Podcast Cover Optimization Archives

Nov 14

How to Calculate the Impact of Podcast Visibility Optimization

By Alexis Hue Podcast Analytics, Podcast Cover Optimization, Podcast Visibility Optimization

Podcast Visibility Optimization (PVO) helps increase your podcast’s reach by improving its position in search results on listening platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. This article will walk you through simple steps to measure the impact of PVO on impressions and downloads so you can track your progress and calculate its ROI effectively.

What is Podcast Visibility Optimization?

Podcast Visibility Optimization (PVO) focuses on boosting your podcast’s visibility across major audio platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Deezer. The goal? To get your podcast in front of more listeners by appearing at the top of relevant search queries.

How much of your audience is driven by search vs. – other activities such as social media or PR could easily be estimated by looking at your Spotify dashboard. In the example below, Search represents 30% of Impressions, a benchmark that most of our clients’ shows tend to exceed.

Podcast Visibility Optimization’s first impact: increased Search Impressions

As mentioned above, the goal of Podcast Visibility Optimization (PVO) is to increase the visibility of a podcast on audio platforms’ internal search results.

The core objective of PVO is not just to rank highly for search queries but to ensure potential listeners are discovering your podcast. After all, there’s no point in having top-ranking positions if the podcast isn’t being shown to a significant number of users on platforms like Spotify.

If a podcast has a high ranking on several keywords but a low number of impressions, it likely means the search terms it’s optimized for have a low search volume. This would not translate to valuable discoverability and discovery for the podcast.

So, with PVO, it’s crucial to track Search Impressions. As outlined in our previous article, Spotify Impression Data: What It Means and How to Use It, the “search impressions” metric in Spotify analytics represents the number of times your podcast appeared in users’ search results

This helps gauge the podcast’s overall visibility and relevance within the platform’s search results. To date, only the Spotify for Podcasters dashboard provides this impression data, allowing podcasters to monitor the impact of their optimization efforts.

Spotify’s search impression metrics are a relatively new feature. Currently, Spotify provides data in a rolling 30-day format without options to export or view historical data. To track progress, you’ll need to regularly record these metrics manually. Although time-consuming, this helps gauge which PVO tactics are working and refine your strategy.

Podcast Visibility Optimization’s second impact: increased downloads

Like every online marketing funnel, more impressions translate directly into more downloads. Spotify for Creators (formerly Spotify for Podcasters) provides a clear visualization of your podcasts’ funnel.

On your dashboard, you will find two conversion rates:

People you reached to People who showed interest. We like to call it “seen to clicked”.
People who showed interest to People who streamed. We like to call it “clicked to downloaded”.

So, by simply applying the conversion rates to your increase in search impressions, you can estimate the number of extra downloads you won by improving your show’s visibility.

Here is an example:

Before Podcast Visibility Optimization:

Search Impressions: 500,000
“Seen to Clicked” Conversion Rate: 10%
“Clicked to Downloaded” Conversion Rate: 80%
Total Downloads: 500,000 x 10% x 80% = 40,000

After Podcast Visibility Optimization:

Search Impressions: 700,000
“Seen to Clicked” Conversion Rate: 10%
“Clicked to Downloaded” Conversion Rate: 80%
Total Downloads: 700,000 x 10% x 80% = 56,000

The difference in downloads is the impact of your PVO efforts: 56,000 – 40,000 = 16,000

In the example above, we have used 10% and 80% conversion rates, as many podcasts fluctuate around those numbers. However, conversion rates can vary greatly depending on your podcast’s topic, branding, and the specific search terms you are targeting, so please use yours.

Podcast Visibility Optimization + Podcast Cover Optimization = the winning combo

While Podcast Visibility Optimization (PVO) is crucial for improving a podcast’s discoverability, optimizing another key element—the podcast cover art—is equally important.

Podcast Cover Optimization (PCO) focuses on enhancing the visual representation of your show to maximize the “seen to clicked” conversion rate. Your podcast may rank high in search results, but potential listeners may not click on it if the cover art doesn’t attract attention. Testing and optimizing cover art boosts the ‘seen to clicked’ rate, creating a strong synergy when combined with PVO strategies.

