Podcast post-production
How to choose the name and cover art for a podcast (with sizes and examples)
Updated October 28, 2026
A good podcast name is understood after hearing it once, is spelled without hesitation and says what it is about or whose it is. The cover art has to read at thumbnail size: square, 3,000 by 3,000 pixels, few words and one strong image. Before deciding, check the name is free on Spotify, YouTube and Instagram.
Why the name and the cover art matter more than you think
When someone looks for a podcast on Spotify or YouTube, the first thing they see is a small square with a name. They have half a second to decide whether to tap or keep scrolling. At that moment it does not matter how good the conversation is or how hard it was to record: what matters is the name and the cover art.
They matter later too. An easy name gets recommended by word of mouth ("listen to such and such") without anyone having to spell it. Recognisable cover art helps your listener find you among twenty shows in their library. And if the podcast belongs to a company, the name and cover are the first proof that the brand takes it seriously.
We see it every week in the podcast production work we do at Bostak Films: the shows that grow have an identity you can recognise at a small size and that repeats the same way everywhere. The Spotify cover, the YouTube thumbnail, the Instagram clip and the episode intro look like they belong to the same family.
That is why it pays to decide the name and the cover before recording the first episode, not the night before uploading it. Changing them with a hundred episodes out is possible, but it costs listeners, links and searches.
How to name a podcast: the four types that work
Almost every name that works fits one of these four types.
The host's name. "The Sage Steele Show" or "The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast", two shows whose post-production we handle with our partner Dull Light in Miami. It works when the person already has an audience or wants to build a personal brand: every episode adds to their name.
The promise. "Finding Freedom", Peter Crone's podcast, or "The Brutal Truth", the show by psychologist Sadia Khan. In two or three words you know what you are going to feel or learn. It is the strongest type for a themed show.
A word of its own. "Aladetres", a conversation podcast about economics and society for which we have post-produced more than a hundred episodes, is an invented word that sounds like nothing else. It is harder at first, because it does not explain the topic, but it is easy to protect and impossible to confuse with another show.
The topic, said with wit. It is the most common choice for podcasts between friends, about history, football or horror: a pun, a set phrase, a reference your audience gets. It works if the joke lands without an explanation.
For a company podcast we usually recommend the second type, the promise, with the brand's name in the subtitle rather than the title. "The Company X Podcast" does not tell listeners what they gain by listening.
Five tests before you settle on a name
Once you have three or four candidates, run them through these tests. We use them with every show we launch.
The radio test. Say the name out loud to someone, just once, and ask them to write it down. If they hesitate between two spellings, if it has a word that can be pronounced several ways, or if it sounds like something else, you will lose listeners who search for you and cannot find you.
The search test. Type it into Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. If there is already a show with that name or something very close, look for another. Check Instagram and TikTok too: you will want the same handle everywhere.
The thumbnail test. Write it inside a two-centimetre square. Long names do not fit on the cover and get cut off in app lists. As a rule of thumb, up to three or four words.
The year-two test. Picture episode 80. If the name ties you to a topic you might outgrow, or to a date, now is the time to widen it.
The trademark test. If the podcast belongs to a company or might one day, check whether the name is free as a registered trademark, for example at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office or the European Union Intellectual Property Office. To decide whether to register it, talk to an intellectual property professional.
Podcast cover art: sizes for Spotify, Apple and YouTube
Cover art is a square image. Apple Podcasts asks for between 1,400 and 3,000 pixels per side, in JPG or PNG and in RGB colour. Spotify also wants it square and at the highest quality possible. If you export it at 3,000 by 3,000 pixels, it works for every platform at once, and you do not need a different version for each one.
What almost nobody considers is where it is seen. On the show page it looks big, but in lists, search results and the phone's lock screen it is the size of a fingernail. Design for that size.
Three rules follow from that. Few words: the show's name and, at most, the host's. One strong visual element, whether a face, an object or a symbol, rather than a collage. And plenty of contrast between text and background, because soft gradients vanish at small sizes.
