Everyone can create content for social media, but very few people have mastered the art of monetizing their contents on social media. The emergence of social media in Africa has seen more media consumers use digital technologies to access information. One of the most popular forms of new media is podcasting, and the best thing, that a lot of people do not know, is that you can make content and make a living from podcasting. In this article, we will show you how to make money from podcasting in Africa.
Podcasting in Africa has a high listenership population in comparison to the content creators. What this means is that there is room, for anyone with a good idea, through this article, to learn how to make money from podcasting in Africa. Disclaimer, making money from podcasting in Africa, is a process that does not happen overnight. Like any other journey, there are some processes that must be followed before you can start making money from podcasting in Africa.
Table of Contents
How to Start a Podcast 3 Steps
Pick a Niche
Podcasting is like a radio station. While one station plays Lingala, another may prefer amapiano, or naija music. However, there is no station that will play all genres at once. The same applies to podcasting. To be a successful content creator, you must pick a niche, and establish authority in that space. Once you pick your niche, you must be disciplined and maintain consistency in your releases to hook your audience. Inconsistencies easily make you lose numbers on your analytics and this does not look well when opting to monetize your podcast.
Invest in Good Equipment
Every podcaster’s nightmare is in editing a badly recorded episode. You can avoid all that by ensuring that before you record, you use good equipment, record in a quiet space, and make sure your settings match your voice. Investing in good equipment goes beyond your microphone and mixer. It also involves your space, the software used to record and edit your work, and your understanding of topic. When you ensure all factors are set right before recording, you will minimize issues of retaking or over editing episodes.
Build an Audience
Once you invest in picking a niche, and choosing the right recording space, your discipline and consistency will help you build an audience. A lot of Africans use social media, and what this means is that you can engage your audiences directly, respond to their critism, and keep the updated on when the next episode comes out. Building an audience is important for monetizing your podcast.
How to Make Money from Podcasting in Africa
Once you have your basics covered, here are four ways on how to make money from podcasting in Africa
Branding and merchandise
There are two things that Africans love; supporting each other and purchasing branded merchandise. This presents an open opportunity where, if you have branded merchandise, there will always be a listener that wants to promote you by buying your merchandise.
The most common way to make money from podcasting in Africa is through selling branded merchandise. For example, a podcast such as Over25 in Kenya, would brand T-shirts, coffee mugs, nighties, and caps and sell them to their listener base. The beauty of branding merchandise as a means of earning from podcasting is that is requires little to no capital. In instances where you have no capital, you can ask your audience to make reservations with a specific percentage and pay the balance on delivery. It is also cheaper if you brand items in bulk as that will reduce the amount of money you spend branding.
Sponsorship deals
Sponsorships are the easiest deals to land for a content creator in Africa especially if your have good followership base on social media, and your episode releases witness high spikes in analytics. While most companies would approach you for sponsorship, a bold podcaster would research on organizations within their niche, and draft a proposal on how you can help them create awareness on their products or increase numbers. A lot of sponsorship deals are won when the podcaster makes the first point of contact.
Affiliate Marketing
Another way of making money from podcasting is through Affiliate marketing. Here, you could partner with organizations to market their products through your podcast episodes or if you have video versions, display their items during your shows. Affiliate marketing is god because it also helps you as a podcaster to determine your level of authority in your space, depending on listeners response on your request for them to purchase from specific stores.
Exclusive Features
Finally, run exclusive interviews. Always have a rate card as a podcaster on how much you charge to run exclusive stories on your podcast. When you speak of a specific topic that garners a lot of attention, some people may want to give an extra opinion on a subsequent interview. The question you should have already answered at this point is how much it will cost them to share their opinions on your platform.
Final Thoughts on How to Make Money from Podcasting in Africa
As a content creator, there are so many topics of interest for Africans that you can chose from. These include music, social impact, climate change and society and culture conversations. As you pick a niche, always remember that the relevance and consistency of your audience will always put a meal on your table, if you want it to. Think of podcasting as a legitimate online business that you can capitalize on from the comfort of your home.