Transcripts have lengthy been promoted as methods to make your podcast extra findable and accessible. Nevertheless it’s solely just lately that podcast transcripts have develop into truly helpful!
Though I did not plan it this fashion, the timing of this episode is ideal as a result of I simply launched a brand new characteristic on Podgagement that mechanically transcribes audio suggestions out of your viewers!
This subject can be very well timed due to the discharge of iOS 17.4, which brings podcast transcripts into Apple Podcasts! (Study extra about these implications from The Way forward for Podcasting.)
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases by way of a few of these following hyperlinks. However I like to recommend issues I actually consider in, no matter earnings.)
1. Do not consider the myths about podcast transcripts
For a few years, folks have been selling transcripts for the mistaken causes. I’ve additionally been pitched by many transcription corporations pushing the mistaken method.
Whereas there are parts of reality in these two widespread myths, the methods folks usually promote and perceive these two concepts are the place the data develop into delusion—of “mythinformation”?
Fable 1: “Transcripts are good for podcast search engine optimization”
Individuals have usually mentioned that you must publish podcast transcripts in your web site to make your podcast findable by way of search-engine optimization (search engine optimization). However that is not the total reality.
Sure, transcripts are higher than nothing or a mere paragraph or checklist of subjects. However transcripts lead to lots of phrases and really little or no content material, leading to very low high quality writing (in all probability even worse than AI-created textual content or writing from non-natives of the language).
For instance, a two-cohost podcast transcript would possibly appear like this:
Jack: Welcome to the our podcast, the place we discuss issues that will help you do stuff! I am Jack!
Jill: And I am Jill.
Jack: Earlier than we get into this subject, how are you doing, Jill?
Jill: The climate is sunny at present, so I am nice!
Jack: Nice!
Jill: Yeah. What about you?
Jack: I am tremendous, however I do not know what the climate is, however—
Jill: That is unhappy.
Jack: What do imply?
Jill: I imply, you are saying that you have not gone exterior and even regarded out a window shortly.
Jack: Yeah, nevertheless it’s okay.
Jill: So anyway!
Jack: Sure! Let’s soar into this week’s subject.
…
Observe that on this fictional instance, there are lots of phrases, however you’ve got discovered nothing from this excerpt!
That form of back-and-forth is okay in a dialog and may even typically be okay in a podcast. Nevertheless it writing, it turns into nugatory.
Examine that to how the identical “data” could possibly be written in a method that is priceless:
Truly, that entire alternate could possibly be edited out of the written content material as a result of there’s little to no worth in studying that!
Engines like google prioritize high-quality content material that’s readable, however except you are knowledgeable speaker performing a refined monologue, transcripts are neither readable nor prime quality. So, no, transcripts usually are not the “magic bullet” to creating your podcast carry out properly for search engine optimization, particularly when you’re relegating transcripts to a downloadable file or an internet web page separate out of your podcast episode.
Fable 2: “Transcripts make your podcast accessible”
It is true that individuals with listening to impairments nonetheless devour podcasts! Thus transcripts have been lauded because the accessibility resolution podcasts want!
However the issue is that almost all revealed transcripts are nonetheless tough to learn or—worse—are buried in a hyperlink or downloadable file that might truly be even much less accessible!
It is like placing up a billboard with a QR Code that drivers can scan to look at a video to be taught why they should not be distracted whereas driving!
Good accessibility does not assist solely the hearing-impaired, it might probably additionally assist memorability or engagement for the remainder of your viewers. For instance, a phrase or URL that is perhaps ambiguous, akin to “to” versus “two” versus “2” versus “too.” This will get even worse when you’ve made up phrases!
Right here, correctly written present notes or an article could make the data way more memorable and actionable than an enormous transcription web page.
It is solely correctly formatted and correctly revealed transcripts that make your podcast accessible! And extra on that in a second!
2. (Non-obligatory) Use transcripts with podcast-production instruments
You should utilize the facility of transcripts instantly after you report your episodes, even when you by no means publish these transcripts!
When you may pay for somebody to transcribe your podcast for you, AI instruments have gotten actually good at making pretty correct transcripts!
Sure, AI has develop into the ever-present software for every kind of content-creators. I’ve joked earlier than, “Look, Daddy! Trainer says, ‘Each time a bell rings, an AI-powered app launches on AppSumo!’” However I am a giant fan of utilizing AI in your content material you made as a substitute of for making your content material.
