Creator AssetsPodcastsSocial Media

Stickers & GIFs for Podcasters: Promote Your First Episode Like Ant & Dec

UUnknown

2026-02-21

10 min read

Create playful sticker & GIF packs to promote your podcast launch — waveform stickers, ‘New Ep’ GIFs, audiograms and AR filters for cross-platform reach.

Launch day panic? Make stickers & GIFs that sell your first episode — Ant & Dec style

Promoting a debut episode shouldn’t feel like building a billboard from scratch. Creators tell us the top headaches: too many platforms, no quick visual assets, and uncertainty about sizes and formats. If Ant & Dec can turn a casual “hanging out” idea into a cross-platform launch this January 2026, you can too — with a compact, playful social pack made of stickers, GIFs, and listening prompts that scale across Instagram, TikTok, X and podcast apps.

Why a sticker + GIF pack matters in 2026

Short-form visuals and reusable assets are the secret sauce of modern creator promos. Through late 2025 and into early 2026, platforms doubled down on expressive stickers, animated overlays and micro-animations that boost shares and saves. Audiences now expect fast, tappable CTAs — not long-form promo videos — so creators who offer ready-made, brand-aligned stickers get amplified reach and more reposts from fans.

“Ant and Dec are to host their first podcast... part of the pair's new Belta Box brand, which will be on platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.” — BBC (Jan 2026)

Design the pack with friction-free sharing in mind. Below is a practical checklist you can build in a weekend and iterate on as discovery grows.

Core visual assets (must-haves)

Waveform stickers — static and animated versions of the episode’s waveform; great as story overlays.
‘New Ep’ animated badges — looped 3–6s GIFs/APNGs that say “New Ep” or “Out Now”.
Listening prompts — buttons like “Tap to Listen”, “Add to Queue”, “Play Now”, sized for Stories/TikTok/Posts.
Guest tags & quote bubbles — quick callouts for guest names or standout quotes.
Mini audiograms — 6–12s lightweight clips with waveform animation and subtitles for Reels/Shorts.
Episode countdowns — 24/48/72-hour countdown stickers for Stories and Clips.
AR face filter (optional) — a playful host-branded filter (e.g., oversized googly eyes or a mic hat) to spark UGC.
Cover art variations — square, vertical, and thumbnail crops ready for each platform.

File formats & technical basics

Export a small set of formats so your assets work everywhere:

PNG (transparent) — static stickers, logos.
GIF / APNG / WebP — animated loop options (APNG/WebP offer better color and smaller sizes; GIF remains universal).
Lottie (JSON) — vector animations for small file size and crisp scaling; increasingly supported in apps, widgets and onboarding flows in 2026.
MP4 (H.264 or H.265) — short audiograms and vertical promo videos.

Tip: Export 1:1 (1080×1080) and 9:16 (1080×1920) variants and provide a 2000px source for designers who need to resize without compromise.

Step-by-step: Build your first podcast sticker & GIF pack

1. Define your launch personality (30–60 minutes)

Before a single asset is made, pick three adjectives that describe the show — for Ant & Dec it’s likely “chatty”, “playful”, “nostalgic”. These words govern color choices, animation speed and copy tone. Keep a 3-color palette, a primary font and a playful accent (e.g., neon yellow or confetti sprinkles) and stick to them.

2. Pull your audio & select a waveform moment (30–60 minutes)

Choose a 6–12 second audio moment for the mini audiogram and waveform animations. Tools that speed this up in 2026 include Headliner, Wavve, and newer Lottie-friendly exporters. If you want a true-to-waveform visual, generate an SVG waveform from the episode’s master file — this gives you a vector you can animate across formats.

3. Create base assets (2–4 hours)

Design the static sticker set first: logo badge, cover-crops, guest-name tag, and a “New Ep” sticker. Use tools like Figma or Canva for fast iterations. Export PNGs with transparent backgrounds. Then make animated versions in After Effects (or Lottie), keeping motion simple: pulse, bounce, morph the waveform.

