Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today released new research of frequent podcast listeners throughout the US and Canada. According to the study, these highly engaged audiences are extremely valuable for advertisers, with 95% of US podcast listeners saying that they have taken action as a result of podcast advertising. Of those US respondents who said they frequently listen to podcast ads, 97% have taken action following exposure to a podcast ad. Among Canadian listeners, 88% of respondents said they have taken action as a result of podcast advertising, and 91% of frequent listeners reported the same.

As podcast advertising continues to grow globally, the US market alone is slated to eclipse $4 billion in value by next year. Concurrently, recent Acast research discovered that 65% of US marketers expect to increase their marketing spend on podcasts and, when considering marketers who have previously purchased podcast ads, 83% expect to increase their spend on the medium year-on-year. As advertisers continue to increase their investments in podcasts, understanding the audiences that drive action is necessary to seeing the greatest return on their ad spend.

“With tightened media budget this year, buyers need to be putting their dollars into the attention economy if they want to see any kind of return on their investments. Podcasts have the most highly engaged audiences of any medium out there, making them the most dominant force in the attention economy,” said Acast Director of Sales and Brand Partnerships in the US Christiana Brenton. “This new Acast research is key for advertisers to understand the purchase behaviors of these highly valuable podcast audiences across North America.”

Driving this effectiveness of these highly engaged audiences is the intimate relationship formed between podcasters and their listeners. According to the research, 82% of US podcast listeners and 66% of Canadian podcast listeners agree that listening to ads is a way to support their favorite podcasters. The study also found that listeners who said their favorite podcasters feel like their friends, which was 77% of US respondents and 55% of Canadian respondents, are far more likely to listen to ads all of the time.

“The podcast advertising industry is continuing to experience growth as media buyers better recognize the effectiveness of the medium for their brand message. Understanding the unique relationship between podcast audiences and the content they consume through research and insights like this is vital to the success of advertisers in the space,” said Acast Managing Director, Canada, Heather Gordon.

These relationships also extend beyond podcasts and into other forms of media. In this study, 82% of US podcast listeners and 67% of Canadian listeners said they follow a podcaster on social media, creating more opportunities for brands to engage with these audiences.

This news comes on the heels of Acast’s announcement to launch Canadian media personality Jessi Cruickshank’s debut podcast Phone a Friend with Jessi Cruikshank. At launch, Cruishank’s podcast will feature celebrity guests including Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy and major brand partners like Peloton.

To learn more about this new podcast audience research from Acast, please reach out to [email protected].

Research Methodology

Acast conducted research of 1200 podcast listeners with N=600 podcast listeners residing in the US and  N=600 podcast listeners residing in Canada in December 2022. To be admitted to the study, respondents had to say that they frequently listen to podcasts. The study was conducted with Attest.  Respondents were aged 18-64 years old and split 50% male and 50% female.