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By Kelly Stanislaw, Director, Market Research at Suzy
Podcasts are no longer a niche corner of media – they’re mainstream entertainment, complete with award recognition, celebrity hosts, and massive audiences. But as podcasts evolve, so does the advertising inside them. This piece breaks down what that shift means for brands, why podcast advertising works differently than traditional channels, and how to show up in a way that actually resonates.
Introduction
If you’re anything like me, you never decided they liked podcasts. Maybe you discovered one podcast that turned listening into a habit, then a routine, then something closer to companionship. My introduction was Serial more than a decade ago, a popular series that helped move podcasts from niche curiosity into mainstream entertainment.
The recommendation had come up more than once amid office small talk, and once I understood we weren’t talking about the breakfast food and decided to tune in, I was hooked. I binged the season, then re-binged it, and soon podcasts became a constant. I became the person who always had a recommendation ready, who planned road trips around episode lineups, and who ended more nights than I probably should listening to someone unpack a true crime case I absolutely did not need to know about, but deeply enjoyed anyway.
So when I saw that the Golden Globes are introducing podcast categories this year, it genuinely surprised me. Not because podcasts suddenly became important, but because something that once felt personal and niche has quietly become one of the most influential forms of entertainment we have. Podcasts are now being recognized alongside film and television, not as a novelty, but as a reflection of how people actually consume and connect with content today.
As someone who lives and breathes consumer insights and behavior, I have been especially interested in watching how brands evolved alongside this shift. Podcasts did not just grow in audience. They grew in cultural weight. People talk about their favorite podcasts the same way they talk about prestige TV. They dissect episodes, follow hosts, and build routines around when and how they listen.
As that loyalty deepened, the role of advertising changed too. Podcasts moved from passion projects to appointment listening, and from experimental placements to something far more influential. That evolution has real implications for how brands show up, how messaging lands, and how trust is built in a space where personality and delivery matter as much as the product itself.
From niche format to mainstream entertainment
Podcasting did not explode overnight, but it did reach a tipping point. Today, 55% of Americans tune in to podcasts every month and globally audiences are projected to pass 650 million by 2027. At this scale, podcasts are no longer an alternative to mainstream entertainment. They are mainstream entertainment.
What makes this shift particularly interesting is how podcasts compete for attention. They are long-form in an era dominated by short clips. They are personality-driven in a world shaped by algorithms. And they are increasingly platform-flexible. What began as an audio-first experience now lives across Spotify, Apple, and YouTube, where more than one billion people watch podcasts each month. The lines between audio, video, and creator-led entertainment are no longer clean.
The creator ecosystem mirrors this growth. There are more than 4.5 million podcasts worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of new shows launching each quarter. But volume alone does not explain influence. Commitment does. Listeners do not stumble into podcasts the way they might scroll past a video. They choose them. They subscribe. They build habits. They invest time.
This is why the Golden Globes adding podcast categories feels less like a bold move and more like a natural outcome. Podcasts have become spaces where cultural conversations happen, careers are built, and audiences form deep attachments. And when entertainment earns that level of attention and trust, expectations for how brands participate rise dramatically.
How podcast advertising works today
As podcasts moved into the mainstream, advertising within them evolved just as quickly. Early podcasts often did not include ads at all. They were side projects, not commercial vehicles. Over time, simple promo-code reads became standard. Today, podcast advertising spans a wide range of formats, each with different implications for message delivery and perception.
Broadly, most podcast advertising falls into three categories.
Pre-recorded spots resemble traditional advertising. They are scripted, polished, and consistent across placements. They offer brands control, which can be critical for certain categories, but they can also feel detached from the content itself.
Structured host-read ads give brands more flexibility. Talking points are provided, but hosts deliver them in their own voice. This introduces personality and context while maintaining guardrails around messaging.
Integrated, host-generated segments are often the most memorable. Here, hosts weave brand messaging into anecdotes, commentary, or humor. When there is strong alignment, these reads can feel like genuine recommendations. When there is not, they can feel forced or distracting.
In that sense, podcast advertising sits somewhere between traditional media and influencer marketing. Like influencer ads, it is personal and creator-driven. Unlike social media, it lives in a long-form, low-distraction environment where listeners have actively chosen to spend their time.
That attention matters. 68% of podcast listeners say they do not mind hearing ads on podcasts, and 88% report hearing ads is a fair price to pay for free content. Even more telling, 65% of podcast fans feel grateful to the brands that support their favorite podcasts.Few channels enjoy that level of goodwill.
