How to Start a Podcast in Nigeria and Make Money: A Comprehensive Guide

Podcasting, as we all know it, is another popular medium for sharing ideas, stories, and information. If you’re interested in starting a podcast in Nigeria, but don’t know how to start, you’re in the right place.

In this comprehensive article, I will walk you through the equipment needed, steps for recording and editing, platforms for hosting and distributing your podcast, and tips for monetizing and growing your audience.

Whether you plan to create an interview-style podcast, solo discussions, or storytelling, this guide will provide you with the necessary information to get started.

But before we get started, let’s talk about the history of podcasts and its popularity in Nigeria.

History of Podcasts and its Popularity in Nigeria

According to Wikipedia;

The earliest use of “podcasting” was traced to The Guardian columnist and BBC journalist Ben Hammersley, who coined it in early February 2004 while writing an article for The Guardian newspaper.

Wikipedia

Even though there seem to be other historic stories on how and when podcasting started, one thing is common in all the historic stories; “it started in the early 2000”.

But in Nigeria, podcasting didn’t really kick off early until there was a need for people to start podcasting.

This need arose as a result of the sanctions upon sanctions from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on media houses in Nigeria.

These sanctions have led to biased news and information from media houses.

As a result, the Nigerian people felt a need to rely on other media sources for complete and truthful information. That was what led to the launching of many Podcast platforms in Nigeria.

This is what some of the biggest Podcaster had to say, on what led them to start Podcasting;

According to a co-host of F&S Uncensored, Feyi Akin-Bankole during his discussion session with pulse tv said the reason he stated podcasting was; “I felt like I had a lot to say about the music and pop culture in Nigeria and a podcast seemed to be the most ideal platform.”

Ayomide Tayo, co-host of Loose Talk Podcast said;

“The reason we started the podcast was because we used to have mad bants in the office back then about the latest happenings in Nigeria and our colleagues loved it.

“More importantly, we realized that there was no one who was curating or documenting Nigerian pop culture for our generation. In the next 5-10 years, this era would be gone. It would have been a tragedy that this era was not properly documented.”

And so many other old podcasters had their own stories to share.

Among the old podcasters in Nigeria, these are some of them you can check out, to learn how to shape your own podcast program and rise to the best podcaster in Nigeria faster.

• F&S Uncensored
• Loose Talk Podcast
• I Said What I Said
• The Rantcasts

If there is going to be any business in the tech field that you can start now with a positive trajectory to growth in the nearest future, podcasting is among the top 10. This is what Techcabal has to say about the growth in the podcast industry;

Today, GCR’s network of podcasts has 19 shows, a growth that mirrors the rise of podcasting in Africa and the World. Per Insider Intelligence, there are currently over 2 million podcasts and 424.2 million podcast listeners worldwide in 2022, a 10.6% increase from the previous year. As of 2020, the global podcasting market size was valued at $11.46 billion. It grew to $13.785 billion in 2021 and is expected to be a massive $153.07 billion in 2030, according to Acumen Research and Consulting.

techcabal

With that being said lets now talk about the main focus of this article; “How to Start a Podcast in Nigeria”

What is Podcast All About?

A podcast is an audio program that is typically made up of a series of episodes. Podcasts cover a wide range of topics, from news and politics to entertainment and lifestyle.

The beauty of podcasting is that anyone can create a podcast and share their voice with the world. And with a little social media marketing, you will be able to reach out to more viewers.

How to Create a Podcast

Creating a podcast requires a few key pieces of equipment. Without this key pieces of equipment, starting a podcast is not possible.

These equipment are;

• Microphone
• Audio Editing Software
• Headphones
• Recording Space

Make sure you purchase quality equipment, if not the best equipment

Once you have your equipment, the next thing is the procedures for creating your podcast. You can achieve that by following the process below;

Choose a topic:

Choosing a topic is an important aspect of podcasting. The criteria for choosing a topic are;

• High interest in the topic
• Knowledgeable
• Engaging

With those three criteria met you will be able to attract engagement to your podcast easily with little expenses on social media publicity.

Plan your episodes:

Now that you have chosen a topic, the next thing you want to do is to start creating episodes on that topic.

Mind you, your podcast episodes shouldn’t be that long.

By following and listening to other podcasters’ podcasts, you can come up with a well-structured podcast program that has the perfect episode length, perfect background music (if you choose to), and the perfect advertising strategy.

I earlier gave examples of some big podcast programs in Nigeria in this article, you can check them out and also check out this popular podcast program called; “The HonestBunch Podcast” hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Toun, and Naomi.

In addition, you can choose a day or days per week to release each episode (this strategy keeps your audience anticipating the next release).

Have a perfect outline for each episodes.-It is advised that you plan at least 10 to 50 episodes ahead before you finally launch your Podcast.

You can know how to structure the best podcast script for each of your episodes.

Record your episodes:

Now that you got your outlined episode ready and how long each episode is meant to be, you start recording.

It is in the process of recording that you will be needing your production crew to be effective and efficient; “as any moment missed might be difficult to recreate”.

And in order not to get interrupted during the recording session, make sure all your equipment is in good shape before recording; “for the ones that need adjustment, adjust them to make sure they are 100% ready before you finally start recording”.

Save the audio files in a folder that you have assigned separately for the podcast purpose. And for each episode you upload, you either give it a color mark (for MacBook users) or you take them to another separate folder titled posted or uploaded episodes.

Edit your episodes:

What is the essence of having the best topic, best episodes, and the best equipment with a roughly published podcast?

Editing your podcast before publishing is very important, it is like cooking with spices. Without the spices, the meal has a 90% chance of becoming tasteless. -That is how important it is to edit your episodes before publishing.

