Podcasting has always been an intimate medium. Listeners actively choose the voices they want to spend time with, often staying with a host for 30 minutes, an hour or even longer.
New U.S. research brought together in Audacy’s State of Audio: The New Rules of Podcast Advertising suggests that this relationship is creating something increasingly valuable for brands: trust, authenticity and influence.
Podcast hosts lead on authenticity
One of the standout findings is the difference between podcast hosts and other types of influencers.
According to the study, 75% of respondents rated ads read or endorsed by podcast hosts as authentic, compared with 54% for social media influencers.
The report argues that the difference comes from the relationship podcast hosts build with their audiences over time. Rather than encountering a creator briefly while scrolling through a feed, podcast listeners can spend substantial periods of uninterrupted time with the same voices.
Attention that builds influence
Among heavy podcast listeners, 71% say they pay more attention to ads in podcasts than to ads elsewhere, while 84% of listeners say they have changed their mind because of a podcaster. Listening is also highly intentional. 72% of heavy podcast listeners typically listen to the whole episode, while 48% of monthly podcast consumers engage with new content on the day it is released.
This combination of time, attention and consistency helps explain why the relationship between hosts and listeners can become so influential.
From host trust to brand trust
Importantly for advertisers, the report suggests that trust in podcast hosts can extend to the brands they talk about.
64% of heavy podcast listeners say they trust podcast advertising more than advertising in other media, while 68% value the honesty and transparency of their favourite hosts. Another 79% say they choose podcasts because they feel personal and conversational. The report describes this as the “trust transfer” – the idea that the credibility a host has established with an audience can benefit brands that become part of that relationship.
And listeners appear particularly receptive to advertising within podcasts. 56% say that when they like a podcast, they listen to the ads regardless of the category.
Trust can translate into action
The research also points to a connection between host recommendations and consumer behaviour.
55% of listeners say they are more likely to consider products recommended by a host, while 76% say they have purchased a brand after hearing an ad from a podcast creator. In addition, 65% say they feel grateful to brands that support their favourite podcasts.
The report also finds that among monthly podcast listeners, 51% agree that podcast advertising affects whether they consider buying from a brand, rising to 66% among heavy podcast listeners. Similarly, 54% of monthly listeners say they are likely to buy from companies that sponsor podcasts they follow, rising to 74% among heavy listeners.
Expertise can matter more than fame
One of the more interesting implications for advertisers is that influence isn't necessarily about finding the creator with the largest following.
Podcast listeners are 21% more likely to be influenced by hosts with expertise in subjects that interest them than by hosts with large social media followings. They are also 27% more likely to be influenced by topic experts than by well-known celebrities.
A powerful environment for brands
The findings point to a broader lesson for advertisers. Podcasting's value isn't simply about reach. Its distinctive strength can lie in the quality of the relationship between the person behind the microphone and the person listening.
That relationship is built over time through conversation, personality, expertise and consistency. When advertising is integrated authentically into that environment, the evidence suggests that some of the trust and attention earned by the host can extend to the brands they recommend.
For advertisers, that makes podcasting more than another way of reaching an audience. It offers an opportunity to become part of a relationship in which audiences are already choosing to listen.
Source: Audacy, State of Audio: The New Rules of Podcast Advertising, 2026. The report brings together findings from Audacy and a range of third-party research sources. The research cited above relates primarily to US podcast audiences.
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