But high engagement does not mean low risk. Because hosts play such an active role in delivery, brand perception is shaped not just by what is said, but who says it and how. The same message can land very differently depending on tone, credibility, and audience relationship.
Why authenticity carries so much weight
Podcast listening is deeply tied to routine. People tune in during commutes, workouts, chores, and quiet moments at the end of the day, often through headphones and often alone. On average, listeners spend more than seven hours per week with podcasts, building familiarity with hosts over time.
That familiarity changes how advertising is processed. Podcast ads are not experienced as isolated interruptions. They are filtered through the listener’s perception of the host. A message that feels natural for a host can feel trustworthy. One that feels out of character can immediately break the illusion.
This is why authenticity is not a buzzword in podcast advertising. It is the engine of effectiveness. Different audiences respond to different styles. Some prefer direct, informative messaging. Others respond better to narrative-driven or humorous delivery. The challenge for brands is understanding which approach works best, for whom, and in what context.
Without that understanding, brands risk treating podcast advertising like any other channel. In reality, it operates by a different set of rules, where trust, tone, and delivery are inseparable from the message itself.
Format evolution and creator alignment
Podcasting has not just grown in audience. It has changed shape. What began as an audio-first experience is now increasingly visual, platform-flexible, and intertwined with the creator economy.
YouTube is one of the clearest signals of this shift. The platform now reaches more than one billion monthly podcast viewers, and roughly one-third of listeners say YouTube is their primary podcast destination. Around half of podcast consumers now watch video versions of shows, expanding how content and advertising are experienced.
This evolution has meaningful implications for brands. Video introduces new layers of context, from facial expressions to set design, all of which influence how messaging lands. An ad that works well in an audio-only environment may feel very different when paired with visuals.
At the same time, many podcast hosts have become more selective about the brands they work with. Because their credibility is so tightly tied to listener trust, sponsorships often reflect personal values, lived experience, or products they can genuinely stand behind. Listeners sense that selectivity and often expect it.
For brands, this means podcast partnerships are less about buying inventory and more about earning access to trust. Platform, format, and creator alignment all matter, and creative decisions should reflect that complexity.
What brands must do now
Podcast advertising sits at a rare intersection of scale and subjectivity. The audiences are large, but the experience is deeply personal. The messaging is paid, but the delivery is filtered through a trusted voice. And the formats vary widely, from tightly scripted spots to highly improvised storytelling.
In a space this nuanced, assumptions break down quickly. What feels authentic to one audience can feel forced to another. What works for one host can miss entirely with another. Without research, brands are left guessing about tone, format, and fit in an environment where delivery shapes perception as much as the message itself.
This is where insight becomes essential. Research allows brands to move beyond surface-level metrics and understand how podcast advertising is actually received. Do listeners respond better to structured host reads or fully integrated anecdotes? How much creative freedom feels credible versus distracting? Does a brand feel aligned with a particular host’s voice and values, or does the partnership feel transactional? These are not abstract questions. They directly influence trust, recall, and intent, and they are all answerable with the right data.
Suzy helps brands get clarity in exactly these moments.Through Suzy Speaks, AI-moderated interviews allow brands to hear directly from consumers at speed and at scale, uncovering how real listeners perceive podcast ads, host-read storytelling, and brand–host fit in their own words. By tapping into real consumer feedback, brands can test podcast ad formats before launching campaigns, understand how different audiences interpret host-read versus scripted messaging, and evaluate brand–host alignment across demographics and platforms. In a channel defined by nuance, research is what turns podcast advertising from a high-potential experiment into a deliberate, effective strategy.
Conclusion
When I think back to pressing play on Serial for the first time, just trying to survive a commute, it is remarkable how far podcasts have come. What began as a curiosity inside a purple app now sits alongside film and television in the cultural conversation.
The Golden Globes adding podcast categories did not make podcasts mainstream. It simply confirmed what listeners already knew. With that recognition comes new expectations. Podcasts are environments built on attention, trust, and personality. Listeners notice when brands fit naturally into that relationship, and when they do not.
For brands willing to listen closely and learn quickly, this moment represents a real opportunity. With the right insights, podcast advertising can be intentional, resonant, and effective. Suzy gives brands the clarity to navigate this space with confidence, turning cultural momentum into messaging that truly connects.
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