More than 2 billion people around the world use the video hosting platform YouTube. 70% of viewers say that YouTube exposes them to new brands, so it’s easy to see why YouTube is now the most popular platform for video marketing.
With so much content available to consumers on YouTube, brands and businesses must consider ways to ensure their content stands out from the crowd. One great way to do this is to make your content more inclusive and accessible by offering transcripts of your YouTube videos.
YouTube transcript table of contents:
- Why To Transcribe YouTube Video to Text
- Can You Get Transcripts of YouTube Videos?
- Is There a Way to Transcribe YouTube Video?
- How to Transcribe YouTube Video
- How to Get a Transcript of a YouTube Video
- How Does YouTube transcription Work?
Why To Transcribe YouTube Video to Text
Video content is becoming a must-have in just about every aspect of business. Webinars, conferences, training and marketing materials all rely heavily on audio and video. As the popularity of video content grows, so does the need to transcribe it. Even though video offers so much as a medium, content creators and consumers still want or need materials in a readable format.
For those who use the platform, there are many reasons to generate transcripts from YouTube video content. A few perks of using a YouTube transcript generator include:
Greater accessibility
Video content is a valuable resource for businesses, but it’s not always accessible to individuals with disabilities or those with varying learning styles. Offering written transcripts of YouTube videos makes it possible for viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing to engage with the content. Transcripts are also helpful tools for viewers who benefit from receiving information in a readable format, such as those with ADHD or auditory processing disorders. A YouTube transcript can ensure that all customers and employees enjoy a more equitable viewing experience. It’s worth noting, however, that to be truly accessible, a transcript must also be accurate. Offering accurate transcripts of video content can make your YouTube presence more inclusive and leave viewers with a positive impression of your brand.
Increased visibility
Making content more accessible is a great way to diversify your audience. Not only can transcripts expand your viewing audience to include those with disabilities, but they can also support those who speak a language other than English. Transcripts are also an extremely valuable resource given that 83% of people tend to watch videos with the sound off. Written transcripts of video content protect messaging that may otherwise become lost if a viewer is unwilling or unable to watch at full volume. Also, transcripts make it easier for companies to pull quotes from their video content to use in other marketing efforts. Additionally, generating and posting a YouTube transcript in a video’s description or on an external site can make the content more discoverable and improve your overall SEO ranking.
Streamlined record-keeping
Transcripts can be incredibly valuable for preserving records of video conferences, lectures, trainings, meetings and events. It’s crucial for companies to keep an accurate record of the important information speakers and presenters share. A YouTube video transcription service like Verbit can generate accurate, searchable transcripts to serve as a reference tool for both internal and external purposes. The searchability of these transcripts also saves businesses from spending time fast-forwarding or rewinding videos looking for a particular portion of a conversation.
Can You Get Transcripts of YouTube Videos?
Many viewers routinely use captions when watching YouTube videos. So much so, in fact, that YouTube statistics show that videos with captions see an increase in watch time over videos without them. What some users may not know, however, is that it’s also possible to generate and view a transcript of YouTube videos.
How can you download a transcript from YouTube?
Although you can’t directly download a YouTube transcript, you can copy and paste the text into a document by following these steps:
- Select a video
- Scroll under the video to the box that shows the number of views and other information
- Click where it says “…more” to expand that box
- Scroll to the bottom where it says “Show transcript”
- Copy the text in the transcript box and paste it into a Google, Word or other document
Companies like Verbit can also provide transcripts of recorded YouTube videos.
Is There a Way to Transcribe YouTube Video?
There are several different methods for transcribing a YouTube video. Some of these methods can be done directly on the YouTube platform using the YouTube captioning and subtitles tool. It’s important to note that captions and subtitles appear within the actual video window, while a transcript will appear below or beside the viewing window. This transcript includes time stamps that link the YouTube transcript to text from the video. The viewer can then click on the selected piece of text and navigate directly to the corresponding location in the clip.
