Today is International Podcast Day, a reminder of how far podcasting has come, how deeply it resonates with creators and listeners and how it is shaping the future of entertainment.
For digital trailblazer Richard “Astar” Njau, podcasting served as a platform where he, a former gospel rap artist, could share conversations with fellow musicians thanks to his access to many musical gurus.
When he started out with Cleaning the Airwaves (CTA) in 2015, his target audience was his colleagues in the gospel music scene.
However, when his music career paused, his curiosity expanded beyond musical experiences to understanding personalities and businesses across various industries and sectors, and he took his listeners along for the journey.
“After I stopped being a musician, I began struggling with aspects of business leadership, so I pivoted. Julian Kyula was my first pivot to understanding business, not for you guys. I was not podcasting for you guys. I do it for me first,”
he says.
For former radio queen Kalekye Mumo, podcasting was a chance at freedom to tell her own story without being confined to the character the media had crafted of her. It offered her the opportunity to share other people’s unfiltered stories without the constraints of traditional media, own her voice, reveal parts of her life that she wants to, and learn more about herself.
“The character at Kiss had been defined as single, and I played it really well, because everybody thought I was, and men thought I hated men, and you know, I’d played it well. But God, then tells me, ‘Now you must share your story, because I want you to do this podcast about getting people to speak about their side of the story on relationships, but also take accountability for their role in whatever experience they have had’,” Kalekye says.
Podcasts are currently experiencing a breakthrough moment, as content creators, public figures, celebrities, and social media influencers establish their presence on this audio platform.
While the bar to entry for podcasts is low, requiring only the right equipment and finding a quiet space to record, it has become a significant business in the entertainment industry, with sponsors eager to capitalise on this medium to gain attention and reach their desired audience.
Joyriders, the loyal and appreciative fans of the Joy Ride Podcast, have helped Ben and Wanjiru, the hosts of the podcast, to build an authentic community centred on shared experiences in relationships, faith, and life’s journey.
Ben and Wanjiru launched their podcast in 2022. After eight seasons, the podcast has spawned two additional spin-off shows that they also host, called The Den and The Nook, as well as a game named The Joyride Game.
As podcasts continue to evolve, they are moving from the mic to the stage, with listeners finding their favourite shows on YouTube, sharing moments on TikTok and attending live events for a more interactive experience among the hosts and listeners.
Ben and Wanjiru have taken their podcast on the road, conducting campus tours as part of their live experiences.
“Podcasts have opened up a new way to connect with your audience, and beyond just the camera, you find most podcasters have now taken up events to connect with your audience one-on-one and put faces to the people who watch you. And that also now adds gear to that community building,” Wanjiru says.
According to Spotify’s 2024 Wrapped for Creators, there were more than six million podcasts on the platform, where more than half a billion people listened to a podcast as part of their daily routines since 2019.
Like Richard, Barrack Bukusi started his podcast, Financially Incorrect, partly to satisfy his own curiosity.
“I wanted to have more honest and possibly revealing conversations about money in our society, in Kenya and specifically East Africa,” Barrack says.
The more than three million views on his YouTube channel are proof that he is getting genuine engagement from real users and that his audience wants to learn more about money from the guests he hosts on his show. But what he wants most at the end of the day is a successful podcast.
“A successful podcast is one that is sustainable, meaning it can pay for itself. It can produce itself, pay its host, figure out a way to make money and basically justify its existence,” he says.
From audio-only to video and live events, podcasts are blossoming into a dominant entertainment medium with diverse content across various genres. Whether it’s true crime, drama, relationships, comedy, insightful business, lifestyle and health, there’s a podcast waiting to be discovered.
Happy International Podcast Day.
