Podcast tips

August 13th, 2018

How to Improve Your Podcast Transcripts

A podcast transcript isn’t essential, but it’s good for accessibility and for people who’d like to read a full version of an episode.

Why You use Podcast Transcripts

Podcast transcripts are written versions of the monologue or conversation published in audio format. A transcript is intended as a faithful record of what was discussed, but should be edited for clarity.

Some people prefer to read their content or can’t listen, so a transcript should convey the same value as the audio version.

Check Your Transcript Carefully

It’s easy to assume that the AI transcription tool won’t make a mistake, but it does! They often struggle with regional accents or unfamiliar words. For accessibility and reading ease you should at least do a light edit of your transcript. Adding some paragraph spaces so the reader’s eye can follow the text.

Spell check the transcript and add in any bits you’ve missed out or misheard. You can read through the transcript while listening to the audio, or refer back to it to check anything that doesn’t look right.

Remove Fillers From Podcast Transcripts

In speech, people use hesitations and fillers while they think of what to say next and let their brain catch up with their mouths.

Some people have a habit of saying ‘You know,’ or ‘for me’. These don’t add anything to the transcript and makes it harder for the reader to focus, so remove them.

Skip the intro and sign-off, too. They’re not necessary in a transcript. A one-hour interview can produce 6,000+ words, so make sure each of those is worth including.

Listen for Repetitions

People repeat themselves in speech all the time! They do this for emphasis, to give them to think about what to say next, or because they’ve forgotten what they were talking about.

If you’ve captured it clearly and concisely once, you don’t need to include it another two or three times. Again, your podcast transcript needs to be clear and pleasant for the reader.

And if they’re not listening to the audio at the same time, they won’t necessarily know that the person repeated themselves – they might just assume you made a mistake in the typing.

Be Aware of Sentences Trailing off

The host or the guest might forget what they were saying, change their minds or decide to ask/answer the question in a different way.

Pay attention to sentences tailing off without a logical conclusion while you’re doing the first listen and typing, and if possible see if the next sentence or point ties it up. If not, take the sentence out or cut it at the last place the speaker makes a point.

Make Sure Your Podcast Transcripts Make Sense!

Go through the transcript and check it’s easy to read and understand. You might choose to do this with or without the audio.

If it’s downloaded by someone who’s not that familiar with your show or your other content, will they be able to follow it?

Have you explained or removed jargon, written acronyms out in full and included definitions of unfamiliar terms if you or the guest didn’t explain it properly during the conversation?

You might want to ask someone else to read the transcript for you. Find someone who isn’t in your industry to look for any specific terms you’ve used. Ask a writer or editor friend to check for consistency and clarity errors.

Further Reading