ASRSTTPODCASTSLISTENERSMLHow ASR Speech Technology Helps Podcasting

John Jacob

John Jacob

December 21, 2022·6 min read

Speech-to-Text impacting the podcasting industry

Speech to text technology, also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), is a rapidly evolving field that has had a significant impact on the podcasting industry. ASR allows spoken words to be transcribed into written text, making it easier for listeners to follow along with podcasts and search for specific content within them. This technology has also made it possible for podcasts to be subtitled or translated into other languages, reaching a wider audience and making podcasts more accessible to those with hearing impairments.

Podcasting in the past

Podcasting has been around for over two decades, but it has exploded in popularity in recent years. In the past, podcasts were primarily used as a way for individuals and organizations to share audio content, such as lectures, interviews, and news updates, with a wide audience. They were often distributed through RSS feeds and could be downloaded and listened to on a variety of devices, including computers, smartphones, and portable media players.

Before the widespread adoption of speech to text technology, transcribing podcasts was a labor-intensive process that had to be done manually. This made it difficult for listeners to follow along with podcasts and search for specific content within them. As a result, podcasts were primarily consumed through listening rather than reading, and they were not as accessible to people with hearing impairments or those who preferred to read transcripts.

Despite these challenges, podcasts gained a loyal following and played a significant role in the growth of the digital media industry. Today, podcasts are enjoyed by millions of people around the world and cover a wide range of topics, from true crime and politics to comedy and pop culture.

Podcasting today

Podcasting has come a long way since its inception, and it is now more popular than ever before. Thanks to advances in speech to text technology, it is now possible to automatically transcribe podcasts with a high degree of accuracy, making it easier for listeners to follow along with shows and search for specific content within them. This has opened up new possibilities for podcast search and discovery and has made podcasts more accessible to a wider audience, including those with hearing impairments and those who prefer to read transcripts.

Today, podcasts are enjoyed by millions of people around the world and cover a wide range of topics, from global issues and politics to comedy and self improvement. They can be streamed or downloaded on a variety of devices, including smartphones, computers, and smart speakers, and are easily accessible through a variety of platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

With the growing popularity of podcasts, many companies and organizations have begun using them as a marketing tool, creating their own shows or sponsoring existing ones to reach a targeted audience. Podcasting has also become a lucrative business, with many successful creators making a living through sponsorships, advertising, and paid subscribers.

Certain Editors, like Exemplary AI's podcast editor leverage ASR technology in Podcasting by transcribing spoken words into written text, making it easier for listeners to follow along with podcasts and search for specific content within them. This technology has also made it possible for podcasts to be subtitled or translated into other languages, reaching a wider audience and making podcasts more accessible to those with hearing impairments.

Other tools, similar to us, that leverage ASR are Descript, Podcastle.ai which have a built-in transcription tool that can automatically transcribe audio or video files in just a few minutes and let you edit video and audio like text.

Such technology has also been embraced by podcast hosting providers, who offer a platform to aid the end to end of podcasting creation, editing, and publishing. Transcript editors are key to the service they provide as creators often find the process of editing podcast transcripts, after having gone through the process of ideation, script creation, and production, to be rather tedious. A good editor taking advantage of new technology, can vastly improve their experience, and enable them to take advantage of automatic transcriptions, with a highly usable editor to make changes, as well as improve their chance of being discovered, thanks to the SEO benefits that come with ASR tools in podcasting. High quality transcripts, machine generated descriptions and topic wise timestamping of podcast episodes increase the viewers quality of consumption and brings a better experience overall.

In addition to the advances in ASR technology, the growth of podcasting has been driven by the increasing availability of high-quality, professionally produced content, as well as the proliferation of devices and platforms that make it easy to discover and listen to podcasts. Today, there is a podcast for every interest, and it is easier than ever to find and listen to them on a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and smart speakers.

Benefits of using ASR technology in Podcasting.

There are several advantages to using Speech-to-Text technology, or ASR in podcasting:

1. Reduced workload: Transcribing podcasts manually can be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. ASR technology makes it possible to automatically transcribe podcasts, saving time and resources for podcast creators. A good workflow is key for creators who are looking to use a podcast hosting provider for their editing and publishing needs.
2. Improved accessibility: ASR technology allows podcasts to be transcribed into written text making it easier for people with hearing impairments or those who prefer to read transcripts to access and enjoy podcasts. It can also be used to create subtitles or translate podcasts into other languages, further increasing their reach and accessibility.
3. Enhanced searchability: With transcriptions, it becomes easier for listeners to search for specific content within podcasts, find episodes and skip to a particular point in the podcast that are relevant to their interests. Some even provide topic based timestamps to help the viewer come back to where they left off from, or revisit parts they want to rewatch or relisten to.
4. Increased reach and SEO: Podcasts that are transcribed or subtitled in different languages can reach a wider audience and be enjoyed by people who do not speak the original language. The SEO advantage provided by high quality transcriptions, that can detect sponsor names, and accurately transcribe segments, allows them to be more discoverable to their audience and enables podcast platforms used by viewers to make better recommendations.
5. Increased engagement: By providing transcripts, podcasts can be more engaging for listeners, as they can follow along with the content and better understand what is being said.
6. Improved discoverability: With transcriptions available, podcasts can be more easily discovered through search engines and other online platforms, increasing their visibility and reach.
7. Increased efficiency: Transcribing podcasts manually can be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. ASR technology allows podcasts to be transcribed automatically, saving time and resources for podcast creators.
8. Improved user experience: By making podcasts more accessible and easier to search and discover, ASR technology can enhance the overall user experience for listeners.
9. Enhanced content distribution: ASR technology can be used to create written summaries or highlights of podcasts, which can be shared on social media or other platforms to reach a wider audience.

How Exemplary AI can help you in your podcasting journey.

At Exemplary AI, we help by improving the accessibility and quality of podcasts, enhancing the experience for audiences and providing valuable insights for podcast creators.

You may:

• Store your audio or video podcasts
• Generate automated transcriptions
• View and edit your podcasts via Exemplary AI’s powerful editor
• Perform analysis and extract valuable insights
• Take advantage of our NLP catalogue to generate topics for time segments, descriptions of episodes etc.
• Share podcasts to anyone via a shareable-URL, a preferred portal or a podcasting space

In Conclusion.

ASR technology has come a long way in recent years and continues to improve at breakneck speed. It is an essential tool for podcast creators and is likely to become even more important in the future as the popularity of podcasts continues to grow. Transcription services and transcription editors like Exemplary AI's powerful editor play a crucial role in improving the quality and accessibility of podcasts, enhancing the publishing, editing experience for creators as well as the listening experience for audiences while providing valuable insights for podcast creators.

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