How to make a podcast in South Africa South African Podcasters Guild

"Experience the magic of VoiceMap’s GPS audio walks, cycles, drives and even boat rides. They’re like podcasts that move with you, to tell stories about what you’re seeing right now."
Iain Manley has been developing, growing, and working on VoiceMap for ten years now, and 2024 is turning out to be a big year for this South African startup. They're seeing big growth and selling lots of tours.

I bring VoiceMap to the attention of SAPG members because if you're someone who loves to travel, write engaging scripts, and produce immersive audio, VoiceMap could be your dream side hustle.

Listening notes: This was a very relaxed conversation and both Iain and I speak pretty slowly in this episode, so feel free to rev us up to 1.5x or even 2x if you're feeling saucy!

After an hour in conversation with Jayne, I can see why her clients (which include Graham Norton) trust her. Besides her long list of achievements, she has a wonderful sense of humour and an aura of calm competence that must be very appealing when starting new or complex project, and she's worked on projects of every size and type.
If you produce branded podcasts or want to, this is a deep dive for you.

We discuss about podcasting before it was podcasting, the fine balance of brand and authentic content, the differences and similarities between the UK and SA podcast industries, working with a celebrity like Graham Norton, and her passion podcast, The Friendship File.

I've included links to as many of Jayne's shows as I can find. Enjoy!

In our first member profile, I chat to the father & son team behind Baird Media.
Hendrik has a background in theater and acting, and Ethan is a highly-experienced sound engineer.
They've been joining forces in the podcasting business since 2021, but this year they're working on a game-changing project for them and (I hope) the beginning of something big for South African podcasters.
Audio fiction is not easy, but it's beautiful. Big projects, engrossing work, complex problems, and an opportunity to touch people deeply.
In this episode we hear what makes the Bairds tick, and their plans for audio fiction in South Africa.
Enjoy.

What are the questions every podcaster wants answered about monetising with ads?
Well, in part 2 of my conversation with Francois Retief, COO of iono.fm, we hit almost every one of them, including:
1. What's the average audience size of a South African podcast?
2. What's a good audience size for my podcast?
3. Okay how many listens do I need to make R10 000?
4. How many listeners do I need to monetise a show?
5. What is syndication and how does it work?
6. How can we use analytics to improve our podcasts?
7. Where should I advertise my podcast?
8. Does guest quality affect how much you can sell ads for?
9. Is it more effective to sell your own ads or go through a service like iono?
10. Are brands more interested in niche or large audiences?
And more!

Team:
Audio recording: Rebekah van Zyl
Videographer and editor: Jason Hans
Host and audio editor: Jon Warncke

This is part 1 of the epic saga that was my conversation with Francois Retief, COO of iono.fm, South Africa's largest digital audio hosting service, which includes 2500+ South African Podcasts.
Francois has unparalleled access to specific, South-African-relevant data and analytics and he was kind enough to unpack all those numbers with us.

This two-part series is about making podcasting profitable through selling advertising, and part 1 is largely focused on some foundational knowledge everyone needs to understand. What's does the South African podcasting landscape look like, how do you even sell ads, and who figures out how much money you're going to get out of those ads?

Here's exactly what we cover in part 1:
3:25 My epic beard.
5:26. How do brands buy ads on podcasts?
6:05 What brands are advertising on podcasts?
8:03 Can we separate SA shows from international shows?
9:54 Where IS South African podcasting right now?
12:45 Are recorded radio shows a podcast?
18:30 What's the addressable market in South Africa for podcasts?
19:27 Are there any South African podcasts making it internationally?
21:07 Where are all the podcasts for kids?
22:23 Roadblocks to podcast growth
25:18 SAPG's Plans for a top charts
27:21 Do you see any gaps in the market for specific genres
29:15 Who loves podcasts in SA?
30:50 What is the average income of podcasters who have monetised?
36:33 How Advertising Works
36:38 What is CPM?
41:44 How valuable is a pre, mid, and post-roll?
44:10 Dynamic Ad Insertion
47:21 Different ads for different audiences
47:59 Average CPM for podcasts
48:26 What is an average radio CPM
50:22.386 How to increase your earning with value, audience, and frequency
51:53.271 What's the average audience size for a South African podcast?
57:42.590 What's a good audience size for my podcast?
1:03:00.517 Okay how many listens do I need to make R10 000?
1:08:00.323 How many listeners do I need to monetise my show?

Look out for part 2, coming soon.
And, of course, a huge thanks to our guest, Francois, as well as:

Rebekah van Zyl - Audio Recording
Jason Hans - videographer

In this episode, I was very lucky to get in the same room with seasoned branded content creator Spike Ballantine. Spike shares his treasure trove of insights into the world of branded podcasting - an essential listen for anyone looking to break into this domain of podcasting that more easily brings in an income than trying to monetise your own show.

NOTE: Just listen to the energy in the room in this episode and you'll hear the difference between a remote recording and an in-person one.

**In this episode:**
- What branded podcasts are and what they can achieve.
- Going beyond the simple interview.
- Creating a pitch, going after clients.
- How on-location recordings add flavour to the content.
- Understanding the audience
- Spike's perspective on the current growth of podcasting in SA, and how long it will take to fully mature.
- How to think BIG and then make a plan to get as close to that dream as possible.
- What it takes to be a show runner.