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• Video SEO

Podcast SEO: Optimize Your Podcast for Search Engine Discovery

3Play Media

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March 21, 2023

FREE Webinar: Accessible Audio for Podcasting

The age of digital media has forever changed the way we consume entertainment, news, and other information. Artificial intelligence (AI) and short-form video have taken the world by storm, but there’s another player in the online media arena: podcasting.

In 2006, only 22% of the adult population in the United States was aware of podcasting. Now, the industry is projected to generate $4 billion by 2024, and more than a third of 18-to-24-year-olds are listening to podcasts at least weekly.

If you have a podcast or are thinking about starting one, you may be wondering how to set yourself up for success in an increasingly competitive market.

Podcast SEO can help your podcast rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for people to find and listen to your episodes. This can lead to increased visibility, more downloads, and, ultimately, greater success for your podcast.

Here are six tips for boosting your podcast SEO.

1. Provide a transcript

A major way to improve your podcast’s SEO and accessibility is by providing a transcript for each episode. A search engine can index text far better than it can index audio. 

A podcast transcript converts all the keyword-rich content from your podcast episodes into text that bots can read. In 2014, This American Life decided to publish audio transcripts of their entire archive to learn how transcripts impact SEO. Adding transcripts to their podcasts resulted in a 4.36% increase in inbound traffic, along with many other SEO benefits.

Transcripts increase your chances of getting quoted in a tweet, blog, or article, which improves page authority and SEO.

Even the smallest podcasts often have listeners from around the world. On average, a show with 30 listeners has users from five different countries. Translating your podcast is a great way to expand your audience, and it’s easy if you have a transcript. The text file for translations helps search engine bots crawl for relevant keywords, helping your video rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) in those languages. 

As of March 2022, only 1% of today’s podcasts offer transcripts. That means 99% of podcasts are exclusionary to the 37.5 million Americans who have trouble hearinghearing. Making your podcast accessible will allow this community to enjoy your content and greatly expand your audience.

2. Have a keyword for every episode

Keywords are essential for any type of SEO, and podcasting is no different. Keywords help search engines understand the content of your podcast, increasing visibility and attracting new listeners. 

Once you have a keyword, be sure that you’re using it effectively. Try to include your keyword in the title of the podcast, as well as the podcast description and/or the episode’s show notes. A well-written podcast description is important because it plays a big role in whether or not someone listens to your show. An effective podcast description gives readers a sneak peek into what your podcast is about and makes them curious enough to give your show a listen.

Show notes are a mini summary of each podcast episode. They also list additional resources and provide other relevant content. Show notes are a great place to include your keyword and boost your SEO.

 Going Beyond the Listener: Accessible Audio for Podcasting [FREE Webinar] 

3. Repurpose podcast content for new audiences

It takes a lot of work to produce a single podcast episode. Luckily, you can make many other pieces of content out of one episode.

Instead of having to come up with all-new written content for your blog, you can save time by using podcast transcripts for quotes, content ideation, and more. Derivative content like a blog gives you another place to share your podcast, creating a new opportunity to build backlinks which improves your website’s authority and therefore improves SEO. Repurposing a podcast into different formats can also increase visibility by appealing to audiences who prefer different types of content.

4. Promote your podcast on other platforms

Content repurposing is a great way to share your podcast content with a wider audience, but don’t forget to promote the episodes themselves, as well. There are 4.62 billion people using social media globally. Sharing your podcast across social media platforms is an easy way to expand your reach and drive more attention to your work.

You can also embed episodes on your website so that any traffic to your website has the potential to translate to podcast plays. Using the podcast community to your advantage through cross-promotion is an effective way to get people talking about your show. This collaboration can simultaneously grow your audience and result in productive partnerships.

5. Create a mix of trending and evergreen content

In a world where we’re constantly being bombarded with new information, it can be difficult to create content that stays relevant. Producing a mix of trending and evergreen content will help you stay current while maintaining a timeless show.

Trending content helps you connect to your audience and touch on topics they’re already talking about. You can feel confident about writing an episode on a trending topic, as it’s already proven to be popular.

Evergreen content is search-optimized and remains relevant regardless of the current news cycle. Topics with consistent interest make your podcast desirable, no matter how old your episodes are. Trending topics are good for a temporary boost in traffic, while evergreen content will attract organic traffic for years to come. 

6. Choose the right platform

Podcast audiences listen to their favorite shows through multiple platforms. However, there are a few platforms that attract the most listeners, the biggest being YouTube.

