We came up with these top tips for making a great audio creation for a Yoto Card to enter our latest Yoto Creator Awards call for submissions.
It comes from all of our experience of commissioning titles for the Yoto catalogue, and also the things we learned from our first Audio Maker Competition, where some excellent entries got overlooked because one thing may have let them down.
Let us know if you agree, and if you would add any of your own!
The cheat sheet
It’s not all about the audio. Making your entry stand out from the crowd takes ingenuity. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t tell your competitors!
Make a plan but don’t stick to it. You might find a magic door half way through your project. Feel free to follow the magic and walk through that door!
Good audio helps a lot: Try to minimize background noise, and if you can, use a mic that plugs into your phone or computer. It doesn’t need to be Abbey Road quality.
Add some sparkle: Upping the production quality isn’t as hard as you might think, and can make all the difference. Find our free to use sound effects library here or check out our editing how-to guide here.
Do judge a book by its cover: The first thing people will see is the card art. Read these tips from the Yoto design team on how to make your Yoto Card pop. (Size wise, save out your card image at 638 pixels wide  × 1011 pixels high to match how we do it)
Pixel art for the win: Our 16x16 display is pretty unique and can elevate your entry to the next level. This entry from our first contest (tap the listen and add to your library link to see the pixel icons) is a great example of this – here, and here, and here are some tips for becoming a pixel art pro.
A good blurb: Make sure to add a description to the title. This is your elevator pitch that tells everyone why your entry is worth listening to.
Audio preview: Find your favourite part of your audio creation and save it out to tag onto your entry in the submission form. This is the number one way to get people to try your entry, so make sure it’s a highlight!