Automate Podcast Cover Art Generation (Using API + No-Code Solution)

Podcasters often spend considerable time creating new cover art for each episode, especially when working alone. This time could be better spent enhancing content and deepening the research part.

According to a recent study from Flair.hr, 75% of businesses now use at least one form of marketing automation technology. 

Are you one of those Podcasters who has applied at least one automation to your podcasting? If not, this can be a good opportunity to start automating some of your repeatable tasks. 

In this read, we will look at how you can automate your cover art thumbnails. 

What Do You Need Before You Automate Your Podcast Cover Art Generation

If you are starting your podcasting from scratch, you will need consistency. It is key to building a recognizable brand, and I am sure you'll stick to that process. 

Automating your cover art generation can add to that consistency, ensuring every episode resonates with your audience and maintains a uniform aesthetic appeal. 

Few things you need to have in place before automation:

1. A Defined Brand Style: Your podcast should have a clear brand identity, including set colors, fonts, and a logo that reflects your show's personality. This makes it easier to design templates that can be automated. I recommend reading this guide if you are new to branding.
   
2. Template Layouts: Prepare a few template designs that can be reused and easily adapted. However, with the method and automation tools we will be using, you will get some templates to get started. Furthermore, you can create your templates from scratch in the tool itself and use them as per your needs.
   
3. A Basic Understanding of Automation Logic: It is good to have a basic understanding of how this logic works or some familiarity with no-code tools. Still, considering you don’t have prior experience, we have built this guide so that even the very beginners can set up the whole process. 

Alright, you’re all set with the essentials. Now let’s look at what the market offers to help you automate your cover art creation

What Are The Options in the Market To Create Thumbnails?

You have a few good tools to choose from irrespective of how design friendly they are. We would start from the tools that would require good skills to the ones that need very little skills. 

Photoshop is excellent if you're already skilled with design tools and want to make specific customizations to your cover art. It offers a lot of control. However, if you aren't familiar with it, learning Photoshop from scratch could take a significant amount of time & effort!

Canva is another great option that's easier to use if you're not a design expert. It features many ready-made templates that you can slightly modify to suit your podcast's style. However, if you're creating a thumbnail for a new podcast, it might require a bit more effort to ensure each design stands out.

If you are just starting, learning Canva is manageable, and you can begin creating thumbnails fairly quickly. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials that can guide you through the process.

The most streamlined method, however, is to automate the whole process using Zapier to link a Google Sheet with the Podcast data to Templated to generate the podcast covers.

If the term 'API' or 'Zapier' is new to you, don't worry. Zapier is a no-code automation tool that helps different applications communicate and perform tasks automatically.

And next in this read, I will show you how you can do this easily and thus automate your Podcast thumbnails. We will use our custom integrations with Zapier to automate the entire process, so there's no need to map the API directly.

Connecting Google Sheets to Templated Using Zapier

Now that we have established the basics, let me walk you through the steps of setting up your automation. First, you'll need a Zapier account and access to Templated, which you can generate directly from our dashboard.

Zapier is an online platform that connects your favorite apps, allowing them to work automatically in the background. Imagine it like a middleman that helps two different tools (like Google Sheets and Templated) talk to each other without any manual effort. You set up “Zaps” (simple automations), and Zapier takes care of the rest.

First, sign up to a Zapier account:

Now, let’s sign up for a free account on Templated:

From your dashboard in Templated, go to the No-code Integration tab to retrieve your API key:

Step 1: Set Up Your Google Sheet

Create a new Google Sheet to store your podcast episode data. This could include information like episode title, guest name, and release date. Each row represents a new podcast episode. See the image below to understand it more. 

Step 2: Set Up Your Zap

Create a new Zap in Zapier. A Zap in Zapier consists of a trigger (an event that starts the automation, like adding a new row in Google Sheets) and one or more actions (tasks that happen as a result of the trigger, like generating a thumbnail in Templated). You can learn key concepts of Zapier from here. 

Start by selecting Google Sheets as your trigger app and "New Spreadsheet Row" as the trigger event. This means every time a new row is added to your Google Sheet, the automation will start.

Step 3: Connect to Templated

Next, add an action step that connects with Templated. Use our custom integration to generate the thumbnail based on pre-set templates and information pulled from the Google Sheet.

Step 4: Customize and Test Your Automation

Configure the parameters so that the data (like episode title, guest name, etc.) is used to fill out the template in Templated. Run a test to ensure everything is working as intended.

By the end of this setup, you’ll have an automated system creating consistent, on-brand podcast thumbnails for every new episode—without the need for manual effort.

Why use Templated?

Templated is a powerful platform designed to streamline your content creation process by providing access to a range of pre-designed templates that you can use immediately or customize to match your brand.

With it, you’re not limited to generic designs; instead, you can add templates styled specifically for your brand, incorporating your colors, fonts, and logos to create a cohesive look across all your podcast thumbnails. 

This flexibility means you can develop a unique and recognizable brand style without the hassle of designing each episode’s cover art from scratch.

The drag-and-drop Editor also allows you to adjust templates directly within the platform, saving time and ensuring consistency. 

With these custom options, you’ll have everything you need to produce professional and engaging thumbnails for your podcast episodes effortlessly.

Conclusion

Whether you've been in the podcast industry for a long time or just starting, the tools we’ve discussed provide powerful solutions to streamline your production process. Platforms like Zapier and Templated, even those with minimal technical skills can set up and start automating in no time. 

The step-by-step instructions provided should help you comfortably navigate through the setup and enjoy the benefits of automation. Templated does have a dedicated guide on integrating Google Sheets with Zapier. If you face any issues, you can chat with them in real-time on their website; the customer support is active 24/7.

Now is the perfect time to take what you’ve learned and put it into practice. Automate your podcast cover art today, and spend more time doing what you love—creating content that resonates with your listeners.

Happy Automating!!