There are many audio editing software out there, free and pro, whichever you and your team choose to use, make sure it is good enough to give the best quality sound that people will love to listen to.

One of the best free audio editing software tools you can find out there is Audacity.

Create an intro and outro:

Creating an intro and outro in each of your episodes is very important as it gives it some sense of beauty to your listeners.

Just like you see in most professional YouTubers’ videos.

The intro can be music and a welcoming note.

But the outro should be more like an appreciation to the listeners, encouraging them to comment and for new listeners to follow your Podcast program.

To know how important Outro is to podcasts this is what ThePodcastHost has to say about outro;

On the surface, the most important part of your episode is the main content. After all, that’s where you discuss or address what was promised in the title. The podcast intro, though, gets your listener to that content. And the outro helps keep them listening to more episodes.

ThePodcastHost

You can check this article on Ausha; “Outro Tips for Every Podcast Host” for more ideas on how you can create the perfect outro in your podcast.

Upload and distribute:

Uploading might seem like the final work, but it’s not. Distribution and publicity are the final work.

You can have the best podcast content and the most expensive content, but without awareness, it is no different from being the worst podcast content out there.

Social media marketing should be the number one publicity tool you can use to achieve a quicker and faster result.

Apart from using social media ads, one of the best free ways to create awareness and publicity through social media is to share short clips of your episodes.

The short clips should be well-strategized enough to make listeners inquisitive 🧐 about how the discussion on the top ended. And when such curiosity arises, it is 90% sure that they will click on the link for the full episodes.

Another effective way to create awareness is to use social media influencers.

If you are asking yourself what is the best podcast hosting platform to upload your podcast? Among the best podcast hosting platforms are;

• Apple Podcasts,
• Soundcloud,
• Spotify,
• Google Podcasts
• Ausha

There are many other great podcast hosting platforms out there on the internet that you can host your podcast with. Do your personal research and decide on which one to settle with.

Learn:

• how to upload and host your podcast on SoundCloud
• How to make a podcast on Apple
• How to Start a Podcast on Spotify

How Much Does it Cost to Produce a Podcast?

Knowing the cost of any business venture before embarking on it, is a wisdom that cant be despised and Podcast Venture is no different.

Knowing the cost of starting this business is very important as it will get your mind activated on sourcing the capital. In addition, it helps potential investors know what exactly will be leaving them in the course of investing in your podcast.

These articles can assist you get investors on board;

• How to Sell a Business Idea to an Investor
• How to Pitch My Business Idea

But in most cases, podcasters source funds from within themselves, as it is not that costly to start a podcast program.

That is why partnership is recommended in this business venture.

Having a partner, preferably called a co-host in the podcast industry is very beneficial; from sharing the expenses together to gaining free publicity that may come from one of the partners having a good network with someone who has a large community on social media or blog platform and can assist the podcast program with free publicity at the initial stage of starting this online business.

Another benefit of having a co-host is that it brings diverse ideas and contributions to the table that can keep the program running for a long time; as there have been cases of podcast programs shutting down due to lack of creativity from the host.

But even though it is not costly to start a podcast program, it can be frustrating to buy substandard equipment, thereby amounting to a higher cost of starting a podcast program.

The cost of producing a podcast program varies depending on the equipment and software you use. And like I said; “purchase quality equipment, if not the best equipment”.

Here are some basic estimated costs to consider:

Microphone: $50-$150

Audio Editing Software: Free – $400

Headphones: $20-$100

Hosting Platform: $5-$50/month

Overall, you can expect to spend between $100 and $500 to get started with podcasting.

Converting the estimated cost to Niara (@N750) you are expected to spend between N75,000 to N375,000 in starting a Podcast Program.

That is how cheap and easy it is to start a podcast program or should I say a podcasting business venture❗️

How to Make Money from Your Podcast

Obviously, no one starts a podcast with the aim of just satisfying the audience and not getting value in return. Even if you find it as a hobby, you need incentives to keep the energy going.

The beauty of making money from podcasts is the multiple sources from which the money can be made.

One of the sources of making money from podcasts is through personal merchandise like; T-shirts, mugs, mics, and other sellable items that you feel can easily be sold to your audience.

But to achieve the personal merchandise successfully, you can create a dropshipping website where the interested audience can easily access the items.

Other common ways you can monetize your podcasts are;

• Sponsorships
• Adverts
• Donations
• Affiliate Marketing
• Youtube

Yes, you can make money from your podcast through YouTube, all you have to do is to upload the video version of your podcast on YouTube.

I believe you know that YouTube only starts paying you per view when your monetization demands have been meant and approved.

But making money from podcasts isn’t a smooth road, as it requires building a loyal audience. This takes time and effort, but with consistency and dedication, it’s definitely achievable.

How to Get Featured on Podcasts

The term we rise by lifting others is also applicable in this industry.

Getting featured on other people’s podcasts is one easy way to gain popularity in this industry. This can only be achieved through Networking.

This networking is a long-term project, as you will get more “NOs” at the early stage of entering into this industry than “YES”.

But don’t give up, keep reaching out to other podcasters in your niche, and build a professional relationship with them, that way it will be easy for you to get featured in their podcast.

Another way to also access other podcasters is to attend conferences organized by popular podcasters or the conference is strictly about the podcast industry.

Final Thoughts

This article; “How to Start a Podcast in Nigeria ” has been able to explain how rewarding, and creative the podcast industry can be.

And remember, with the right equipment, software, hosting platform, and monetization strategy, you can turn your passion into a profitable venture.

Be consistent, engage with your listeners, and continually improve the quality of your content.

With time and dedication, you can grow your audience and create a successful podcast that resonates with listeners both in Nigeria and around the world.