Including a show’s transcript can only make your podcast better. A podcast transcript is when you transform the audio content from your episode into a written text format, so there’s a readable version on your website. Transcripts can attract new listeners searching for your show, and help existing listeners appreciate your podcast’s full depth.
At first, you might wonder why you need to write out what’s an otherwise auditory medium, but at some point, it should dawn on you that not everyone can hear your podcast. Over 5% of the world’s population – or 466 million people – has disabling hearing loss. Why wouldn’t you want your podcast content accessible to all podcast fans?
Aside from the obvious advantages for creating accessibility to your podcast for those with disabilities, podcast transcripts are also great for:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Including a transcript of your show on your website makes your audio searchable on search engines. Transcripts provide Google more context as to what your episode is about. In turn, Google can then make your episode discoverable to listeners searching for keywords used within your transcript. The more relevant content you have on your website, the more legitimate you’ll appear to both search engines and new listeners looking at your site. Good SEO is the difference between gaining a new listener and your episode never seeing the light of day.
- Building show notes. Show notes are a written post on your website that presents, reviews and summarizes what happened during your podcast episode. They provide your listeners with an opportunity to connect with you outside your podcast and for you to further build on your relationship. Listeners can dive deeper into your content, find out more about you, and find out how they can support you. You can add supplemental resources or promote products that your listeners would want to learn more about. Using the transcript as the backbone, you can easily repurpose the transcript into show notes without having to come up with entirely new content.
- English as a second language. Many people are still learning English or know English as a second or third language. They appreciate being able to read along while also hearing your podcast to help fill in the gaps. You are allowing these listeners to engage and dive deeper into your show with a transcript than if they had nothing to follow along with at all.
- When listening isn’t practical. Sometimes listeners find themselves in situations when they can’t hit play and listen. It happens! Maybe they’re in a noisy public place, or something else is preventing them from listening, and the only alternative at the moment is to read through the transcript.
- Promotion and marketing. Transcripts make it easy to parse out great sound bites and quotes from the episode that you can share on social media. You can also make great images to accompany an inspiring or profound quote that came from an episode and then promote it on your social channels. Your listeners can also easily share your transcripts in its entirety to their favorite platforms, further extending your show’s online visibility.
- Organizing Your Content for Quick References. Need to go back and find where you referenced something in the middle of one of your episodes? Without a transcript, that could be a real time-suck. Transcripts give you the upper hand for organizing and cataloging all of the content you shared on your show so you can go back and find anything with ease.
There’s almost no downside to transcribing your podcast episodes. Transcripts promote inclusivity, expand your reach and discoverability, enhance the user experience, and allow for greater engagement with your listeners. Turning your podcast episodes into transcripts is an ideal way for you to get more out of your content, but turning audio into text can be a very tedious process.
If you want to get all of the benefits transcripts have to offer but don’t feel you have the time it takes to transcribe your audio content, Podcast Taxi is happy to lend a hand! Our team of experts will transcribe and prepare show notes for your podcast so you can focus on making high-quality episodes that delight your listeners. Sign up for a discovery call today to see how we can help.