3 – Podcast Graphics: What Do I Need to Think About to Make Them Effective?

Hello there, and welcome to Podcaster Plus. The podcast offering tips and tricks. To simplify and automate your podcast. Find all the episodes at podcasterplus.com/show.

In this episode, we’re delving into the crucial world of podcast visuals. Specifically your podcast cover art and episode artwork.

These aren’t just pretty little pictures. They’re powerful marketing tools that can make or break your show’s success. Let’s divide the topic up into various different segments, shall we?

And we’ll start with segment one podcast cover art, the first impression.

Well, your podcast cover art is the first thing that potential listeners are going to see. It’s their initial impression, if you like, and it significantly influences whether they click to listen or not. Would you pick up a book with a blurry unappealing cover? Probably not. So what makes cover art effective?

Well meet directory requirements. Start with the technicalities. Every podcast directory, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and so on, has specific requirements for image sizes, resolution, and file type. Failing to meet these means that your podcast won’t be listed. Check Apple Podcast requirements for a good starting point, as many platforms use something similar to that. A helpful tool for previewing your artwork across different platforms is also available online.

Now, try and represent your brand. Your cover art should visually communicate your podcast tone, subject message. Is it a comedy? Perhaps a serious news show? What about true crime? The visual should really reflect that.

Consider using consistent imagery, fonts, and colors across all of your branding materials. So that could be your website, social media, merchandise, and do all of that to build brand recognition.

Know your audience. Who you’re trying to reach? Understanding your target audience’s demographics and preferences will help you design artwork which resonates with them. A younger audience is probably going to respond to brighter colors, modern designs, whilst older audiences might prefer something more classic.

So research the competition. Look at the cover art of successful podcasts in your niche. What works well? What stands out? But don’t copy. Use this research to inspire your own unique designs.

Keep it simple, keep it engaging. Avoid overly busy designs. Clear concise images with minimal text is way more effective than a cluttered image. Make sure your podcast title is really prominent. And easily readable even on small sizes, like the little images you might find on a podcast player on the phone.

Aim for memorable but subtle, engaging, but clear and concise. Avoid using emojis, icons, that kind of thing. Opting instead for original imagery.

It goes without saying avoid explicit content. Always avoid that with things like language, imagery, or references to illegal activities. This is a requirement of many podcast directories, and violating these rules could lead to your podcast being removed from those platforms.

Choose your fonts wisely. Select readable fonts even when shrunk down to tiny sizes. Stick to one or two fonts to avoid visual confusion. Avoid overused fonts like aerial and Times New Roman.

Consider dark mode. Many users use dark mode on their devices, meaning that they prefer everything that’s normally white to be dark. Ensure your artwork looks good against both light and dark backgrounds.

Also, get feedback. Before finalizing your design, get feedback from friends, families, and colleagues. A fresh perspective can be invaluable.

Now compress your images as well. This means large file sizes lead to longer load times. Compressing your images to optimize it for mobile devices without sacrificing quality is a good idea. There’s loads of online tools that can help you do this.

And remember, you can edit things later. Don’t stress about it being perfect the first time around. You can always update your cover art as your podcast evolves.

Okay, that’s segment one. Now segment two, episode artwork, adding visual interest.

While your podcast art is essential, episode artwork can add another layer of engagement. Now, this is completely optional, but it’s a great way to highlight the episode’s guests, content that might be unique to that episode, et cetera.

Now, distinct branding. Episode artwork should have a distinct visual branding separate from your show and channel artwork. Don’t use your cover as episode art, because the two will be displayed together.

Avoid repeating titles. Episode titles are displayed in the user interface under the artwork, so avoid repeating the episode title in the episode art.

Art Safe area. Keep all essential design elements within the art safe area. Anything placed outside of this is subject to cropping and might be lost when it’s viewed on different devices. So stick to the central part, in the middle of the image.

And high resolution. Use high resolution images to ensure your artwork looks crisp whatever device is being used.

Segment three, the final segment, tools and resources.

Creating effective podcast graphics doesn’t require professional design skills. There are many free and paid tools available online, and here’s some suggestions.

Firstly, Canva, a user-friendly graphic design tool with numerous templates so that you can just click and get started.

There’s Adobe Express. This is another free graphic design tool with a wide range of templates and resources.

And also think about hiring freelancers. If you prefer professional help, consider hiring a graphic designer. There are online platforms like 99 Designs, which offer contests, while others specialize in podcast artwork.

So there you go. That’s what I’ve got for you this time around.

Remember, your podcast artwork is a crucial element of your brand. Invest the time and effort to create visuals that are both appealing and effective in attracting new listeners.

Thank you very much for tuning into the Podcaster Plus Podcast. You can find it at podcasterplus.com/show. And we’ll see you next time for some more tips and tricks to simplify and automate your podcast.