For a long time, radio has embodied the privileged medium of instantaneity: the live broadcast, the hourly news, the traffic and weather breaks, the familiar voices on headphones as Italy moved. Radio is the medium that intercepts attention in the here and now, capable of mobilizing a wide audience, presiding over the average day with repetition and frequency, and serving as an immediate amplifier for messages, news, and calls to action. In 2024, the RadioTER survey identifies about 35.08 million of radio listeners on the average day, albeit a decline of 3.5% from the previous year, signaling a slight erosion of the audience, without compromising the overall strategic dimension.
And yet, in this very context of "tradition," a transformation has crept into the world of communication: that of the podcast. Not as a substitute, but as a natural complement.
The podcast carries with it the promise of theon-demand listening, of the narrative seriality, of extended time, of in-depth study. In Italy, the podcast ecosystem has experienced persistent growth: according to recent data, unique podcast listeners rose to 17.2 million in 2024 (a +5% compared to 2023) and represent a 67% increase compared to 2018 (then around 10.3 million). In parallel, companies have begun to include podcasts in their communication arsenals, and advertising investments in the medium have grown at double-digit rates: 2024 records a +39% of podcast advertising in Italy.
The radio and the podcast, then, are not antagonistic, but complementary ways of telling stories: the former presides over the moment of urgency, of permanent flux, of the quick call; the latter delves in, picks up, expands, nurtures relationship and trust over time.
The radio: speed, ubiquity and continuity
When an organization-public or private-needs to get the word out in minutes, draw attention to an announcement, event, or campaign with a tight deadline, radio remains the primary tool. Its power lies in its speed of execution: just plug in live, plug into an editorial space, and reach thousands if not millions of people in a single instant. In this sense, radio is the weapon of choice for topicality, emergency, territorial mobilization, and rapid brand awareness. Its conversations are experienced in the instant, and the host, with his or her authority and ability to build relationships with listeners, serves as an immediate sounding board.
However, radio entails constraints: each speech is necessarily "brief." Voices must be concise, concepts compressible, messages strong. This is not the place for lengthy explanation; the latter would have a way of returning only on later occasions.
For companies, this profile makes radio perfect for short-term campaigns, launching a new product, flash events, reinforcing large-scale awareness, and generating traffic to other channels, especially when synchronized with immediate digital channels.
The podcast: the time for in-depth study and dialogic relationship
If radio presides over the present, the podcast lives in dilated time. When a topic requires context, multiple voices, interviews, storytelling, the brief intervention is not enough: a container is needed to evoke and accompany, and that is where the podcast finds its strength: in the confidence of the voice that speaks directly to the listener/viewer, in the seriality that invites them to return, and in the fact that each episode remains accessible forever, generating a long tail.
People who listen to podcasts are often "dual" listeners, meaning they also consume other audio content: according to recent studies by NielsenIQ for Audible, 62% of podcast listeners in Italy say they also listen to audiobooks, highlighting how audio consuming is becoming an integral part of the personal cultural ecosystem.
The podcast audience also has an interested, educated, and quality-oriented content profile, and prefers formats of in-depth study (47%), information (45%) e investigation (36%), with average sessions reaching durations of 25-30 minutes.
From a corporate communications and PR perspective, the podcast enables the development of vertical content that dialogues with stakeholders, opinion leaders, and highly targeted niches. The branded podcast is a tool now adopted by companies that want to "become vocal," tell corporate stories in an authentic tone, build authority and lasting relationships with audiences: no longer pure "advertising," but a kind of continuous experiential storytelling.
Podcast also attracts investors: advertising spending in Italy on podcasts has increased Of the 39% in 2024, a sign that companies recognize the value of the medium as a hybrid channel between information and branded content. And for businesses, the measure of effectiveness can be measured not only in terms of reach, but also in retention, completion, engagement over time, post-listening conversions (enrollments, visits, requests) and earned media (quotes, reactions, word of mouth).
In many cases, companies integrate radio and podcast: they use radio to push initial awareness, ignite curiosity, and generate traffic to the podcast episode, which then becomes a "central hub" for insights, brand narratives, and ongoing relationships. In such a model, radio "brings in" the invitation to listen at length; the podcast becomes the living room where the relationship takes shape.
Closing the circle: toward a new audio logic
Ultimately, the contemporary challenge is not to choose between radio or podcasts, but to cross their forces in the design of a coherent strategy, thought out in stages. The company that intends to preside over the dialogue with its audience must take into account the attention time, of theurgency, of the narrative context and of the lasting relationship.
Radio offers the gateway: it is the medium that can still garner mass listening, connect to current events, and convey messages quickly and ubiquitously.
The podcast, with its structure meant to last, allows the company to become an autonomous voice, to decline vertical content, to cultivate communities. It is in that territory that more memory, trust and narrative solidity is built.
In an increasingly fragmented media environment, where the consumer decides when, how and with whom to communicate, the world of audio-that is, the set of audio spaces chosen-can become an inescapable axis for effective and lasting communication and PR strategies. Companies that are able to bring prime time and headphones into dialogue will not only gain visibility, but build relationships.
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