News brief
Audacy analysis: podcast ads top all media on trust, attention and authenticity
An Audacy analysis of 2026 studies finds 71% of listeners pay more attention to podcast ads than ads anywhere else and 64% trust them more than any other medium; 76% purchased a brand after hearing a podcast ad.
By Audacy / MRI Simmons / eMarketer via Podcast News Daily · Published · Announcement date
An Audacy analysis of 2026 studies, reported September 25 by Podcast News Daily, gives podcast advertising high marks across trust, attention and sales impact. According to a 2026 Audacy survey of 1,000 adults 18+, 75% of listeners rate ads read or endorsed by podcast hosts as most authentic, versus 54% for social media influencers, and 55% say their strongest connection with a brand starts through a podcast feed versus 15% for social (eMarketer).
An MRI Simmons study cited in the analysis found 72% of heavy podcast listeners hear each episode all the way through, 48% tune in on release day, 71% pay more attention to podcast ads than to ads anywhere else, and nearly two-thirds (64%) trust podcast ads more than ads on any other medium. On outcomes, Audacy's study found 76% of listeners purchased a brand after hearing a podcast ad, and 55% are more likely to consider host-recommended products.
The usual caveat applies: this is an analysis assembled by a seller of podcast advertising, drawing on studies it selected, so the framing favors the medium. The underlying MRI Simmons and eMarketer data points are attributed to those sources in the article.
Announcement date: September 25, 2026 (reported by Podcast News Daily; the page carried no explicit dateline)
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