After sharing a number of issues for refreshing your podcast branding, it is time to wrap it up with the large query: how?
That is my final episode in my miniseries about refreshing your podcast branding. Please evaluation these previous episodes/articles for extra info:
Reminder: What’s “podcast branding”?
Your “podcast branding” is a number of options that uniquely establish your podcast. It is the primary impression for brand spanking new audiences, and it is how your loyal viewers acknowledges your podcast distinctly from others.
Podcast branding is greater than solely your cowl artwork. It could possibly be the brand inside your cowl artwork (and that emblem can be utilized for every kind of issues)—and a emblem is distinction from cowl artwork. It is the audio and video components you utilize all through your episodes. It is your podcast description. It is in your repeated phrases. It is even in how you talk and host your podcast.
A “branding refresh” would then be updating all or any of those components, however conserving the core of your podcast the identical. A “rebrand” can be for those who change way more of your podcast, together with what you speak about and whom you attempt to attain.
1. Consider the wants
Do you truly want to refresh your podcast branding, or are you merely uninterested in it?
Most certainly, your wants will match inside a number of of the advantages to a podcast branding refresh that I’ve beforehand shared:
- Appeal to a brand new viewers
- Improve your perceived high quality
- Adapt to the most recent traits
- Strengthen or reset your podcast’s identification and message
- Infuse new power on your viewers and your self
- Stand out from others
Your precise wants must be the most important affect over all of your different branding-refresh selections. For instance, my now retired As soon as Upon a Time TV aftershow podcast obtained me a pleasant name with one among Disney’s legal professionals as a result of my visible branding seemed a lot like theirs, that they really thought I used to be utilizing their pictures. So all I wanted to do to fulfill the almighty Mouse was refresh the visible branding and make some extra distinguished disclaimers that we weren’t affiliated. That was a direct and necessary want for that podcast’s visible branding, but it surely did not change something about how we ran the podcast (and the Disney lawyer was clear that they didn’t need us to cease our podcast).
2. Perceive your individual podcast
You have seen the cliché plot line earlier than: you journey up a mountain on a path to self discovery and also you’re met by some sage who helps you uncover that the magic was inside you all alongside.
Understanding your individual podcast will not have you ever climbing mountains, but it surely does imply making an attempt to step out of your individual place and objectively take a look at your podcast as each an outsider and as an viewers member. Search to grasp what makes your podcast distinctive. What are your recurring components? What’s your podcast recognized for? What does the viewers like and dislike? Why is your viewers listening? And why are you even making the podcast?
Search for the issues it is best to emphasize extra, and the issues it is best to take away.
For the branding refresh I did of The Audacity to Podcast a number of years in the past, I spotted that my visible components weren’t actually speaking the concept of “audacity”: boldness, braveness, guts, and such. However these have been undoubtedly recurring themes. In any case, that is why I named by present The Audacity to Podcast! So I knew that the magic was in me all alongside, I simply needed to let it go!
One other side of that is realizing that your podcast’s branding may not match your individual preferences. For instance, the music I’ve at all times used The Audacity to Podcast, a music referred to as “Vegas Shuffle,” isn’t truly the type of music I take pleasure in. In actual fact, I do not actually like laborious rock or electrical guitar music. However I like that music for this podcast as a result of I feel it completely suits the vibe of my podcast branding. (Watch me get inducted into the Podcast Corridor of Fame to listen to my “stroll out music” that truly suits me higher!)
3. Contemplate the timing
An efficient branding refresh will take time to do it with excellence. So contemplate not solely how a lot time the method will take, however when is definitely the precise time to launch the brand new branding.
For instance, in case your present is seasonal (and for good causes, I hope!), the beginning of a brand new season could possibly be a good time to launch the brand new branding—both with the primary episode of that season, or with the trailer previous the brand new season.
Different good instances for a branding refresh could possibly be round milestone episodes or anniversaries. Be taught extra in my earlier episode/article about when to refresh your podcast branding:
- When your podcast considerably adjustments
- When your branding stops rising with you
- If you enter new “seasons”
- When you may enhance the standard
- When there’s sufficient compelling suggestions
- If you decide the advantages outweigh the “prices”
It is also finest for those who can time your branding refresh to launch in all of your properties on the similar time. Tremendous-loyal followers of The Audacity to Podcast may need observed that it took me a couple of yr earlier than I up to date the web site to match the brand new branding within the podcast. If I wasn’t going by the private hardships at the moment, the very best factor for me to do would have been to launch the brand new website with the brand new visible and audio branding within the podcast. However after I did a whole rebrand of My Podcast Critiques to Podgagement, I launched all of it collectively: the app redesign, the web site redesign, the brand new emblem, the brand new area, even the brand new social IDs.
4. Put together your viewers
Though a branding refresh isn’t as main as an precise rebrand, it is likely to be good to announce it to your viewers forward of time, particularly in case your present does not use seasons for good causes. This may cut back potential confusion when somebody’s podcast library out of the blue seems totally different and so they cannot discover your podcast as a result of it seems totally different from earlier than (for those who did a visible branding refresh).
You might point out the upcoming refresh in your episodes main as much as it. However my suggestion can be to publish a separate episode as a “trailer” particularly to announce the upcoming refresh. After which a few weeks after you launch the brand new branding, you may simply delete that announcement episode.