As outlined in our previous article on Podcast Cover Optimization, testing and optimizing your cover art is essential for boosting the “seen to clicked” conversion rate. This, combined with the impression-driving power of PVO, creates the winning combination to take your podcast’s performance to new heights.

By aligning your PVO and PCO tactics, you create a synergistic effect that amplifies the impact of each strategy. Potential listeners are more likely to discover your podcast through improved search visibility and more compelled to click and check out your content due to its visually appealing and professional presentation.

Implementing this PVO + PCO approach allows you to maximize your podcast’s discoverability and conversion potential, ultimately leading to more downloads.

Flaws to the model

It is important to note that while allowing a quick estimation of your PVO efforts, the model has a few limitations:

Keep in mind that this model relies only on Spotify data. You may need to extrapolate based on Spotify’s share of your total downloads to gauge impact across all platforms (like Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music). For example, if Spotify represents 50% of your downloads, you could multiply the extra downloads by two for an overall estimate.
The conversion rates are broad averages, including Search, Home, and Library impressions. The conversion rates for search are likely different than the average of all impressions. Furthermore, the “seen to clicked” and “clicked to downloaded” rates may be higher or lower if you rank on branded versus generic search terms.

Conclusion

Podcast Visibility Optimization (PVO) is a powerful strategy for driving more listeners to your show. You can significantly increase your podcast’s discoverability and conversion potential by improving its rankings and visibility on major audio platforms.

While the PVO impact calculation provides a practical way to estimate the download benefits, the model has limitations, such as the need to extrapolate beyond Spotify data. However, the core premise remains true—improving your podcast’s visibility through PVO will directly translate into more impressions, clicks, and downloads.

Combining these PVO gains with optimized podcast cover art through a comprehensive PCO strategy will unlock an even more powerful one-two punch for podcast growth. By embracing PVO and PCO as complementary pillars of your marketing approach, you can maximize your show’s discoverability, conversion rates, and audience size.

The podcast landscape is crowded, but with the proper visibility optimization strategies, you can ensure your show rises to the top and reaches the listeners it deserves.

Sep 16

Love0

Podcast Cover Art best practices to grow your audience

By Alexis Hue Podcast Cover Optimization

Podcast cover art is the small, square image that represents your podcast next to its title, similar to how an album cover depicts a record. It’s the first visual potential listeners see when browsing for new podcasts. Your cover art serves as the face of your podcast—it’s the visual identity that sticks in your audience’s memory.

A strong, well-designed, tested cover art will have a significant impact on conversion (from “seen” to “clicked”) and will entice potential listeners to click and start listening.

Furthermore, the role of the cover art is all the more critical when listeners searching for non-branded terms. When a potential listener is still undecided, quality cover art can be essential in making that choice

1. Minimize the amount of text or elements

When it comes to podcast covers, less is more. Overcrowded visuals and small text confuse your audience and make it harder to capture attention. Keep it clean and focused to draw listeners in.

Too much text or cluttered graphics make your podcast look messy and less appealing. Avoid designs that distract rather than attract.

A strong cover should instantly convey the essence of your podcast without overwhelming viewers with details. It’s not just about aesthetics—it’s about making your podcast stand out and get noticed by potential listeners. When in doubt, simplify.

The examples below show poor designs, which are overloaded with unnecessary graphics and text. These are common mistakes to avoid.

2. Think podcast, not radio

Podcast covers should follow podcast codes, not radio ones. A common mistake is including broadcast times or reusing visuals from a radio press release. These elements don’t fit the on-demand nature of podcasts and can confuse listeners. Mentioning that a show airs live every weekday at 5 p.m. offers no value in the podcast world, where listeners tune in whenever they choose.

Another misstep is overemphasizing the host’s face. While it may add familiarity if the host is a household name, the primary focus should always be communicating the podcast’s theme.

At Audiotiq, we’ve seen countless cases where managing the egos of radio presenters leads to status quo and sub-optimal covers. If the famous morning show host has her face on the podcast cover, why shouldn’t the less famous midnight presenter demand the same?

