BeyondWords
The all-in-one AI audio CMS built for publishers
About BeyondWords
BeyondWords (formerly SpeechKit) turns published articles into AI-narrated audio for news and media publishers. It connects to the CMS (WordPress, Ghost, RSS, Magic Embed, or API), generates audio with premade or cloned voices, and serves it through a customizable, WCAG 2-compliant player with built-in analytics and monetization. Publishers such as Schibsted, The Irish Times, SPH Media, and La Nación use it to add listening to their articles.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Built specifically for publisher workflows, so editors keep working in their CMS while audio generates automatically
- Audio updates when an article changes, with pricing positioned to avoid runaway regeneration fees
- Instant and professional voice cloning lets journalists or a brand voice narrate articles
- Fine-grained pronunciation controls handle names, local places, and financial terms
- Built-in monetization through VAST and Google Ad Manager audio and video ads
- Privacy-first analytics that work without cookies and integrate with Google Analytics
Cons
- No public pricing or self-serve sign-up; you must book a sales demo
- Aimed at publishers, so it's overkill for individuals who only need simple text-to-speech
- WordPress plugin reviews are mixed (3.6 out of 5 on WordPress.org)
- Voices are powered by a third-party provider (ElevenLabs), so voice quality depends on that model
Key Features
Automatic audio articles
Generates audio for selected posts and pages as they publish and regenerates it when an article changes, with bulk generation for back catalogs.
CMS integrations
WordPress plugin, Ghost integration, RSS Importer, a one-snippet Magic Embed, and a full API for custom publishing workflows.
Voice cloning
Instant clones from about five seconds of audio, professional clones ready in about 24 hours from five recorded articles, or a premade voice library covering 154 languages and accents.
Customizable audio player
Embeddable player that matches your brand, meets WCAG 2 accessibility standards, and supports word highlighting, with JavaScript, iOS, and Android SDKs.
Pronunciation controls
Rules to correct how names, dates, stock symbols, and other terms are spoken, plus audio review before publishing.
Audio analytics
Cookieless, GDPR-compliant analytics for plays, engagement rate, playback time, retention, and device type, with a Google Analytics integration.
Monetization
Programmatic audio and video ads through Google Ad Manager or any VAST ad server, your own campaigns, or ad-free audio as a subscriber benefit.
Podcast and playlist distribution
Builds playlists and podcast feeds that publish to Spotify and Apple Podcasts, plus shareable and downloadable audio.
AI summaries
OpenAI integration generates shorter audio and video summaries tailored to your editorial tone.
Pricing
- Pricing quoted after a demo, based on company size and monthly publishing volume
- CMS integration and voice cloning
- SOC 2 and GDPR compliance
- Pricing that scales with publishing volume
Best For
Audio editions of news articles
News publishers add a listen option to every article automatically, reaching readers who prefer audio and increasing time on site.
Branded journalist voices
Media brands clone the voices of their journalists or editors so articles are narrated in familiar, on-brand voices.
Subscriber retention
Publishers make full, ad-free audio a subscriber benefit and use previews to drive registrations and subscriptions.
Audio ad revenue
Ad-supported publishers serve programmatic audio and video ads in the player to open a new revenue stream.
Article-to-podcast distribution
Research, insights, and blog publishers turn written content into podcast feeds on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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