How to get a podcast transcript

An episode link, a feed, or a raw MP3. All three end up as the same clean, searchable text.

Podcasts are the worst format to reference and the best format to learn from. Three hours of conversation might contain six ideas worth writing down and no way to find them again. Drop resolves an episode link back to its underlying audio file, whether that comes from an Apple Podcasts page, a Spotify episode, a raw RSS feed or a direct MP3 URL, and then runs the whole episode through speech to text on the long form job window built exactly for this.

Steps

  1. Step 1

    Get the episode link

    On Apple Podcasts or Spotify, open the episode and copy its share link. From a podcast website you can copy the RSS feed URL or right click the play button and copy the direct MP3 address.

  2. Step 2

    Paste it into Drop

    Drop resolves the page to the actual audio file behind it, so you do not have to hunt for the download link yourself.

  3. Step 3

    Let the long job run

    Multi hour episodes take real time. The polling window is built for that and survives transient errors rather than dying halfway through.

  4. Step 4

    Mine the episode

    Read the core ideas, keep the remember list, and pull the two or three lines that deserve to become quote cards.

What you get

Questions

Does a Spotify link really work?
For episodes that are also distributed through a public feed, yes, because the underlying audio is reachable. Spotify exclusives are not, since the audio never leaves their player.
Can I drop an RSS feed instead of one episode?
Yes. A feed URL resolves to its most recent episode enclosure. For an older episode, use that episode's own page or MP3 link.
How long does a three hour episode take?
Longer than a Reel, obviously, but it runs as one job and you can leave the tab open. Nothing needs babysitting.
Are speakers labelled?
The transcript is continuous text rather than a speaker diarised script. The core ideas and quotes are what most people use anyway.
What does an episode cost?
One credit per minute, so a sixty minute episode is sixty credits, and credits never expire.

Related guides

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