Podcasts have confidently entered the content market. They meet most customers' expectations: audio tracks can be run in the background while doing house chores or driving. Podcasts have also become incredibly popular as so-called "lullabies for adults".

But if you host a podcast channel, are you making the most of it? Quite unlikely, if you don't transcribe your episodes and provide accurate transcriptions.

Once a meticulous, tiresome, and time-consuming task, nowadays podcast transcribing takes just several minutes (or dozens of minutes, depending on your episode's length). Podcast transcription software is constantly improving, but if you don't trust "soulless technologies", you can also hire highly professional, experienced, and trained human transcribers.

Let's examine the current approaches to creating podcast transcriptions, their advantages and drawbacks, and the benefits they offer.

What is a podcast transcript

As the very term implies, a transcript is a literal word-by-word record of the podcast audio: all the dialogues, discussions, every uttered word, etc. The main idea of transcribing a recording is making it more accessible and transparent (stay tuned; we'll explore this topic deeper in the next paragraphs), so it's always a good idea to also include sound marks, such as [cough], [ambient music], [deep sigh], etc.

Depending on how you plan to use and reuse the transcript, you can save it in various formats: PDF, DOC, TXT, or SRT (for subtitles).

Benefits of a podcast transcript

Some transcript benefits are obvious, others are not so explicit. Still, all of them can prove useful for you.

  • Increased accessibility. Thanks to a podcast transcription, the podcast can be watched even when listening isn't possible (in public places, during an event, etc.).
  • New audiences. Not everyone is keen on listening, there are still users who prefer old-fashioned reading. Don't forget about people with hearing impairments, non-English speakers, those with slow Internet connections, and others.
  • Translation. You can provide various versions in different languages by yourself, or your followers can translate the text with the help of online tools if needed.
  • Repurposing. The transcribed text can be further used as subtitles, a blog post, data for statistics, or in any other imaginable way.
  • Boosted SEO. Search engines can't analyze audio (yet), but they can recognize keywords and phrases in texts. This way, your podcast with a transcript will become more "visible" and "searchable".
  • Easier editing. Especially if you have an outsourced editor who wasn't involved in creating the content. You can just mark the needed moment in the transcription (preferably with a time stamp), instead of a lengthy explanation of where to find the wrong snippet. This also leads us to the "convenient research in the text" benefit.
  • Quotation. If someone wants to refer to your podcast, it will be much easier to copy the needed quote than type it manually.
  • The economy of listeners' time. If your followers don't have enough time to listen to the whole episode but are still interested in the topic, they can look through the transcript and find what they need.
  • Monetization. You can post your transcript for free or include it for a fee.
  • Increased users’ engagement. All above mentioned results in better user engagement, as they can get more out of each episode.

How to transcribe a podcast

Now that you know the various benefits, let's examine the options for creating a podcast transcript from audio files..

The easiest approach is to check what your podcast platform offers. Some podcast platforms allow adding transcripts, while others don't. The former are: YouTube, Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Buzzsprout, and others. Also, some of them have a built-in "speech-to-text" function that automatically creates transcripts.

Nevertheless, it's not the only possible approach. Let's study each of them carefully and compare the following critical parameters for every task performance: speed, cost, and accuracy, including audio transcription.

How to get a transcript of a podcast manually

Cheap and accurate, but lengthy.

It's quite a simple but routine and boring job. You just listen to the audio for a while, pause, rewind the recording, relisten to make sure you grasp everything, and keep working this way until the track is over.

Advantages

  • The transcript is accurate, as you can slow it down if something is not clear and listen to the difficult snippets as many times as necessary.
  • It’s free.
  • You can edit the transcript by adding other elements (such as timestamps or sound marks) right away.

Disadvantages

  • Time-consuming, especially if you don’t have prior transcribing experience. An average ratio is about 4 hours of work for an hour of the recording.
  • If the audio contains some specialized terminology (for example, used by your guests), you may need extra research to write it down correctly.

Here are some ideas for minimizing drawbacks and maximizing the benefits of manual transcription if this is your choice.

  1. Find a quiet place, preferably soundproof, as transcribing requires full concentration.
  2. Give your recording the first run without pausing, just to grasp the main ideas, pace, and points to consider.
  3. Take a pause every 10-15 seconds, it's the most efficient way to accurately write down all the details.
  4. Include non-verbal information (pauses) and sounds, if they are essential for better understanding.
  5. When you're done, give your audio the final run for revision.
  6. Don't forget about formatting: put the speakers' names, highlight the key points, etc.
  7. Proofread your transcription the next day, if you revise it right away, you may miss typos and errors.

How to get podcast transcripts from a podcast transcription service

Fast and accurate, but expensive.

