What is a Video Transcript?

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Nowadays, video transcripts are used more than ever, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only can they be used to transfer information, but they can also make your content searchable to a broader audience.

Whether you’re a podcaster or YouTuber, marketer, or video production assistant, understanding how to create transcripts from videos will improve your content creation, expand your reach and streamline your workflow.

What Exactly is a Video Transcript?

Before we delve straight into the uses and benefits of video transcripts, it’s helpful to define exactly what a video transcript is. Simply put, a video transcript is a text version of a video. By creating online videos that include transcription, you can ensure you’re remaining ADA compliant, improve your ability for major search engines to find – and rank – your videos for greater visibility, and enhance your overall viewer engagement.

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Are All Transcripts Created Equal?

Let’s say you have a video or perhaps, a library of video content you need transcripts for. With so many options (from automated transcription to human transcription), how do you choose? Unfortunately, not all transcripts are created equal.

For example, suppose you’re relying on an in-house team member to generate video transcripts and they contain spelling errors. In that case, that can damage your company’s reputation – causing more harm than good. On the other hand, if you choose a low-quality video transcription software option, you could end up with inconsistent content that isn’t legible at all.

The first option is automated transcripts that omit filler words such as “umms” and “ahs,” This feature will leave out repetitive words, false starts, and interjections – perfect for educators who want to turn their videos into accessible content for students, or marketers who want to leverage their overall searchability and engagement.

The final product is a complete transcript, perfect for conferences, meetings, interviews, and investigations. Using automated video transcription software can be a great way to leverage a fast turnaround to transcript production.

“Rev’s quality is so good we’re able to streamline our workflow and cut out manual editing steps. Now we pull Rev’s captions in through our CMS and automatically publish them to our website.” – Kate Deutmeyer, Digital Media Manager

Another option is human transcription, which takes automatic transcription one step further.

Unlike basic transcripts, human transcription is a perfect written copy of the original video file. Some human transcription services, like Rev, offers 99 percent accuracy. Whether you have a single video you need to transcribe or hundreds, human transcription is a powerful resource to support the demand of any sized business or department – relieving you of the time and energy it takes to execute yourself.

What are the Benefits of Video Transcription?

Now that you’re more familiar with what transcripts are, it’s time to explore their uses. Few digital tools have the same power that video transcripts have. Whether you are a podcaster or a lawyer, transcripts offer accessibility, searchability, and efficiency.

Due to their textual nature, transcripts provide a wealth of keywords for search engines such as Google to pick up and index. When this happens, you can begin boosting your search engine optimization and become more visible online. Whenever anyone searches for topics related to your video, it will appear much higher in search rankings – driving more traffic to your videos.

This can be a powerful strategy for building your brand/organization and increasing your reach.

Transcripts will also make your content accessible to a larger audience. By adding a transcript, you’ll be allowing those who are deaf or hard of hearing to follow along, as well as those who prefer text to visual media to engage with your content more easily.

Transcripts are also a great way to improve the efficiency within internal teams to edit, and produce videos. By using transcripts, you’ll not only have a reliable speech-to-text solution, but you can vamp up your content marketing efforts at the same time. Simply repurpose your transcripts by sharing snippets of your transcripts on your blog, in a webinar, or in a social media post.

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Who Needs Video Transcription?

Transcripts are a great way to broadcast, promote and market that information to others. Whether you’re a student, educator, marketing manager, police officer, small business owner, or CEO, transcripts are truly a ‘secret sauce’ to streamlining workflows, increasing productivity, and saving money and resources in the process.

Who else benefits from video transcription?

Podcasters
YouTubers
Marketing agencies
Video production agencies
News outlets
Medical researchers
Non-profit organizations
Market researchers
Educators (from elementary to higher education)
Interviewers
Students
Entertainers
Public speakers
and many more!

“Before Rev, the in-house team would watch the footage and type it all out in Microsoft Word. It took them about five hours to complete just one hour of raw footage. It was just a really slow process.” – Andi Berman, Transcription Coordinator, Left/Right

How to Create Quick, Accurate Video Transcripts

Step 1: Head over to Rev

First, Go to Rev.com. Once there, choose from several video transcription services. Then, select Get Started to begin your transcript order.

Step 2: Fill in Your Order Details

At the order page, select the Upload Files button and pick your desired file from your device. Alternatively, you can paste the URL of your video if it’s online. Next, you’ll be able to customize your order. Select what transcription type you’d like: AI transcription or human transcription. Next, fill in the rest of your details, upload your file or provide a URL and check out. As soon as your transcript is complete, you’ll receive an email.

Step 3: Edit Your Transcript

Although Rev‘s transcripts are 99% accurate, you may still wish to tweak your transcript. With our interactive editor, this is a quick and painless process. To access the editor, go to your ‘My Files’ page and select your transcript. From there, you can start editing.

Once you are done, chose Download from the editor’s menu bar to download your transcript.

What’s Next?

Your audience has so much content to choose from, but video transcripts improve your ability to place yours front and center, while also engaging with a wider audience. Compared to an in-house option, (which can be time-consuming and resource-heavy), Rev offers a simple, cost-effective solution by providing high-quality transcripts for as little as $1.25/minute. To get started, go here!