In light of the December 2021 lawsuit brought against SiriusXM for failing to provide podcast transcripts for the deaf and hard of hearing, podcast transcription is quickly becoming a hot button issue.
Did you know that ADA compliance is a requirement for all businesses? Even if your podcast isn’t yet making money, ADA compliance should be on your radar, and one way to be compliant as a podcaster is to provide transcripts of your podcast.
In fact, if your website includes any type of podcasting content, it is important to provide transcripts for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
While some people may think that ADA compliance is only important for large businesses, any podcast can technically be held liable for discrimination if they do not take steps to make their content accessible, and providing transcripts is one way to ensure that yours is accessible to everyone.
If your podcast host doesn’t provide automatic transcriptions, we recommend you start transcribing them yourself.
In our post “How to Transcribe Your Podcast for Free,” we share a few ways you can transcribe your episodes for free including:
There are also paid audio transcription options like Descript and Otter which both offer a free trial.
How to Add Your Transcription to Your Episode
First, log into your RSS.com podcast hosting account. Then, head to the episode you want to add a transcript to.
✨ Don’t have an RSS.com account? Sign up for free here!
👉🏽 Next, click the three dots in your dashboard next to the episode you want to load a transcript to.
👉🏽 Next, paste your transcript into the pop-up box and click “Save”
Once you load your transcript, it will automatically be added to your RSS feed, and will be visible on your RSS.com podcast public website underneath the chapters section of your episode.
You can also repurpose your transcript as content for your website like we’ve done with our RSS.com company podcast. With each episode we write a blog post sharing the highlights, transcript, video, and the embedded episode player.
✨ Learn more about ways you can repurpose your podcast episodes here!
Not only is ADA compliance important for legal reasons, but it is also good for the growth of your show.
By making your podcast accessible to everyone, you are more likely to attract new listeners and retain existing ones.
