Podcast transcription for every episode

A transcript makes an episode searchable, quotable and easier to turn into show notes and posts. Here is a simple way to get one for every episode without adding another subscription.

Why publish transcripts

• Accessibility. Listeners who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow the conversation.
• Search. Search engines index text, not audio. A transcript on the episode page gives them something to read.
• Repurposing. Pull quotes, show notes, newsletter blurbs and social posts are much faster to write from text.
• Your own archive. After a hundred episodes, finding the one where a guest mentioned a book is a text search away.

Host, guest, and who said what

Most podcasts are conversations, so speaker labels matter. The fast lane labels each speaker. There, your browser converts the episode to audio, uploads that audio (about 115 MB per hour), and our servers transcribe it in seconds. The first two steps depend on your device and connection, so the total time varies. The spoken language is detected automatically. It needs a free account, and your episode file is stored with that account until you delete the transcript or the account.

Solo shows, or anyone who would rather keep unreleased audio on their own machine, can use the browser lane. It is free and unlimited, runs the Whisper speech model on your device so the audio never leaves it, and needs no account. It is slower, depending on your computer, and does not label speakers.

A simple episode workflow

1. Export the final mix. Transcribe the edited episode rather than the raw recording, so the transcript matches what listeners hear.
2. Upload it. MP3, M4A, WAV and video exports all work.
3. Clean up names and terms. Guest names, brand names and jargon are where automatic transcripts most often need a fix.
4. Publish. Put the transcript on the episode page or in your show notes.

What it costs per episode

Fast minutes are counted by the length of the audio. A free account transcribes episodes up to 30 minutes free, 3 a day. Longer episodes use pack hours for their full length: an hour pack is $5 for 3 fast hours, paid once, which covers three one-hour episodes, and pack hours never expire. A weekly one-hour show runs about four to five hours of audio a month, so Pro at $9.99 a month for 10 fast hours covers it with room for a second show. The browser lane stays free no matter how many episodes you make.

Recording tips that help transcripts

• Record each person on their own microphone. Separate, close microphones give clearer speech and cleaner speaker labels.
• Avoid crosstalk where you can. Overlapping laughter and interruptions are the hardest parts to transcribe.
• Keep intro music short or quiet under speech. Music under a voice makes words harder to pick out.
• Remote guests should record locally if your setup allows it. A local track avoids the dropouts of a compressed call.