✊ What I learned analyzing 233 show names & cover artwork
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Hi friends, One of the most important concepts to understand about marketing is this: People make decisions based on the information they have available to them. When it comes to sales, the job of our marketing, then, is to supply enough of the right information to our audience for them to see that our offer is right for them. With a captive, engaged audience, we have the runway to deliver large amounts of information over a long (perhaps infinite) timespan. There may be no better delivery vehicle for that information than a podcast. The hard part is getting listeners into your show in the first place. Because when it comes to convincing a potential listener to notice, let alone look closer, let alone actually listen to your show, the amount of information they’re basing their decision on is shockingly small. In fact, it almost always boils down to just two elements of your show's packaging:
In the context of your show’s entire back catalogue, these two elements might feel as though an almost insignificant representation of what your show actually is. But to a potential listener, they account for 100% of their understanding of the show. And that understanding is what determines whether they’ll have a closer look, and ultimately, listen. In short: While your show title and cover art won’t make your show, they can certainly break it. To maximize listener acquisition, then, your packaging needs to communicate 4 core pieces of information:
Beyond these messages, the best packaging is also distinctive and memorable—two traits that enabling growth by keeping the show top of mind for existing listeners… Thus making them more likely to come back regularly, as well as recommend the show. Of course, it makes intuitive sense that your show name and cover art impact your show’s growth. But to what degree? And are there any specific trends in the show names and artwork of high vs low growth shows? After spending years pondering these questions, I decided to comb through the data of the Podcast Marketing Trends 2024 report to see what I could find. And, I found a lot. As it turns out, there are a series of obvious correlations between certain aspects of show names and cover art and the show’s annual growth rate. And in this episode of Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, we break down the findings, dig into what they mean for you, and break down some of our favourite examples of podcast names and cover art for inspiration. You can add the episode to your listening queue in your favourite podcast app or watch on YouTube. Improving the Attractiveness of a show's packaging is one of the most common growth levers I work with my clients to address. If you'd like to get a second opinion on whether your show's packaging might be holding your show back, check out my ultra-affordable Zap Micro-Audits for an honest assessment of any potential issues and what you can do to fix them. Even small packaging updates can often lead to serious (bordering on crazy) growth.
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