Freelance transcription style guide cheatsheet for GoTranscript, Scribie, and custom PDF briefs
Turn stack-specific PDF quirks into preset rows you can reuse each shift—contractions, tags, numbers, and laughter placement without re-reading 40 pages.
Every marketplace ships a PDF; your job is to remember which client wants contractions kept, which demands bracketed laughter, and which normalises numbers. A cheatsheet is just those rows in one place so you are not re-opening page 27 at 2 a.m.
Map PDF rows to VideoText presets
Start from the GoTranscript, Scribie, Rev, or TranscribeMe preset inside Format → Client guidelines. Treat each card as a cheatsheet line—contractions, tagging, timestamps, laughter placement, ellipsis usage. When an agency deviates, edit the card, note the override, and keep the export with your invoice.
- Retention: some clients want “wanna/gonna” typed exactly; others want them expanded—match the card to the PDF, not habit.
- Batching: group similar clients so you load the same preset order each night; fewer context switches means fewer mistakes.
Capture audio with Video → Transcript, then open the formatter before you start human polish.