How to Transcribe a Podcast and Get More Out of the Transcript (SEO, Subtitles, Social)

A podcast episode is an hour of content that Google can't listen to. Publish its transcript and every idea in the episode can show up in search, plus you get material for subtitles, social posts and your newsletter without recording anything new. With AI, transcribing a one-hour episode takes a few minutes.

Why transcribe every episode

• SEO: a page with the episode's text ranks for the questions and names mentioned in it. Audio alone doesn't.
• Accessibility: deaf and hard-of-hearing listeners can follow the episode.
• Subtitles: if you post the video version on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok, subtitles increase watch time; many people watch with the sound off.
• Repurposing: one transcript gives you social quotes, a blog post and your newsletter summary.

Transcribing the episode step by step

1. Export the final episode (MP3 or WAV), or upload the video (MP4, MOV) directly if you record on video.
2. Open it in the podcast transcription tool and pick the episode's language.
3. In a few minutes you get the full transcript with a timestamp for every sentence.
4. Review it: click any sentence to hear it and fix guest names, brands and your niche's jargon.

The first 15 minutes are free, with no sign-up. After that you pay per minute, with no subscription: a one-hour episode costs under $4 with the 300-minute pack ($19), and minutes never expire even if you only publish now and then.

What to do with the transcript

1. The episode page

Download the TXT and paste it into the episode page on your site, below the player. It works better if you:

• Add subheadings (H2) for each segment with its timestamp: "15:20 · How we landed our first customers".
• Write a 3–5 line summary at the top with the topics and the guest.
• Clean up the most obvious filler words. The guide on verbatim vs clean transcription covers how far to go.

2. Subtitles for the video

Download the SRT file and upload it to YouTube (Subtitles → Upload file) or import it into your editor for vertical clips. The full process is in our guide to adding subtitles to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube videos, and you can create the file directly with the SRT subtitle generator.

3. Quotes for social media

Look through the transcript for your guest's punchiest lines: those are your next posts. The timestamp takes you to the exact moment to cut the video or audio clip.

4. Newsletter and blog

Turn the episode's main ideas into an 800–1,200 word article that links to the episode. It's new content for Google and a second way into your podcast.

Tips for a better transcript

• One microphone per person: the biggest accuracy boost when there are several voices.
• Avoid talking over each other: overlapping speech is what every transcriber struggles with most.
• Transcribe the final master, not raw tracks, unless one track is very noisy.
• Pick the language instead of leaving it on automatic if the episode opens with music or a jingle.

FAQ

Does it tell speakers apart? The transcript doesn't separate speakers automatically. For two-person interviews, the quickest way is to add the name at the start of each turn while you review the text.

Can I transcribe episodes in other languages? Yes, in 60+ languages. Pick the episode's language before transcribing.

How long does it take? A few minutes for a one-hour episode. You can close the page while it processes: the transcript shows up in your dashboard when it's ready.