The extra drastically totally different the brand new branding is, the extra necessary will probably be to arrange your viewers for it.
5. Determine to delegate or DIY
Refreshing your podcast branding will value! It would clearly value cash for those who delegate it to somebody you rent. It might additionally value you time for those who do it your self—and perhaps a number of time for those who’re not expert or snug with the method.
The primary place I like to recommend on the lookout for assist can be inside your individual viewers. For instance, No Agenda, with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, makes an enormous deal about letting their viewers contribute art work and reusable audio components for each episode. Have a look at NoAgendaArtGenerator.com for examples of all of the 1000’s of submissions they’ve acquired!
Be happy to have enjoyable with it, like working a contest (with or with out prizes), having your viewers vote, or making a recreation of it. Simply be ready with the way you may deal with it in case your viewers does not provide you with very top quality work or they do not reply effectively to your choice.
If you wish to rent a extremely expert skilled to assist, listed below are my suggestions:
- Visible branding: Mark Des Cotes at PodcastBranding.co (an alternate can be 99designs, however in all probability not Fiverr)
- Drawn visible branding: James Kennison from DrawYouaPicture.com
- Full audio branding: Music Radio Inventive or rent out for items of your branding with some individuals on Fiverr
- Content material or presentation branding: a podcast guide, equivalent to me, Dave Jackson, Erik Ok. Johnson, or whoever is your favourite
- Video branding: perhaps somebody from Fiverr (however I am on the lookout for a greater suggestion!)
And when you’ve got the instruments, abilities, and willpower to do it your self, count on to spend method an excessive amount of time obsessing over some explicit particulars.
After I was doing the entire rebuild and rebranding from My Podcast Critiques to Podgagement, I stored hitting psychological partitions with the brand new emblem. So I reached out to James Kennison since I knew he is an ideal artist and very inventive. We went forwards and backwards over a few of my tough concepts, however nothing was working very effectively and he was truly about to surrender. However then a second of inspiration hit him and I fell in love along with his new thought, which grew to become the brand! (Can you see the hidden factor within the Podgagement emblem? If you see it, you will acknowledge why I cherished James’s brilliance a lot!)
6. Keep away from clichés just like the plague …
I hope you recognize the visible podcast clichés by now: microphones, RSS icons, headphones, audio waveforms, and all of the stuff that visually represents podcasting, however more than likely not what your podcast is definitely about. Until your podcast is about microphones, audio, and such, then it is best to keep away from utilizing these visible clichés in your branding in all probability 99.99% of the time. And even the remaining 0.01%, I might nonetheless problem you to keep away from the clichés.
Your explicit area of interest may also have its personal clichés. These is likely to be okay to make use of, however I nonetheless suggest pondering outdoors the cliché first!
For instance, I as soon as designed podcast cowl artwork for a Christian podcast that was all in regards to the working of the Holy Spirit. However my consumer was very clear that they did not need the cliché dove within the design. I feel that was an ideal choice!
There are non-visual clichés, too, each within the podcasting business and possibly inside your area of interest. For instance, keep away from utilizing “on hearth” or “pondering outdoors the field” in your podcast title. Perhaps even avoiding naming the present after your self! Take a look at my earlier episode/article to study extra about what it is best to keep away from in your podcast title.
There could be clichés with music, too. Within the early days of podcasting, it appeared like half the podcasts have been utilizing the identical music from GarageBand as a result of there weren’t many reasonably priced alternate options again then. Now, there are such a lot of nice choices (my favourite is PremiumBeat) and so many extra podcasts that you will seemingly not decide the identical factor as another person.
One other form of cliché is making an attempt to be like somebody or one thing else. For instance, making an attempt to make the epic movie-trailer voice. However notice that I stated, “making an attempt.” Should you even have that nice voice, use it!
However even then, it may appear too cliché to make use of the film trailer type on your audio branding in trailers or episodes.
Colours may even be cliché! For instance, the outdated My Podcast Critiques branding coloration was the purple coloration from Apple Podcasts! And I’ve now seen too many podcasting apps and providers use an identical coloration to Apple Podcasts. However I selected the brand new Podgagement branding coloration scheme utterly separate from the rest, and impressed and pushed by the ideas the brand new rocket emblem was already selling.
7. Break some guidelines
And this is my favourite “rule”: break guidelines! However accomplish that deliberately and with good causes.
For instance, crimson is mostly thought-about a nasty coloration, and but it very completely communicates the theme of boldness for The Audacity to Podcast. And that is why crimson is now my branding coloration.
There is likely to be some clichés that you simply want to make use of with a purpose to higher make clear what your podcast is about.
In different phrases, do not decide one thing simply since you prefer it or keep away from it simply because it is cliché. As an alternative, make decisions—even breaking guidelines if essential—when you have got “why” behind it.
I am obtainable that can assist you podcast!
Should you want one-on-one assist or you have not launched your podcast, but, click on right here to request a private teaching and consulting session with me and I might love the chance that can assist you podcast higher!
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Disclosure
This put up might include hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I could obtain compensation out of your actions by such hyperlinks. Nonetheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not suggest solely associates.
