Transcripts: Extra Credit

you Transcripts is a really good example, actually, of something that works within the Apple ecosystem, if you want that, or somewhere where you actually have the control over them to actually change those if you want to. When Apple announced this in January and I had a press briefing directly from the Apple Podcasts team. They were really clear to highlight to me that if you wanted to create your own transcript, then you can. And it used the Podcasting 2.0 standard.

It's always interesting talking to Apple if there's one thing that I've learned from them over the last two or three years is that they think very, very carefully about the way that they implement things to make sure that they are the right thing for the users. They want to make sure that whatever it is that they do, they will do forever. Welcome back to Podcasting 2.0 in Practice.

I am very pleased to be back with James Cridland. Hi, James. You will have already met James if you've been doing as you're told and listening in order. However, James, do...

Give us a quick reintroduction. Well, as you'll remember, as you'll remember from earlier, I write a daily newsletter, which is about podcasting and on demand, which is for free at podnews.net. which I've been doing now for the last seven years or so. Fabulous. I wanted to talk to you about, again, it's a bit of kind of a reading around the topic episode because we've been talking about the transcript tag.

Yeah. And in January of 2024, I remember because I was in Florida at Podfest when the news came out that Apple was going to be doing transcripts. Can you start by telling me about what... happened and then we'll go into a little bit more of what that means.

Yeah, so what happened is always very interesting to answer in terms of what goes on in Apple, because who knows what goes on in Apple, to be honest. But there are a couple of things going on which I think led to transcripts. Firstly, Apple is all about doing the right thing for its users. And one of the right things...

for its users is making sure that everyone can consume a podcast in some way, shape or form. There are plenty of laws and things in the US and in other countries around making sure that any media that you... publish is consumable by anyone. And obviously, if you have a problem hearing, then podcasts are quite difficult. And certainly if you have a problem with the spoken English word, then actually it's really handy to be able to see something written down.

And so what Apple announced on the 26th of January, 2024, but actually ended up launching in March. was exactly that, was making sure that you could see in written form a transcript of a podcast within the Apple Podcasts app on your phone or indeed within the Apple Podcasts app. your Mac as well, so you can actually read as well as hear it. Yeah. And I think certainly the kerfuffle and confusion I heard among people was because...

Apple were going to be making the transcripts. At least that's what we were being told. Whereas... If we use the 2.0 feature, we make our transcripts and we're in control of them. And I think people were worried that Apple's making the transcript. Is that how it works?

So Apple makes a transcript for every single show, but the brilliant thing is when Apple announced this in January and I had a press briefing directly from the Apple Podcasts team, they were really clear to highlight. to me that if you wanted to create your own transcript, then you can.

And it used the podcasting 2.0 standard for transcripts. So it means that if you can't be bothered to produce a transcript or to correct a transcript, then Apple will make one for you anyway. And it's a really good one. one. But if you can, then that's great because that means that your sponsors are spelt correctly. The people on your podcast are spelt correctly. Two different ways of spelling Claire, let's not forget. And so you can actually get all of that stuff right. And also if you...

do your own transcript, then you can do things like write down who's actually speaking at any particular time, because Apple knows that there are different voices, but doesn't necessarily know who the voices are. And so that's something, again,

you can actually help with. So it was exactly the right thing for Apple to have done. They came with an idea of we want transcripts to work and we want them to work really nicely. But then they went, we want to give creative us the control, if they want to, to be able to produce those transcripts for themselves as well. And so using the open podcast namespace using podcasting 2.0 was a really good move from them so far as I'm concerned.

Namespace refers to a set of tags and we'll learn more about those later in the series. Do you think that means there'll be an acceptance of any other features going forward? I mean, that would be nice. It's always interesting talking to Apple. If there's one thing that I've learned from them over the last two or three years is that they think very, very carefully about the way that they implement things to make sure that they are...

the right thing for the users. They want to make sure that whatever it is that they do, they will do forever once they've turned that on.

That's something that they do feel very strongly about. I suspect that there are certain things that Apple will be adding to their podcast app in the future, which again will come from open standards where those open standards... exist I think that it's a real benefit for Apple to end up doing that but you know I mean the way that they do The transcript is a really good example, actually, of something that works within the Apple ecosystem if you want that, or somewhere where you actually have...

the control over them to actually change those if you want to, or indeed turn them off. If you really want to turn them off, then you can do that on a episode by episode basis as well. So there's a bunch of different things that you can end up doing.

Yeah. In your experience, as you've said, you have close connections with Apple. So are Apple doing anything else? So Apple's transcriptions are really interesting. When you have a look at them in other... modern podcast apps, then they take the information that you have put in your transcripts.

and they're very slavish to that. So if you have used, there are a number of different formats for transcripts, but if you've used the standard VTT or SRT formats, those normally will give a sentence at a time. And so it will highlight a sentence at a time if you're listening in most modern podcast apps.

Apple is cleverer because what Apple does is it actually matches word by word by word. So it's a much more fluid experience, even if they're using your own transcripts. So they've ended up doing a very... a very nice experience. And one of the reasons why they've done that is Apple is very nervous about spam and very nervous about people misusing its technology. So if it doesn't see the words in your... actually existing in your audio.

then those words never show up anyway. So they've done some very good and clever work there to make sure that it's both a really nice experience, much better than any other podcast app out there, but it's also very difficult to... do anything nasty with and to fill with spam and other things. So I think they've done a very good job there. So when you see it, it's like the subtitles on telly that it lights up the word.

