Text To Audio Converter App - Play.ht

Play.ht is a text to audio converter app that converts blog posts into audio. Could this be the app that bloggers who want to venture into the world of podcasting are looking for?

Table of Contents

Introducing the Audio to Text Converter App

Text To Speech Converter App
Play.ht on Appsumo (Disclosure - The Above Is An Affiliate Link)

I received an interesting email today. As an agency that produces podcasts for our clients, we convert audio into text. We use Rev or Temi for the most part to create long-form transcripts from podcast episodes that are provided by our clients.

The interesting part of the email is that there is now an app that does the exact reverse.

It instantly converts blog posts into audio to expand accessibility and reach for bloggers. It also allows them to instantly launch a podcast.

Pros and Cons of the Text to Audio Converter App

Pros and Cons of the Text to Audio Converter
Photographer: Wahid Khene | Source: Unsplash

There are some advantages to this concept, as well as drawbacks as I see them.

Advantages Of This Text To Audio App

Podcasting is super popular today. For podcasters like us, it seems like the technical requirements for podcasting are fairly low to get into. But for many bloggers and non-audio people, this is not the case, and the prospect of launching a podcast is daunting.

  • So this is where Play.ht positions themselves to be able to convert a blog post into an episode with no effort.

Apparently there are over 100 choices of artificial intelligence voices available on this app. Some of these sound very realistic. And the best part is that you can automatically convert your blog posts into audio in different languages.

  • The idea to be able to publish your blog posts as podcast episodes in other languages is really interesting.
  • Still I think I would rather record the English audio and perhaps the German audio myself - reading my blog post out loud.

The app also offers taking care of equalization and all the technical aspects of publishing a podcast. Customizable, white-labeled audio player, podcast RSS feeds, and audio analytics are some of them.

  • I am in the middle of testing how well these features work.

Disadvantages, As I See Them

The monetization model for this platform initially really bothered me. I thought they were launching a “lifetime” deal on AppSumo - but required that you purchase “credits”. Each credit is worth a 2000 worth article. The base plan included 5 credits.

  • However, I later found out that the 5 credits renew every month
  • So this typically means 5 articles of less than 2000 words, which might just be enough for regular bloggers
  • I am testing out this plan, and might decide to purchase additional AppSumo codes if I like the results

Launching on AppSumo

This app’s is being launched on AppSumo, one of my favorite sources for new innovative solutions.

Text To Audio App On Appsumo
Play.ht on Appsumo (Disclosure - The Above Is An Affiliate Link)

Here is the AppSumo Overview and Details On Available Features

My Own Take On Play.ht Vs Traditional Podcasting

Who Is the Audio to Text Converter App Designed
Text to Audio Converter App

I could see how bloggers who want to transform their written content into an instant podcast would appreciate this app.

Play.ht lets you publish a new podcast on all the major podcasting platforms by creating an RSS feed that you can then submit to iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Google Play.

  • As a podcaster and podcast producer, I probably would not recommend this approach because I prefer hosting our podcasts through a reliable feed such as Libsyn or Whooshka.
  • However, I totally get that for bloggers, this might be an instantaneous solution to what otherwise may seem like a daunting problem.

A Promising Future

Play.ht comes with a configuration and plugin for WordPress. You can also post your stories on Medium in audio format which is pretty cool because it instantaneously earns you a backlink to your primary blog. This is something that we usually do with our podcast article syndication methods.

Anyhow, the application is relatively new. If you can still catch the webinar that the app developers are holding on April 22nd at 9:30 CST, you may click here to find out more.

  • Apparently the developers are responsive, and I hope that some of the comments on the AppSumo site will lead them to rethink some of the restrictions about purchasing credits.

In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments.

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