Definition of podcast transcript
Podcast transcript is a document that lists word-for-word what you say in your podcast episodes. A well-developed podcast transcript contains the following three main elements:
1. Speaker
The speaker is mostly your host or a guest participating in the episode. Simply put, this is everyone who speaks during your episode. Including the speaker's name in the podcast transcript allows audiences to know who is involved in the episode to get more information on social media or search engines.
2. Timestamp
The timestamp is the time when the speaker started speaking. It is often placed after the speaker's name. Along with the timestamp, audiences can interact better with your audio player.
3. Speeches
Speech is what each speaker in your episode says, and this part probably takes up more than 99% of your entire podcast transcripts.
Overall, podcast transcripts tell your audience who said what at what time. It empowers your audiences to read your podcast episodes.
Click on the link below to learn more about the benefits of adding podcast transcriptions.
Now you know what the exact definition of podcast transcription is. But many people will ask:
it looks like it's similar to Show Notes, is there a difference between them?
Podcast Transcript vs. Show Notes
There are many definitions of Show Notes on the Internet, but in short, Show notes are a preview or overview of the podcast episode for its audiences.
Show Notes are often short (as compared to the transcribed text of a podcast episode) and are posted to the audience's app along with your episode (due to word limits, podcast transcriptions are difficult to display in the app).
Show Notes generally contain the following 4 elements:
1.Overview, describing the main topics and content covered in the episode, the hosts and guests involved in the recording of the episode.
2.Links, which contain information about the discussion of the episode; social media links for the hosts and guests; links to sponsors and advertisements, also including coupon codes.
3.Chapters, which are lists of the different topics and discussions in the episode, often with a timestamp as well.
4.Highlights, the featured expressions or words in the episode, are often also time-stamped.
Get it? The main function of Show Notes is to give the listener an idea of what the episode covers, while engaging them to listen. It then assists the listener to better understand the message of the episode.
As you may have noticed, if a podcast is a movie, Show Notes is like a trailer, its main function is to entice you to go to the cinema, it tells you who the main actors are, it tells you the general plot, but doesn't tell you everything, everything is to entice you to see the movie.
Another more appropriate example is the description under Youtube videos, which is almost exactly the same as Show Notes.
Now you may also understand the difference between Show Notes and podcast transcriptions:
Podcast transcripts are long, around 10,000 words for a forty-minute episode, while Show Notes are much shorter.
A podcast transcript is every word of the episode, while a Show Note is the overview and table of contents of the podcast episode.
Podcast transcriptions have an organized format that contains the speaker, timestamp and speech. Show Notes, on the other hand, have no universal standard and can be as long or short as you like, with each podcast having its own unique features.
Podcast transcriptions are fixed, it comes from your podcast episodes with every word (identified by automatic tools or transcribed by hand). Show Notes, on the other hand, are very free, generated from your brain and experience through induction and summarization.
But it's worth keeping in mind that podcast episodes and Show Notes are not an either/or relationship. Proven podcasters will often include transcriptions of the episode at the bottom of Show Notes for best results.
Summary
Podcast transcript is a document that lists word-for-word what you say in your podcast episodes. It gives users the ability to read your podcast episodes, while benefiting greatly in SEO and growing your audience, so should you transcribe your podcast? In a nutshell, YES!