How to Transcribe YouTube Video
There are a few different ways a user may choose to create transcripts from YouTube videos, including a way to transcribe YouTube videos for free. The YouTube platform does offer automatic captions and transcripts for some types of content, but the company itself acknowledges that they use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate these transcripts. As a result, you might find is limited accuracy from their video to text converter. AI is improving all the time, and yet, these automated transcripts still tend to contain inaccuracies. YouTube lists the following options for users looking to provide a more accurate, comprehensive YouTube video transcript to accompany their content:
- Auto-Sync: A user can manually transcribe the text of the video and paste that text into the YouTube video transcription tool. This tool then automatically sets the timing to sync the text and audio and will auto-populate the transcript beside or below the YouTube video.
- Type manually: YouTube’s captions and subtitles editor tool allows the user to manually type in the text versions of the video’s audio as the content plays. The transcript timestamps will then match automatically, and users can adjust them later to improve the accuracy.
- Upload a file: This option is typically the best if accessibility and accuracy are your goals. It allows the user to directly upload a professional transcription file like the ones that Verbit produces. These files will already include accurate timing. YouTube will convert this file to in-video captions, as well as the official YouTube video transcript.
How to Get a Transcript of a YouTube Video
The fastest and easiest method to generate transcripts from YouTube videos is to use YouTube’s “Upload a File” option. This method does, however, require a pre-existing transcript file. Those looking to transcribe video to text may choose to do so in a few different ways:
Using in-house employees to manually transcribe video content
As you can imagine, this process can be extremely time-consuming. Most people must watch and rewatch the same bits of video repeatedly to capture all the audio. Additionally, employees without formal transcriber training often make substantial transcription errors that can potentially cause embarrassing and even offensive situations. Inaccurate transcripts can contribute to a perception of unprofessionalism, leaving viewers with a negative impression of the brand. When captions and transcripts are not accurate, it also means that viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing are not able to enjoy an equitable viewing experience to those of their peers.
Safeguard against automatic or manual transcription errors by hiring professional transcribers
While these transcribers tend to be far more accurate, it’s common for them to encounter bandwidth issues. Such limitations can prevent the brand from sufficiently scaling its video marketing initiatives. Furthermore, these professional transcribers tend to be expensive to hire, which can make a hefty dent in a company’s production budget.
Employing a professional transcription service
Professional transcription solutions like Verbit’s can use both artificial intelligence and human transcribers to generate highly accurate transcripts in a fraction of the time it would take someone to do so manually. Verbit’s platform also fully integrates with YouTube, making it easier for brands to create and upload transcripts for their YouTube videos in bulk.
How Does YouTube Transcription Work?
Imagine your company recently filmed a number of marketing videos and wants to join the 77% of video marketers that use YouTube to host their video content. To get the most mileage out of the content, the company also wants to provide written transcripts of the videos. With Verbit’s transcription service, you could simply upload the video into the platform and receive a highly accurate transcript. AI would generate the first draft, and professional human transcribers would take on the editing role to improve overall accuracy. Once the transcription process is complete, you can download the YouTube transcript in a compatible file format such as an SRT file, and upload the file directly to YouTube using the above steps.
YouTube Transcript – Make Your Content Count
As video continues to grow as a driving force in marketing, business leaders must give adequate thought as to how to make the most of the medium. Partnering with a transcription service provider to make your content more accessible not only increases viewership but also offers a greater return on time, money and resources you’re already spending to create your content.
A professional transcription service like Verbit’s can also streamline the transcription process from end to end, allowing businesses to scale their video marketing initiatives without compromising on transcription accuracy or prices.
Verbit designs solutions that meet the requirements of both the ADA and the platforms you’re likely using. With YouTube transcription, Vimeo transcription, closed captioning and YouTube audio description Verbit can make all your content more accessible. As a result, brands are improving the reach of their content while cultivating a reputation for prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion.
Using Verbit’s in-house artificial intelligence together with its vast network of human transcribers, Verbit delivers a highly accurate final product with industry-leading turnaround times. Learn more about how our accessibility solutions, like captioning and transcription, help you make the most of your YouTube video marketing initiatives.