News brief
Audacy report: podcast ads deliver 4.2x ROI, beating all channels
Audacy's 'State of Audio: The New Rules of Podcast Advertising' reports podcast ads returning 4.2x ROI versus 3.6x for social, with 75% of respondents naming podcast hosts the most authentic voice in advertising.
By Radio Ink · Published · Announcement date
Audacy's "State of Audio: The New Rules of Podcast Advertising" report, covered by Radio Ink on September 14, puts hard numbers behind the host-read pitch. Among the findings: 75% of respondents named podcast hosts the most authentic voice in advertising, ahead of cable TV presenters (63%), YouTube streamers (58%) and social influencers (54%). An Acast/Annalect econometric study cited in the report puts podcast advertising ROI at 4.2x, versus 3.6x for social, 3.2x for display, 3x for digital video and 2.2x for search.
Two findings favor independents specifically. Advertisers on shows under 250,000 monthly audience saw 22% lower cost per acquisition (per a Podscribe Q4 2024 benchmark), and listeners were 27% more likely to be influenced by topic experts than by celebrities. The report also projects US podcast ad spend at $3.0 billion in 2026 (eMarketer), with average monthly spend per new podcast advertiser doubling from $20K to $42K and new advertisers up 129% over five years.
Treat the numbers with the usual vendor-report caution: this is Audacy selling audio, and some figures re-cite previously released research, so read the ROI comparisons as directional rather than gospel. Even discounted, it's a quotable dataset for any podcaster selling sponsors — especially the mid-size-show outperformance finding.
Announcement date: September 14, 2026
Sources
Report a correction · Have podcast news? Submit it free for review