How are you creating impactful transcripts for your show? You've probably seen a bad podcast transcript. Maybe the creator was lazy in their transcription, maybe the AI was flummoxed by the proper nouns, punctuation, or audio labels—whatever the reason, such sub-par writing begs the question: is there even a point to having transcripts if they aren't very good?

That's one of the queries Mary poses to podcast producer and consultant Jess Schmidt. It turns out Jess isn't just an expert in the industry, she's also a font of historical transcript knowledge, thanks in part to her past career generating closed captions for live television. Jess and Mary get into the importance of timestamps, SEO, and accessibility. They tackle the many issues facing platforms and creators alike as automated transcripts take centre stage and the continued importance of human eyes when it comes to rendering written versions of human speech. If you're not already a transcript nerd, you will be after this episode!

Learn about the future of transcripts from the industry's storied past:

• The limitations of and issues with AI-generated transcripts on hosting platforms;
• How closed captioning is similar and different from transcripts;
• The fascinating history of YouTube's AI-generated "craptions";
• Jess's hopeful daydream for the future of podcast transcription.

Links worth mentioning from the episode:

• Read Jess's op-ed, "Podcasting's Money Problem": https://podthenorth.substack.com/p/op-ed-podcastings-money-problem
• WIRED, "The Problem with YouTube's Terrible Closed 'Craptions'": https://www.wired.com/story/problem-with-youtubes-terrible-closed-craptions/
• The origin of automatic captioning on YouTube: https://research.google/blog/automatic-captioning-in-youtube/
• Episode 69, "Intangible Values of a Podcast": https://www.organizedsound.ca/intangible-values-of-a-podcast-what-it-means-for-stats-metrics-and-monetization-episode-69/
• Episode 88, "Accessibility in Podcasting for Hard-of-Hearing Listeners with Kellina Powell": https://www.organizedsound.ca/accessibility-in-podcasting-for-hard-of-hearing-listeners-with-kellina-powell-episode-88/
• Episode 106, "Accessibility and Ethics in Podcasting with Meg Wilcox": https://www.organizedsound.ca/accessibility-and-ethics-in-podcasting-with-meg-wilcox-episode-106

Engage with Jess Schmidt:

• Learn more about her work: https://www.jessdoespodcasting.com/
• Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessschmidt/

Connect with Mary!

• Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email [email protected]
• Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com
• Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter
• To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca
• Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/
• Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions

Show Credits:

• Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions
• Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio
• Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA
• Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.