Should brands be integrating podcasts into client communication strategies?
By Emma Montocchio, Lisa Gogo and Marc Ashton
This is a question our Decusatio Investor Communications team has been debating over the last few months as we continue mapping modern B2B communication strategies in South Africa.
The short answer is yes.
The more interesting question is around platform, reach, format and long-term ownership.
Over the past few years, podcasts have moved from niche media experiments into a serious part of the communications mix. For communications professionals, they now occupy an especially interesting space between traditional business radio and long-form digital storytelling.
That positioning feels particularly relevant in South Africa, where talk radio still carries significant weight, yet audiences are increasingly shifting toward on-demand listening habits.
Many of our clients still prioritise exposure on established business radio platforms, and that instinct remains sound. Radio continues to be one of the most trusted and accessible formats in the country, particularly for time-starved executives and entrepreneurs who rely on it for news, insight and analysis throughout the day.
At the same time, there is growing curiosity around whether South African business podcasts can deliver comparable value in terms of reach, credibility and influence.
From our side, the more strategic question is no longer whether podcasts matter, but rather how brands should structure podcast participation so it creates durable communications value rather than one-off visibility.
Radio Scale, Podcast Depth
From a communications standpoint, the relationship between radio and podcasts is far less competitive than it is complementary.
South Africa’s strongest business podcasts often originate from established broadcast ecosystems such as Moneyweb or are supported by infrastructure-led platforms like IONO.fm.
Their advantage lies not only in content quality, but in audience familiarity, trust and cross-channel distribution.
Radio delivers immediacy and scale.
Podcasts deliver depth and longevity.
A strong podcast conversation can continue creating value long after release through clips, newsletters, social content, investor updates and repeat listening. Traditional radio, by contrast, is often far more moment-driven.
For listed companies, executives and B2B brands, the strongest strategies increasingly combine both formats rather than forcing a choice between them.
This is often where we help clients most: identifying whether a leadership story belongs in fast-moving broadcast, long-form podcasting, or a hybrid distribution strategy.
What Do the Podcast Numbers Look Like in South Africa?
In September 2025, The Media Online published a compelling piece titled Podcasting’s breakout moment in South Africa, sharing several standout data points.
The numbers suggest strong momentum:
- 9 out of 10 South Africans with internet access listen to podcasts
- 61% fall within the 18–34 age bracket
- Global podcast revenue is expected to exceed $5.5 billion annually
- The average listener commits between 20 and 40 minutes per session
- 56% notice sponsorships and act on them
For communicators, the significance lies less in the raw audience numbers and more in attention quality.
Twenty to forty minutes of focused listening is rare in today’s fragmented media environment.
The real strategic question is whether South Africa’s podcast economy is becoming too fragmented to navigate effectively.
Distribution Remains the Real Challenge
If one theme continues surfacing in conversations about podcast trends in South Africa, it is distribution.
Podcast production has become increasingly accessible. Sustainable audience growth remains far harder.
A growing body of commentary suggests the challenge is structural rather than tactical. Creators who rely entirely on platforms such as YouTube, LinkedIn or Instagram often build visibility without building ownership.
That distinction matters.
For African creators and corporate brands alike, platform dependency introduces layered risk. Algorithms change, monetisation rules evolve, and discoverability remains heavily shaped by global recommendation systems built primarily around Western consumption behaviour.
This often leaves African business content competing in ecosystems not specifically designed for local context.
For communicators advising executives, this changes how podcast opportunities should be evaluated. Audience size matters, but distribution durability, content ownership and ecosystem strength matter more.
This is precisely where communications strategy becomes more valuable than content production alone.
Ownership as Strategy
The answer is not abandoning platforms. Their discovery value remains powerful. The smarter shift is strategic ownership.
Marc reflected on his time as MD of Moneyweb, where sponsored executive interview series often created significant long-tail brand value.
One notable trend we saw over time was sponsors moving from branded show sponsorship into fully owned in-house podcast ecosystems, taking control of production, distribution and audience data.
This is where podcasting becomes especially interesting for B2B brands.
The long-term value increasingly sits in control over:
- RSS feeds
- Archives
- Audience behaviour data
- Newsletter integration
- Website discoverability
- Repurposed social clips
For brands serious about thought leadership, this transforms podcasting from content into owned media infrastructure.
And that is often where Decusatio helps clients think beyond appearances and toward strategic communications assets that continue delivering value across reporting cycles, campaigns and investor engagement moments.
What Our Team’s Consumption Habits Tell Us
While not scientific, it is always useful to poll our own team, particularly because many fall within the often-cited 18–34 “hard to reach” demographic.
Some interesting themes emerged.
The team largely described themselves as occasional rather than habitual podcast listeners.
YouTube emerged as the dominant preferred platform, particularly where podcasts included a strong video layer.
Discovery was overwhelmingly social-media-driven rather than appointment-based listening, and the preferred format length consistently landed in the 20–40 minute range.
That is useful food for thought for brands.
It suggests that discoverability, clip strategy and visual storytelling may now be just as important as the podcast itself.
What This Means for Brands and Leaders
For many executives, podcasts still feel like a secondary channel alongside earned media, broadcast interviews and traditional PR. In reality, their value is simply different.
The strongest podcast engagements work when treated as strategic storytelling assets rather than one-off appearances.
They create space for nuance, better message retention and significantly stronger long-tail value across digital channels.
More importantly, they align with how business audiences increasingly consume information.
One pattern remains consistent: listeners reward substance over soundbites.
That is exactly where podcasts outperform most traditional formats.
For brands navigating reputation building, investor visibility or executive positioning, the real opportunity lies in building a podcast strategy that ladders into the broader communications ecosystem rather than sitting beside it.
Are You a Podcast Fan?
We are continuing to map how South African audiences engage with business podcasts and would love broader input.
We are offering two R250 EasyEquities vouchers to two participants who share their favourite South African business podcasts in the comments below or on our social posts within 10 days of this article going live.
The podcast economy in South Africa is still evolving, and the most useful insights often come directly from listeners themselves.
Give us your take on how you see the market evolving, and let’s keep the conversation going.