As podcasting continues to inspire millions of creators to create, connect and share their stories with audiences, many new content creators have jumped on the trend, to start a podcast so they can grab their own share of the over 500 million listeners around the world but most developing countries are missing out on this trend.
For example, even though a country like South Africa has a very large audience of listeners, there are only but a few notable podcasters, across the whole of Africa. A figure put at 1000 in a 2022 report by Africa Podfest and Braza Media Lab.
It can be arguable that podcasting has evolved to shape conversations while playing an increasingly significant role in socio-political, cultural and even business conversations but when media veterans like Oprah Winfrey set up their own Podcast Channels, you become even more convinced about the power of podcasting. And yet again, determined to start yours.
Like the thousands of aspiring creators who are all excited to start their own podcast in a bid to connect more intimately with your audiences, it is always very important you cross the T’s and dot the I’s, if you’re planning to grow successfully and create your own space in this niche.
Starting a Tech Talk Podcast Channel some years ago, did not only convince me that this journey you’re about to take can be both demanding yet rewarding, it also left me with some insights and actionable lessons that I’ll be sharing in the following paragraphs.
Choose a Niche
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There’s a huge demand for Podcasters in Africa, especially in growing markets in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya etc. but you can’t dive right in to start creating content in any of these markets without choosing a specific niche that aligns with the needs of the market and your own expected outcomes.
So, the first thing you have to do before you start a podcast is to choose your own niche and a general theme. Identify and pick out what you’d like to be discussing on your show.
While doing this, you have to put the following into consideration:
- Your Interest and Experiences: What exactly do you have interest or a widespread experience that you can comfortably talk about over an extended period of time? Creating a channel around subject matters you’re familiar with is very important as it deepens your content, boosts your expertise while making the journey even more fun.
- Your Audience’s Interests: Find out, who’s your target audience and what are the kind of podcasts they are already listening to? This will give you an idea about what is trending and you’ll be able to evolve your interest to fit in with the trend or find a niche you can naturally align with.
- Your Competition: Even though we have just a fewer number of podcasters in Africa, compared to other regions, Nigerians for example are listening to podcasts from both local and international creators. You can research these competing creators to find how you can build a podcast that will provide as much value while attracting the attention of your target audience.
While choosing a theme for your podcast, it is very crucial you also consider your overall goal for starting a podcast.
If your goal is to build on thought leadership without necessarily a direct need for income then you can go for a theme with a broad appeal, targeted at a bigger audience, where you can still draw in from your experiences, skills and expertise.
Regardless of your preferred niche, instead of broadening your topics to appeal to everyone, you can take a topic with a wide interest and then target a segment of the interested audience. This can make your content more relatable and niched while creating the chance for your audience to connect even better with the content.
Identify your Audience
Who exactly are the people that will be most likely interested in the topics you want to create content about as a podcaster? This is one of the key questions you have to answer before you start a podcast.
It is not enough to start podcasting because you feel like you should. Understanding your audience will shape the tone, style, delivery and even the topics of your podcasts. So, you want to know who exactly will be consuming your content, including their demographics, location and area of interest.
There are a number of tools that can get you to achieve this. Using keywords research tools like Wordstream, Ubersuggest, Google Keywords Tools etc., you can conduct a live research using targeted key phrases to generate insights on your audience.
Outside this, you can also study the leading podcasters in your chosen niche to understand their audience and their needs, based off their content types, preferences and the performance of those content.
When you have successfully conducted this, you can then identify topical areas, themes and ideas that will interest this group, based off your research. And then work on creating content around those topics.
Choose a Podcast Format
When I started podcasting, I went for the solo podcasting style because it was a no-brainer. I was the only one with my own personal experience and I wanted to share it by myself so it made a lot of sense.
Also, compared to the other available options, starting off solo was also very pocket friendly. The following are some of the podcasting options you can choose from:
- Solo Podcasts: This is where you’re the main host, speaking and sharing your ideas directly to your audience. This is a very popular option you can choose if you’re all about building thought leadership. Although it can get tiring if you’re not able to stir the interest of your audience, it is also a very beginner friendly option you can choose. You’ll also be very much at an advantage here, if you’re a subject matter expert in your niche.
- Co-Hosted Podcasts: As a co-host, you work with one or more persons with similar or closely related interests to your podcast themes. This is perfect for a more conversational styled podcasting, compared to the solo option. But it can also be more expensive and time consuming.
- Interview Styled Podcast: With this podcasting option, you invite and interview top people of different kinds, including celebrities, influencers and notable people. Although it can be more expensive, it’s a great option for podcasters that plan to pivot to reach a bigger audience much faster.
- Conversational Podcast: This is almost like a radio show where two or more podcast hosts have entertaining conversations around themes. Guests can also be invited for this podcast form. It is quite popular in most regions including Africa.
- Storytelling & Narrative Podcast: With this format, the hosts will use each episode to tell a particular narrative or section of a story, telling the remaining ones in the other episodes. It is quite an interesting podcasting format that can give you the chance to create and share a lot of interesting and entertaining content.
There are still a handful of podcasting forms, outside these popular ones. As you get set to start a podcast, you’ll find that there are a lot of options you can choose from but it is important you put into considerations things like goal, your resources, target audience and other important variables.
Doing this will get you more prepared to choose the right podcast formats that will deliver on your expected outcomes.
In addition to this, you also want to decide on the length or duration of your podcasts. To get a quick overview about what works best, check-up other existing podcasts in your niche to have a better idea for a start.
