How To Start A Podcast In South Africa

How To Start A Podcast In South Africa

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing.

How To Start A Podcast In South Africa

1. Choose a topic and title for your show

When it comes to choosing a name for your podcast, try and make it short and sweet. One to Three words that are easy to remember. Consider the search-ability and brand-ability. Your podcast name depends on you, your topic, and the type of podcast you’d like to make.

It’s also important to choose a niche because if you try to cater to everyone your overall marketing and message won’t speak to anyone. Your niche can also be linked to who your ideal client is. So, it’s important you have a targeted niche market and speak to a customer or client in a certain way that they can really relate to.

2. Decide on a Podcast show format

Podcast formats are ways to organize your show’s content. They are delivery methods that give your show structure. The most popular one is the interview podcast format, where a host speaks to a guest about a specific topic. The solo-casts format requires a lot of talking to yourself. Most people find this a bit difficult but editing one voice is much easier than editing multiple tracks.

3. Purchase equipment and software

The equipment needed to start a podcast is a laptop, a microphone, a mixer, recording software, and a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

When starting a podcast in South Africa, one of the most important things to consider is your audio quality and for that, you’ll need a good microphone.

4. Publish your show

There are many free Podcasting Platforms In South Africa and around the world. A podcast hosting service acts as the home for your show. Just like a website needs a hosting provider, podcasts also need some way to help store and distribute the podcast audio files.

Though most have cost tiers associated with them, and you can read about our favorite podcast hosting services here, several have more affordable options, and some even provide free podcast hosting. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

How do podcasts make money in South Africa?

Selling advertising on your podcast in South Africa

It’s the most common and widely know way of doing it. Just like an advertiser pays a radio station or television channel to get access to their audience, there are advertisers that are prepared to pay you to run an ad for their product or service on your podcast.

How much does it cost to start a podcast?

If you go with the bare minimum, you can expect to spend R50 on a microphone and R15/month on podcast hosting. If you want to start a high-quality podcast, it might cost more in the range of R500-1000 to get started with the right equipment, plus R30-R50 per month for hosting and software subscriptions.

Do South Africans listen to podcasts?

South Africans, like much of the rest of the world, are getting more into podcasts.

How many people listen to podcasts in South Africa?

Sixty-one percent of the South African major metro population age 15 and older have listened to online audio in the last month, and 26% have listened to a podcast in the last month. This is according to The Infinite Dial® 2022 South Africa, which shows significant increases from the prior survey in 2019.

Do podcasts make money in South Africa? 

Of course they do! Big names are getting large amounts of listeners and large amounts of ad revenue in return. According to Advertise Cast, average 30-second CPM (cost per 1K listeners) rates are R18, while 60-second CPMs are R25.

Can I do a podcast by myself in South Africa?

You don’t have to have anyone else on your show to be successful. Your show can be just you sitting in front of a mic telling a story, or teaching your audience something new. To host a podcast by yourself, the work will all fall on your shoulders in the beginning.

Is it hard to start a podcast in South Africa?

Starting a podcast isn’t difficult, but there are a number of steps you’ll need to go through in order to get it launched. In this podcasting tutorial, we’ll walk you through every step of the process: Choosing a topic & name. Show and episode format.

Do you need a website to start a podcast in South Africa?

Remember, as you start your new podcast, it’s critical to have a website. A website will help you get new listeners, promote your site effectively, and act as a central hub for everything related to your podcast. To start building your podcast website, look into WordPress hosting from HostGator today.

Do podcasts pay their guests in South Africa?

Typically, podcasts do not pay their guests. Their “Payment” comes from exposure to the audience as well as highlights to their services, e-books, products, etc. Even if a podcast is small now, there is an assumption by host and guests that the show will grow, and the exposure will increase.

Can anybody start a podcast in South Africa?

Anyone can start a podcast. You just have to record your episodes and publish them online. However, turning your podcast show into a successful business is altogether a different story.

Are podcasts regulated in South Africa?

There are no editors and producers to pitch to or to regulate content. A podcast is essentially an audio blog, born in the 2000s when the digital music revolution occurred with the creation of the iPod in 2001.