Study: All Podcast Ad Formats Are Extraordinarily Effective

Cumulus Media

So which podcast ads work best? Live reads, talent pre-recorded ads or pre-produced programmatic executions? A new study from Tom Webster and Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable called "After These Messages" looks at these ad formats and answers the question. This week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog outlines the findings.

Sounds Profitable podcast ad format study: All perform well while talent-read ads (live or recorded) do the best, justifying the premium nature of podcast host reads.
The podcast ad frequency problem: "Remind the many, don't lecture the few." Podsights, the podcast attribution firm, recently released their Q3 2022 Benchmark Report, and while podcast ad frequency levels improved in Q2, they are still a concern, negatively impacting conversion rates. In Q2 2022, podcast conversion rates improved slightly but are still below recent quarters.
Three strategies to grow podcast campaign reach: Buy more shows and genres than the "obvious fit" podcasts, purchase genres and shows based on reach among category buyers, not index, and spread impressions further down the ranker and buy more than just top shows.

Latest Radio Stories

NAB Urges FCC to Scrap Outdated Local Ownership Caps

National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to modernize local radio and television ownership rules it says no longer reflect today's media marketplace. In its filing in the FCC's 2022 Quadrennial Regulatory Review, More

Urban One Sets 10-for-1 Reverse Stock Split

Urban One

Urban One said its board has approved a 10-for-1 reverse stock split covering all classes of its common stock, including the publicly traded Class A and Class D shares. Stockholders had previously authorized the move on June 18, 2025, granting the board discretion on the final ratio. More

Alex Siciliano to Exit NAB Communications Role

Alex Siciliano

National Association of Broadcasters Senior Vice President of Communications Alex Siciliano will depart the organization at the end of next week after deciding to pursue another professional opportunity. In a note shared with industry contacts, Siciliano said it had been an honor to work on behalf of More

97.9 WRMF's KVJ Show Unveils ''Captain Crust''

Captain Crust and Princess Pepperoni

Jason Pennington and Virginia Sinicki of 97.9 WRMF West Palm Beach's KVJ Show have turned their on-air camaraderie into a community give-back, creating a superhero duo -- Captain Crust and Princess Pepperoni -- and launching a grassroots initiative called "The Power of Pizza." The campaign aims to More

Podcast Explores Roald Dahl's Hidden Life as Spy & Writer

The Secret World of Roald Dahl

iHeartPodcasts and Imagine Entertainment have announced the launch of "The Secret World of Roald Dahl," a new documentary podcast series examining the little-known personal history of one of the world's most famous children's authors. The series, from iHeartPodcasts and Imagine Entertainment, premieres More

Local Radio Drives $437B, Supports 909K U.S. Jobs

Wood & Poole Economics and BIA

A new economic study finds that free, local radio remains a powerful engine of the U.S. economy, generating $437 billion in annual GDP and supporting more than 909,000 jobs nationwide, underscoring radio's role as essential infrastructure in communities across the country. The analysis, conducted by More

Return to Menu

Study: All Podcast Ad Formats Are Extraordinarily Effective

Latest Radio Stories

Follow us on:

Copyright © 1989-2026 RADIO ONLINE ^®

Study: All Podcast Ad Formats Are Extraordinarily Effective

Latest Radio Stories

Follow us on:

Copyright © 1989-2026 RADIO ONLINE ®

Copyright © 1989-2026 RADIO ONLINE ^®