4. Animate and export (2–3 hours)

Keep animations short and loop-friendly. Best practices for 2026:

Length: 3–6 seconds for GIFs, 6–12 seconds for audiograms.
Loop cleanly: design start/end frames so motion isn’t jarring.
Optimize size: prioritize WebP or Lottie for distribution; fallback to GIF where needed.

5. Package & distribute (1–2 hours)

Bundle assets into a zipped social pack that includes a README with quick usage tips and platform-specific sizes. Upload animated GIFs to GIPHY and Tenor for searchability and embed-ability. Host a public download on your show page and add files to your Link-in-bio so guests can share assets fast.

Platform-specific guidelines (practical sizing and strategy)

Different platforms prize different formats — here’s a cheat-sheet you can put in your README.

Instagram / Meta stories & reels

Stories/Reels size: 1080×1920 (9:16). Use sticker PNGs sized at 600–900px on the long side so they’re crisp when scaled by users.
Animated stickers: APNG or WebP preferred for quality; GIF accepted. Keep loops short and file size under 5MB when possible.
Use Stories countdown + “Add to story” CTA for launch day.

TikTok

Vertical 9:16. Upload audiograms as MP4 and provide transparent overlays as WebP or PNG sequences for creators using PIP (picture-in-picture).
Encourage duet/stitch with a pinned sticker that says “React to Ep 1”.

X (Twitter) & Facebook

Square images (1080×1080) and short MP4s work best on feed.
Provide thinner text-safe margins because feeds crop differently in thumbnails.

Spotify / Apple Podcasts

Spotify Canvas: 9–8 second loop, vertical. Export MP4 with silent audio or the chosen clip. Spotify still prioritizes short, hypnotic loops in 2026.
Episode page: include a downloadable sticker pack link in the show notes and embed the animated badge in newsletter CTAs.

Creative prompts — 12 sticker/GIF ideas to steal

Use these concrete concepts to populate your pack.

Waveform line that animates to the beat of your episode’s clip.
‘New Ep’ confetti badge that bounces when tapped.
“Quote of the Ep” speech bubble with a pulsing mic icon.
“Guest Alert” flashing nameplate for collaborators.
“Tap to Listen” neon button that glows.
Mini carousel of 3 still frames with animated page turn.
Countdown sticker with numeric animation for release hour.
Behind-the-scenes sticker: a Polaroid frame with a wiggle effect.
Mini-meme overlay: silly reaction face with “Me when I heard Ep 1”.
Replay loop: 5-second claim “My favourite moment” with timestamp bubble.
Host caricature sticker that waves — perfect for Ant & Dec-style casual banter.
AR filter — mic crown or branded sunglasses that fans can use in selfies.

Distribution & promotion playbook (fast wins)

Assets are only useful if they’re used. Here’s a realistic rollout you can do for launch week.

Pre-launch (7–3 days)

Drop a “sneak peek” waveform sticker and countdown on Stories with a swipe-up to pre-save.
Send the pack to guests and partners with a one-click download link and pre-written captions.
Seed GIPHY and Tenor with GIFs so search picks them up before launch day.

Launch day

Post the animated ‘New Ep’ badge across platforms and pin it as a top comment or pinned post.
Encourage fans to add the AR filter and share; feature the best UGC in Stories and episode recaps.
Use UTM-tagged short links inside sticker CTAs to measure click-throughs.

Post-launch (week 1–4)

Rotate new audiograms highlighting guest quotes; repurpose as TikTok clips and YouTube Shorts.
Run a repost contest: fans who use the pack and tag you are entered to win merch or shoutouts.
Analyze sticker usage on GIPHY/analytics and iterate new badge styles based on what performs.

Monetization & scaling (for creators and small networks)

Turning a freebie pack into a revenue stream is straightforward in 2026.

