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Thumbnails

Stage: Package

Thumbnails are the visual packaging that determines whether someone clicks on your episode in a podcast app, YouTube, or social feed. They are the visual equivalent of the title — the first impression of every asset.

Thumbnail Styles

Style Best For Score
Guest Headshot + Text Expert interviews, authority episodes 5
Emotion Close-Up High-energy episodes, reaction-driven content 4
Branded Template Series consistency, show recognition 4
Data Visual Benchmark episodes, stat-driven content 3
Scene Still Behind-the-scenes, production-focused episodes 3

Quality Bar

  • Readable at 120x120px (podcast app grid size)
  • Maximum 5-7 words of text
  • Guest face visible when relevant
  • Brand colors and show identity consistent
  • High contrast between text and background

Platform Constraints

Image specs for episode thumbnails across platforms.

Platform Recommended Size Aspect Ratio Max File Size Format Min Size
YouTube 1280x720 16:9 2 MB JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP 640x360
Apple Podcasts 3000x3000 1:1 10 MB JPEG, PNG 1400x1400
Spotify 3000x3000 1:1 10 MB JPEG, PNG 640x640
Google Podcasts 3000x3000 1:1 10 MB JPEG, PNG 600x600
Amazon Music 3000x3000 1:1 10 MB JPEG, PNG 1400x1400
Pocket Casts 3000x3000 1:1 10 MB JPEG, PNG 1400x1400
LinkedIn (post image) 1200x1200 1:1 or 1.91:1 10 MB JPEG, PNG 552x368
Twitter/X (card image) 1600x900 16:9 5 MB JPEG, PNG, GIF 600x335
Facebook (link preview) 1200x630 1.91:1 8 MB JPEG, PNG 600x315
Open Graph (og:image) 1200x630 1.91:1 Varies JPEG, PNG 200x200
  • Produce two versions: 3000x3000 (1:1 for podcast apps) and 1280x720 (16:9 for YouTube/social)
  • Readable at 120x120px — this is the actual display size in many podcast app grids
  • Max 5-7 words of text overlay
  • sRGB color space — CMYK will render incorrectly on screens

Last verified: May 2026.