Podcast transcription companies (like Verbit, Rev, GoTranscript) provide highly qualified and experienced specialists, who can transcribe audio in various languages. Moreover, if you're on a tight deadline, your task may be assigned to several transcribers, increasing delivery time without losing quality.

The drawback is the relatively high service cost. The final bill will depend on the audio's topic, language, timing, and other factors, such as the speakers' ambient noise or speech impediments. On average, pricing starts from $1 per minute of the audio track.

Advantages

  • Fast turnaround time.
  • High accuracy even for the most complicated, niche and specialized topics.

Disadvantages

  • Expensive.

The following advice will help you not waste your money on poor service.

  1. Choose the company with the highest accuracy rate, that's a priority.
  2. Ensure the company guarantees confidentiality, as your audio may contain sensitive data.
  3. Check if the company works with a wide range of topics, even those that demand specialized knowledge.
  4. A transparent pricing system is the key. The company may charge for a minute of the audio, or per word.
  5. The company should provide reliable customer support, preferably 24/7.
  6. It's always advantageous if the service has samples of their transcriptions on the site.

How to turn a podcast episode into a transcript using AI

Fast and cheap, but inaccurate.

Artificial Intelligence took over the market of digital services. Nearly no task cannot be performed with the help of AI tools. Smart algorithms efficiently decipher audio tracks and perform additional services, such as improving the sound quality of the initial recording, translating the transcript into foreign languages, and so on.

AI transcription services offer various pricing plans and features. For example, Clideo's podcast transcript generator allows free transcribing and even translating of up to 10 minutes of audio per month. However, if you choose to go for a premium version, you will get access to a bunch of versatile video editing tools.

The transcription process doesn't imply any human touch, everything is done automatically, so you don't have to communicate with anyone. You just upload your initial file to the tool and get the result in a few moments, depending on the track's length. Check out how to transcribe a podcast with Clideo right in your browser.

The downside is that the accuracy rate of the output can vary depending on the quality of your recording, so the final transcript may need editing.

Advantages

  • Fast and easy.
  • You can apply additional services, such as text translation.
  • You can save the output in various formats, not just TXT or DOC.
    • The transcript can be embedded in the video as captions right away

Disadvantages

  • Output may need manual revising and editing.
  • Low-quality audio with loud ambient noise and indistinct speech are not eligible for machine transcription.

It's easy to get lost in a myriad of AI tools available on the market. These points may be of help for you.

  1. To make the most of the transcription process, choose the tool integrated with other options, such as text editing or customizing, text translator, subtitles creator, etc.
  2. Make sure the service you use is user-friendly and self-explanatory.
  3. Pay attention to security issues, read the site's terms and policies.
  4. Prefer online services over installed software or apps; this way, you can reach your project from various devices and anywhere.

How to repurpose podcast audio transcripts

Once created, your transcribed text may provide many other services. A transcript is not just an optional byproduct of your podcast; it may become "the hero of the hour" for your other projects, such as blogs, vlogs, social media accounts, etc. If you don't have any, maybe it's high time to start.

  • Subtitles. Pay attention, there is a difference between subtitles and captions. The former is a word-by-word transcription of every word uttered, while the latter can also provide additional information, comments, and notes.
  • Blog post. With just a little editing and formatting, your podcast episode can become a blog entry, be visible to search engines, and attract new followers.
  • A series of social media posts. One episode can be broken into a set of short posts, so you'll have ready content for your channel.
  • Send a newsletter to your loyal subscribers to make sure they don't miss a thing even if they don't have time to watch the whole podcast.
  • MOOCs or webinars. If you run an educational podcast, transcripts can serve as learning materials.

FAQs

What is a podcast transcript?

A podcast transcript is a text file with a word-by-word audio record, including other sounds (such as sighs, coughs, etc.), pauses, emotions, timestamps, and other details. It can be created and saved in various formats, not only TXT or DOC, but also SRT, PDF, or others.

How much does it cost to transcribe a podcast?

It depends on the chosen approach. If you transcribe your audio by yourself, it's free (apart from wasted time). Hiring a professional transcriber may cost up to $2-3 per minute of recording. If you use an AI tool, the price can start from ~10 dollars per month for a Pro subscription.

Do you need a specific podcast transcription software to transcribe a podcast?

Preferably, but not necessarily. But even if you decide to transcribe your recording manually, you may want to reduce the ambient noise in the recording or cut the track into shorter chunks, so other editing tools may come in handy.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, creating a podcast transcript is vital for enhancing accessibility and engaging a broader audience. Transcripts allow listeners to grasp content better, cater to diverse preferences, and support individuals with hearing impairments or language barriers. Furthermore, they can significantly boost search engine optimization, making podcasts more discoverable. By facilitating translation and repurposing of content, transcripts not only enrich the listening experience but also expand the reach of your message. As audio content continues to grow in popularity, transcripts emerge as an essential tool for maximizing its potential.