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Automatically create and embed audio versions of Ghost posts.
This guide explains how to connect your Ghost site to BeyondWords using the BeyondWords Ghost integration. This allows you to automatically create and embed audio versions of your posts.

1. Set up the custom integration

  1. 1.
    Log into your Ghost admin dashboard
  2. 2.
    Go to 'Settings' then 'Integrations'
  3. 3.
    Select 'Add custom integration'
  4. 4.
    Enter the name 'BeyondWords' then select 'Create'
  5. 5.
    Keep the Admin API key and API URL on hand for later

2. Set up your BeyondWords project

  1. 1.
    Sign into your BeyondWords account (don't have one? Create your free account)
  2. 2.
    Go to your project dashboard (don't have one? Create a project)
  3. 3.
    Go to the 'Content' section then select 'Ghost' under 'Connect your CMS' (already created audio? You will need to navigate to 'Settings (Integration)' instead)
  4. 4.
    Copy and paste the Admin API key and API URL from Ghost into the corresponding fields, then select 'Test' — you should get a 'Success' message
  5. 5.
    Copy the audio player script for use in the next stage
  6. 6.
    Select 'Save changes'
Optional:

3. Insert the audio player script

Please read our advice if you are sending email newsletters via Ghost.
  1. 1.
    Go to 'Settings' in your Ghost admin
  2. 2.
    Select 'Code injection'
  3. 3.
    Paste the audio player script into a new line in 'Site Footer' then select 'Save'
The BeyondWords x Ghost integration should now be installed, activated, and enabled. BeyondWords will automatically create audio versions of new posts, with each conversion using characters. Once processed (this should take just a few minutes), the audio version will be automatically embedded into the source page via the Small Player.

Sending email newsletters

If you are sending email newsletters via Ghost, please note that audio player will not render in the email version. This is because email clients automatically disable these elements for security.
If subscribers are not aware of audio functionality upfront, they may be less likely to click through — especially when they are on the go. It's therefore a good idea to advertise audio functionality in your emails using one of these methods:
  1. 1.
    Embed audio directly: Rather than using the audio player script, you can download your audio and manually upload it to your Ghost post (using the 'Audio' block in the editor). The audio will render in an audio player that is previewed in the email version.
  2. 2.
    Add email-only content: When you are personalizing your email newsletter using the 'Email content' block, this is a good opportunity to mention audio functionality. Make sure your subscribers know they can read or listen to your post.

FAQs

Will my old posts be converted into audio?
BeyondWords will not automatically convert pre-existing Ghost posts into audio. However, you can trigger audio processing by updating an old post.
You can also manually convert old posts into audio using the TTS Editor and then use a HTML card to embed via iFrame.
What happens when I update a post?
If you update a post in Ghost, BeyondWords will automatically create or reprocess the audio. Reprocessing will only use additional characters if you add paragraphs or change voices.
If you wish to disable automatic reprocessing:
  1. 1.
    Go to the 'Content (Audios)' section of your project dashboard
  2. 2.
    Hover on the audio you would like to disable CMS updates for
  3. 3.
    Select '⋮' to open the submenu, then select 'Disable CMS updates'
If you wish to edit the audio without editing your post, you can do so using the TTS Editor. You can edit the wording, change voices at a title and paragraph level, and insert your own audio clips. See our guide to editing audio for more information.
Will the integration slow down my website?
Our Ghost integration should not slow down your website. We’ve designed BeyondWords to minimize any effect on latency. The JavaScript player is lightweight and embedded via an iFrame, which means that it only loads after all other page content has loaded. We’re also the only text-to-speech service that transcodes audio for HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), which splits audio into 15-second segments at different bit rates to ensure frictionless listening.
Can I share my audio versions elsewhere?
Yes, there are many other ways to distribute audio versions of your Ghost posts.
All of your audio versions will be available in the 'Content (Audios)' section of your project dashboard, where you can:
You can also distribute your audio via playlists, which can be embedded, shared via URL, or distributed via podcast feed.

Player FAQs

What does the audio player look like? Can it be customized?
The audio player script uses the Small Player UI. This is a streamlined audio player specially designed for on-page narration, and it can be customized in the 'Settings (Player)' section of your project dashboard.
Where will the player appear?
While the audio player script is inserted into the Site Footer section, the player will be embedded below the header, at the top of your audio-enabled posts. If you would like to change this default position, you can edit your post.hbs template and add an empty div with the class ‘speechkit-container’ where you would like to see the player.
Can I remove the player from specific posts?
Yes, you can remove the automatically embedded player from specific Ghost posts by deleting or unpublishing the corresponding audio. However, please note that this will affect any other distributions of the audio.
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