Extract YouTube Subtitles in 3 Clicks (Free) | Yeemel

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You have a 20-minute YouTube video packed with practical advice. You want to repurpose the text to create written content, but manually typing 3,000 words makes your skin crawl.

Good news: extracting YouTube subtitles is simpler than you think. Between native subtitles, free online tools, and AI transcription, you have 3 concrete options to retrieve text from any video.

In this article, we compare these 3 methods with their pros and cons. Plus a bonus: how to automatically transform your subtitles into newsletters with AI.

Why Extract Subtitles from a YouTube Video#

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YouTube subtitles aren't just for hearing-impaired viewers. For content creators, they're a goldmine of ready-to-repurpose text.

Real use cases:

[- **Automatic newsletters](/en/tools/automatiser-newsletter)**: transform your weekly video into an email for your subscribers

• Blog articles: repurpose content to improve your SEO
• Social media posts: extract the best quotes for LinkedIn or X
• Online courses: create written materials from your video lessons
• Podcast repurposing: convert your audio episodes into written content

A YouTuber with 50K subscribers could easily create 4 newsletters per month from their 4 videos. Instead of spending 12 hours writing, they retrieve subtitles in 10 minutes.

Method 1: Native YouTube Subtitles (Free but Limited)#

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YouTube automatically generates subtitles for most videos. It's the most direct method to download YouTube subtitles.

Step-by-Step Instructions#

1. Open your YouTube video and click the subtitles icon (CC)
2. Click the 3 dots at the bottom of the player → "Open transcript"
3. Disable timestamps with the button on the right
4. Copy-paste the text into your editor

Pros and Cons of Native Subtitles#

Real example: on a business coaching video, "ROI" often becomes "king", "lead magnet" becomes "bed magnet". You'll need to manually correct.

When to use: ideal if you want to quickly retrieve text from a video for internal use. Less suitable if you want to publish the content as-is.

Method 2: Free Online Tools to Download Subtitles#

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Several web tools allow you to extract YouTube subtitles in SRT or TXT format. More convenient than the manual method.

Recommended Tools (Free)#

DownSub: paste the YouTube URL, choose language, download the SRT or TXT file.

YouTubeSubtitles: same principle, simpler interface, supports 50+ languages.

Savesubs: quick extraction with text preview before download.

Typical Process with DownSub#

1. Copy the URL of your YouTube video
2. Paste it on DownSub and click "Download"
3. Select the language of subtitles (auto-generated English)
4. Download in TXT format to get pure text
5. Clean up the file (remove remaining timestamps)

Practical case: you want to extract subtitles from 10 videos in a playlist. With DownSub, you process the batch in 15 minutes instead of manual copy-pasting.

Method 3: AI Transcription for Better Quality and More Features#

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AI transcription tools analyze the video's audio directly. Result: better quality and advanced features.

AI Transcription Tools (Free with Limits)#

Otter.ai: 600 free minutes per month, real-time transcription, speaker identification.

Trint: 30-minute free trial, then paid, very accurate on English and French.

OpenAI Whisper: open source, free if you install locally, excellent accuracy.

How to Use Otter.ai#

1. Download the audio from your YouTube video (with a tool like yt-dlp)
2. Upload the audio file to Otter.ai
3. Launch transcription (a few minutes depending on duration)
4. Edit the text directly in the interface
5. Export in your format of choice (TXT, DOCX, SRT)

Usage example: a trainer transcribes their 60-minute webinars with Whisper. The quality is good enough to publish directly as blog content with minor corrections.

Comparison of the 3 Methods: Pros and Cons#

Recommendations by Profile#

How to Transform Your Subtitles into Newsletters with AI#

Retrieving text is good. Transforming it into an engaging newsletter is better. Here's how to transcribe a video into a newsletter automatically.

Manual Method with ChatGPT#

1. Paste your transcription into ChatGPT with this prompt: "Transform this transcription into an engaging newsletter. Structure: hook, 3 key points with examples, call-to-action. Casual tone, direct address."
2. Review the generated content to ensure it reflects your style
3. Add your personal links and calls-to-action
4. Format for sending in your email tool

Automated Method with Yeemel#

Yeemel automates the entire process to convert a podcast to email or transform any video into a ready-to-send newsletter.

The complete flow:

1. Paste the YouTube URL or upload your audio file
2. Yeemel transcribes automatically with 95%+ accuracy
3. AI generates 4 newsletters with different angles
4. You customize the style (direct, educational, inspiring, etc.)
5. You edit in the interface and send to your contacts

Concrete result: you go from 3 hours of writing to 10 minutes of validation. The newsletter is structured, engaging, and ready to convert.

Example: a business coach uploads their video "5 Mistakes That Kill Your Productivity". Yeemel automatically generates:

• Newsletter 1: "Common mistakes" angle
• Newsletter 2: "Practical solutions" angle
• Newsletter 3: "Client testimonial" angle
• Newsletter 4: "Step-by-step method" angle

The coach chooses their preferred angle, adjusts in 5 minutes, and sends to their 2000 subscribers.

Concrete Newsletter Use Cases#

You now have your YouTube subtitle text retrieved. Here's how to transform them into a lead generation machine:

Scenario 1 - The Business Coach:

• Video: "How to Set Your Coaching Rates"
• Generated newsletter: Problem/solution structure with pricing calculator as CTA
• Result: 15% of readers download the calculator = new qualified leads

Scenario 2 - The Tech Creator:

• Video: "New MacBook Pro Review"
• Newsletter: Pros/cons summary + naturally integrated Amazon affiliate links
• Result: Affiliate commissions on sales generated by email

Pro tip: Don't just extract subtitles. Transform them into content that provides value AND generates revenue. Your YouTube videos work twice as hard for you.

Try Yeemel for free to automatically transform your videos into engaging newsletters in under 10 minutes.