Do you create transcripts for your podcast episodes? For podcast hosts and podcast creators, creating episode transcripts for your podcast is pretty important. And that’s because podcast transcripts are far more than simply a written version of your show.
From boosting SEO ranking to improving user experience, transcripts provide the podcaster tons of value.
In this blog post we will go over the top reasons why podcasters should consider creating transcripts and delve into why they’re worth the effort. Read on to find out what these benefits are and how creating podcast transcripts can help give your podcast an edge in today’s podcasting landscape.
1. Increase SEO rankings by having a searchable written transcript
In today’s digital age, having a website that ranks high on search engine results is crucial for businesses to gain exposure and expand their reach. And when it comes down to the process of growing your podcast, it helps to view your podcast as a brand or business.
You want your target audience to find you with ease whenver they’re searching a topic or question in your niche. In order to rank, you need optimized content for those little internet bots to crawl. And these bots prefer to crawl text-based content. So your audio episodes are not their staple diet.
Enter podcast transcripts…
So one tactic that can make a significant impact on your podcast’s SEO rankings is having a searchable written transcript. By transcribing your podcast episodes, search engines can index your content more effectively, allowing your podcast and podcast website (Don’t have a podcast websit? Check out this post!) to appear in a wider range of search queries.
Not only does this increase the visibility of your podcast, but it also provides an opportunity to reach out to a broader audience. With a searchable transcript, customers can easily find the information they need, ultimately increasing engagement and driving more traffic to your site. So, in terms of boosting your SEO rankings, a searchable written transcript is a must.
2. Improve accessibility for those with hearing impairment or language barriers
The next reason for creating podcast transcripts has to do with accessibiliy. There are many people, for a variety of reasons, who cannot access your audio content. This may be because of a hearing impairment, a language barrier, or even a sensory preference.
But these people still form part of your target audience. As a podcaster, one of your core missions is to serve your audience. But you’re obviously not able to serve members of your target audience who are unable to access audio content. A dilema, yes. But one with an easy fix! Create transcripts for your episodes!
Transcripts make your podcasts accessible to a much wider audience. And particularly, an audience who can often feel isolated when it comes to accessing certain types of content. But detailed, well-executed transcripts break down access barriers, and make your content far more inclusive and accessible.
Related read: Podcast Accessibility: Why and How To Make Your Podcast More Accessible
3. Podcast transcripts can be an effective hook for first-time listeners
Another top reason for creating transcripts for your podcast episodes is that transcripts can be really effective hooks.
What do we mean exactly?
Well, you know there are tons of podcasts out there. This is no secret. But we’ve found that more and more, people are hungry for podcasts that are of top-quality. There’s simply not time to try them all.
Offering transcripts for your podcast episodes can be a really effective way to grab and hook the attention of new listeners.
By offering high-quality, great looking transcripts, you make it super easy for people to quickly check out your content, and realize your show is exactly what they’re looking for. Transcripts help you serve your target audience better by providing them access to a quick overview of your episodes. And so offering transcripts becomes a way to offer more value, and help you build your reputation as an authority in your niche.
4. Creating podcast transcripts make it easy to repurpose your content
The first three reasons for creating podcast transcripts were more focused on our opinion that transcripts are an effective way to reach your target audience, offer them more value, and serve them more effectively.
Reason Number 4 for creating a podcast transcript is focused on what they can do to help you further your brand and cement your authority in your niche.
How?
Creating podcast transcripts make it incredibly easy for you to repurpose your content. It’s no secret that the most successful podcasters are those who leverage their content across multiple platforms. By transcribing your episodes, you can easily create blog posts and social media content that complements your audio material. This not only allows you to reach a wider audience, but it also cements your authority as an expert in your niche.
5. Podcast transcripts help make your content more user-friendly
Another reason why we believe podcast transcripts are such an important part of the podcasting process is that they make your podcast more user-friendly by seriously improving the user experience.
By providing transcripts, listens can easily ‘scrub’ through the episode to find that mind-blowing wisdom nugget you shared, or that epic point you made. Yes, you should provide show notes with your key points. But there may have been a full section your listners want to find again.
Your transcripts make it so easy for them to do that! They can quickly reference key points without having to re-listen to the entire podcast episode. This not only greatly improves the user experience, but it is also a really effective way for your listeners to engage with your content. An added bonus!
6. Offering podcast transcripts can help make your content more shareable
Next up, by offering transcripts for your podcast episodes you are making it super easy for your listeners to share the content. Listeners can easily scan your content, or search the timestamps to find that excerpt they’re looking for. Then it’s just a simple “copy, paste, share” operation, and your content has reached a whole new audience.
This is a truly powerful way to leverage your content and increase engagement.
Again, your show notes should include your key take-aways, but your listeners likely want to be able to share more than just those. Perhaps a particular answer one of your guests gave is exactly what someone close to your listener needs to hear. They can then easily deliver this valuable insight to their friend in need by heading to your transcripts.
7. Transcripts can improve the editing process
Our final reason for advocating for transcripts is that it can greatly help with the editing process.
Transcripts with timestamps make it possible to really deliver episodes that are only filled with value. You can read through the transcript, and also get a really good idea about what should be removed, what needs to stay, and even what could be rearranged or reordered in order to create a better narrative and flow to your content.
Yes, you can do this using the audio along, but it can greatly prolong the process. Whereas if you have a full, text-based version of your episode, you can get a much better view of your episode content, and what needs to be done in order to ensure that each and every episode is value-dense.
To Conclude
In conclusion, podcast transcripts can be a great tool for increasing the reach and impact of your podcast. Not only do they help improve SEO rankings by making your podcast discoverable to potential new audiences, but they also make it easier for listeners to quickly reference key points without having to re-listen to the entire episode. Additionally, transcripts provide an easy way for you to repurpose your content and so build your podcast brand.
Finally, transcripts ensure that you’re helping to make sure that your podcast is as accessible as possible by providing access to the content you are providing in narrative form. When used effectively and consistently, transcripts can be invaluable in helping you take your podcast from good to simply the best!
Want to offer transcripts to your audience? We can help! Episode transcriptions are one of the many services we offer! You can find out more here!
