You may not even realize how important the role of your podcast cover art is, but now you do, cuz we’re telling you! Great podcast cover art can help you gain listeners and fans and help your podcast be readily recognizable by the masses. While you might not think creating cover art could be challenging, in truth, there’s a lot to think about when it comes to your final design.
At Headliner, we’re experts in podcast videos, not cover art, which is why we turn to experts like Ana Gotter from Snappa and Alban Brooke from Buzzsprout to give us all the insider tips and tricks. You can check out their excellent and expert advice later; for now, here are a few important takeaways for making successful podcast cover art!
Tell a Story
No matter what your podcast is about, your cover art should tell a visual story; listeners should be able to identify your podcast’s topic and genre somewhat. Basically, you want to show potential listeners what you’re all about and give them an idea of whether or not they would enjoy your content. Choose images that relate to your podcast’s topic. If you have a podcast about baking, you could, for example, include images of baked goods and oven mitts. If your podcast is about you, stick your face on that cover art!
Don’t Over-Complicate
Regardless of the image or images you choose, be sure not to over-complicate your design. Cover art is often displayed in a small format on mobile devices and listening platforms, so you’ll want to be sure your audience can actually find the information they need. Including too many details or long blocks of text can make your podcast look unprofessional and unapproachable, so stick to simple themes and easily recognizable images and icons.
Avoid Clichés
Items like headphones, microphones, and similar “podcasty” imagery have been heavily overused in podcast cover art, and honestly, we aren’t even sure why! Most of these end up looking like the kind of cover art you would make for a podcast about making podcasts, which is typically not the topic at hand. As mentioned above, it’s important to let your audience know what your podcast is about with your cover art, so don’t fall prey to the cliché bug and stick to your show’s topic!
*Interested in guest posting here? Know a lot about podcast cover art and want to write about it with a link back to your site? Get in touch with our team and you could be Headliner’s next great guest blogger!