It may be surprising to some that YouTube is the most popular place for podcasts given that it’s a video platform. Podcasts on YouTube actually defy the definition of a podcast because the platform doesn’t use RSS feeds, which is where podcast services store episodes. 

YouTube’s popularity for podcasts can be explained by the boom in online video. Podcasters often post episodes on YouTube and Spotify accompanied by videos of them and any guests speaking into their microphones, and six out of ten weekly podcast listeners prefer podcasts with video.

Be sure to optimize your podcast for YouTube and other popular platforms like Spotify. To help you do this, Spotify published a resource about optimizing your podcast’s landing page. Encouraging your listeners to follow your podcast is great for SEO; fans who follow your podcast will listen to 4 times the number of episodes.

As the podcasting industry continues to thrive, SEO will become increasingly important. These SEO tips will help your podcast reach the almost 1/3 of Americans who listen to podcasts weekly and create a show that keeps your audience coming back for more. 

About the author

3Play Media

The post Podcast SEO: Optimize Your Podcast for Search Engine Discovery appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Captioning

8 Podcasts with Transcripts to Check Out

3Play Media

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May 6, 2022

Tips for Creating an Accessible Podcast [Free Guide]

Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular every year. With over 424 million people tuning in worldwide, podcast listeners account for about 20% of all internet users. 

That growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. According to Insider Intelligence, the number of monthly U.S. podcast listeners will increase by 6% year-over-year. 

With the growing prevalence of podcasts, only 1% of them are accessible to the 430 million people globally with hearing loss.  

You may be wondering – what makes a podcast accessible anyway? 

Podcasts are made accessible with transcripts. A transcript is a written document of speech or audio that is converted into text. Unlike closed captions, transcripts aren’t time-coded. Therefore, they’re especially useful for audio-only content, like podcasts. 

If you’re looking for accessible podcasts, we’ve got you covered. The following podcasts are paving the way for accessibility in the podcasting industry. Here are 8 podcasts with transcripts to check out! 

1. This American Life

This American Life is a weekly public radio and podcast built around storytelling. Each week, the producers choose a theme to explore such as politics, health, and a slew of other topics. 

Hosted by award-winning radio personality, Ira Glass, each episode takes you along a different journey – some funny and entertaining, while others can be surprising and mind-boggling.

The show started in 1995 on the radio and eventually branched into a podcast series. Since then, the show has even created popular spin-offs like Serial and S-Town. 

This American Life is committed to making its podcast accessible to its 2 million weekly listeners. Each episode that lives on its website is accompanied by a transcript. 

Fun fact: This American Life has been using 3Play Media as a podcast solution since 2011. Check out this case study on how adding transcripts helped boost a podcast’s SEO! 

If you want to listen to This American Life, you can stream episodes on all major podcast apps or listen with a written transcript on their website. 

2. Pod Save the People

Pod Save the People is a weekly show that chronicles politics, culture, and social justice. It’s hosted by author and activist, DeRay Mckesson, as well as Kaya Henderson, De’Ara Balenger, and Myles E. Johnson. 

Each week the hosts take on the news in a unique approach and even shed light on stories that are often overlooked in mainstream media. 

There’s also an interview segment on the podcast. DeRay interviews many special guests like singer/songwriter, John Legend, and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. 

If you’re looking to stay abreast of the latest in politics and social justice, this is the podcast for you. 

You can listen to episodes on all major podcast apps or feel free to check out their website with full episodes and transcripts. 

3. Invisibilia 

Next up on the list of podcasts with transcripts is Invisibilia – a show produced by NPR. 

The show title translates from Latin as “the invisible things”, which seems very fitting because every week the hosts, Yowei Shaw and Kia Miakka Natisse, explore the “invisible forces” that inform human behavior, like ideas and beliefs. 

Using a combination of psychological and brain science with human stories, listeners discover new possibilities on how we live. 

An example of topics that are explored are trust, memories, and empathy. 

This podcast is a crowd favorite. Check out new episodes on your preferred streaming app or listen to the show with full transcripts on their website! 

4. Criminal

If you’re like the millions of true crime junkies out there, hooked on the suspense of the latest thriller, then this podcast is just for you. 

The award-winning podcast, Criminal, launched in January of 2014, is all about true crime stories.

The host, Phoebe Judge, shares “stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” 

People can’t seem to get enough of true crime podcasts. According to a survey conducted by ABC, 44% of podcast consumers have listened to a true-crime podcast in the past month. 