The best way AI-based instruments work together with your audio or video podcast is by first transcribing your content material. Then, you need to use that AI to do spectacular and time-saving issues with the transcript, like summarizing your episode, suggesting episode titles, and even serving to you higher edit your recording.
Listed below are my present favourite transcription-based instruments to assist when your episode continues to be on this early post-production stage proper after you’ve got report:
Every of those instruments could make modifying your recording as straightforward as modifying a textual content doc! Plus, they’ll even export the transcript out of your completed manufacturing that you need to use within the following different steps.
Even when you do not use any transcription-based instruments, you possibly can nonetheless use a transcript of your recording that will help you discover locations to edit, excerpts for sharing, and reminders of your content material. And you are able to do this with out ever publishing these transcripts (however I nonetheless suggest that you simply do)!
3. Make correctly formatted podcast transcripts
To be able to be truly helpful, a transcript must have extra information with it. At a minimal, transcripts want timestamps for when traces and even phrases have been spoken. However transcripts may embrace the audio system’ names, formatting, and extra.
The most typical transcript codecs are VTT and SRT, however VTT—particularly WebVTT—is the superior format, nevertheless it’s not as extensively supported as SRT.
In its vanilla state, VTT and SRT will look comparable:
00:01.000 --> 00:04.000
By no means drink liquid nitrogen.
00:05.000 --> 00:09.000
It'll perforate your abdomen.After which WebVTT can add an entire bunch of further options and formatting over this.
You may get these correctly formatted transcripts from the transcription-based modifying instruments I shared above, or you possibly can generate them by way of AI or third-party assist.
An important factor right here is to get the transcripts in the proper format! An enormous block of textual content in a PDF or textual content doc is not going to be as helpful because the structured information such as you get with SRT or VTT.
Quick access to synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments has made creating transcripts an entire lot quicker, simpler, and cheaper. The modifying instruments I discussed all use AI to generate their transcripts, or you would use different providers, too:
(This checklist may not be up-to-date as a result of these options are coming to extra instruments fairly regularly.)
I just like the extra fashionable AI-based transcription instruments as a result of they perceive language higher and are thus capable of make transcripts that truly learn properly and are normally fairly correct. Examine that to transcripts from just a few years in the past that transcribed what they thought they heard, even when it did not make sense.
Most definitely any software that requires Web entry has limits to how a lot you possibly can transcribe or has pricing primarily based in your utilization.
So, alternatively, think about these two unbelievable apps you possibly can set up in your laptop to generate the transcripts with out the Web or utilization charges or limits. These use OpenAI’s free and open-source Whisper mannequin.
As a result of these apps run every little thing in your laptop, you will get a lot quicker outcomes on a extra highly effective laptop. For comparability, MacWhisper Professional’s largest language mannequin on my M1 MacBook Professional can transcribe a 30-minute podcast episode in solely a few minutes. However my maxed-out Intel iMac takes a lot longer to course of the identical audio with the identical app.
With the launch of iOS 17.4 in March 2024, you now obtain the transcript Apple mechanically generates for you thru your Podcasts Join account!
4. Edit your podcast transcripts
No matter whether or not you transcribe your podcast with AI or with an individual, the transcript will probably want some modifying.
Some automated transcription instruments will neatly break traces at logical factors, like on punctuation or on the finish of sentences. However that is not obligatory.
The finest factor to do could be to learn your total transcript to edit for accuracy. I believe it may even be okay to edit for readability. For instance, if the speaker mentioned, “There are 5 methods—I imply 6 methods—to do that,” you would edit the transcript to easily “There are 6 methods to do that.”
Pay shut consideration to something that might trigger you authorized hassle, too! For instance, your visitor may need mentioned, “I really like two li’l puppies,” however your transcript would possibly incorrectly say, “I like to kill puppies.” YIKES!
However that is the place I discover the good fashionable transcription instruments (like Whisper or Gemini Professional 1.5 and later) that use up to date large-language fashions (LLMs) can usually do a greater job as a result of they appear good at combining what they assume they hear together with what makes grammatical and contextual sense.
However when you’re in a rush, this is the fast hack for modifying your transcripts: double-check all correct nouns and URLs.
