If you’re looking for a way to make your podcast more accessible to a wider audience, consider obtaining transcripts of your episodes. Transcripts can be used to create blog posts, articles, and even videos. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to get podcast transcripts and some of the best ways to do it.
There are a few ways to get podcast transcripts and that includes using Google Docs Voice Typing and YouTube closed captioning features. You can then transcribe your episodes using these automatic captioning features. Another option is to use a human transcription service, artificial intelligence transcription service, or a combination of both. These services will provide you with good to accurate transcriptions of your podcast episodes that you can then use for your blog post or article.
Free DIY Methods
If you’re looking to save some money, there are a few DIY methods you can use to transcribe your podcast episodes. One method is to use Google Docs. Google Docs has a built-in speech-to-text feature that you can use to transcribe your podcast episodes.
Google Docs Voice Typing
To use the voice typing feature in Google Docs, open a new or existing document. Then, click “Tools” > “Voice Typing.” A microphone icon will appear on the left side of the screen. Click on the icon and begin speaking or as a trick, you can begin playing the podcast episode you want to be transcribed. Words will appear in the document as you speak them.
You’ll end up with a flood of unpunctuated text. It’s more like a free flow of words than anything else. You’ll have to go through it and add punctuation, as well as verify for mistakes. However, compared to typing the audio word verbatim, it saves you a lot of time.
YouTube Captions
Another free DIY method you can use to transcribe your podcast episodes is YouTube captions. To do this, upload your podcast episode to YouTube and then enable the closed captioning feature. YouTube will automatically generate a transcript of your video which you can then download and edit as needed.
While the transcript generated by YouTube isn’t always 100% accurate, it can be a helpful starting point. You can then go through and edit the transcript to fix any errors.
Paid Methods
If you don’t want to transcribe your podcast episodes yourself, there are a few paid methods you can use. One option is to hire a freelancer in Upwork or Fiverr or a transcription service like Trint, Descript, Rev, or Scribie. These services offer accurate transcriptions of your podcast episodes.
Human Transcription Services
This is the most precise type of podcast transcription available. Humans are better than machines at comprehending context and spoken sound. A human would know where to place the comma if you state, “Let’s eat Grandma,” while a machine may not.
It’s also not cheap. Some transcribers charge by the number of minutes it takes them to transcribe the audio, while others charge a flat rate per audio hour. The rate usually ranges from $1 to $2 per audio minute.
Fiverr, Upwork and Other Outsourcing Platforms
Transcription freelancers can be found on Fiverr, Upwork, and other outsourcing platforms. The advantage of using these platforms is that you can find a freelancer who fits your budget and transcription needs. You can also read reviews of the freelancer before hiring them.
The disadvantage of using these platforms is that you may not get the most accurate transcriptions as some of the transcribers may not be native English speakers. Additionally, the freelancers on these platforms are often working on a per-minute basis, so they may rush through the transcription, which can lead to errors.
GoTranscript
Transcription services provided by GoTranscript are 100% human-generated transcription services, and they offer a 6-hour turnaround time, minimum. Their pricing depends on how quickly you need your podcast transcript completed and the length of your audio files. Expect to spend between 80 cents and $2 per minute for their services.
Artificial Intelligence Services
If you’re on a budget, you can use an AI transcription service. These services are more affordable than human transcription services, but they’re not as accurate.
Trint
In 2021, Trint looks to be another interesting AI transcriber. It is being marketed toward content producers and caters to businesses as a premium service. Trint is a 2021-ready service that uses automated speech recognition and natural language processing as its AI transcriber’s foundation.
Trint’s pricing ranges from $60 to $85 per month or yearly, with a 7-day free trial. The number of files you can have on the account and how many users may use it are two factors that determine the plan. However, because a file can be as long as you want it to be, the starter package would work for many podcasters.
Descript
Descript is an audio transcription software that goes above and beyond simply transcribing voice recordings. Describe’s AI abilities are designed to operate in a document-like manner, making it ideal for business collaboration. It makes use of a 3rd party corporate-grade transcription engine to carry out the AI transcription. The AI system may also be used for editing podcasts and videos as well as screen recording.
Descript has a free 3-hour sample of audio available. After that, the service is $14-$18 per month. They claim to be able to turn around a 60-minute sound file in about three minutes.
Sonix
Sonix’s marketing strategy is to position itself as a fast-to-transcribe product. It has a large clientele that includes mostly prominent universities, periodicals, and popular media firms. Sonix has cutting-edge artificial intelligence features to flaunt, including speaker labeling and automated timecode realignment.
Sonix offers the basic plan that costs $10 per hour of uploaded audio. Premium costs $5 per hour and $22 per user, per month. Sonix transcribes in a variety of languages, even at the Standard level, and their free test gives 30 minutes of service.
Amazon Transcribe
Amazon Transcribe was made available in 2021 as a component of Amazon Web Services (AWS) for businesses to embed into their applications. Amazon Transcribe is being brought to industries like customer support, video on demand, and others by Amazon. According to its product page, Amazon Transcribe uses the deep learning-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) process.
Amazon Transcribe’s pricing varies by region, type of audio (if it’s standard, call, or medical) and other different pricing models, but it starts at $0.02400 per audio minute for the first 250,000 minutes under their Standard Batch Transcription service and it goes lower the more audio minutes you let them transcribed.
Otter.ai
Otter is a Google Meet, Zoom call, or lecture-taking virtual assistant that does the notetaking for every session. Otter promises intelligent live transcription, as well as features like playback and keyword search. Its speech recognition technology employs AI and machine learning to incorporate semantics into the system. After that comes natural language processing, which attempts to understand how people speak and how words are related to one another.
Otter.ai offers a free plan for those who are just getting started. You can then upgrade to Otter’s Pro plan for $8.33 per month or its Business plan for $20 per user per month.
Artificial and Human Intelligence Services
There are many companies that offer a mix of artificial and human intelligence services to help your podcast get transcribed. Below is a list of the most popular ones.
Rev.com
Rev.com is a podcast transcription service that was included on Forbes’ AI 50 list. Its automated transcription costs 25 cents per minute and has a 5-minute turnaround time. Their human transcription service costs $1.25 per minute and takes 12 hours to complete. They can also produce foreign subtitles for video for $3-$7 per minute.
Scribie
The Scribie system is a pay-as-you-go option, with fully automated translation for 10 cents per minute or 80 cents per minute with a human editor. They charge an extra 50 cents if your audio quality is poor or if there are accented speakers.
Wrapping Up
Podcast transcriptions can be a great way to improve your SEO, engage your audience, and make your content more accessible. There are many services out there that can help you transcribe your podcast, so choose the one that’s right for you.