Search a transcript you have available in your own document or transcript tool for audience questions, concrete examples and contrast phrases. Record the nearby timestamps, then listen to each match with context before clipping it. This is an editorial workflow using your own transcript and notes; CastCuts does not provide a global or full-text transcript search feature in this guide.
Start with the audience's question and a small vocabulary
Write one question the intended viewer would ask, then list the terms your speaker actually uses for that subject. A discussion about hiring might call the same idea 'role', 'job' or 'first task'. Search your own transcript document with that vocabulary and record useful matches. Include phrases that signal explanation, such as 'because', 'for example' or 'what changed', but treat them as leads rather than quality rules. A keyword hit shows where words occur; it does not establish that the surrounding answer is suitable for a clip.
Turn each promising match into a source note
Record the source filename, approximate timestamp, audience question and a one-sentence takeaway in your own notes. If your transcript has no timestamps, use the text to locate the passage while playing the original recording and add a rough time manually. Avoid copying sensitive transcript material into a public planning document.
Read around the match, then listen beyond it
Review enough preceding and following text to identify the question, speaker and qualification. Listen to the corresponding recording, including the sentence after your likely ending. A search result may find a word in an advertisement, a hypothetical example or a view the guest is rejecting. Automatic transcription can also miss a name or negative and send you to the wrong interpretation. Prefer candidates where the actual speech supplies a complete explanation inside one continuous 1–90 second excerpt rather than relying on the transcript match alone.
Bring reviewed timestamps into the clipping workflow
Open the relevant ready episode, verify the timestamp against that uploaded file and choose the start and end manually. If the source was trimmed before upload, the original transcript times may no longer line up. Review available English transcript captions and render a test before making the rest of the candidates. Keep the timestamp notes and downloaded results outside the temporary media library for future editorial reference.
A fictional search that finds a better answer than the first match
Illustrative example. The people, recordings and results described here are fictional.
A host wants a clip answering 'How do you prepare a new volunteer?' In their own transcript document they search 'onboarding', 'first day' and 'first task'. The first match is a sponsor mention; the next is a question without an answer. A later match describes demonstrating a task, asking the volunteer to explain it back and checking one example. The host records that timestamp, listens to the full exchange and clips the complete method rather than the first keyword occurrence.
Search narrows the listening task; source review determines whether a match contains a publishable idea.
Check before you finish
- Search terms reflect a real audience question and the speaker's vocabulary.
- Matches are recorded with source references in your own notes.
- The original recording verifies context, speaker and transcript wording.
- Chosen timestamps are rechecked against the actual uploaded video.
Practical questions
Does CastCuts have global transcript search?
This guide does not describe an in-product global or full-text transcript search feature. Search a transcript you already have in your own document or tool, then use verified timestamps for manual clip selection.
What should I search for besides the main keyword?
Try the speaker's synonyms and words associated with examples, reasons and changes. Review every match in context; a useful search term can occur in an ad, a question or an argument the guest rejects.
Can I choose clips from transcript text alone?
Use text to find candidates, then listen and watch. The recording establishes tone, attribution, visuals and whether the transcript has missed a meaning-changing word.
Use this workflow in CastCuts
Review transcript-based suggestions alongside your own candidate notes
CastCuts selects continuous 1–90 second excerpts and exports 9:16, 720 × 1280 H.264/AAC MP4 files. Automatic transcription and transcript-based suggestions support English and require review. Free exports include CastCuts branding; Pro removes it from new renders for $9 USD/month, with the same processing and storage limits. Episode media is retained for 24 hours. Keep your originals and download finished clips before expiry. Publishing is manual.