By Steve Jones, Content Director at Crowd Network
It’s undeniable: podcasting is one of the digital age’s most influential media forms. With hundreds of millions listening daily, brands need to sit up and pay attention. Popular podcasts can lend brand partners the ears of audiences that are the size of countries.
Brands need to recognise the value of aligning with podcasts to connect with target audiences and entice new customers. But what can a partnership look like?
In our experience, the most successful brand partnerships go beyond traditional advertising: they harness the unique power of storytelling, community, and creative integration to truly engage new and existing audiences.
Why should brands be seeking partnerships with podcasts?
The podcast industry boomed during the pandemic five years ago. As the world locked down, listener numbers soared — and they’re showing no sign of faltering. Statista estimated 546 million people worldwide listened to podcasts in 2024, and that figure is expected to rise even higher in the coming years.
And podcasts don’t just have listeners — they build communities. From sports podcasts that build their fanbases around matchday discussions to business podcasts fostering networks of like-minded professionals, engagement can go beyond audio into the real world. This is like gold dust for brands, and it’s a way we lead the crowd through our podcasts.
What makes podcasts compelling for brands is the intimate relationship between hosts and listeners. Audiences trust their favourite hosts, who they share common interests with, to give them content they’ll enjoy. They’ve actively sought content they are passionate about by choosing the podcasts they listen to, making them much more receptive to messages from brands aligning with their interests.
It makes sense: if you’re a rugby fan, listening to a podcast about rugby hosted by a rugby player, your ears are more likely to prick up at a rugby-related ad. When advertising on other broadcast formats like TV and radio — where audiences may have merely been flicking between channels, rather than intentionally tuning into a programme — brands don’t have anywhere near this kind of insight into their audiences’ interests.
This all presents brands with a choice: use the same, tired approaches that are becoming less and less effective, or reach the audiences they want to speak to in new, exciting ways.
The rewards of brand partnerships in podcasting
Time and time again we’re finding audiences are more tuned in to podcasts than other mediums. Edison’s “The Podcast Consumer 2024” report highlighted that 46% of weekly listeners have purchased something from listening to a podcast ad, with Kantar similarly finding that podcast advertising almost doubles purchase intent. That’s the kind of audience engagement C-suites dream of. It’s no wonder Kantar also found a net 41% of marketers globally plan to increase spending on podcast advertising in 2025.
So, what’s behind this trend? In short: listeners trust hosts. In a Magna Global study, 48% of British listeners said they trusted podcast hosts more than traditional media hosts, while 80% of respondents in Acast and Nielsen’s “The Podcast Listening Landscape” survey stated they trusted recommendations from hosts they listened to — a stat beaten only by recommendations from family and friends.
This is largely because of listeners’ continued, authentic relationship with hosts, built over many weeks, months, and even years of episodes. When a host with a trusted voice endorses a product or service, their audience takes them at their word. Host-read ads are everywhere as a result.
Beyond audio: The new era of podcast partnerships
But podcasting is evolving, and audiences want more than just audio — and more than simple host-read ads. Visual podcasts are the future; for potential brand customers, seeing is believing.
The key for us is a 360-degree, wraparound content approach. Visual podcasts build a following on YouTube. Video clips are used as social media snippets. Audiences watch your videos and want to see the real thing at live podcast events. It further strengthens that bond between host and listener, and the cycle continues.
And it works for brands: the more content types offered, the more ways brands can get involved. A multi-channel approach ensures brands are embedded within a podcast’s ecosystem, rather than just being a mention in ad breaks. Whether your visual branding is embellishing podcast studio sets, you’re sponsoring a podcast tour, or you’re actually collaborating with hosts on a section of the podcast, brands can truly become part of the magic.
Above all, the true beauty of working with a podcast for brands lies in the flexibility of the partnership. Both parties want to tell stories in innovative ways that build deep connections with new and existing audiences. And, unlike other forms of advertising, podcasts allow brands to connect with listener communities, rather than just individuals.
For brands willing to think outside the box and flex their creative muscles, when working with a podcast, the sky’s the limit.
