How Long Should a B2B Podcast Be? Data-Backed Insights for Engagement
If you're producing a B2B podcast, you’ve probably asked: How long should our episodes be?
You’re not alone. With over 5 million podcasts in circulation and attention spans getting shorter, episode length is one of the biggest levers you can pull to improve engagement.
At Content Allies, we've found that keeping episodes under 30 minutes consistently leads to 50% or higher consumption rates. Why? Because your listeners—busy executives, marketers, and decision-makers want insightful content that fits into a commute, lunch break, or walk around the block.
In this article, we’ll dig into the data behind podcast length, look at industry benchmarks, and share practical strategies to help you plan the ideal episode duration that keeps your audience coming back.
Table of Contents
Why Episode Length Matters for B2B Podcasts
In B2B podcasting, episode length plays a key role in engagement. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, shorter episodes often see stronger consumption particularly among professionals.
This is because your audience isn’t lounging, they’re listening while multitasking. Whether it's between meetings or during a quick commute, attention spans are limited. According to Edison Research, 65% of podcast listeners say they tune in while doing other tasks. This means your content needs to be easy to follow and quick to deliver value.
Shorter episodes naturally fit into the day. The average commute in the U.S. is about 27 minutes, which makes episodes under 30 minutes ideal for start-to-finish consumption. Data from Buzzsprout shows that episodes in the 20–40 minute range make up the largest share of published podcasts, and for good reason; they strike the right balance between substance and accessibility.
And when you get to the point, people stick around. A focused, concise episode not only earns higher completion rates. It builds trust. Listeners see your brand as respectful of their time and confident enough to distill ideas clearly. Backlinko’s research backs this up: episodes with clear structure and tighter runtimes often outperform longer ones in terms of engagement and retention.
What the Data Says: Podcast Length Benchmarks
To make smart decisions about episode length, it helps to look at the data. Here’s how podcast durations stack up across the industry and where B2B shows typically fall.
General stats:
Across all podcast genres, most episodes fall between 20 and 60 minutes. In fact, Buzzsprout reports that over 50% of podcast episodes land in this range. Zooming in further, the most common length is 20–40 minutes, which makes up roughly 31% of all episodes published today, according to The Podcast Space and Castmagic.
These numbers reflect a growing trend toward digestible content. Listeners want depth but not at the expense of time. A 20–40 minute range strikes a balance between value and convenience, especially for repeat listeners who consume multiple episodes each week.
By industry:
Business podcasts, especially those that follow an interview or expert guest format tend to run slightly longer. According to Soundorp, the average business podcast episode clocks in between 30 and 45 minutes. This gives enough space to explore complex topics or unpack a guest’s insights without overwhelming the listener.
Entertainment podcasts, by comparison, are often even longer. Episodes in that category commonly stretch to 30–50 minutes, benefiting from a more flexible format and a different kind of audience engagement.
Why We Recommend Episode Lengths of 30 Minutes or Less
At Content Allies, we’ve worked with dozens of B2B brands to launch and scale podcasts and one trend holds steady: episodes under 30 minutes consistently outperform longer ones in terms of completion and engagement
In B2B podcasting, completion matters more than total duration. An unfinished episode means lost impact whether it’s a missed insight, a cut-off CTA, or a guest story that never lands. Across our client base, we’ve found that episodes under 30 minutes almost always achieve a consumption rate of 50% or higher—a strong benchmark for engagement.
This isn’t just anecdotal. Independent research shows shorter episodes can reach up to 70% completion rates, especially when structured clearly and optimized for professionals listening on the go. And in a world where attention is fragmented, completion = value.
Certain industries are especially well-suited for sub-30-minute B2B episodes:
Customer Success & SaaS: These industries often use flexible formats, but short-form episodes (10–15 minutes) are particularly effective for quick best practices, product tips, or success stories. For example, the CX Pulse Podcast has a podcast consumption rate of 75% against an average podcast length of 13 minutes.
Staffing & HR: Time-constrained professionals in this field benefit from 20–35 minute formats, which allow space to explore workplace trends without demanding a huge time commitment
Supporting data
Recent research across millions of podcast episodes supports this approach:
The average B2B podcast episode is about 34 minutes long but the most successful shows in marketing and business strategy categories often publish 15–30 minute episodes.
B2B listeners overwhelmingly prefer the 20–40 minute range, with 30% of all podcasts falling in that window, making it the most common and competitive duration bracket.
Shorter episodes are especially effective in categories where actionable insights, updates, or expert interviews are the primary value drivers such as SaaS, marketing, HR, and customer experience shows.
Benefits of <30 minutes
Shorter episodes don’t just support better engagement metrics, they fit how B2B audiences actually listen.
Commutes, walks, lunch breaks; these are the listening windows for your audience. With the average U.S. commute around 27 minutes, sub-30-minute episodes align perfectly with how and when people tune in.
