Turn a YouTube link into a podcast episode
Paste a YouTube link. If English captions exist, Lissin writes the episode from them. You don't get the original audio or a channel RSS feed.
The short answer
YouTube to podcast usually means saving the video's own audio. Lissin doesn't do that, and it won't follow a channel or publish an RSS feed of one. Paste one video link in the iPhone app. If YouTube has English captions, Lissin writes a new episode from what was said.
How to do it
Work out which thing you want
If you want the soundtrack with the screen off, play it in YouTube. Lissin doesn't download that audio, and it doesn't subscribe to a channel. If you want a shorter episode written from the captions, stay here.
Paste one video
A watch link, a youtu.be link or a Short. A channel page or a playlist isn't treated as a video. The other YouTube page explains captions, several links in one episode, and what happens when the English captions aren't there.
Say what to keep
The argument in order, two hosts, or only the part you care about. Captions mishear names and numbers, and the episode will repeat those mistakes. Check anything you'd quote against the video.
At a glance
- What you paste
- One watch link, a youtu.be link, or a Short
- What Lissin reads
- The English captions, plus the title and the channel name
- What you don't get
- The video's own audio, a followed channel, or an RSS feed
- Where you make it
- iPhone, on iOS 26 or later. No iPad app and no Android app
Hear what comes out
Shows already published on Lissin, free to play in the browser.
Questions
- Do I get the video's audio as a podcast file?
- No. Lissin writes a new script from the English captions and voices that. The speakers' own voices, the music, and anything that was only on screen stay out of the episode.
- Can it follow a channel?
- No. Paste each video. A recurring show can research a subject on the web, and that research can include YouTube pages, but it doesn't read a channel's captions on a schedule.
- What if there are no English captions?
- Lissin can't use the video. The request stops with an error. If you also asked a question, it researches the web instead, and that episode won't follow the video.
- Can I do this on Android?
- No. You make the episode on iPhone. There's no iPad app. Once it's made, you can share it as a web link.
What this does not do
Lissin needs English captions. It doesn't keep the video's audio, and a channel or a playlist doesn't become a podcast feed. Comments, and anything on screen that nobody says, aren't read. You make the episode on iPhone, iOS 26 or later. There's no Android app and no iPad app.
Sources
Make your own show, or hear a sample
Make a show from your topic or documents in the Lissin iPhone app (iOS 26 or later). Or listen to public shows in the web player without installing the app.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026 by Lissin Editorial.