The critical question is: ‘Is this show personality-driven or content-driven?’ If the host is recognizable and drives the show’s success, their image can attract listeners. However, if the focus is on the content, a cover that reflects what the podcast is about will be far more effective.

And let’s not forget: having broadcast frequencies on your podcast cover is useless. Podcasts are not tied to traditional frequencies—they’re on-demand, accessible from anywhere at any time.

3. Stand out from competitors

When designing your podcast cover, it’s crucial to research your competition and ensure your cover stands out from the pack.

As the podcast landscape becomes more crowded, especially within specific niches, a unique cover helps attract potential listeners.

The key is balancing relevance to your podcast’s theme while incorporating visual elements that set your show apart from others, making it instantly recognizable and memorable.

In the example below, for the pregnancy niche, most covers tend to show a rounded belly in black and white. The last one on the right stands out by its colors.

4. Associate with your brand

Your podcast cover should align with your brand’s identity to build recognition and trust, whether you’re a media outlet or a non-media brand. Colors, fonts, and logos used on the cover must match your brand elements, making the podcast instantly recognizable, just like the cover art from NPR and Babbel below.

Consistency across all platforms strengthens your brand and helps listeners recognize your podcast at a glance, making it easier for them to trust its content before engaging with it.

5. Follow the guidelines

Designing your podcast cover art may seem straightforward, but it’s essential to follow the specific guidelines of each platform to ensure your cover displays correctly across directories.

Like mobile app icons, podcast platforms have standards that must be met. Luckily, for both Spotify and Apple Podcasts, your cover art should be squared and 3000 x 3000 pixels.

Apple has extra requirements for the content they will promote (at their own discretion, of course), and the needs vary between full-page show art, channels, hero section, background, etc.

The platforms distribute your content. They have guidelines. You need to follow those. Period.

6. Size matters…a lot

Your podcast is often seen as a small icon on platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This holds true even on a computer, but on a phone screen—which is how most listeners view it—the icon appears even smaller. That’s why your podcast cover art must remain clear and recognizable when scaled down to thumbnail size.

To test this, reduce your design to about 55 x 55 pixels as a JPG file. Ensure key details, like the title or logo, are still easy to read at that size.

7. Consider adaptability

Your podcast cover art is more than just for the podcast platforms. When promoting your content, you are likely to repurpose it for social media, newsletters, your website, and even print.

So, designing with versatility will allow recognition and amplify your promotional efforts.

8. Test your cover art, and then test it again

Testing your podcast cover art is crucial for success. Sometimes, the cover you least expect can drive the best results.

Since platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify currently don’t offer any A/B testing possibility, a panel test is the most effective way to test cover art.

Panel testing goes beyond just measuring clicks—it provides valuable feedback on how your cover is perceived across different demographics, such as age and gender. Those deeper insights ensure your cover resonates with your target audience and maximizes engagement.

Our team at Audiotiq has seen icon tests improve app downloads in the mobile world by more than 10% and in the podcast world by 29% after four iterations. This is a benchmark good enough to seriously consider running a panel test for your cover art.

9. Bonus Point Track: Take advantage of seasonality

Keep holidays, events, and seasonal trends in mind. By incorporating themed visuals, you can benefit from that little boost in positive emotions in your audience and differentiate yourself from your competitors.

A good example is adding a Christmas flavor to your cover art around the New Year holiday. Mobile apps do this often to enjoy a slight uptick in downloads.

Here is what Subway Surfer does, for example.

Conclusion

Your podcast cover art is often the first thing potential listeners see, so making a solid impression is crucial. The cover should be visually appealing, clear, and memorable, especially in smaller sizes. An effective cover design will boost the ratio between potential listeners seeing and clicking on your icon, attracting more listeners.

Panel testing is essential to ensure your cover resonates with your audience and stands out in crowded directories. Panel tests allow you to gather valuable feedback from real listeners, providing insights into how different demographics perceive your design. This data-driven approach helps you refine your cover and maximize its impact, ensuring it truly connects with potential listeners.