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Set up the WordPress plugin

Learn how to set up the BeyondWordsWordPress plugin.
This guide explains how to set up the BeyondWords for WordPress plugin. Once complete, posts and pages from your chosen categories will be made listenable automatically (your content will be imported to your project, converted into audio, and then embedded via a customizable player).
The BeyondWords plugin works with pages, posts, and custom post types that have 'custom-fields' in the 'supports' array. See this WordPress resource for guidance.

1. 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 'WordPress' under 'Connect your CMS' (already created audio? You will need to navigate to 'Settings (Integration)' instead)
  4. 4.
    Keep the API credentials (Project ID and API key) on hand for later
Optional:

2. Install the plugin on WordPress

  1. 1.
    Log into your WP Admin dashboard
  2. 2.
    From the left-hand menu, select 'Plugins' then 'Add New'
  3. 3.
    Search for 'BeyondWords', select the plugin, then select 'Install and activate'
  4. 4.
    Once installed, select the 'Manage Plugins' button — you will be redirected to the 'Installed Plugins' page
  5. 5.
    Select 'Settings' in the BeyondWords plugin (at this stage, we also recommend enabling auto-updates — this will ensure you don't miss any improvements to the plugin)
  6. 6.
    Follow the instructions provided to authenticate your account and determine your settings — if your custom post type is not appearing, please add 'custom-fields' in the 'supports' array (see this WordPress resource for guidance)
  7. 7.
    Select 'Save Settings'
The BeyondWords for WordPress plugin should now be installed, activated, and enabled. For posts and pages in eligible categories, audio will be processed automatically. This uses characters, and processing typically takes a couple of minutes.
The player will only render on pages where the corresponding audio is processed and published.

FAQs

What if my posts are created programmatically?
To request audio for posts that are created programatically (for example, with wp_insert_post), set the custom field speechkit_generate_audio with the value of 1.
This will send the post content to the BeyondWords API for processing immediately after the post is created in WordPress.
If you are using the wp_insert_post function, $fire_after_hooks will be set to true by default. This is a requirement — if you set this parameter to false, audio generation will fail.
For more information, please see this WordPress guide.
Which fields will be converted into audio?
BeyondWords will convert your WordPress title and body content into audio using the default voice set for each.
If you would like excerpts to be included in audio versions, you can use the 'Process excerpts' setting in the plugin settings. Excerpts will be prepended to your body content, meaning that they will be read aloud after the title and in the default voice chosen for body content.
Can I prevent certain elements from being processed into audio?
Yes, if you are using the Block Editor you can disable audio processing for any paragraph. Click anywhere in the paragraph you'd like to exclude then:
  • Select the speaker icon in the block toolbar ('Disable audio processing') so that the sound waves are removed from the icon, OR
  • Switch the toggle in the BeyondWords section of the block sidebar so that it says 'Audio processing disabled'
You can also place elements within <figcaption> or <aside> HTML tags, or the following classes, to prevent them from being processed into audio:
  • .callout
  • .definition
  • .divduo
  • .pullquote
  • .float-out--left
  • .float-out--right
  • .float-out--right--top
Will my old posts be converted into audio?
BeyondWords will not automatically convert pre-existing WordPress posts or pages into audio. However, you can generate audio for old posts or pages by using 'Bulk actions' or updating a post with 'Generate audio' checked.
Can I share my audio versions elsewhere?
Yes, there are many other ways to distribute audio versions of your WordPress pages and posts.
All of your audio versions will be available in the 'Content (Audios)' section of your BeyondWords 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 WordPress plugin uses the Small Player by default. 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.
If you would rather use the Medium Player, you can use the speechkit_js_player_params filter. This can also be customized in 'Settings (Player)'.
Where will the audio player appear?
By default, our WordPress plugin prepends the player before the first part of the_content(), which you should find in your PHP templates. This means it should appear directly above your body content.
You can change the location of the player via your WordPress Editor.
The player will be automatically embedded into pages with processed and published audio. It will not be rendered on pages where an audio version is unavailable.