many TikTok native videos are created with an iPad, where people typically use a stylus to handwrite annotations directly onto their video. In our case, that approach would be too time-consuming to repeat for each new video.

So Marina hand-drew the letters in Photoshop and turned them into a custom typeface that can be downloaded and used like any standard font. This allows us to maintain the handwritten look while significantly speeding up the production process.

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The Subtitle Experiment

This on it’s own is cool and all. But we’re a data-driven agency, so we need the numbers to tell us just how cool it is.

So we ran a simple A/B test in our creative round:

• Version A: Featured dynamic, custom-designed subtitles created by Marina and animated by Olena
• Version B: Used TikTok's standard auto-generated subtitles

The Results? Custom Subtitles Outperformed Auto-Generated Text by 100%

The difference wasn't just noticeable - it was dramatic. Version A (custom subtitles) tied for the top-performing ad in the entire test round, while Version B (auto-generated subtitles) ranked as the worst performer in the batch.

• Version A: 100 CPA Index
• Version B: 201 CPA Index

That's a 2x improvement in cost-per-acquisition simply by upgrading the subtitle design. Even more impressive, the custom subtitle version has become one of our top 5 spenders in the last 7 days, showing that its performance advantage isn't just a short-term win.

Design (still) matters

This test reinforces what good designers have always known: details matter.

You audience isn’t just absorbing information - they're responding to how that information is presented. Visual elements that add personality, readability, brand consistency, and feel native to the platform feel more human, and ultimately perform better. So, yes the custom subtitles are more aesthetically pleasing, but they also guid viewers through the content more effectively, creating a more cohesive and engaging experience.

Make It Scalable

What makes this approach particularly valuable is that it's not a one-off solution. Marina created a scalable system that our team can implement across clients and campaigns. The font systems and design templates mean we can consistently apply this performance-boosting technique without reinventing the wheel each time.

The performance is in the details

In performance marketing, there’s a lot of emphasis on the BIG elements - the hook, the offer, the CTA. But this experiment reminds us that sometimes, the smallest details can have outsized impacts on performance.

Adding personality and intentional design to every element of your content doesn't just make it look better - it makes it perform better.

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