Webinar recording to text

Getting the recording

Whoever hosted the webinar can download the recording from their webinar platform, and the organiser can pass it on; an attendee usually cannot download it unless the host allows it. Recording formats differ, and some platforms use their own format that needs their player to convert it to MP4 first. Recording rules differ by country and sometimes by state, and in some places everyone on a recording has to agree to it. Check yours before you record, and upload only recordings you have the right to use. In a webinar that includes attendees whose voices or names may be in a question session.

Steps

1. Download the recording as MP4 or an audio-only file. Audio only is much smaller to upload.
2. Choose the file above. Webinars are long, so sign in to a free account first if the recording is longer than the no-account limit.
3. Name the speakers when the transcript is ready (labels cover up to eight people with an account).
4. Correct product names, acronyms and the names of presenters, then export.

Presenters, slides and the Q&A

A presenter reading from slides says the jargon and the product names that a transcript gets wrong most often, so keep the slide deck open while you correct. The question session is harder: audience members speak from a poorer microphone and often interrupt. Listen to those passages before you quote anyone. A read-aloud poll or chat message is not in the audio unless somebody said it.

What to make from it

• ·A written recap or blog post: the webinar guide shows how to go from the transcript to a page.
• ·Captions for the replay: export SRT or VTT and upload it next to the video. Check the lines first with the subtitle checker.
• ·A searchable archive: with a free account every transcript is searchable, so a term you remember can be found across all your recordings.
• ·Quotes with timestamps, so a reader can hear the original.

Long recordings

Without an account one file can be up to 15 minutes and 25 MB. A free account lifts those per-file limits and keeps your transcripts in a library, so for a longer recording create one instead of cutting the file up. A webinar is often an hour or more, so a free account is the practical route.