Microphone for Podcast

How to start a Podcast in South Africa

If you’re wondering how to start a podcast in South Africa? You’ve come to the right place! Just like teaching English abroad as a South African, podcasting can be a great way to make money while traveling the world and living as an expat.

Just like with a blog, a podcast is a way for you to build a community, solve problems, and share stories.

Sharing helpful advice on a specific topic on a consistent basis helps position you as an authority in your industry/niche. If you’re thinking of hosting a podcast in South Africa, I highly recommend that you start today.

As you increase your authority in your market, you attract other opportunities to you (for example, being invited to speak at events or conferences in your industry). You may also consider offering coaching or consulting services as people begin asking you for specific advice on your area of expertise.

What Is A Podcast

Podcasts are audio programs or spoken word broadcasts delivered through podcast networks or channels. They aim to provide the audience with useful and actionable information in an engaging and conversational format.

Podcast Statistics South Africa

According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, more than 475 million people are actively listening to podcasts around the world.

  • 10% of metropolitan South Africans listen to any podcasts in a typical month, compared to 33% of people in the US, or 22% of Australians.
  • Podcast listeners in South Africa went up by 50% in 2018.

How To Start A Podcast in South Africa

Podcast South Africa

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.

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.

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-cancelling 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.

  • If you’re recording solo, or recording interviews online: RODE LAVGO Broadcast Grade Lavalier Microphone

How to start a Podcast in South Africa

Rode Lavalier GO Professional-Grade is a compact, lightweight and wearable microphone that connects directly to your phone or laptop. It was designed for use in a wide range of applications. The 3.5mm TRS connector is designed to pair perfectly with the RØDE Wireless GO and most recording devices with a 3.5mm TRS microphone input.

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  • If you’re recording 2 people in-person, on a budget: Samson Meteor Mic

How to start a Podcast in South Africa

Meteor Mic is a portable USB studio condenser microphone for recording directly to your computer. Perfect for your home studio, it features a cardioid pickup pattern, a smooth, flat frequency response of 20Hz–20kHz and it also works with iPhone or iPad using Apple’s Lightning USB Camera Adapter. Watch the official promo video here.

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  • If you want the best of the best in podcasting (right now): Blue Yeti

Blue Yeti Microphone

Blue uses a proprietary tri-capsule microphone array that allows you to switch between 4 different polar patterns: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Bidirectional, and Stereo. It’s considered one of the best microphones for podcasting right now! Watch the official promo video here.

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If you are recording interviews, Zoom audio won’t be good enough. For podcast recording software, use Audacity or GarageBand. They’re both free recording and editing software.

If you have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you can use Adobe Audition, but there’s no need to pay extra for it to start.

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. Here are some of the best free podcast hosting services:

  • PodBean
  • Anchor
  • Buzzsprout
  • Spreaker

How to create podcast graphics and audiograms

Market your show

  1. Share images, clips, and shareable quotes on your social media pages.
  2. Create a podcast blog.
  3. Be a guest on other shows.
  4. Search Engine Optimization
  5. Email marketing strategy
  6. Paid search and social media ads (if you have a budget).

Monetize your podcast

  1. Offer a service: Coaching and Consulting
  2. Public Speaking
  3. Offer Premium Service: Behind the scenes content, q&a with host or guests, or even a private Facebook group for listeners.
  4. Partner with brands: Join an ad network or approach brands you’d like to work with.
  5. Sell products: Merchandise, Books, Printables

My Favorite Podcasts in South Africa

These are among the top 100 if not 10 podcasts in South Africa right now:

  • Unpack: Property Matters for Millennials – Tips for people who want to learn about property investing, thinking about, or are in the process of purchasing their first home.
  • Chica Travel Podcastprovides travelers and the curious, with all the insights and tools you’ll need as you go on your thrilling escapades around the world.
  • MashStartUp Podcast – A platform to encourage, empower, and educate young people in Africa on entrepreneurship & business.
  • Unselfishly Me – All about self-love, self-care, and everything in between.
  • True Crime South Africa – South African true crime stories both solved and unsolved.
  • The Whole Mama Show – Untold Stories of Motherhood.
  • Lesser Known Somebodies – Speaking to different people from different industries who are talented and unrecognized by others.
  • Maya on Money: Savvy Finance Tips

Summary: How to start podcasting in South Africa

Ready to start your podcast?

  1. Identify a Niche.
  2. Invest in Audio.
  3. Have a plan for each episode.
  4. Tell everyone about it.
  5. Help before you sell.
  6. Be unique.

7 thoughts on “How to start a Podcast in South Africa”

  1. Hi, I’m a medical doctor who is passionate about women health and empowerment. I have been pondering starting a podcast but I keep getting in my head and worry that it won’t succeed. I love the insights you have given and I wanted to find out

    1. how often would one have a podcast per week
    2. how long should each podcast be
    3. What is the best way to market a podcast if you do not have a good social media footprint

    Looking forward to your response.

    Kind Regards
    Dr Bee

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