Consistency becomes sustainable. Producing shorter episodes lowers the content load on internal teams, guest speakers, and editors, making it easier to stick to a weekly or bi-weekly cadence.
Tighter content builds trust. Shorter formats demand better planning. When you focus your episode around one core idea, a handful of smart questions, and a clear outcome, your audience sees you as thoughtful and not just another brand filling space.
The Case For Longer Podcast Episodes
While shorter episodes often perform best, there are times when going longer makes sense. In certain formats and industries, extended episodes create space for depth, nuance, and richer storytelling
Deep-dive episodes
Some topics require more room to breathe. When you're covering complex or technical subject matter like architecture in software systems, regulatory changes in finance, or a deep breakdown of a case study—short episodes can feel rushed. Longer episodes allow your host and guest to move beyond surface-level takeaways and deliver more substantial insights. The payoff? Higher perceived value and greater trust with your audience.
Roundtable discussions or multiple guests
If your format includes more than one guest, or you’re recording a roundtable with diverse perspectives, the conversation will naturally run longer. In these formats, time allows for interplay, deeper follow-ups, and more layered insights. Cutting too early in these scenarios risks sacrificing the richness that makes these episodes engaging in the first place.
Narrative storytelling formats
When you’re telling stories, especially serialized or narrative-driven ones, runtime matters. Listeners want to stay immersed. In these cases, 45–60 minutes can feel appropriate if the story flows well and maintains momentum. A well-paced, longer narrative can create deeper emotional engagement and a stronger bond with your audience.
Certain industries are especially well-suited for long-form B2B podcast episodes:
Software Engineering & Technical: These shows frequently run 50–60+ minutes to fully explore technical frameworks, architecture decisions, or expert workflows. Longer runtime supports deeper education and more detailed examples.
Manufacturing & Industrial: Podcasts in this space often range from 35–50 minutes, driven by the technical nature of content and the need to explore operational or engineering advancements in depth.
B2B Fiction & Serialized Storytelling: Fictional formats targeting professionals benefit from longer runtimes, with top-performing shows averaging 52 minutes. The extended format allows for character development, pacing, and immersive story arcs.
How to Determine the Right Length for Your Show
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to podcast length. To find the right fit for your show, you need to understand your audience, your content, and how the two connect.
Here’s how to zero in on the right format:
Start by reviewing benchmarks in your specific industry. As the chart above shows, episode lengths can vary significantly. For example, if you're in software engineering, longer-form episodes (50–60+ minutes) may be expected. But if you're in marketing or HR, a focused 20–30 minute format will likely perform better.
Test different lengths. Try publishing both short-form and longer episodes to see what resonates. Track completion rates and feedback, then adjust your strategy based on what your audience responds to.
Study your analytics
Look at listener drop-off rates. If people are consistently leaving halfway through, it may be time to trim. If they’re staying engaged longer, you might have room to expand.
Let the content lead. Not every episode needs to follow the same runtime. A quick industry update might take 15 minutes. A thought leadership interview could run 35. Just be intentional and set expectations for your listeners.
Practical Tips for Keeping Your Podcast Concise and Engaging
Keeping episodes concise doesn’t mean cutting corners. It means cutting clutter. With the right planning and structure, you can deliver value-packed content that holds attention from the first second to the last.
Do a Prep Call or Outline Before Recording
Whether it’s a solo episode or an interview, clarity before you hit “record” is key. Identify 2–3 core takeaways, write out key questions or topics, and agree on what success looks like. This keeps the conversation focused and prevents rambling.
Use Time-Stamps to Structure the Conversation
Map out the episode into clearly defined segments such as “intro,” “main insight,” “case study,” and “takeaway.” Not only does this help with pacing during recording, it also makes editing easier and gives listeners a navigable structure when the episode airs.
Cut out fillers and fluff
Cut filler, tangents, and off-topic riffs especially those that don’t add value to the listener. Aim for tight transitions, focused dialogue, and clean pacing. Even great guests benefit from sharp editing.
Pro Tip: Use AI-powered tools like Descript or Deciphr to quickly identify and trim nonessential content based on transcript analysis.
Conclusion
There’s no magic number for podcast length but there is a strategic range. For most B2B brands, episodes under 30 minutes strike the right balance between value and attention span. They align with how busy professionals listen, drive higher completion rates, and are easier to produce consistently.
That said, content should always dictate format. Some industries and topics deserve longer form. The key is to be intentional, guided by data, and responsive to listener behavior.
Whether you’re creating 15-minute insights or 45-minute deep dives, the goal is the same: deliver focused, valuable content that respects your audience’s time.
Need help finding the right format for your B2B podcast? Work with Content Allies to create a show your audience actually finishes.