Yes. So every single word, it can light up. If you're using the Apple Podcasts app on your phone or on your iPad, then you can scroll through the transcripts and just click on a word and it'll... start at that word so it does some very very clever smart things and i think it just goes to show that apple have done this in a really good way but in a really responsible way as well yeah and

In your opinion, then, what's the best way to produce transcripts for Apple? Well, there are two different ways of producing transcripts. Well, actually, there's a number of different ways in the podcasting 2.0 specification to produce. transcripts because the podcasting 2.0 specification wants to make lots of different methods and means available to you.

accepts two different versions. It accepts a file called an SRT file or a file called a VTT file. You don't really need to know an awful lot about either of these two files, but the one thing that I would say is... If you have the opportunity, use a VTT file rather than an SRT file. Why would you say that, James? Well, I'd say that because a VTT file is a cleverer...

file format. It's a bit like a Microsoft Word format or a different word processor format. It's just a different format of how you get your transcripts to Apple. But a VTT file allows you to name the speakers. So I do a show with a man called Sam. And Sam and I will say things at different times. If you look at our transcript while it's playing in the Apple Podcasts app, it will highlight what James says and what Sam says. You can only do that if you're producing your own transcripts.

only do that if you're producing them in a vtt format so if you want the very best experience then end up doing that and by the way chapter points if you end up using chapters in your podcast as well those also go into the transcript as well. So it ends up looking like a really nice, rich experience if you end up doing your own in a VTT file. Yeah. So if I do my own in a VTT and I put it in my hosting company.

because they accept transcripts. Do I need to do something with Apple Podcasts Connect or something to say, use my transcript, not your transcript? Yes, there's a little toggle in Apple Podcasts Connect. That's the bit of Apple Podcasts that you log into as a creator. And that's also where you can actually turn them off. Although I would say...

Please don't do that because firstly, that's illegal. And secondly, that's not treating people very well. But yes, so just log into Apple Podcasts Connect and you can very easily. Essentially, opt in to your own transcripts there and make sure that that works. I've put a little extra credit homework episode together, being released at the same time as this one, to show you how to find that toggle and ask Apple to use your 2.0 transcripts instead of their own. On the matter of legality...

In 2021 in the US, Sirius XM faced a lawsuit from the National Association of the Deaf and Disability Rights Advocates for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State. accessibility laws by failing to provide transcripts for their As James says, not only is providing transcripts the right thing to do so you don't exclude anyone, but by doing so you are also protecting yourself from possible legal complications.

Now, I'm sure I've already done that because I'm sure you told me to do that in January when this happened or whenever this happened. But I'm going to go and check. And the one thing I would say is, again, coming back to Apple wanting the best thing for the user is that... If your transcripts aren't very good...

If maybe you've got an automated thing to produce your transcripts and actually it needs a bit of correction, which most transcripts do, then Apple might not actually accept them automatically. So they need to be good. Good transcripts. Apple's own are good. So they need to be basically as good as or if not better than Apple's existing ones for Apple to actually take those. And that's on an episode by episode. So I produce my own transcripts every day and I would think that probably one in ten.

aren't accepted by Apple for various reasons. And that's probably a good thing because it means that Apple are doing the right thing for the audience, which is, you know, which is a good thing, really. Wow. I'll have a play with that then. I didn't know that. Interesting.

Thank you so much, James. How can people connect with you? So you can find out more of this. In fact, there's a whole article all about Apple podcast transcripts and things on the... pod news newsletter which is pod news.net if you want to sign up to that and go and have a look at the articles section in there and that's where you can find out more information about me and how to get in contact

Brilliant. Thank you so much. Thank you. Visit creativityfound.co.uk to find out more about my guests and access lots of useful podcast resources.

If you'd like to get in touch, you can send a boost. But if you haven't got to that lesson yet, feel free to reach out to me on my Instagram account at podcasting2.0 in practice. are you thinking of starting your own podcast and looking for a little advice from someone who started from scratch and hasn't looked back that's me by the way Then book a podcast startup sanity check with me so we can work together to clarify and simplify the process of starting a show.

I have been podcasting with Creativity Found for four years. I have won and been shortlisted for prestigious podcast awards, been a guest on other people's shows. and attended many podcast-specific events in the UK and US, where I have made lots of podcasty pals across all genres. For my second show, Podcasting 2.0 in Practice, I have had the privilege of talking to industry experts as together we teach creators how to benefit from and implement the latest Podcasting 2.0 technologies.

In this paid for hours chat, we can talk through your content idea, how to record, which platforms are worth the money. how to get your show to all the listening apps, what you need to know to future-proof your show, and much more. Please note, I will not tell you how to have a chart-topping show in your first week, nor how to pitch to sponsors.

I will, however, act as a mentor whom you can run your ideas and questions past. The decisions you make with the knowledge you gain are all your own. Visit creativityfound.co.uk podcasting to find out more. And there is, of course, a link in the show notes.