In my previous career, I thought it would be useful to have an audiotyping qualification. I went through Pitman Training and gained an OCR Level 3 distinction. It’s a great skill to have and is easy to set up. Gone are the days of secretaries using reel to reel machines, cumbersome items that took up too much space in the office. Now, you can install software onto your computer, plug in headphones and off you go.

Recording is much easier too. Most smart phones have Dictaphone capability you can use, as well as small recording devices you can buy just for dictation. Sound files can then be emailed in whichever format you save them in. I have used my audiotpying skills to support GPs and translators, but anyone can benefit from using this service, including people who want to write blogs, or even a book but don’t have the time.

Audiotyping to Help you Write a Business Book

Jesse Krieger, of the Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, says in his “Bestseller This Year” training video that the physical act of sitting down and actually writing is the most daunting part for business owners who want to author a book.

He recommends creating an outline of your book with a chapter summary. Then you sit down with a trusted friend and chat through your idea, a chapter at a time, recording the conversation in real time. Send the recording to a transcriptionist and edit the results. He says that a 15 minute interview should generate around 2,000 words, approximately 10 pages of a book. He terms this “executive-style writing”.

I asked Jesse for the best link if you want to find out more, and he provided this: www.BestsellerThisYear.com

[ctt template=”3″ link=”75qBt” via=”no” ]Dictating chapters of your book & having it transcribed by a native English speaker is a quick & easy way to become an author.[/ctt]

Fiction authors can also benefit from transcription, if your ideas come faster than you can get them down. The words can be edited and reorganised multiple times and changes can be marked straight onto the text. The work comes back typed and formatted to your requirements and can be sent to print on demand providers to print a traditional book or uploaded onto an eBook platform for instant download.

While audiotyping services can be purchased cheaply, it makes sense to use a native English speaker, and using a copywriter means that they can make any amendments for you, saving time and ensuring that your copy is clear.

Audiotyping for Content Repurposing

Another useful application for my transcription skills is to help businesses to repurpose their content into new formats. While writing a blog post and turning it into a sound file is the most obvious way to repurpose, many people find it easier to create a podcast or live video, as writing is time-consuming. However, it’s trickier to convert this into a written format, so asking someone to transcribe it is the answer.

The advantage of a copywriter doing this is that they are able to edit and polish the work as they go, so you have an immediately useable document which requires little input from you. I recently took an online training seminar and repurposed the content into four separate blog posts with a Slideshare and four quotes for use on Facebook and Twitter for each blog.

This approach works for any recordings you have – podcasts, Facebook Live, vlogs, SoundCloud, presentations, webinars etc – so think about getting them transcribed and repurposed to get the most out of them.