A waveform is a graph showing changes in audio amplitude over time. A waveform represents the levels of a given audio clip by increasing as levels rise, and decreasing as they drop. Waveforms are used in several industries, for example, by cardiologists to analyze the electrical activity of a heart over time. 

All sounds have their own unique waveforms, and by measuring them, they can even be replicated. Synthesizers generate musical notes by replicating particular waveforms, allowing musicians to control and mix waveforms to create unique harmonics. 

Beyond the many uses of basic and complex waveforms, they also happen to look super cool, which is why the team at Headliner has made it so easy to add them to your short videos. Within the Headliner app’s Audiogram Wizard, we’ve built a simple waveform generator, which allows users to add clips of their own audio. The waveform generator creates a waveform from your unique audio in any style you want. Seriously, everything is customizable. 

Here, we want to go over the basic steps you’ll need to quickly generate a waveform within the Headliner app, and to discuss why you should be adding waveforms to all your promotional podcast videos. 

Getting Started with Headliner

Even though most of our users are podcasters, radio hosts, or authors with audiobooks, our focus at Headliner is on video, not audio. Video, as it turns out, is the best way to promote pretty much everything, which is why we are constantly encouraging audio artists to delve into the world of video by using our app. 

The Headliner app is the easiest way to create videos, whether or not you have any experience from before. Our goal at Headliner was to create a platform that would allow podcasters at every level to create high-quality promotional videos that would help spread awareness of their shows and build their audience. You shouldn’t have to be a professional video editor or pay thousands to a marketing company to get a quality video, and that’s where Headliner shines. 

Headliner’s features allow users to create short videos and audiograms complete with tons of customizable options. You can add animations, GIFs, captions, custom backgrounds, video, and lots more to make your videos your own, but by far the most popular thing to add to podcast audiograms is a waveform. 

When you use Headliner, you have the option to either upload an audio file, or let Headliner choose a clip from one of your episodes for you. From this clip, the Headliner waveform generator creates a waveform, which can be represented in a variety of styles – which you’ll see below, so keep reading!

Once your waveform is generated, you can add it to any video you create with Headliner to add visual interest and to signal to followers scrolling through social media that they should stop and take a listen. You see, one of the biggest problems audio creators have had in the past is that social media platforms have yet to create an easy way to share audio clips, meaning most podcasters have had to stick to writing out text posts with links to their content included somewhere in the text. 

Social media platforms are best suited for static images and video, which is why content creators like YouTubers, makeup artists, models, and designers have found so much success marketing on these platforms. Rather than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, we decided we needed to bridge the gap to create an easy way for podcasters to promote on social. 

Above all else, people widely prefer watching videos to looking at static images or reading long text posts. Someone casually scrolling through Instagram may not take notice of a still image of your podcast’s cover art, but they will stop when they see a brightly colored waveform wiggling around on their screen. Adding moving elements like waveforms to even the most basic audiograms can seriously increase your viewer engagement, and help you to attract the attention of those that might not otherwise have stopped to watch. 

With Headliner, you can make your videos as simple or as complicated as you want them to be, and can add as many or as few extra elements as you would like. Key to the Headliner experience is how easy we make it to both create and share amazing podcast videos. Once you’ve generated a waveform, created your audiogram, and settled on the final touches, you can upload your videos directly to your social media accounts from the app. 

How to Generate a Waveform Video with Headliner’s Audiogram Wizard

We’ve been telling you how easy it is to generate waveform videos with the Headliner Audiogram Wizard, so now, it’s time to show you the goods. Here, we’ve laid out a simple 6 step how-to guide for creating your first waveform video, plus some tips to help make your audiograms extra successful.

1. Create or Log In to Your Headliner Account 

The first step in generating a waveform video on Headliner is to create a Headliner account, or log in if you already have an account. Sign up is super fast, and you’ll be ready to create an audiogram in no time at all. 

2. Click the Blue Audiogram Wizard Tile On The Create Page

Once you are logged in, the next step is to simply select the type of video you want to create. In this case, we’re teaching you how to create a waveform using the Audiogram Wizard, so you’ll want to click the blue tile. The Audiogram Wizard is ideal for creating short promo videos to share directly to social, but there are options if you want to go longer as well. 

For future reference, the ‘Full Episode’ option is great for creating long-form videos if you like to upload full episodes of your podcast to video platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. The ‘Video Transcription’ option turns your audio into text, which you can use to caption your videos. You also have the option to let Headliner handle the creating by choosing ‘Podcast AutoVideos’ where we’ll automatically generate audiograms based on clips from your most recent episodes. 

3. Search for Your Podcast Name or Upload Your Preselected Audio

If you have the audio file you want to use ready to go, this step allows you to upload the file directly to Headliner. If you don’t have the file handy, Headliner can find any episode of your podcast for you. Simply enter the name of your podcast, copy and paste an RSS feed link, or share a descript link where we can find your show. 

4. Select the Clip from Your Audio You Want to Turn Into a Waveform Video

Within the Audiogram Wizard, you can create videos up to 10 minutes in length, which can then be posted to promote new episodes on your social media accounts. Scroll through the audio to find the portion you want to include, then select a short clip of up to 10 minutes to move on to the next step. 

5. Choose the Aspect Ratio You Want Your Waveform Video To Be 

You’re getting close to completing your first Headliner audiogram, but first, you’ll need to choose the aspect ratio of your podcast video. Every social media platform has preferred or optimal aspect ratios for their content, so choosing the one that best fits the platform you plan to share on will help to make your video appear more professional and be easier to view. 

In this step, you can choose between three aspect ration options: 

  • Landscape (16:9) – best for YouTube and embedded website videos
  • Square (1:1) – best for Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
  • Verticle (9:16) – best for Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and TikTok

6. Select the Audio Waveform & Customize 

Before you put the final customized details on your audiogram, you’ll get to choose from one of our awesome waveform styles. Waveforms don’t have to be the simple graph you are used to seeing, and our team has come up with some super creative options so you have plenty to choose from. Along with being able to choose the style of your waveform, we’ve even made it possible to customize its color, placement, and size. 

If you selected your podcast via search, your cover art will automatically be included as the background of your video. If you want to change the background to be a different image or a solid color, this is the time to do so. In the final step, you’ll also be able to choose whether you want to include text, a progress bar, or any other special features. 

There you have it! Your audio is now a waveform video ready to be shared on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and all other places videos are supported. 

Do you want to learn more about promoting your podcast with video? Visit Headliner online to download the app, and be sure to check out the Headliner blog for more tutorials and information.