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How to Use Descript to Create Business Marketing and Instructional Materials

Descript is one of the fastest ways to turn messy audio and video into polished marketing assets and clear internal training content. What makes it especially useful is how AI is baked into the workflow.

Descript uses AI to: – Automatically transcribe audio and video into editable text – Let you edit video and audio by editing words on the page – Clean up filler words, pauses, and background noise – Generate captions, summaries, and clips without manual timelines

Instead of learning traditional video editing software, you work in plain language and let the AI handle the technical heavy lifting.

This guide shows a simple, repeatable workflow you can use for: – Marketing: short promos, social clips, customer stories, webinars – Instructional materials: screen recordings, SOP walkthroughs, internal how-to videos, onboarding

What you need

  • A Descript account and the Descript desktop app
  • A decent mic (optional but helpful). AirPods work fine to start
  • Your source material: a recording, Zoom file, phone video, or screen recording
  • A folder for assets (logo, brand colours, intro/outro music if you use it)

Choose your output first

Before you open Descript, decide what you are making. Pick one: – A. Marketing clip (15–60 seconds): one message, one call-to-action – B. Explainer video (1–3 minutes): problem → solution → next step – C. Instructional walkthrough (3–10 minutes): show the steps on screen, minimal fluff

This decision stops you from editing forever.

Step-by-step: the simple Descript workflow

Step 1: Create a new project

  1. Open Descript
  2. Click New → create a project (name it with a date + topic)
  3. Import your file, or record directly in Descript

Tip: If you are doing instructional content, record a screen walkthrough first, even if it’s rough. You can tidy it later.

Step 2: Generate and review the transcript

This is where Descript’s AI does most of the work.

Descript automatically transcribes your audio or video using AI speech recognition.

  1. Let Descript generate the transcript
  2. Skim and fix obvious errors (names, product terms, acronyms)
  3. Add speaker labels if it’s a conversation

Because the transcript is the edit, a quick review here saves time later.

This matters because your edit quality depends on transcript accuracy.

Step 3: Cut ruthlessly using the transcript (AI-assisted)

Instead of dragging clips on a timeline, you simply delete text.

  1. Remove tangents and repeated ideas directly from the transcript
  2. Let Descript’s AI automatically remove filler words if you choose
  3. Tighten sentences so the message stays clear and focused

The AI handles the underlying audio and video edits for you.

Rule of thumb: If it doesn’t help the viewer take the next step, cut it.

Step 4: Clean up audio with AI

Descript uses AI to improve audio quality without manual tuning.

You can: – Reduce background noise – Even out volume levels – Remove filler words and long pauses

Apply these lightly. The goal is clarity, not perfection. Overuse can make speech sound artificial.

Step 5: Build your structure

Now make it easy to follow.

For marketing content

Use this structure: 1. Hook: what’s in it for them 2. Proof or example: one specific benefit 3. Next step: what you want them to do

For instructional content

Use this structure: 1. Outcome: what they’ll be able to do by the end 2. Prereqs: logins, access, files 3. Steps: do the work in order 4. Common mistakes: what to watch for 5. Wrap: what “done” looks like

Step 6: Add visuals, captions, and branding

In Descript you can add: – Captions (highly recommended) – A title card or lower thirds – Your logo and consistent fonts – A simple intro/outro (keep it short)

Best practice: Don’t let branding overpower clarity. Instructional content should prioritise readability.

Step 7: Create variations from one master using AI

This is where Descript’s AI saves the most time.

From one good recording you can quickly create: – A full-length video for your website or YouTube – Short social clips by trimming text – Captions and summaries generated automatically – Written content you can reuse for blogs or SOPs

Duplicate the composition and let the AI-assisted editing do the hard work for each format.

Step 8: Export correctly

Choose export settings based on where the content will live. – Social clips: export a version that suits the platform’s aspect ratio – Website or YouTube: export in a standard video format – Internal training: export with captions where possible

Name your exports clearly: YYYY-MM-DD_topic_platform_version

Two practical examples

Example 1: 30-second marketing clip

  1. Import a longer recording (webinar, meeting, phone video)
  2. Find one strong moment that contains a complete idea
  3. Cut it to a single message
  4. Add a caption headline and a CTA

Result: One clip that is easy to consume and easy to act on.

Example 2: SOP walkthrough for staff

  1. Record your screen doing the process once
  2. Import and generate transcript
  3. Cut any waiting time, repetition, and side commentary
  4. Add on-screen step markers like “Step 1, Step 2, Step 3”
  5. Add a final screen showing what success looks like

Result: A training asset people will actually use.

Text and Image to Video with AI (When You Don’t Want to Record)

Descript also supports AI-assisted script-first and asset-first video creation, which is useful when you don’t want to record yourself on camera.

Option 1: Text to video (script-first)

If you already have written content, AI can help turn it into video quickly.

How it works: 1. Start with a short script or outline (marketing message or instructions) 2. Paste or write it directly in Descript 3. Use AI voice narration if appropriate, or record a clean voice track 4. Add simple visuals, captions, and structure

Good for: – Product explainers – Internal announcements – Training introductions

Tip: Keep scripts conversational. AI narration works best when the language sounds natural.

Option 2: Image to video (asset-first)

If you have screenshots, slides, or diagrams, Descript can help turn them into a short video.

How it works: 1. Import images, slides, or diagrams 2. Arrange them in order 3. Add a voiceover or captions 4. Use AI-assisted timing and captions to keep pace consistent

Good for: – SOP walkthroughs – Tool explanations – Before/after comparisons

When to use text or image to video

  • You need speed over polish
  • You want consistency across multiple videos
  • You are documenting a process, not telling a story

When not to use it

  • High-emotion brand storytelling
  • Leadership messages where authenticity matters

AI helps here by reducing production friction, but human judgement still matters for tone and trust.

Common mistakes to avoid

Responsible and practical use

Descript can speed up editing, but it should not replace accountability. If you generate voiceovers or use AI-assisted features, be transparent internally, avoid sensitive data, and keep a human review step before publishing.

Quick checklist

  • Outcome defined
  • Transcript checked
  • Cuts made fast
  • Audio cleaned lightly
  • Captions added
  • Branding consistent but minimal
  • Export named correctly
  • Human review before publish

If you want, I can tailor this into two versions for Changeable: – A marketing-focused guide with a reusable script template – An instructional/SOP guide with a screen recording storyboard

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