Research · Setup in 8 min· Setup Pass

Set up Descript for Analysing Health Podcasts in 8 minutes

This guide configures Descript to create a searchable transcript of any health podcast, making research fast and precise.

Listening to health and science podcasts keeps you informed, but finding a specific data point later is difficult. Manually scrubbing audio is slow and imprecise. This setup uses Descript to create a searchable transcript, letting you extract key protocols or study references in seconds.

Before you start

• A Descript account
• An audio or video file of a podcast episode
• 8 minutes for setup and transcription

The steps

1. 01

   Create a New Project

   In your Descript workspace, select `New` and then `Classic Project`. Name it after the podcast episode you're analysing, for example, "Peter Attia Drive - Exercise & Longevity".

2. 02

   Upload and Transcribe Your Audio

   Drag your podcast audio file into the new project. Descript automatically starts transcribing; you can accept the prompt to identify speakers, which aids analysis later.

3. 03

   Correct Key Health Terms

   Once the transcript appears, scan it for misspellings of medical or scientific terms (e.g., "lipopolysaccharide," "NAD+"). Use the `Find and replace` function to fix these across the entire transcript for more accurate searches.

4. 04

   Search for Key Information

   Use the top search bar (Cmd/Ctrl+F) to find topics, supplements, or protocols. This turns the episode into a personal "Ledger" of information, part of the 3-Layer Method, letting you find every mention of "creatine" or "sauna" without re-listening.

5. 05

   Highlight and Extract Insights

   When you find a useful section—like a specific dosage recommendation or a summary of a study—highlight the text. You can copy the text directly or right-click to export the selection as a shareable audio/video clip.