As you get started, user insights will also give you some data on what length your audience will most likely be comfortable with.
Create a Brand
As a podcaster, you don’t just need a brand, you need a brand that sticks with your audience and is both easily recognizable and relatable.
Brand Name: Before you start a podcast, you want to choose a brand name that easily creates an impression about your podcast. For example, outside needing a brand name that aligns with your topic, you also need something catchy that leaves an impression.
It also has to be easy while giving a hint at your central theme. When I started podcasting, I chose a name around Tech Talks because I wanted an ideal listener to understand that the content is tech related, as soon as they come across it. Outside being catchy, the brand name choice did create an impression.
Also, your brand name has to be something that is unique to you so you can use it exclusively. This means before settling for a name, you’ll run all necessary background checks to ensure you’re not infringing on any existing intellectual rights whatsoever.
There are a lot of options you can choose from when it comes to creating a suitable brand name for your audience. But like I highlighted earlier, it is important you pay attention to the certain nuances that will shape your podcasts including the theme, audiences and target location.
If you’re targeting Nigerian Gen Zs for instance, be sure you choose a name, style, delivery and tone of voice that resonates with them.
- Logo & Cover Image: You’ll need a logo and cover image that also aligns with your preferred brand color and brand tone of voice.
- Delivery & Style: Do not only stop at content themes. Keep your delivery on brand. Create and share your podcasts in a way your audience can easily relate with.
It may be difficult to know all of this at the beginning but guides like this will equip you with the necessary information as you start. And you’ll learn the rest and make adjustments while you grow.
Set up Your Equipment
As someone aspiring to start a podcast, you need some equipment to create quality content for your audience.
I always tell beginners, your priority in terms of equipment will most likely be influenced by your available resources, preferred podcasting format among other variables but, there are some standard set of equipment you’ll need, regardless of all of these.
This includes, a microphone, headphones, audio recording softwares etc. in most cases, these equipment are like the barest minimum, a cardinal part of what makes up a decent quality podcast production.
While the availability of some free applications on mobile devices, including Applestore, Playstore etc., has now made it possible to start off, using the freemium version of some of these equipment, it is still a very good idea to have them in place for better outcomes.
Unless you’re starting on an absolutely lean budget, you’ll need to have at least a microphone in place to enhance your sound production before you get started.
If you’re starting on a small scale, there are podcasting features from platforms like Audacity, Podbean and even Spotify that can give you the option to make some edits to your recordings, to enhance the quality.
These software can give you a head start as a beginner but as you scale, you’ll need a better set of equipment to manage your growth and content production.
Choose a Platform
There are a number of podcasting platforms where you can create and host your podcasts like Spotify for creators, YouTube, Podbean etc.
These are all great options to create and host podcast content as a beginner. Most of their options are free for beginners although there are paid options which you’ll have to upgrade to if you opt for the free versions at first.
When you’re all set to choose a platform to start a podcast, it is important to consider your audience and pay attention to their preferred platforms.
If you’re building for an African audience in rural regions with lower internet access for example, it is always best to focus on using less resources driven platforms (like audio only channels) where your audience can easily access your content even with fluctuating internet access.
On the other hand, where your target audience is urban based in affluent locations or a mix of both, you can consider extending to use options that best serves their needs, regardless of factors like internet and mobile data requirements.
That said, where you’re building something big from scratch, it is best you go all out for the paid options from your podcasting hosting channels as this will deliver better outcomes for your brand.
Also, you want to diversify your podcasts. Considering that there are people with preferences for video podcasts, if this is your forte, add platforms like YouTube to your list of podcast hosting platforms. And furthermore, share your Podcasts to Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook.
PS: Outside hosting your podcast elsewhere, you also need your own personal platform to share and host your podcasts. This is where your website comes in. So, you will need a website.
Promote your Podcasts
To make an impact with podcasting, you need a decent reach, exposure and listenership. And one of the best ways to gain this is by promoting your podcasts.
Now, after you’ve taken every step necessary to start a podcast and your content is live, it is time to share and promote your content so they can get across to your target audience.
There are many ways to do this including the paid and free promotional options like:
- Social Media Promotion: Create a page on the top social media platforms with the largest number of your target audience. Promote and share your content on those platforms.
- Blog Content Creation: Create and share content about your podcasts on your blog and websites. This can be content relevant to your podcast episodes or the text version of your podcast with the video or audio clips and embeded links, as the case may be.
- Third Party Platforms: Engage in free content promotion on third party platforms, using strategies like Guestposting for written content, Interviews, Co-hosting events etc. this allows you to tap into the other party’s audience.
- Search Optimization: Use search engine strategies to optimize your content for a bigger and better visibility across the search engines.
- Paid Advertising: Engage in paid advertising on platforms using avenues like search engine ads, social media ads, sponsored ads on websites etc.
Promoting your podcast is very important ant outside these options, there are quite a number of other channels you can use, depending on your resources and brand goals.
Final Words
There are many ways to start podcasting and just about anyone can become a notable podcaster but without the right ideas, you might just be making a wish.
Using the steps in this guide, you’ll be able to start off your own podcasting brand just like I did. Eventually you’ll grow and evolve your own custom strategies as the journey continues.
It is important to understand that you need a mix of the right ideas, experiences and expertise to handle some important podcasting topics. And you can learn some of these skills if you reach out here.
Now, it’s your turn. What are your biggest challenges when it comes to starting a podcast? Drop your comments below.
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