Transcripts: Homework

Claire Waite Brown: 00:00:00

Welcome Back to Podcasting 2.0 in Practice time for some transcripts homework. Don't forget I'll be using images with my chapter markers where relevant for a bit of visual support and clarity if you need it.

You have of course listened to the episode on chapters, so you know what I'm talking about. Have a listen to my instructions and a look at my chapter pics for your preferred listening app, then search for the transcript for this episode.

Since we've just been told all about this feature by Ellie from Pocket Casts, we'll start there. In the episode Play Screen on Pocket Casts, click on the speech bubble icon to see the transcript.

You'll see there is a search option on the transcript page so you can search for a word or phrase and locate it in that transcript.

On the Pocket Casts home screen, you can have some fun by searching for a specific and niche key phrase that you know has been used in your show or a show that you like to see it pop up in the search results as I did here with Hinksey Heights, which brought up the relevant episode of Creativity Found.

You can also search for key phrases that appear in transcripts again, such as Hinksey Heights in Fountain by clicking on the magnifying glass at the bottom of the home screen or your library screen.

To locate the transcript of an episode on Fountain in the Play Screen for that episode, either scroll down and click on the transcript bookmark or click on the CC in a box icon to go straight to the transcript. Fountain shows the transcript in blocks of text and highlights where you are listening now like closed captions.

You can also read the transcript and click on the block of text to then jump to the audio for that block. Click on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom right of this screen to search for keywords within this particular transcript.

In Truefans, scroll down from the episode Play Screen and across to transcripts or click on the CC in a box icon under the show art. The text is highlighted as the audio is played and there is a search option at the top of the page.

In Podcast Guru, click on the white square with jagged transparent lines to bring up closed captioning.

On the Play Screen, click on the icon next to that featuring white lines to indicate lines of text, then on the transcripts bookmark to see the whole transcript and again the text is highlighted to match the audio.

Now for the podcasters, let's talk about how to make a transcript and how to add it to your audio with your hosting company.

There are a number of platforms that you can upload your audio file to and they will make your transcript which you can edit and correct as needs be then download. Podcast-specific AI platforms will also generate show notes, chapter markers and social media posts.

I have used Swell AI, Podium, Podsqueeze and Castmagic in the past and they are all much of a muchness. They usually have a free tier or trial option so you can have a play.

There are affiliate links to these platforms at creativityfound.co.uk/podcasting.

Your hosting company may have a paid for add on that does this. Buzzsprout's add on is called Cohost AI and Captivate's is Spark AI.

These create the transcript, suggest episode titles, write show notes and suggest chapter markers and can automatically insert them. You can also adjust and amend the text that they give you, so a hybrid approach is probably the one you'll need.

All of the paid-for RSS.com plans have episode transcription generation included, but this doesn't generate chapter markers or any of the other bells and whistles.

Here's how to upload your own transcript. Most hosting companies ask you to upload your transcript as an srt or vtt file, so make sure you choose the correct option when downloading the transcript from your chosen transcript generator.

Let's start with Buzzsprout this time.

Once you've uploaded your audio, click on Add Transcript at the right of the screen, then on Upload srt file and drag or choose the file you want to upload.

On Captivate, scroll down the Edit Episode page to Transcription and Discoverability and click on Add or edit your own transcript.

Click on Upload file, then choose the file you want to upload.

On RSS.com once you've saved your draft episode, click on the icon of a page of writing with a plus sign, then on insert a transcript manually. You'll need to copy and paste your transcript in this instance, which transcript generators do give you the option to do.

Then click on Add Transcript.

And that's all for the transcript's homework. Next up, podcasters inserting chapters homework.

Visit creativityfound.co.uk/podcasting to find out more about my guests and access lots of useful podcast resources.

If you'd like to get in touch, you can send a boost, but if you haven't got to that lesson yet, feel free to reach out to me on my Instagram account podcasting2.0 in practice.