Commentary

Muck Rack Joins Sounds Profitable Partner Network as Podcasting’s Role in Earned Media Grows

Published on May 14, 2026

Sounds Profitable, the trade association for the podcasting industry, announced that Muck Rack, an AI communications platform, has joined its Partner Network, connecting two organizations as podcast audiences reach record levels and the medium expands across video and AI-powered search.

According to the announcement, the Sounds Profitable Partner Network includes over 200 organizations globally. Members receive access to the organization’s research database, a Slack community of more than 2,100 professionals, monthly strategic advising, and priority access to events including Podcast Movement, Cannes Lions, SXSW, and The Podcast Show.

Muck Rack’s platform helps PR professionals track how brands appear in news coverage and AI-generated search results. Sounds Profitable cited the blurring of earned media, PR strategy, and audio discoverability as a driver of the partnership.

The partnership arrives as podcast consumption hits new highs. An estimated 167 million Americans aged 12 and older, representing 58% of that population, listen to or watch podcasts monthly, according to Edison Research.

“PR professionals are finally recognizing what podcast listeners have always known: audio is where trust gets built,” said Molly DeMellier, Head of Communications at Sounds Profitable. “Bringing Muck Rack into the Sounds Profitable Partner Network gives our team, clients, and the broader podcast industry the strategic communications infrastructure they deserve.”

The partnership launches with a joint session at The Podcast Show London on May 20 and 21, where DeMellier and Natan Edelsburg, Chief Partnerships Officer at Muck Rack, will present research on how brand appearances in podcasts now travel across YouTube, editorial coverage, and AI search results.

“Podcasts have become one of the most powerful channels for building brand credibility, but most PR teams don’t yet have a framework for thinking about them strategically,” Edelsburg said.