Offer a free starter pack and a paid pro pack with custom colorways, host caricatures, and Lottie files.
Sell branded sticker bundles to event planners or podcast networks as bulk licenses.
Offer a “guest promo kit” upsell for collaborators — a mini pack with guest-specific tags and audiogram templates.

Tracking performance & learning from data

Measure two things: direct engagement (clicks, downloads, sticker uses) and downstream actions (streams, subscriptions, follows).

GIPHY / Tenor analytics for sticker/GIF impressions and shares.
UTM-tagged links embedded in stickers to track clicks → streams in Google Analytics or Podtrac.
Social platform insights for saves, shares and sticker replies.

Benchmark: aim for a 5–10% uplift in day-one listens when assets are actively used in the first 48 hours.

Design & legal best practices

Keep it low-risk and pro-grade.

Clear intellectual property rights for guest photos, music clips and logos before distributing publicly.
Avoid using major trademarked icons (unless you have permission) — create playful knock-offs instead.
Provide an explicit permission line in your README: “Use these stickers to promote — please credit @YourShow.”
Optimize accessibility: include short captions for audiograms and readable fonts on stickers.

Case study: How Ant & Dec’s casual launch style maps to sticker packs

When well-known hosts like Ant & Dec move into podcasting, the promotional tone is key: informal, episodic, and fan-driven. Their Belta Box rollout (announced January 2026) is a practical guide — the show’s premise is literally “hanging out”, which translates perfectly into casual, shareable assets:

Use conversational microcopy: “We’re hanging out — listen in” instead of formal CTAs.
Create guest reaction stickers that echo the spontaneous vibe of the episode.
Lean into archival clips as GIFs to connect long-time fans with new formats.

Reference: BBC News coverage of Ant & Dec’s January 2026 podcast announcement provides a timely example of big names leaning into cross-platform digital-first strategies.

Future-proofing: trends to adopt in 2026 and beyond

Plan for these developments so your pack scales with new platform features:

Greater Lottie adoption — smaller, programmable animations let you ship crisp assets that load fast on web and mobile.
AR-first stickers — filters and face-tracked overlays will be more shareable than static packs by late 2026.
Automated waveform generators — expect tools that auto-create branded waveforms from RSS feeds, saving editing time.
Commerce-enabled stickers — tappable assets linked to merch or ticketing are gaining traction; design with conversion points in mind.

Final checklist before you hit publish

3-color brand palette and primary font exported with assets.
Waveform SVG and animated Lottie file for the main audiogram.
Animated ‘New Ep’ badge in WebP/GIF and Lottie.
Square and vertical cover art, and a ZIP with README and usage captions.
GIPHY/Tenor uploads queued and a Link-in-bio ready to distribute the pack.

Actionable takeaways — start promoting like a pro today

Ship a small pack (waveform + New Ep badge + listening prompt) before your first episode drops.
Seed GIFs to GIPHY 48 hours prior to launch so they’re discoverable on day one.
Offer the pack to guests and fans with pre-written captions to remove sharing friction.
Track sticker usage and clicks — iterate quickly based on what sparks UGC.

Ready-made starter templates (free ideas to copy)

Not sure where to start? Create these three templates in your favorite editor:

Minimal: Square cover + ‘New Ep’ badge + 6s waveform audiogram.
Engage: Countdown sticker + “Tap to Listen” APNG + guest nameplate.
UGC kit: AR filter + selfie-frame sticker + contest prompt.

Closing notes & call-to-action

In 2026, the smartest podcast launches are less about big budgets and more about sharable, branded building blocks. If Ant & Dec can leverage a multi-platform rollout that feels like hanging out with friends, your first episode can land with the same effortless energy using a small, targeted sticker and GIF pack.

Ready to try it? Download our free starter social pack to launch your first episode with playful, platform-ready stickers, GIFs and audiogram templates — and get a checklist that fits in your pocket. Or, if you want a custom pack for your show, our team can mock-up a 24-hour prototype with Lottie animations and AR filter concepts.

Unknown

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.