Where and how to use an animated book cover design.

If you’re interested in book marketing, you must have seen an animated book cover at least once. Of course, such covers vary: Some implement a complex movement of characters, and the others prefer minor animations such as burning fires or blowing wind. Yet a single fact remains: Animated book covers look incredible, unique, and catchy. But why do authors invest in them? What benefits do they have? And where can you use an animated book cover design? 

Let’s try to figure it out. 

Animated book covers in book marketing: why it matters

To figure out the “whys” and “wheres” of animated book covers, we need first to understand the power of visual marketing. 

So, here are a few stats that put the effectiveness of visuals in perspective: 

• Visual content is processed by the human brain 60,000 times faster than text-based content
• 40% of people respond to visuals better than they do to text. As a result, it’s easier for these people to memorize and engage with visual content.
• 93% of human communication is non-verbal. 

We’re basically hard-wired to process visuals faster and more efficiently than any other type of information. No wonder visual marketing is the primary marketing tool of many companies. 

The effectiveness of visual marketing is not a secret; that’s why indie authors invest heavily in quality book cover design and various marketing materials to amplify their promotions. Yet, the market becomes saturated: It’s easy to get lost in the sea of other quality visuals other writers put out online. So, you want anything that will help you attract more attention and stand out from the competition. You could say that all is fair in love and marketing. 

And an animated book cover design comes to the rescue because video content is even more catchy and “intuitive” for us than the static one. If you don’t believe us, check out this video, where an artist animated old and not super exciting book covers and transformed them into hypnotic and fun art pieces. 

That’s already great, but besides being fun to look at, an animated book cover design has the following benefits: 

• It’s catchy. As we mentioned above, people are more likely to notice an animated design amidst the ocean of static images. So, an animated book cover becomes an even more potent marketing tool than a simple design.
• It packs more visual storytelling. A proper book cover design is packed with hints and detail that tell a reader more about the world of the book. An animated book cover can further enhance the storytelling capacity of the design, which will intrigue and persuade more people. 
• It’s multi-purpose. You can use an animated book cover in both video and gif formats, allowing you to effectively distribute your book promotion across a wide spectrum of platforms. 

Now, let’s take a look at where you can use the features of animated book cover design to your benefit. 

Where you can use an animated book cover 

Here are a few ideas on using an animated book cover design to amplify your book marketing efforts. 

• Book trailer 

There are many approaches to a book trailer. You can use stock footage for a film-like vibe. You can create an animated trailer for your book. Or you can use an animated book cover with some masterful narration and tasteful editing to get a neat and budget-friendly book trailer. 

• Website header

If you have an author’s website, it’s a great idea to use an animated book cover as a header. It will attract attention and freshen up your design. 

• Email marketing 

Imagine your readers open another letter from you, and instead of the usual content, they see a gorgeous animated cover. The chances that they will remember your letter and act on your CTA will go up. 

• Book cover reveal

A book cover reveals event is essential in any author’s career. It feels exceptional to see your cover and present it to your readers. You can make the event even more special and spice it up with an animated book design. 

• Social media ads 

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Amazon ads are essential tools in indie authors’ marketing arsenal. However, you can make them even more effective by complementing the ad with an animated book cover. 

• TikTok videos 

Take an animated book cover, add some trendy music to it, and voila, you have a solid TikTok video that has all the chances to go viral in your cozy little niche. 

Summing Up

You can animate almost any book cover. Though the best candidates for animation are book covers with characters, even a typography-focused cover can be given life with some fancy effects and minor animations. You can also animate an already-existing cover or get a new animated cover for a future release. 

If you want a new quality book cover as soon as possible, you can check out our premade book cover shop. We have many premade book covers for a fair price in many styles and genres that can satisfy any taste.