YouTube is different. There the show's cover is barely visible: what does the work is each episode's thumbnail, in 16:9. We explain it with examples in how to make a good podcast thumbnail for YouTube. Ideally, the square cover and the thumbnails share typeface, colours and photo style, so people recognise them as the same show.
Canva, AI or a designer: how the cover gets made
Lots of people search for how to make podcast cover art for free, with Canva or a logo maker. To test an idea or for a show among friends, it is a good way to start: the templates already come square and in the right sizes.
The problem with templates is that everyone uses the same ones. If your cover looks like a hundred others, listeners cannot tell it apart and your show is not remembered. Artificial intelligence has a similar issue: it produces eye-catching images, but it is hard to keep a consistent style across all of them and to get lettering that reads well.
If the podcast is a serious bet, for a personal brand or a company, the cover deserves the same care as a logo. We work on the whole set: cover, thumbnail template, clip captions and the episode's cinematic intro. For Aladetres, for example, the identity repeats in the intros, the clips and the promotional visuals for each episode, which means a stray clip on social media is recognised as theirs.
One trick that works for anyone: use a real photo of the host, well lit and looking at the camera. Faces work better than icons on almost every platform, especially if the show revolves around one person.
How we work on it at Bostak Films
When a client comes to us with a new podcast, the name and the cover are part of pre-production, together with the format, the script for the first episode and the recording set. We cover the whole process in how a video podcast is produced, step by step.
First we talk about who the show is for and what that person should feel when they see it on their phone. Then we run the candidate names through the five tests above and design two or three directions for the cover. We show them at real size, inside a Spotify and a YouTube screenshot, because decisions are much better that way than looking at a large file on a computer screen.
In the end, the client leaves with a checked name, the cover in every size, the thumbnail template and the captions for clips, all with the same identity.
We work from our studio in Viladecans, next to Barcelona, and remotely with shows from all over Spain, Europe and Latin America. If you are about to launch a podcast or want to refresh the look of the one you already have, book a free diagnosis and we will look at it together.
FAQ
How do you choose the name and cover art for a podcast?
Pick a name that is understood after hearing it once, says what the show is about or whose it is, and is free on the platforms and social media. Make the cover square, 3,000 by 3,000 pixels, with few words and one strong image that reads at small size. Test everything at phone size before deciding.
What size should podcast cover art be for Spotify?
Spotify asks for square art at the highest quality available. Apple Podcasts asks for between 1,400 and 3,000 pixels per side in JPG or PNG. If you make it 3,000 by 3,000 pixels, in RGB, it works for both and for the other platforms. Check the file is not too heavy, because some platforms set a limit.
Is it better to use my own name or a themed name for the podcast?
It depends on what it is for. If you want to build a personal brand or already have an audience, your name grows with every episode. If the show is about a topic and might have several hosts, a name that states its promise is easier to search for and recommend. Many combine both: the topic in the title and your name in the subtitle.
Can you change a podcast's name after publishing it?
Yes. On Spotify, Apple and YouTube you can change the title without losing episodes or subscribers. But you lose recognition: people who searched for the old name and links already in circulation. If you change it, keep the cover similar for a while and explain the change in an episode.
Do you need to register a podcast's name as a trademark?
It is not required to publish. If the podcast belongs to a company, or you want to sell it, get sponsors or make products with its name, it is worth checking that it is free at the trademark office in your country or at the European Union office, and discussing registration with an intellectual property professional.
Who can design the name, cover art and thumbnails for a podcast?
At Bostak Films we do it as part of producing the podcast, together with thumbnails, clip captions and the intro, so everything shares the same identity. We work in Barcelona and remotely. You can book a free diagnosis on our website and we will tell you how we would approach it for your show.
Want to know what your podcast needs?
Book the free podcast audit. We look at your show or your idea and tell you what we would change and where we would start.
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