I've been contemplating interviewing some folks in the travel industry for my blog. Is it really necessary to have a transcript of podcasts? Most websites I visit don't offer them. I appreciate the feedback. I'm no transcriptionist, but I'm sure I could find one. Thanks for your help 
Is it necessary to have a transcript of podcasts?
(4 posts) (3 voices)
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SarahQT
MemberPosted 1 year ago # -
Sarah,
You're right, most podcasters do not include a full transcript of their interviews, and in most cases, audiences don't expect them to provide one.
My feeling is that a recorded interview provides a completely different way of sharing information from a written interview/article. So unless you have a specific purpose in mind... or you have the extra time or money, I wouldn't worry too much about transcribing interviews that are intended to heard.
I would, however, recommend creating a typed outline of the interview to accompany the audio file. That will help people find the interview via search engines (otherwise, search engines only have the filename to work with). Adding the timestamp for each item in the outline can also be very helpful to listeners - that way they can easily skip ahead or revisit topics of interest... they "scrub" ahead to the 1:42 minute mark for one topic and the 3:11 mark for another.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi Sarah
I agree with Corey that it's a great idea to offer a written outline - complete with timestamps or chapter markers - to help search engines find and properly index the podcasts, as well as provide a benefit for listeners who may want to focus only on certain parts of it.
But I do also think that whenever possible it is a good idea to offer a complete transcription as well - a simple link to a downloadable PDF is adequate - primarily for the benefit of hearing impaired fans of your site, but also because Google and other search engines can now read (and index) the content of a PDF, so it benefits your SEO efforts as well.
Posted 1 year ago #
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