The emergence of podcasts as a popular source of information and entertainment for online audiences is a testament to the power of using audio and video content to reach consumers within the cyberspace.
In the U.S. alone, a whopping 26% of the population listens to podcasts, according to a 2018 online report.
What’s more, this audience base is expected to grow even bigger heading into the near future. Makes sense- then- why so many brands are jumping on the podcasting bandwagon.
If you already have a podcast series that runs on your website or social media channels, you might want to consider optimizing your podcast files for increased visibility and viewer engagement.
What comes into most business’ minds when it comes to optimizing multimedia content is editing of audio/video quality.
However, another powerful avenue for achieving improved podcasting results is by having your podcast audio/video files transcribed.
Below, we’ll run you through how this can be of immense benefits to your website and brand.
Contents
Transcripts enhance the Discoverability of your Podcasts
When crawling through regular podcasts for information that can be used for indexing purposes, search engine bots typically have little to work with, as the only textual information available for such podcasts is the name and the description.
However, by incorporating transcripts for your podcasts, your web pages will be indexed accordingly, leading to higher search engine result rankings.
Transcripts enhance your Listeners’/Viewers’ Engagement
For listeners/viewers that are tuned in to your podcasts while in noisy settings, transcripts help them keep up with your train of thought.
Additionally, such podcasts subtitles are a powerful information reinforcement tool, as they will help with your audience’s information retention.
What’s more, you can make your transcripts available for download, thereby facilitating further audience engagement with your content.
Podcast Transcripts enable you to avail Information in Multiple Formats
With transcripts, you can widen your content distribution channels- for instance- by publishing them as ebooks and blog posts.
Remember, there are people who prefer reading to listening/watching as it helps them understand stuff better.
By making your podcasts available as audio/video files, e-books, and blog posts; you’ll- therefore- be widening your reach by providing your audience with more access options.
Transcripts Facilitate Faster and Easier Editing of Podcast Files
It’s important to edit your audio/video content before publishing it online as part of your podcast series, as poor quality podcasts that portray a lack of professionalism (for example, long periods of silence in between podcast dialogue) tend to discourage audience engagement. Transcripts typically include timestamps- thereby giving you a clear outlook of what parts you should chop out of your audio. This makes for simpler and faster editing.
Wrap-Up
When creating transcripts for your podcasts, it’s important to stick to blog-style scripts, as search engine indexing algorithms tend to accord these higher priorities than basic text files.
Also, if you’ll be opting to hire the services of audio-to-text transcription company, remember to undertake a background check on their credibility and reliability.
This will help you avoid ending up with poor-quality, inaccurate podcast transcripts.
