To transcribe a podcast, you need the episode as an audio file and a transcription tool. If it is your own show, export the episode from your editing software (MP3 or WAV) and import it into an app such as Retexta: New task, Transcript only, Import audio. If it is someone else's show, check first whether a transcript already exists, for example in the Spotify app, and only transcribe it yourself for your own use unless the show allows more.
| Your situation | Best route |
|---|---|
| Your own podcast | Export the final episode audio and transcribe that file |
| Someone else's podcast on Spotify | Look for Spotify's transcript on the episode page first |
| Someone else's podcast, no transcript | Use the audio file the podcast feed links to, for your own notes |
| You want show notes, not a transcript | Transcribe, then turn the text into show notes |
Transcribing your own podcast
Transcribe the final exported episode, not the raw tracks, so the transcript matches what listeners hear.
- Export the episode from your editor or download it from your podcast host as MP3 or WAV. For WAV, 16-bit is the safe choice (see our guide on MP3, M4A and WAV to text).
- Put the file on your Android phone or in a cloud drive that appears in the file picker.
- Open Retexta, tap New task, open More templates and choose Transcript only.
- Under Add your input, tap Import audio and pick the episode.
- Retexta converts the audio on your phone, splits long episodes into parts of up to 5 minutes and transcribes them on its servers. The text of all parts comes back as one transcript.
- Check the transcript against the audio, especially guest names, brand names and numbers.
Three things to know about the result: Retexta mixes all channels to mono, so separate host and guest tracks are not kept apart; the transcript has no speaker labels and no timestamps; and Retexta detects the spoken language automatically.
Import audio is part of Retexta Pro, and so is every goal except Transcript only. Copying, sharing and exporting the transcript need Retexta Pro or credits.
Your guests agreed to be recorded, but to a transcript?
If you interview guests, tell them the episode will also be transcribed and that the audio goes to a cloud service for it. Recording consent rules differ by country and, in the US, by state; our guide on transcribing an interview covers the basics. This is information, not legal advice.
Transcripts on Spotify
Spotify's help page for creators, "Managing episode transcripts", says "Some shows have auto-generated episode transcripts" and that "Listeners see transcripts in the Now Playing View and on episode pages in the Spotify mobile app." Some shows also have translated transcripts. Creators can turn transcripts on or off per episode or for the whole show, download them as VTT files, edit them and upload them again.
For podcasters this means: if Spotify already generates a transcript for your show, you can download it as a VTT file and correct it instead of starting from scratch. Retexta's transcript has no timestamps, so it is plain text, not a VTT file you could upload to Spotify.
We have not checked whether listeners can copy or download transcripts in the Spotify app.
Getting the audio of someone else's podcast
Podcasts are distributed through RSS feeds, and each episode in a feed carries an enclosure element that the RSS 2.0 specification describes as a media object with a URL, a size and a type, for example audio/mpeg for MP3. Some podcast websites and apps offer that file as a download. If you cannot find a downloadable file, ask the show.
A transcript of someone else's episode is useful for your own notes, study or research. Before you publish it, post it or use long quotes, ask the show for permission.
Cleaning up a podcast transcript
A raw transcript of a conversation reads badly: "um", false starts, half sentences, two people finishing each other's thoughts. To clean it up:
- Split it into paragraphs at every change of speaker or topic.
- Add speaker labels (host, guest name).
- Remove filler words and false starts, but keep the meaning and the tone.
- Check every name, title and number against the audio.
- Add chapter times from your editor if you want a navigable transcript.
In Retexta you can paste a transcript into Clean up a text (under More templates, input Paste text). The app describes the goal as: keep your text, fix grammar, punctuation and flow. Check the cleaned version against the original, because a smoother text can hide a changed meaning.
From transcript to show notes
Show notes are a short summary, the main topics, links you mentioned and guest details. With the transcript in hand:
- In Retexta, use Take notes with Structured notes or Short summary for a topic outline.
- Or use Something else and describe the task, for example: "Write podcast show notes: a two-sentence summary, five key points and the guest's name and role." We have not tested the output quality of this for show notes, so edit the result.
- Add the chapter times yourself; the transcript does not contain them.
Keep reading
File formats and import details: MP3 to text. Recording a guest: how to transcribe an interview. Better audio, better text: how to improve speech to text accuracy. More about the app: Retexta, voice to text for Android.
Sources
Checked by FLAME Apps on September 25, 2026.
- Spotify for Creators, Managing episode transcripts: auto-generated transcripts, where listeners see them, translated transcripts, turning them off, VTT download and upload.
- RSS Advisory Board, RSS 2.0 Specification: the
enclosureelement (URL, length, MIME type; exampleaudio/mpeg). - Retexta app code (Android, version 2026.1.23): import (
RecordScreen.kt), mono conversion (AudioNormalizer.kt), parts of up to 5 minutes (CloudAudioChunker.kt), automatic language detection (TranscriptionLanguageCatalog.kt), no speaker labels or timestamps in the app or service code, Clean up a text goal description (app strings). - Retexta: plan names as shown in the app and on its Google Play listing.
