Start a Transcription and Captioning Service

People assume AI killed it, but legal, medical, and accessibility work still requires accurate human review and pays for it.

1. 1

   Pick one paying lane

   Legal, medical, or accessibility captioning. General transcription competes with AI on price; these lanes require accuracy that clients still pay humans to guarantee.

2. 2

   Buy the basic kit

   A foot pedal, good headphones, and Express Scribe or oTranscribe cover you for about $100. Test your typing speed; 65 plus words per minute makes the math work.

3. 3

   Pass a platform test

   Clear the entrance tests at Rev, GoTranscript, or TranscribeMe to start earning within two weeks while you build direct clients on the side.

4. 4

   Set per-minute rates

   Direct clients pay $1 to $3 per audio minute, more for verbatim, rush, or multiple speakers. Know your effective hourly rate: one audio hour takes three to four typing hours.

5. 5

   Go direct to steady buyers

   Pitch podcasters, law firms, universities, and video creators who need ADA-compliant captions every single week. One retainer client beats fifty marketplace gigs.

6. 6

   Use AI as your first pass

   Run audio through a speech-to-text tool, then edit for accuracy. You keep the human-quality guarantee while doubling your output per hour.