No matter your sentiments about the latest unsolved mystery, you can catch episodes on all podcast streaming services or the accessible version on their website!

Learn how to make your podcast accessible [Free Guide]

5. Still Processing

Next on the list of podcasts with transcripts is Still Processing, a show that dissects all things society and culture. From dating and relationships to work and the arts, there’s something for everybody. 

This weekly show is hosted by two New York Times writers, Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham. They’ve got a lot to say about the latest in pop culture so if you’re looking for a new podcast to listen to, this may be the one for you. 

What’s unique about this particular podcast is that it’s produced by the major American newspaper, The New York Times. When new episodes premiere, the news giant also publishes an article to accompany the episode. Not only does this attract podcast listeners, but it also introduces their news subscribers to check out the show too. What a great way to repurpose content! 

You can listen to new episodes on major streaming apps or with transcripts on their website!  

6. Where Should We Begin?

Where Should We Begin is a podcast about relationships and intimacy. It’s hosted by Esther Perel, a world-renowned therapist. 

Each week, Perel counsels real-life couples on the personal, and oftentimes complicated, details on their intimate relationships. 

This Spotify original show looks at dating, marriage, friendships, and the many intricacies of relationships.  

Not only does the host offer great advice, but the show is also committed to ensuring that all listeners, regardless of ability, have access to its invaluable content. 

You can listen to the show only on Spotify or on Esther Perel’s website with transcripts for free!  

7. Freakonomics

Freakonomics is a unique podcast because it started out as a book. The book has now been turned into one of the most popular podcasts in the world and it’s even hosted by the original co-author, Stephen J. Dubner. 

This show explores topics you always thought you knew about and topics you never thought you wanted to know about, like the gender pay gap, work unions, or the economics of sports gambling. 

There’s a reason why Freakonomics is as successful as it is today. It truly offers something for all types of listeners.   

To follow new episodes, you can listen wherever you get your podcasts or on their website with full transcripts for each episode. 

8. Allied

Last but not least, the final show on our list of podcasts with transcripts is Allied, an accessibility-focused podcast hosted by 3Play Media. 

Since 3Play’s inception, it’s been a priority to provide thought-leadership on the landscape of accessibility. From the long-standing and robust blog to the series of webinars executed every month, accessibility education has remained at the core of what 3Play does. The podcast is merely an extension of this work. 

Every month, host and 3Play’s Senior Inbound Marketing Manager, Elisa Lewis, sits down with accessibility experts across different industries to discuss the importance of a more accessible world. 

Topics covered include accessibility in gaming, the performing arts, and the workplace. 

Now, Allied couldn’t be a podcast on accessibility without ensuring that each episode is made accessible to its listeners. Since its launch in April 2021, Allied has been committed to transcribing every single episode. 

You can listen to all new episodes every month on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, or you can listen to episodes with transcripts on 3Play Media’s website! 

The Growing Importance of Podcasts with Transcripts 

As the number of podcast listeners continues to increase, it’s becoming more important than ever before to ensure that they are made accessible with transcripts. 

Gimlet Media, a podcasting company under Spotify, received a class-action lawsuit for failing to make their podcasts accessible to people who are d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing. This lawsuit was the first of many ADA lawsuits, over the years, that focused on podcast accessibility. As more people become interested in podcasts, the prevalence of accessibility features, like transcripts, will become more in demand. 

The benefits of providing transcripts for listeners go beyond accessibility for people with hearing loss. In addition to accessibility, there are many other benefits to podcast transcription such as: 

• Improves SEO
• Increases traffic to websites 
• Avoids litigation and legal action 
• Repurpose content more easily 
• Get quoted in other blogs, articles, or publications
• Enhances listener experience 

3Play Media has extended its transcription services to the podcasting industry. No other solution on the market produces high-quality, accurate transcripts at an affordable rate. 

3Play focuses on streamlining the transcription workflow with custom APIs and a variety of file formats so that podcast producers can focus on what they do best – creating engaging and insatiable shows! 

Thanks for reading our list of podcasts with transcripts to listen to. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comment section below about your favorite podcasts with transcripts!

About the author

3Play Media

The post 8 Podcasts with Transcripts to Check Out appeared first on 3Play Media.

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• Captioning

Why Captioning Non-Speech Elements Matters for Accuracy

3Play Media

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April 15, 2022

Captioning Best Practices for Media and Entertainment [Free Ebook]

When we talk about the quality of closed captions and podcast transcripts, we often reference the 99% industry standard for accuracy.

