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New listener check: where your podcast loses newcomers

talkcuts' free new listener check reads your episode transcript like a first-time listener. It marks a long welcome before the first real point, short forms that are never spelled out, names used without saying who they are, and inside references like "as you know". Fix them in the edit, or pick clips without them. No AI, nothing uploaded.

Updated 4 November 2026. Free, nothing is uploaded.

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Where they are in the transcript

Where do new listeners get lost?

  • A slow start. Welcome, thanks, "subscribe", how was your week. The tool finds the first sentence that makes a real point and tells you how long it took to get there. With times, it flags more than 1 minute; without, more than about 150 words.
  • Short forms. CAC, ROI, a course or company name in capitals. If the full words are never said (like "search engine optimization, SEO"), it is flagged. Very common ones like TV or CEO are skipped.
  • Names without a who. "Dave told us to stop." Who is Dave? Say it once: "Dave, our ad manager". Speakers and names you introduce ("my co-host Jen", "Marco, our producer") are not flagged.
  • Inside references. "As you know", "like last week", "longtime listeners", "remember when". Fine for regulars, lost on everyone else.

What do I do with the notes?

  1. For the full episode: add a few words of context where a note points, or move your first point to the start.
  2. For clips: skip moments with these spots, or start the clip after them. A clip is heard by people who never heard your show.

The check follows fixed rules, so it can flag a famous name or miss a bit of jargon. Read each note and decide.

Want clips a stranger understands?

talkcuts picks the 2 or 3 moments that make one complete point on their own and cuts each into a vertical clip with captions, starting and ending on a full sentence.

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Questions

What does the new listener check look for?

Four things: a long welcome before the first real point, short forms like CAC that are never spelled out, names used without saying who the person is, and inside references like "as you know" or "like last week". It uses fixed rules, not AI, so read each finding and decide.

Why does this matter for clips?

A clip lands in front of strangers with no context. A moment that leans on an unexplained name, a short form or last week's episode loses them in seconds, so it is a weaker clip.

What transcript can I paste?

A caption file (.srt or .vtt), lines that start with a time like "00:01:23 Sam: text", or plain text. With times, findings show where they are in the episode.

Is my transcript uploaded?

No. It is read in your own browser and never sent to us or saved anywhere.

Is it free?

Yes. No account and no email.

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