Present your podcast
Presenting your podcast means bundling together all the important pieces of information that make up your vision for the show. From the content to your verbal and visual design, well-done packaging makes it easy for you to convey what your show is about to potential guests, advertisers, journalists, networks, and even to Apple.
Find your voice.
When you’re writing about your podcast, think about the vocabulary, energy, and personality that you or your host bring to every episode. Writing to match your show’s tone helps potential listeners know what to expect. It may even prime them for fandom before they start listening. Having a consistent voice is also critical for building a brand. A unique voice and tone help listeners instantly recognize your show when they hear it.
Fine-tune your show description.
We briefly touched on what to include in your show description when writing your brief, but let’s dig a little deeper into writing a show description.
Your description should tell listeners what kind of content you talk about and explain how people can benefit from listening. If you need a little help, think about how you can convey the problem you’re trying to solve in a way that convinces listeners they should care.
Include keywords within your description to make it easy for listeners to find you. Think about what words your audience will be searching for when they’re looking for a new podcast. After you’ve written your first draft, share it with a friend or colleague you trust to get their thoughts. You’ve only got a few sentences, so leave out details like the name of your show and where to find it — that information will already be visible on the Apple Podcasts app.
Create a tagline. Keep it short and sweet.
Now that you’ve got a description, try condensing it down to a tagline. A tagline is a short, catchy way to let people know why they should listen to your show. If you were a guest on another podcast, what’s the one line you can say that perfectly sums up your show? What would you say that would get people to listen? Remember, sometimes less is more.
Take a look at how these podcasts turned their description into a tagline.
Write episode titles that hook listeners.
The title of your episode is your first chance to convince potential listeners to press play.
Don’t worry about including your show’s name and upload date in your title. Those details will already be visible on Apple Podcasts, and episode numbers should be added through the appropriate tags in your RSS feed. Lead with your most eye-catching, important information like trending topics, big-name guests, or an interesting preview of the episode.
While every episode’s title should be unique, stick to a consistent layout for your titles to help keep them clear and catchy.
Define your design.
Your show is also defined by what the audience sees, which is known as a visual identity. It’s called an identity because it has its own presence that people will come to recognize. As your podcast finds new listeners and begins to grow, it will be important for your audience to be able to pick your show out of the crowd.
Design your podcast logo.
Your podcast logo turns the name of your show into a visual mark that helps convey what your content will be about. It can be used on everything from your cover art to merchandise to your email signature. Think back to those words in your brief that describe your premise and personality. Reference them while you consider what fonts and visuals to use. Choose a font that can be easily read on a phone or Apple Watch, and stick to simple imagery that’s easy to recognize and understand.
Create your podcast cover art.
Your show cover is a lot like the cover for a book or music album. When it’s beautiful, memorable, or exciting, it can draw a listener in. Its purpose is to stand out and catch your listener’s eye when they’re looking for a show.
When making your cover, it’s good to ask yourself, “Does this tell people what my show is about?” A quick way to achieve this is to design with a single point of focus. Zero in on one image or visual expression that says what you want to say, and design around that. And be creative — don’t just use imagery of microphones to convey that it’s a podcast. The goal is to create visuals unique to your show.
Also, use words sparingly. Your cover art for Apple Podcasts will be seen on various devices and screens, and needs to be readable when it scales. The more a person has to read, the longer it will take for them to decide if they should click and listen.
See below for an example of a simple but powerful cover art design.
Check out our recommended best practices for designing your artwork
Create your episode cover art.
While podcast cover art is required for every submission, episode covers are optional — but encouraged. Unlike cover art for your show, artwork for each episode is meant to be versatile. Fresh episode art grabs the eye, and if listeners follow you on social media, they might get tired of seeing the same series-level art over and over. Unique artwork that focuses on the guests or topics covered gives you an to opportunity to draw in new listeners or hook existing listeners with each new episode.
Now that you have a clearly defined vision, create a compelling trailer for your show.