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in the past year i’ve done > $1000 worth of podcast transcripts (judging by my lowest rate of $1/audio minute, not counting any patreon fees i’ve had to pay for early access) for free, as a volunteer, because the audience demand is high, and the pods had none/no plans for them
when i started, i had to figure out how and where i wanted to host these transcripts, how they ought to be formatted, how they would be distributed, how was i going to work these into my (full-time student) schedule. and then i had to actually write them. AKA, LOTS of work.
work that usually isn’t included in my going rate.
the number of messages i have gotten from people thanking me for this work has been astounding. but with every thank you comes an increased pressure to keep doing this work and keep doing it well & on-time even amidst busy and/or rough times.
there have been nights where i’ve stayed up well past 5 am to finish a transcript. there have been absolutely horrible, ruthless days where i’ve still pushed and done the work at the expense of my mental health because people are counting on this work.
(maybe this sounds really life-or-death for podcasts, but that’s how it feels when work you believe in is all on you, a volunteer!)
there are innumerous similar volunteers, usually fans, doing this kind of work in the audio drama space. and a lot of times, the podcasts in question are aware of these fan efforts.
that seems wrong.
that seems wrong.
if you have the time and/or resources available to put into transcripts but are choosing not to because there is an existing volunteer effort, you are profiting off of those volunteers’ work and taking your fans for granted.
if you have the time and/or resources available to put into transcripts but aren’t prioritizing them, then you are making a statement about the audience you want (and it’s a smaller circle than you think.)
if you have the time and/or resources available to put into transcripts, then the second best time to put that into action is now.
(the first time was when you started your podcast, but you may not have had the same time/resources then & that’s a separate conversation.)
:)
(no, i will not name names re: podcasts i’ve done volunteer transcripts for)
if you’re reading this thread and are motivated to get yourself some transcripts, start by reading this indispensable article by @cassjosephs : https://discoverpods.com/podcast-accessible-transcripts/
also! something i forgot to mention: having transcripts is a selling point for many people. i know of at least two cases where my transcript work has led someone to a podcast— because they saw screenshots in a fan post and got curious. volunteers are giving you free advertising!
