Ghostwriting can be a successful job if you have the right clients, reasonable pricing, and an effective strategy for each assignment. Listening to recordings of client meetings, however, can be inconvenient and unproductive due to constant rewinding to catch all the details. Using a transcription service to convert audio to text makes all the difference, allowing you to write faster and eliminate tedious work. These tips will show you how to use transcription services to enhance your ghostwriting and boost productivity.

Why Audio to Text Quality Counts

Remember the old game of broken telephone, in which a message was sent from person to person by whispering? When it reaches the end of the line, the final individual reports what they believe was initially said. The game never fails to demonstrate how easily knowledge and meaning may shift. Ghostwriters must prevent changes in meaning by ensuring that the transcription they employ is an accurate reproduction of the conversation. That is, it catches every word said while also conveying meaning with correct punctuation and grammar. This eliminates many of the automated transcription programs available. While these computers can transcribe the words used, they frequently fail to capture the contextual information.

Finding the Backbone of a Piece

Begin by reading the transcription to gain a sense of the overall 'feel' of the composition. To indicate the important message, use a marking pen and paper or an online highlighter. Highlight essential themes to serve as the piece's backbone, and select amusing or well-spoken sentences that represent the speaker's tone. If you were present throughout the conversation, you might already have an idea of how to approach it. Often, ghostwriters obtain recordings without first hearing the real discussion. Read through the transcription while listening to the tape. This will be especially valuable if this is your first time reviewing the content.

Creating a Draft

Creating an outline before you begin is a smart method to plan your ghostwriting project. It helps to ensure that you don't miss anything vital. Create a structure with subheadings or sections depending on the important points discovered in the transcription. Add a draft introduction and conclusion, and ensure that the sections flow well from beginning to end.

Most talks bounce around to some extent, so when fleshing out the parts, go over the transcription again with each of the important themes in mind. Someone who hires a ghostwriter is most likely occupied with exciting projects. Their imaginations are filled with creative ideas that may flow over into the interview or conversation. It is your responsibility to organize their thoughts in a logical, effective manner, and using a transcription can let you to see all of the parts at once.

Using the Subject's Voice.

As a ghostwriter, you're writing material on behalf of your topic or client, so make sure to use their voice. You know the story will be published under the client's byline, so bringing up a subject during an interview indicates that it is important to them. Don't skip it, even if it's a difficult fit. Use the transcription to locate other facts that go with it, and then incorporate them into your composition.

Start your piece with a story that the subject shared during the interview and use it as an opener. Look carefully through the transcription for a strong concluding thought and use that as the conclusion. As you work through the transcribing, look for supporting information and proof for each part. To avoid duplicating the point, check it off or strike through the text once you've used it.

Refine the Content

Once you've finished writing the draft, go over the transcription again to ensure nothing was missed. Review the entire document carefully to verify that every crucial point has been included. When you convert audio to text, it's essential to check content, grammar, and spelling, ensuring all important details from the transcription are accurately reflected in your final draft.

Conclusion 

Using transcriptions as one of your content creation tools can assist ghostwriters in producing a speedy first draft of a post or article that you can "clean up" later. This decreases the amount of time you spend listening and relistening, taking notes, and searching through recordings for information you know is there.