Captioning accuracy measures punctuation, spelling, and grammar and is made up of two different elements: Formatted Error Rate (FER) and Word Error Rate (WER). 

WER, which considers word substitutions, deletions, and insertions, is commonly used to judge the quality of automatic speech recognition (ASR) captions.

FER is the percentage of word errors when considering formatting elements such as punctuation, grammar, speaker identification, non-speech elements, capitalization, and other notations. WER alone is insufficient to determine accuracy, and closed captions and transcripts must meet formatting requirements to be 99% accurate.

While meeting all formatting conditions is essential for accuracy, one of the most commonly misunderstood requirements is captioning non-speech elements. 

There are many commonly asked questions: What is a non-speech element? How do non-speech elements differ in closed captions for videos and transcripts for podcasts? Which non-speech elements are necessary for accuracy and comprehension, and how should they be effectively included in a transcript?

This blog will answer these questions and more, focusing on the importance of captioning non-speech elements for both video and podcast content.

What are non-speech elements?

While the text in a caption file often contains mainly speech, captions also include non-speech elements, such as speaker identification and sound effects, that are critical to understanding the plot.

Non-speech elements can include:

• Sound effects (e.g., a bee buzzing, keys jangling, or a doorbell ringing)
• Music, either in the background or as part of a scene
• Audience reactions (e.g., laughing, groaning, or booing)
• Manner of speaking (e.g., whispering, shouting, emphasizing a word, or talking with an accent)
• Speaker identification for an off-screen narrator or speaker, or for multiple speakers
• Other sonic information that might be necessary to follow the plot or dialogue

Non-speech elements in closed captions

Think about the last film or television show you watched. The dialogue was critical, but so were the non-speech elements throughout the program. Perhaps there was lyrical, symphonic music important to the scene or sounds of a clock ticking during a tense moment. Whatever non-speech elements you heard, they were included carefully and deliberately to create a specific viewing experience.

Accurate closed captions for videos are meant to give deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and those watching without sound an equivalent viewing experience. For captions to recreate the intended audience experience without audio, they must include non-speech elements and relevant aural cues. Otherwise, viewers may be left confused, uninterested, and frustrated.

To learn more about closed captioning requirements for film and television, we recommend reviewing the Described and Captioned Media Program’s Captioning Key.

Create closed captions for media and entertainment

Non-speech elements in podcast transcription

If you’re one of the approximately 162 million Americans who has ever listened to a podcast, you know that a podcast episode is more than just words and dialogue. Depending on the complexity of a particular show, a podcast can contain music, soundbites, and more. 

Here are a few of the many non-speech elements a podcast might include:

• Multiple speakers, making speaker identification critical for comprehension
• Music
• Manners of speaking
• Sound bites from different recordings
• Sound design
• Natural and ambient sounds that add nuance to a scene

Additionally, speech-based content isn’t always straightforward. Storytelling is complex, and transcripts need to differentiate between narration, the main conversation, external interviews, different recordings pieced together, and more to ensure accuracy and comprehension.

Some podcasters also question which non-speech elements to include in a transcript. If you’re creating a transcript after finishing a podcast episode, listening for non-speech elements that are important for comprehension can be challenging. To address this issue, we recommend considering the careful choices made during production.

A transcript should recreate a listener’s experience. While reading a transcript will not be the exact same as listening to the audio, transcripts deserve the same careful attention to detail and nuance. If you deliberately included sound design to achieve a desired aural effect, then you should probably include a description in your transcript.

Why ASR isn’t sufficient for accuracy and comprehension

While there are many benefits to accurate podcast transcription and closed captioning, a common issue we see is a reliance on ASR transcription without editing.

ASR transcription typically won’t provide adequate comprehension compliant with WCAG 2.0 Level A for video or audio-only content. While ASR technology can be impressively accurate for WER, FER issues are often abundant.

WCAG-compliant transcripts and captions require both speech and non-speech audio information needed to understand the content; however, ASR transcripts and captions often fail to identify key non-speech elements, such as sound effects, speaker identification, and differentiation of layered recordings.

Unless you can devote significant time to making edits and including necessary information for comprehension, professional, human-edited transcriptions and captions are the way to go for accessibility and legal compliance.

About the author

3Play Media

The post Why Captioning Non-Speech Elements Matters for Accuracy appeared first on 3Play Media.