Podcast advertising campaigns increasingly incorporate YouTube video components, with 64% of simulcast content now consumed on YouTube compared to 36% on traditional audio feeds, according to new performance data from measurement firm Podscribe covering 67,000 campaigns and 20 billion impressions over 12 months.
The shift toward video-enhanced podcast content has resulted in a 20% increase in episodic campaigns featuring YouTube components over the past year, reflecting broader changes in how audiences consume podcast content across various platforms.
The report establishes median performance benchmarks for the podcast advertising industry, showing a visitor rate of 0.24% and a conversion rate of 0.016% across campaigns. The cost per acquisition averages $121, while the install rate for mobile apps reaches 0.13%.
Pre-roll advertisements demonstrate superior cost efficiency compared to other placements, though mid-roll ads achieve higher engagement rates per impression. The data shows that longer advertisement durations, particularly those exceeding 90 seconds, consistently outperform shorter formats in both visitor and purchase rates.
Attribution Methods Reveal Measurement Gaps
Pixel-based attribution captures approximately seven times more conversions than post-purchase surveys, according to the analysis. With survey response rates averaging 33%, pixel attribution identifies 2.3 times more conversions than surveys and 4.6 times more than promotional codes.
The report identifies a significant measurement challenge in IPv6 adoption, where 90% of advertisers send conversion data using IPv6 addresses while only 26% of major podcast publishers support the format. This mismatch potentially results in up to 50% of conversions going unattributed without proper technical handling.
Industry Performance Varies
Media and entertainment companies achieve the highest visitor rates at 1.5%, while telecommunications leads purchase rates at 0.05%. Fashion retail emerges as the most cost-effective sector, with a median acquisition cost of $62, in contrast to telecommunications, which has a median acquisition cost of $754 per acquisition.
Among podcast genres, technology shows lead visitor engagement at 0.58%, followed by business and health and fitness content. Business podcasts generate the highest purchase rates at 0.073%, with technology content close behind at 0.070%.
The analysis covers performance across five international markets, with Australia leading visitor rates at 0.54%. Canada and Germany both achieve a visitor rate of 0.34%, while France reaches 0.39% and the United Kingdom 0.25%.
International measurement faces complications, including limited device graph access outside the United States, higher IP address turnover rates in markets such as Germany, and increased adoption of IPv6 traffic across regions.
Higher-income audiences convert 25% more effectively than lower-income segments, while college-educated listeners show 17% better conversion rates than those with high school education. However, performance varies significantly by advertiser within specific interest categories, suggesting audience alignment depends heavily on brand-specific factors.
Campaign Structure Affects Performance and Costs
Single-show campaigns outperform run-of-network approaches in engagement metrics, achieving 1.72 times higher visitor rates and 1.58 times better purchase rates. However, network-wide campaigns offer 27% lower acquisition costs, making them more efficient for broad reach objectives.
Episodic advertisement purchases, where ads remain tied to specific episodes, generate 1.75 times higher visitor rates than impression-based buying but carry 5% higher costs due to premium pricing.
The research indicates that most podcast conversions occur within the first week of advertisement exposure, with 42.3% of actions happening within seven days of the initial advertisement hearing, validating the industry’s standard 30-day attribution window for measurement purposes.
All images are credited to Podscribe. The full “Q2 2025 Podcast Performance Benchmarks” report is available here.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
Podcast advertising campaigns increasingly incorporate YouTube video components, with 64% of simulcast content now consumed on YouTube compared to 36% on traditional audio feeds, according to new performance data from measurement firm Podscribe covering 67,000 campaigns and 20 billion impressions over 12 months.
The shift toward video-enhanced podcast content has resulted in a 20% increase in episodic campaigns featuring YouTube components over the past year, reflecting broader changes in how audiences consume podcast content across various platforms.
The report establishes median performance benchmarks for the podcast advertising industry, showing a visitor rate of 0.24% and a conversion rate of 0.016% across campaigns. The cost per acquisition averages $121, while the install rate for mobile apps reaches 0.13%.
Pre-roll advertisements demonstrate superior cost efficiency compared to other placements, though mid-roll ads achieve higher engagement rates per impression. The data shows that longer advertisement durations, particularly those exceeding 90 seconds, consistently outperform shorter formats in both visitor and purchase rates.
Attribution Methods Reveal Measurement Gaps
Pixel-based attribution captures approximately seven times more conversions than post-purchase surveys, according to the analysis. With survey response rates averaging 33%, pixel attribution identifies 2.3 times more conversions than surveys and 4.6 times more than promotional codes.
The report identifies a significant measurement challenge in IPv6 adoption, where 90% of advertisers send conversion data using IPv6 addresses while only 26% of major podcast publishers support the format. This mismatch potentially results in up to 50% of conversions going unattributed without proper technical handling.
Industry Performance Varies
Media and entertainment companies achieve the highest visitor rates at 1.5%, while telecommunications leads purchase rates at 0.05%. Fashion retail emerges as the most cost-effective sector, with a median acquisition cost of $62, in contrast to telecommunications, which has a median acquisition cost of $754 per acquisition.
Among podcast genres, technology shows lead visitor engagement at 0.58%, followed by business and health and fitness content. Business podcasts generate the highest purchase rates at 0.073%, with technology content close behind at 0.070%.
The analysis covers performance across five international markets, with Australia leading visitor rates at 0.54%. Canada and Germany both achieve a visitor rate of 0.34%, while France reaches 0.39% and the United Kingdom 0.25%.
International measurement faces complications, including limited device graph access outside the United States, higher IP address turnover rates in markets such as Germany, and increased adoption of IPv6 traffic across regions.
Higher-income audiences convert 25% more effectively than lower-income segments, while college-educated listeners show 17% better conversion rates than those with high school education. However, performance varies significantly by advertiser within specific interest categories, suggesting audience alignment depends heavily on brand-specific factors.
Campaign Structure Affects Performance and Costs
Single-show campaigns outperform run-of-network approaches in engagement metrics, achieving 1.72 times higher visitor rates and 1.58 times better purchase rates. However, network-wide campaigns offer 27% lower acquisition costs, making them more efficient for broad reach objectives.
Episodic advertisement purchases, where ads remain tied to specific episodes, generate 1.75 times higher visitor rates than impression-based buying but carry 5% higher costs due to premium pricing.
The research indicates that most podcast conversions occur within the first week of advertisement exposure, with 42.3% of actions happening within seven days of the initial advertisement hearing, validating the industry’s standard 30-day attribution window for measurement purposes.
All images are credited to Podscribe.
The full “Q2 2025 Podcast Performance Benchmarks” report is available here.