To make podcast show notes from audio, send the episode to the Potok bot on Telegram, switch on timestamps and export MD or TXT. Files up to 2 GB work. The full text and the times give you the material. The manual summary on top is still yours to write.
Transcribe a recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- A manual summary reads better than a pasted transcript, because you choose what a listener needs to know.
- Timestamps let you build a chapter list, with a time next to each topic.
- MD export drops straight into most blog and newsletter tools without extra clean-up.
How to do it
- Send the finished episode. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram. Use the final audio, with the ads and intro already cut in or out as you want them.
- Switch on timestamps. Each passage then starts with a time you can use for chapters.
- Wait for the text. A long episode returns as a file. For a very large file use the Upload button, within the 2 GB limit.
- Skim the full text. Read it once from top to bottom to find the three or four main topics.
- Note the times. Write down the time where each topic starts. These become the chapter list.
- Write the summary by hand. Two or three sentences, in your own voice, about why the episode is worth a listen.
- Add links and names. Check guest names against the audio, then list the books, tools and pages mentioned.
- Export MD. Save the text in Markdown if your publishing tool reads it, or TXT otherwise.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Welcome to the show. This week we talk about growing herbs on a balcony.
[03:12] Speaker 2: The first thing is light. Most herbs want a few hours of direct sun.
[07:45] Speaker 1: So where do we start if the balcony faces north?
Sample text written by us to show the layout of a transcript. It is not the output of the recognition engine and not a real recording.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Where it works | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| File size | Up to 2 GB |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Speakers and time | Speaker labels and timestamps can be switched on |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results; a few more with warnings |
| Translation | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Dictation | A separate Potok desktop app lets you dictate text into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pasting the raw transcript as show notes | Listeners see a wall of text and do not find what they want. | Publish a short summary, chapters and links, and link to the transcript if you offer one. |
| Misspelling the guest's name | A wrong name in the notes looks careless and breaks search for that guest. | Ask the guest for the spelling and check it in the text. |
| Taking chapter times from the wrong export | Times from an edited cut do not match the published file. | Transcribe the exact file you publish. |
| Copying quotes without listening | A small mishearing changes a claim the guest made. | Listen to each quote before it goes into the notes. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Can the bot write the show notes for me?
It gives you the full text and times. The summary and the choice of highlights are written by you.
Do I need timestamps for show notes?
They help if you want chapters. Switch them on before you send the episode.
Which export works best for a blog post?
MD is convenient for blogs. DOCX or TXT are fine if you prefer to edit in a word processor.
Can I send a video podcast?
Yes. Video and audio are both accepted, and the speech is taken from the sound track.
Is a transcript good for search on my site?
Publishing the text can help readers find topics by words. Keep it readable and corrected before you post it.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Podcast (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Markdown (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
Try it on your own recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram