New podcast advertising statistics and insights for 2025
Podcasts are one of the fastest growing digital ad mediums today. In 2024, Podcast ad revenue saw one of the highest margins in YoY % growth – even greater than that of Digital video, Search, Display, and Retail Media.
So what are some key factors driving this growth of Podcasts as a marketing channel?
Our recent study ‘The Advertising Landscape’ conducted in collaboration with Sounds Profitable and partners1 reveals some fascinating insights that highlight the podcast advertising opportunity for brands in 2025.
Here are 5 key podcast advertising insights marketers in 2025 must know –
1. Podcast ads have 86% recall amongst prime audiences reached – higher than any other medium.
This means that Podcast audiences don’t just hear ads, they LISTEN.
Consumers can only move down the funnel to ‘consideration’ and ‘action’ if they actually pay ATTENTION to ads to begin with.
And advertisements on podcasts are far more effective in capturing that attention amongst audiences than most other traditional and digital mediums.
This is particularly valuable in an age where attention spans are getting shorter, and consumers display habits such as banner blindness or ad avoidance.
For instance, approximately 86% of internet users consciously or subconsciously ignore banner ads.2 Only about 8% of users account for 85% of clicks on banner ads, showing that most users are increasingly immune to such ads. 3Although traditional strategies and channels may appear more attractive because of more granular targeting or cost-effectiveness, it doesn’t matter if consumers don’t respond to them.
This is where Podcast advertising presents a great opportunity – the unmatched ad recall means advertising dollars spent on the platform are going towards actually producing at least some kind impact on the funnel.
2. Podcast ads have one of the lowest reach decays (-4pp) out of most ad channels.
As the ad recall figures suggest, there’s often a big gap between the number of people exposed to an ad, and the ones who actually recall it being exposed to it.
Reach decay refers to this difference between the people reached and those reached effectively in advertising.
Today, with the increasing amount of advertising messages we’re exposed to, this gap is only increasing – particularly for more mainstream channels with a lower barrier to entry.
In 2023 itself, a majority of people (over 50%) admitted to displaying ad avoidance either always or most of the time across a range of channels,4 and only about 6% of people remembered even half the ads they were exposed to in a day.5 Since then, competition and ad saturation has only increased, making it even harder to capture consumer attention.
The average reach decay of advertising channels is about -11pp. But Podcast ads truly stand out in this capacity. Their ‘reach decay’ comes in at just -4pp, presenting a unique opportunity. Audiences are still more receptive and attentive towards ads on this platform, making Podcasts an effective way to cut through the noise and EFFECTIVELY reach consumers.
3. Unlike any other Media, Podcast ads draw equal attention from men and women
Women tend to display a drop off in attention towards advertisements across most platforms, more than men. However, that’s not the case with Podcasts.
Podcast ads are as effective in reaching and grabbing attention of female consumers as male consumers, which offers a unique benefit to brands wanting to meet more mixed demographics, or women audiences more effectively.
4. Podcasts rank #2 for trust in advertising messages amongst all major ad platforms, behind Twitch.
Here’s why this matters – In 2025, nearly 50% of people are questioning content they see online more than ever before.6 Trust has become critical to consumer behaviour – nearly 62% consider it a critical factor for choosing to engage with a brand.7
Which means trust in advertising messages and claims, as well as the sources through which they are delivered, can make a massive difference in whether or not consumers consider your brand.
That’s what makes Podcast advertising such a valuable channel.
- The belief in trustworthiness of advertising claims on podcasts outranks the social media average by nearly 10 points.
- Podcasts rank higher than most social platforms when it comes to preventing false advertising messages and claims.
- The voices of podcasting rank 3rd in terms of trust, only behind Twitch and Telegram.
In fact, this overall higher trust in ads on Podcasts can, in large part, be attributed to the higher trust in the people delivering the advertising messages.
5. Podcast ads rank #3 in authenticity, higher than all other social platforms.
Authenticity and trust go hands in hand when it comes to promotional content – the reason why formats like UGC are gaining momentum is because their perceived authenticity invokes higher trust, and ultimately, more effectiveness.
On the other hand, promotional messages reaching audiences through mediums or personalities who command higher trust and authority will feel more authentic – as consumers often believe that these ‘trustworthy’ personalities will be responsible in the brands and products they choose to partner with, making their endorsements appear more authentic.
That’s where Podcast hosts present a powerful opportunity for brands to establish credibility by aligning themselves with trustworthy personalities and authentic narratives. Podcast ads rank amongst the highest in authenticity, only behind Streaming AM/FM Radio and Twitch.
Besides, 74% of marketers in 2025 planned to lean more into conversational ads8—an approach that relies on authentic engagement to drive results, and Podcasts, an inherently ‘conversational’ content format, present a brilliant opportunity.
Why is podcast advertising effective in 2025
Consumer behaviour has changed drastically today – our ability to readily access the internet and heavy reliance on the digital world has opened up so many opportunities for advertisers to inundate new channels with promotional content.
Of course, this in turn has led to an oversaturation of advertising messages across platforms, and advertisers are finding it harder than ever to actually reach and engage audiences.
Here’s where Podcast advertising presents a unique opportunity. Podcast ads have an unmatched ability to capture attention amongst audiences reached. Beyond capturing attention, advertising messages on Podcasts command higher trust and authenticity than most other mainstream platforms, actually helping consumers move further down the funnel towards genuine consideration and action, making them a truly effective channel for full-funnel impact.
Check out more insights on the attention and trust associated with Podcast advertising here.
If you’re looking to discuss how podcast advertising can work for your brand, our expert team would love to hear from you. Book a free discovery call here.
- The Advertising Landscape 2025: Attention and Trust – Sounds Profitable ↩︎
- Banner Blindness Statistics & Studies to Know in 2025 ↩︎
- Banner Blindness Statistics & Studies to Know in 2025 ↩︎
- 2023-Consumer-Survey-Report.pdf ↩︎
- Americans have high expectations for ads, but don’t always remember them a day later, report says ↩︎
- 2025 Digital Media Trends | Deloitte Insights ↩︎
- Life Trends 2025: Emerging Trends in Business | Accenture ↩︎
- Thrive in 2025: Annual Digital Advertising Trends Report ↩︎