Guide for podcasters
Spotify Clips for podcasters: what they are, the specs, how to upload
Spotify lets podcasters add one short video to every episode. It sits on your show page and can be recommended to people who have never heard of you. Here is what Spotify says a clip must be, and how to upload one.
The short answer
A Spotify Clip is a 15 to 90 second video you upload to an episode in Spotify for Creators: an MP4 or MOV file up to 1 GB, with sound, vertical if you can. One per episode. In Spotify for Creators on the web, go to Episodes, click the three dots beside the episode, choose Upload a clip, select the file, add a description, complete the checks and publish.
What are Spotify Clips?
“Clips are short videos that you can upload to your episodes through Spotify for Creators to enhance how people discover and engage with your show.”
And where they show up:
“They appear on your Spotify show page, and may be recommended on Spotify across places like the Home and Podcast feeds, the Browse tab, and the Now Playing View.”
They are not the same as the previews Spotify already makes from your episodes. In Spotify’s words, Unlike episode previews, which are snippets of your episode, Clips allow you to upload unique, visually engaging videos that go beyond the episode content.
If you upload no clip, the previews carry on as before.
| Episode previews | Clips | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Always square (1×1) | Vertical preferred |
| Made by | Spotify, automatically, or from timestamps you choose | You: you upload it |
| Length | Up to 60 seconds | Up to 90 seconds |
| Where listeners see it | Home and Podcast tabs of the mobile app, when there is no clip | Home and Podcast tabs, the Now Playing View, Browse and your show page |
Spotify Clips specs and requirements
Spotify lists the same requirements twice, under “What are the specs for Clips?” and in its troubleshooting notes. As they stood on 8 October 2026:
| Requirement | Spotify Clips |
|---|---|
| Length | 15 to 90 seconds |
| File size | Up to 1 GB |
| File type | .MP4 or .MOV |
| Sound | Must contain audio |
| Shape | Vertical recommended; horizontal supported |
| How many | One clip per episode, scheduled or published |
The content policy puts the length the same way: Be a minimum of 15 seconds and maximum of 90 seconds
. On shape: We recommend vertical videos, but we support horizontal videos too.
(The help page’s comparison table writes “Vertical (16x9) preferred”; vertical on a phone is 9:16.)
Sources: Spotify for Creators: Clips and Clips content policy.
How to upload a clip in Spotify for Creators
On the web: log in to Spotify for Creators, go to Episodes, click the three dots next to the episode and select Upload a clip (or click the episode, then Clips, then Upload a clip). Click Select file, choose the video, add a description, complete the clip content checks and hit Publish.
On a phone, Spotify’s page is of two minds. It says Clips can only be uploaded on Spotify for Creators web.
and then gives steps for the Spotify for Creators app (Podcast, the episode, Upload clip). If the app doesn’t offer it to you, use the web.
“You can upload one clip per episode.”
After publishing you can change only the description. For anything else, delete the clip and upload it again.
What a clip can show, and music
Spotify’s policy asks that a clip be related to and promote the episode, follow its platform rules, and leave out copyrighted music you don’t own the rights to:
“If you include music in your video, you must have all rights and clearances to include and post it on the Spotify platform.”
“There isn’t a universal rule that allows you to use copyrighted material simply because the clip is short.”
Its own tips for a good clip are short: vertical, good sound, a smooth pace, about the episode, short, and with captions:
“Include captions for viewers browsing without sound as they can effectively boost engagement.”
Spotify’s page also names two tools that can help make clips, Headliner and Riverside. Any tool works if the file meets the specs above.
Making a Spotify Clip from an audio-only episode
Spotify needs a video with sound, so an audio-only show has to give the moment a picture. Here is a real one from an openly licensed episode: 27 seconds, vertical, an MP4 with the episode’s sound. It meets every line of the spec as it is.
Slice made it from the audio file. Slice Audio: video clips for audio-only podcasts, part of Shorts by Slice. Upload the episode’s audio, and it lists the moments that stand on their own and draws each as a captioned vertical clip, with your cover, colours and, if you like, your hosts’ and guests’ photos. Have video too? Shorts by Slice crops to whoever is talking.
One thing to watch: Slice’s clips run from 30 seconds to two and a half minutes, and Spotify stops at 90 seconds. Trim a longer clip in the editor before you download it, or pick a shorter moment. Choosing which moment is in how to pick the best moments from a podcast.
How to see whether clips work
In Spotify for Creators, go to Analytics, then Discovery: the Clips section lists each clip with its impressions and plays from clips. Impressions are the times a Spotify user saw the clip in the last 30 days. Plays from clips are counted like this:
“Number of times a Spotify user actively watched or listened to your content on the Spotify app within 24 hours of viewing your clip.”
That second number is the one to watch: it is people who went on to listen. Give it a few weeks of one clip per episode before you judge it.
How to upload a Spotify Clip, step by step
- Make a clip between 15 and 90 seconds
Pick a moment from the episode and make it a vertical video with sound and captions, saved as an MP4 or MOV file of no more than 1 GB. Leave out music you don’t have the rights to.
- Open the episode in Spotify for Creators
Log in to Spotify for Creators on the web and go to Episodes. The episode can be scheduled or already published.
- Choose Upload a clip
Click the three dots next to the episode and select Upload a clip, or click the episode, then Clips, then Upload a clip.
- Select the file
Click Select file and choose the clip from your computer.
- Describe it, complete the checks and publish
Add a description for the clip, complete the clip content checks, then click Publish. Your clip then appears on your show page, and Spotify may recommend it elsewhere in the app.
Get the Slice Weekly
One free email every Friday: tools for creators and the best advice we found from people who make things.
Questions
What are Spotify Clips for podcasts?
Short videos you upload to an episode in Spotify for Creators. Spotify says they appear on your show page and may be recommended on Spotify across the Home and Podcast feeds, the Browse tab and the Now Playing View. Unlike episode previews, which are snippets of the episode, a clip can be any video that promotes the episode.
What are the specs for Spotify Clips?
15 to 90 seconds long, no bigger than 1 GB, an .MP4 or .MOV file, and it must contain audio. Spotify recommends vertical video but supports horizontal. From Spotify for Creators’ help pages, read 8 October 2026.
How many Spotify Clips can I upload?
One clip per episode. You can upload it to a scheduled or a published episode. To change anything but the description, delete the clip and upload it again.
Can I upload Spotify Clips from my phone?
Spotify’s help page says clips can only be uploaded on Spotify for Creators on the web, and on the same page gives steps for the Spotify for Creators app: open Podcast, select the episode and tap Upload clip. Use the web to be sure.
Can my Spotify Clip have music in it?
Only music you have the rights to. Spotify’s content policy says that if you include music, you must have all rights and clearances to post it on Spotify, and its copyright guidance adds that a clip being short does not make copyrighted material fine to use.
What is the difference between Spotify Clips and episode previews?
Previews are square, up to 60 seconds and made by Spotify from your episode (or from timestamps you choose); they show when you have not added a clip. Clips are uploaded by you, up to 90 seconds, vertical preferred, and also appear on your show page, in Browse and in the Now Playing View.
More for podcasters
- YouTube Shorts for podcasters, audio-only shows included: the same clip as a Short.
- How to share a podcast on Instagram: Stories from Spotify, and Reels.
- Podcast captions that get watched: Spotify asks for them too.
- Transcribe a podcast: free, for the clip description and show notes.
- Slice Audio: clips for audio-only podcasts.