Creator Guidelines
Content standards and production guidelines for publishing on Katakora. These apply to all creators and all content on the platform.
Content Standards
Katakora is an audio storytelling platform built for African audiences and the wider world. We welcome a broad range of stories and genres, but some content is not permitted on the platform.
Not allowed
- ✕Explicit sexual content, or any sexual content involving minors
- ✕Hate speech or content that degrades people based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation
- ✕Content that promotes, glorifies, or instructs on violence or self-harm
- ✕Defamatory content that makes false factual claims about real individuals
- ✕Content that facilitates or promotes illegal activity
- ✕Copyrighted material you do not own or have rights to publish
- ✕Spam, repetitive filler, or content with no meaningful narrative value
Allowed with care
- ◦Mature themes — violence, trauma, moral ambiguity — handled with narrative intent
- ◦Horror, crime, and thriller content is permitted within platform standards
- ◦Fictional portrayals of real people must be clearly framed as fiction
- ◦Explicit language is permitted when contextually appropriate; flag it during upload
Accepted Genres
Katakora supports all of the following genres. Pick the one that best describes your story — this helps listeners find your work.
Audio Quality Standards
Great audio is the foundation of a great listening experience. Follow these technical standards when producing and exporting your episodes.
- –Record in a quiet space — background noise, hum, and reverb significantly reduce listener experience
- –Avoid clipping; monitor your levels throughout recording and editing
- –Keep microphone position consistent across sessions within a series
- –Apply noise reduction, gentle EQ, and light compression before exporting
- –Listen back on both headphones and a speaker before uploading
Episode Structure
There's no single format required, but a consistent structure within your series helps listeners know what to expect and builds habit.
- OpeningA brief intro: Could be your show name, episode title, or a cold-open scene. It is adviceable to keep it under 30 seconds unless your format calls for more.
- ContentThe main episode body. Aim for a consistent episode length within a series. If your length varies significantly, signal it in the episode title or description.
- TransitionsUse music, sound design, or deliberate silence to signal scene and chapter breaks. Abrupt cuts without cues are disorienting for listeners.
- OutroClose the episode intentionally: Thank the listener, tease the next instalment, or land a cliffhanger. Don't fade out mid-thought.
- MetadataInclude a clear episode title, a 2–4 sentence description, accurate genre and series info, and a cover image. Good metadata information/description is how new listeners easily find you.
Attribution & Copyright
You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to publish everything in your episodes. Here's how to handle the most common situations:
- Public domain worksContent from sources like Project Gutenberg is free to use. Credit the original author and source in your episode description — e.g. "Adapted from The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene, via Project Gutenberg."
- AdaptationsIf you adapt, abridge, or modernise a work, note clearly that it is an adaptation. Do not present adapted content as wholly original.
- Music & sound effectsOnly use music and sound you own, have licensed, or that is explicitly royalty-free. Include the source or licence in your episode metadata. Do not sample copyrighted recordings without clearance.
- AI-generated contentContent produced with AI tools including text-to-speech narration is permitted on Katakora. You must still own or have the right to use any source material provided as input.
- Third-party contributorsIf other people contributed voices, music, or writing to your episode, ensure you have their permission to publish. A simple written release is sufficient.
Questions about these guidelines? support@katakora.com
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