For instance, one transcription software I attempted would at all times transcribe “Podcasting 2.0” as “podcasting 2 level oh.” And even MacWhisper Professional typically transcribes “theaudacitytopodcast.com” as one thing like “the odacity2podcast.com.” For these items, I’ve made an inventory of the widespread errors so it is easy for me to run a find-and-replace operation on them. MacWhisper truly has that inbuilt! And a few transcription instruments allow you to enter phrases which are necessary to get proper. For instance, I would enter “Podgagement” since that is a made up trademark and the AI fashions may not perceive it, but.
However I’ve additionally been stunned, particularly by Whisper, how usually it not solely will get the spelling proper however even the capitalization!
5. Put the podcast transcripts in the proper locations
Now that you’ve an correct transcript in a great format (SRT or VTT), we have had an ordinary place to place that in podcasting for a few years now, and even Apple Podcasts is now on board!
You solely must add the transcript someplace on-line (if it is not already publicly hosted for you) and hyperlink to it in your Podcasting 2.0 <podcast:transcript> tag in your RSS feed, which your podcast-publishing/internet hosting software would possibly do for you.
This makes the transcript seen to a rising checklist of Podcasting 2.0 apps, and now even Apple Podcasts helps the Podcasting 2.0 transcript!
Even when Apple Podcasts generates the transcript for you, the app will use your transcript when you present it by way of the transcript characteristic in your RSS feed. That is so significantly better than how Spotify, Google, and Amazon at present do it!
Placing your SRT or VTT transcript in the proper place additionally exposes it for different apps and providers to make use of. As this turns into extra well-liked, extra podcast apps will use these transcripts to be taught what your episodes are about and assist expose your podcast in additional related searches. For instance, even when you keyword-stuff your title, creator, and outline tags with one thing like “actual property investing,” when you’re not actually speaking about actual property investing in your episodes, your podcast in all probability will not rank properly for that time period. What makes this podcast search engine optimization completely different from the search engine optimization delusion I shared above is that this Podcasting 2.0 methodology exposes your transcript in a selected construction that make it straightforward for purposes to learn and course of. You do not get that whenever you dump the entire transcript in your web site (or in a obtain).
However when you actually need to publish a transcript in a readable format, you possibly can convert your SRT or VTT transcript into formatted textual content and provide that by way of your web site. Simply do not count on a lot to come back from it!
6. (Non-obligatory) Use your podcast transcripts for promotion
I am not a fan of creating new content material with AI (additionally referred to as “generative AI”). I believe the outcomes are low cost, unoriginal, and in a authorized grey space as a result of most generative AI fashions have been educated with copyrighted content material and with out the content-owner’s permission.
Placing apart these potential authorized and moral implications, I do love synthetic intelligence as a unique “AI”: assistive intelligence. So as a substitute of making new content material for you, the AI analyzes the content material you created and helps you describe it, enhance it, repurpose it, and extra.
And this all begins with a transcript of your podcast!
My favourite AI software proper now could be Magai as a result of it contains a number of fashions (not simply ChatGPT) and now you can simply add your total podcast transcript to then work with inside Magai. For instance, you would ask it to jot down a promotion for the episode within the first-person tone of your visitor so you possibly can ship that to her or him to extra relevantly share their look in your podcast.
Castmagic, Capsho, and Buzzsprout’s Cohost AI even have options like this inbuilt. For instance, Castmagic (which I exploit, too) mechanically acknowledges separate audio system within the audio and may mechanically generate an entire bunch of various content material from my content material. This contains social posts, titles, X-Twitter threads, participating questions, outlines, and extra.
So even when a software cannot transcribe your content material for you, but (as is the case with Magai), you possibly can nonetheless give it your transcript to investigate and use for a lot of extra functions!
All of it begins with the transcript of your content material. (Or in my case, since I write such thorough articles for my podcast episodes, I regularly give Magai my revealed webpage URL as a substitute of importing a transcript.)
(And in case you are questioning, everything of this text and podcast episode have been created solely by me. And regardless that some folks would possibly name my intelligence “synthetic,” I did not use any AI for this episode!)
You can too use a software like Descript, Headliner, or Opus Clip to seek out good excerpts out of your episode to share as clips, like I am doing for this very episode! This, too, begins together with your transcripts, and you will in all probability get even higher outcomes when you can edit or present a extra correct transcript.
Strive Podgagement, now with automated transcripts for voicemails out of your viewers!
I am obtainable that will help you podcast!
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Disclosure
This publish might comprise hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I’ll obtain compensation out of your actions by way of such hyperlinks. Nevertheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not suggest solely associates.
