Give your podcast a boost – 5 reasons why you should transcribe your podcast.
“Hear” at Headliner, we are big fans of science, scholarly articles, encyclopedias, and what have you. That’s why we took to Reddit and Twitter! Our Marketing Team conducted a very “scientific study.” We tweeted and posted, asking podcasters if they transcribe their podcasts!
“Hear’s” what we found:
Just like any other “scientific study,” there is an amount of research that went into this. That’s why today we want to share our findings, dive in, and discuss all things transcription! This blog post will discuss the what’s, why’s, and how’s of transcription. So, with that, let’s get into it!
Transcriptions… what are they?
What is a transcription?
A transcription is a word-for-word account of what was said during your podcast. It is just a written version of your podcast.
[Transcriptions] are a “good, useful thing” Podnews
Transcriptions are often used as supplemental pieces to your podcast, providing an accurate record of what was said. They were initially designed to help reach a broader audience by improving accessibility. Transcriptions are the perfect tool for helping people who may have difficulty hearing or understanding video or, in this case, audio content. They ensure everyone can enjoy your message!
Why use transcriptions?
Like we said, transcriptions are good, valuable things. “Hear” are our top reasons why you should use and transcribe your podcast:
1. Accessibility:
First and foremost, accessibility! Transcribing a podcast makes the content accessible to a broader audience, including those with hearing impairments or language barriers. Transcriptions are often used to help translate or increase comprehension for non-native listeners. They ensure that everyone can enjoy and understand the podcast’s content.
2. SEO and discoverability:
Now, this is a big one!
Transcriptions help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). By adding transcripts, you provide additional data for search engines to crawl and better index your information. Search engines cannot crawl video or audio content, just textual elements (think captions, titles, transcripts…), and the more words you have, the better your odds are at ranking well! Why? Because not only do you have a larger pool of data, but you also are more likely to be flagged as having more keywords and phrases that match what people are searching for
Transcriptions are also proven to improve your discoverability rates. This not only applies to Google searches but helps you rank higher on places like Apple podcasts and on social media platforms that allow linking – like Facebook! So, by transcribing your podcast, you create written content that builds upon SEO and aids in discoverability.
3. Content repurposing:
We are BIG fans of content repurposing! Transcription is one of the easiest ways to start repurposing or expanding your content offerings. Transcribed content can be repurposed or expanded into various formats, like blog posts (hehe), articles, social media posts, or eBooks if you’re feeling ambitious or particularly chatty! Providing additional forms of content helps reach different audiences and expand your podcast’s reach without adding a ton of extra work.
4. Connecting with your audience:
Have you ever been listening to something and weren’t totally sure what was said, so you tried to rewind it, then are stuck in a vicious loop of rewind, stop, rewind, listen again, rewind… you get the picture. Basically, what we are alluding to is that people really do care what you have to say!
Providing readers with a transcript makes it easier for a listener to follow along and pull out specific quotes, stats, or just to help clarify what was said quickly.
5. Improved audience experience:
Everyone is a little different – and everyone listens a little differently! Some people just put headphones on and go for it, some need to sit and read, and some like to multitask. It just depends on the person! So, by providing a transcript, you are catering to the different listening preferences.
Transcriptions, indeed, are excellent tools that add value to your podcast. Not only are they a means of improving accessibility and comprehension, but they also help boost your SEO and create an additional touch point with your audience and empower them to engage or consume your podcast in various ways.
How to transcribe your podcast?
Now that we’ve covered the whats and why’s – it’s time for the hows!
There is some debate about how to transcribe your podcast best. And, the truth is, there really is no one right answer. It all depends on you, your podcast, your capacity, and your budget. The two most popular methods of transcription are white-glove, manual transcription and, now, AI transcription.
Transcription pain points
Think back to the beginning of this post when we showed you our SUPER “scientific study.” Our sample found that nearly 80% of podcasters need to transcribe their podcast. We were curious as to why people were not transcribing and reached out to a few podcasters. Of those that responded, the overwhelming majority said they don’t transcribe for one of two reasons.
- Transcription takes too much time.
- Transcription is too expensive.
We totally get that! Transcription can undoubtedly be a monumental task, especially if you are not following a scripted podcast.
Transcription takes too much time
There are two main reasons why transcription can take a long time.
The first is manual transcription. Manual transcription occurs when you physically sit down and write out what is being said. Sitting down and intently listening to your podcast while typing every word out is an apparent HUGE time investment. And, taking it a step further, clipping and editing your audio to remove things like unwanted “uhs” and “ums” simultaneously adds an additional load.
The alternative transcription method is to let AI do it. There is plenty of software that can transcribe your podcast for you. However, as several podcasters have pointed out, AI could be better, and the final output rarely is formatted logically. Using AI tools to transcribe often requires podcasters to go back, read through, and edit any mistakes the tech may have made.
Another quam with AI is that the software needs to account for multiple speakers. The transcription output is typically given in one lump of text. So the words are there, but there is only a straightforward way to tell who said them precisely if you manually correct the formatting. So if you have a co-host or guest, editing just got that much more complicated.
Transcription costs too much
For those willing to pay to circumvent the manual transcription process, you can expect to pay anywhere from $0.20 – $3.00 per minute. White-glove human transcription services cost anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. It just depends on the length of the podcast.
Again, there are other alternative methods, but these typically come at a price as well. Transcription software packages usually run about $30 per month or $20 per episode. They often have monthly caps and only give you the transcription. Suppose you are a podcaster looking for a transcription and file editing tool. In that case, you can expect to pay an additional price.
Eddy-iting made easy
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Transcriptions are genuinely excellent tools. They help your podcast reach new audiences and ensure it is accessible to everyone – regardless of language or ability. However you choose to do it, we sincerely hope you consider transcribing your podcast.
With advances in technology, podcast transcription is getting easier and more attainable for podcasters. Companies are listening to podcasters and looking for ways to bring down the cost while improving the quality of transcriptions.
Headliner is one of those companies. We have been testing our own transcription service, Eddy by Headliner, and are getting ready to bring it out of beta to give podcasters everywhere a good, free option to transcribe podcasts. If you are interested in doing it with us – fantastic! We would love for you to give Eddy by Headliner a try. To get started or learn more, “head” on over “hear.”
