Making (consistent) blogging simpler: voice to text
I love everything about content marketing. In my day jobs at SaaS companies, we prove content marketing’s value day in and out.
It’s one of the great acquisition channels. Yet it requires consistency (and of course quality). On my own personal site and blog, I’ll write and publish one, large post every 6 months or so. I know I'm not alone, here.
The creators that I admire most all have one thing in common: consistency!
I've been thinking on an idea/workflow that I’m starting to build for myself that encourages consistency. Voice-to-text dictation (and accompanying audio transcribing) to create my micro-blog: shorter form pieces, shipped often.
Typing away at a keyboard isn't always productive, it’s quite exhausting even. I aim to bring a sense of lightness, taking the pressure off, to my own publishing process. Perhaps even redefining my own idea of "quality", instead using this for more of a documenting use-case - focusing on consistency over perfection.
Workflow:
- I’m creating my own blogging workflow that utilizes mobile/desktop browser microphone input dictation.
- Posts are created via a basic
<form>- some typing required to set publication date/time, post title, and description (and edit any formatting and/or transcription inaccuracies). <input type="file">takes the spoken, dictated contents and transcribes them.- Final piece to be published includes this audio file (then generated into its own XML feed to be repurposed/submitted to podcast directories) and the transcribed text contents.
Visually speaking, I’m keeping things simple - /posts/ index feed and /posts/post-name/ structure. Text on a page with audio transcription <audio> element prior. Nothing more.
Note: this audio- and dictation-first workflow isn't set in stone. Posts can absolutely be created and submitted as text, as well (because sometimes I'd prefer typing it out, even on this micro-blog medium).
I first started publishing to the web with WordPress back in 2007. My tech stack evolved alongside my dev skills and around 2013 I started using static site generators, microservices, and then onto serverless functions for all of my own (and client's) sites/products.
I’m building my workflow here to be automated via a combination of post-submission webhooks, and serverless functions that interact with various APIs (write/fetch data, transcription, feed generation, and on).
Some of the best meetings that I have are casual “walk ‘n talks”. I’m aiming to bring this ideation-on-the-go flow to my own publishing process.
Possibly it can scale to other creators?
Hey Scott! I think this isn’t for me, but you may find it interesting to know that Nathan Latka “spoke” his whole book. Don’t remember what podcast I heard it on, but clearly writing by speaking works for some people :)
Hey Monica 👋 nice hearing from you! Definitely get how it’s not for everyone, that’s why the asterisks/note above it wouldn’t have to be voice-first. But that’s what’d differentiate it for sure. I just think that’s simpler for the on-the-go mentality of it. You’re spot-on, some people go in deeeep with this.
hi Scott
I love this idea I personally use multiple step version of this
I simply dictate my entire post to Siri on the native notes
From notes I simply email the posts to post by email address (https://wordpress.com/support/post-by-email/)
Optimise and add SEO tags for the final draft on Wordpress and publish
But I definitely would pay for an app that would let me post, transcribe, optimise tags and submit to directories in one app.
😀
This is brilliant idea, i have just started blogging my self and i think this would really help me stop procrastinating my next post.
Appreciate you chiming in on this, Elliot! That’s great - what’s your blog stack look like?
It's a gatsby static site with netlify CMS! :)
Nice!! :-)
This is a great idea. Tbh I skipped all of the technical stuff, but if you could create a voice dictation app for blog and newsletter writing and it had the following features: create header, create hyperlink, bold/italicize text, and even insert image, I would pay for that.
I think if I were to bring a product like this to market, beyond just my own workflow, the differentiator here is multi-channel content production in one workflow.
So voice-to-text for blog posts, newsletters, and the RSS feed generation of audio files to publish a podcast. One piece of content, transcribed in voice and text, distributed in multiple places.
Does any of that appeal to you?
Yes, the support for markdown/rich text editing for hyperlinks, formatting, etc would be a good add beyond the MVP workflow here.
Yeah that sounds pretty good.
I do think that the markdown is a super important feature. For me, it's make or break as to whether I'd pay for it.
Absolutely. It's funny, I've had this idea running for quite some time and actually have a repository on GH with initial commit on Feb 2, 2019. Revue, Substack, etc. discouraged me in a sense from continuing.
But I've been re-surfacing ideas, as it truly solves a problem that I have.
Man, anything that would allow me to do less actual typing and still create content would be a godsend. Feel free to dm me if you ever want feedback.
Awesome, will do! Thanks
Hey Scott! The biggest problem I have while writing my newsletter is blanking out on ideas when I actually sit down to write at my keyboard, I agree with your point about walk and talk meetings, but that suggests building some kind of a note taking tool which integrates with your writing process, have you talked to other creative writers what their biggest problem is, or whether other people also have the problem you're trying to solve?
For sure, writers block is real. I agree that at times the process of sitting in front of a blank screen, and seeing the cursor fade in and out isn’t constructive. I am doing voice to text as I reply to you here.
The workflow that I’m building for myself works for me, sharing this here to get that feedback/input from others to see if I should pursue building for others, as well.
I personally don’t view this as a note taking app/tool as much as it just being a different take on a places you’d typically go to draft and publish content (CMS or text editor or Docs or Newsletter platform, and on). A place where you speak your ideas, and that’s output as audio file and text transcript to then publish.
Agreed, that's a good point, I think speaking out helps process your thoughts better as well as providing a conversational tone to your blog which feels quite personal to the reader too.
Yes, exactly! And this can happen from mobile or on laptops on virtually any platform. I’ve just more recently this past year start doing so.
Idk if she’s still doing it, but developer una.im had audio transcripts for each post (not automated, but in her own voice) and I loved this! Super personal, authentic, and easier to relate to. I know julian.com is doing similar, not in his own voice, though.
Scott, what's your workflow for voice to text content writing?
yes it is very useful I tried this toll in my new project you can see here https://musicalhunter.com/
Audio still feels awkward for me . since a lot of ideas comes randomly when eating. sitting with others. going to market etc.
I just use swipe to text on phone and can't believe I've already pump out 120 words in a minute. then just edit it out. I don't think it's good for very articulate post and guides but for everyday blogging journal it's fine.
Right, I definitely understand that. I actually personally carry little pocket journals and a pen with me and I will jot things down and come back to further iron out later.
Your spot-on, definitely not a tool for longer-form content or technical guides with code samples, etc.am thinking more along the casual, micro, journaling format.