Podcasting has suddenly become more mainstream. It seems like anyone and everyone now has a podcast. Popular streaming platforms like Apple and Spotify have also embraced podcasting with Spotify making podcasts exclusive to their platform. Spotify announced an exclusive partnership with the Joe Rogan podcast and recently acquired podcast networks for their ever-growing podcast section.
Podcasting is suddenly becoming big business with the popular trend of “Podcast Networks” where a host of podcasts come together to form a network of podcasts. Popular podcast networks include Gimlet, Earwolf, and National Public Radio (NPR).
Podcasting in Ghana is starting to become a big deal. Although most of the podcast charts in Ghana are largely dominated by Religious podcasts from the likes of Joel Osteen and Mensa Otabil, original podcasters are starting to slowly make a dent in the space.
Current Podcast Playmakers
There isn’t much of a storied history on when original podcasts started blowing up in the Ghanaian scene but nevertheless, there has been an uptick of podcasting in Ghana. AccraWeDey, a popular brand on social media, started podcasting with the same name and quickly grew to popularity. The podcast featured individuals in the Accra scene and was generally about conversations involving the city.
Presently, AccraWeDey has its own network and features its original podcast as well as other podcasts including What’s Your Flavor, Podak Purple, and Podtakes which discuss the focus scene in Ghana, gossip, and pop culture.
The trend of podcast networks continued with the Gold Coast Report which started out with a podcast network model from the start.
The network now features a plethora of podcasts that cover topics ranging from Sex, Music, LGBT, and Sports.
Monetisation Opportunities
One thing that makes most podcasts in the US stand out is their business models. Podcasts have become big business now and marketers and brands have started looking at podcasting to push their services and products.
Podcasters usually read advertising material from brands and companies at the start of their episodes or have a break in the middle of their episodes for sponsored content.
According to Nielsen, podcasts with advertising content actually have a positive effect with 70% of respondents saying ads help them become aware of new products and services from brands.
Podcasts in Ghana haven’t fully embraced the business model of podcasting yet but there is a big opportunity for brands and products to take advantage.
The AccraWeDey podcasts averages close to 1000+ listens per episode according to their Soundcloud page. While most listeners are based in Ghana, there is a segment of the podcast audience who are based in the diaspora, mostly in the UK and US. These numbers would likely be the same for other popular podcast networks in Ghana.
Tools Of The Trade
Making a podcast is not as difficult as it seems. Although you will likely get the best recording for your podcast episode, they are tools out there that make easy for the average person to host and record a podcast.
One popular tool is Anchor. The tool which was purchased by Spotify allows anyone to record, upload and share their podcast to almost all the podcast platforms including Apple and Google Podcasts. Users can even record straight from the smartphone device and upload.
Podcasting in Ghana will continue to grow and eventually find a way to monetise. Podcasters will need to start finding more ways to engage their audience and look at the data that is provided on the platforms that they host their podcasts.
It’s a bit of a long stretch but it’s not crazy to think that a platform like Apple or Spotify might look at giving exclusive deals to local podcasts in Ghana. We hope to see that one day.
