This Week’s Influencer: Podcast Luminaries Reveal Secrets to Stronger Host Reads; Spotify Dives Into Sports Video; Remembering a Podcast Legend

This week, the Media Roundtable is giving you an all-access pass to one of the most talked-about sessions from this year’s Chief Audio Officer Summit: Flipping the Script: Feedback From Hosts to Brands.

Our own Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) sat down with three powerhouse hosts: Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie), Nick Viall (The Viall Files), and Kim Komando (The Kim Komando Show) to share what they really need from advertisers to create great ads that actually work!

“Brands, I understand you want to be safe and risk-averse… but know your audience. My audience wants to talk about dating, and there’s a little bit of raunchiness and just a little bit of honesty… [an unconventional ad read] worked with that audience. It’s memorable; it made them laugh. It also connected what the brand was trying to get across.” – Nick Viall (The Viall Files)

The panel delivered a playbook of what works—and, crucially, what doesn’t—when engaging top creators:

Do: Make the Most of Onboarding: Ashley urged advertisers to engage with hosts earlier in the process to maximize the benefits of their collaboration.“If [intro calls] gave us time to be more creative and do more custom things, brands could tap into so much more—our fan club, our newsletter, our CRM. There’s so much they don’t even know is available.”

Don’t: Lose Track of Your Key Message: Nick cautioned against overwhelming listeners with too many offers or extraneous selling points, encouraging brands to distill their copy to its most coherent form, acting more like an elevator pitch than a seminar. “If I had 10 seconds with you, can you understand what we’re providing and who we’re helping?”

Don’t: Overly Script the Host: Or, in Ashley’s words: “Please do not try and write true crime ads.” While this message might’ve gotten a few laughs from the audience, the message is nothing to joke about: forcing ads into a specific narrative often “misses the tone” and “limits who our audience actually is.” Her rule of thumb? “I always change it. I’ll help you guys out, but just don’t waste your time.”

In summary: hosts know their audiences better than anyone else. The brands that trust their hosts to personalize their messaging to their audience will see the most significant returns. The brands that don’t will be left with lackluster reads that likely miss the mark.

To see all the insights that this star-studded panel had to offer, tune into the episode below.

The Classifieds

The Beauty Queen and the Class Clown Team Up for This Class Assignment

Network: Podcast Nation / Monthly Downloads: 40k

Influencers may thrive in their own lanes, but it’s rare to see them collide and collaborate for long-term projects. Brynne Marie and Mario Mirante have each built massive followings on TikTok: Brynne by being a talented makeup artist, and Mario for his ribald, goofy humor. There’s been a lot of overlap between the two, so it only makes sense that they would team up in a new podcast from Podcast Nation, Pretty Funny. Since launching in March, the show has been slowly finding its footing, creating a loyal community and enhancing its production value with a video component. There’s high value in starting a partnership this September, as they are now open to taking advertisers for the first time. This is an excellent opportunity for female DTC brands and male-skewing advertisers that work well in the Comedy Genre. This “pretty funny” podcast is also “pretty testable,” so just click the link below for more details.

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French & Friends Translate All Things Trending

Network: Jonekiri  / Monthly Downloads: 200k

In today’s media environment, there’s an overload of information available to any one of us, at any time. Shawn French is hyper-aware of that fact, and that’s why he created his podcast The Determined Society. Each week, French spends an episode interviewing a guest who can demystify trending topics and viral headlines by delving into even the most granular details. Whether the topic is true crime, public health, or business, each episode provides thorough coverage and insightful knowledge. French has always prided himself on being both a top performer in his former industry and an author, speaker, and coach for business development. This is a new opportunity from Jonekiri, which is well-known for its varied roster of shows, especially self-improvement-based opportunities that target young professionals. This is highly recommended for those seeking Business or Society and Culture opportunities that are brand-safe. If you’re determined to click the link below, you will find more information.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

Westwood One’s “Guide to Media Planning”

Westwood One’s Audio Active Group released a guide to help media planners allocate audio budgets and set GRP targets. They recommend a mix of 62% AM/FM radio, 24% podcasts, 12% music streaming, and 2% SiriusXM. The guide also outlines daypart trends, with most listening happening outside of classic drive times. It also demonstrates the incremental reach of adding radio compared to TV plus digital alone. Westwood One’s core offering is terrestrial radio, so there’s an undeniable bias toward AM/FM radio. However, if you set that aside, you’ll still find a ton of practical information on how to make the most of your audio investments.

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Sports Video Podcasts Score Big with Audiences

Spotify reports sports video podcast consumption is up more than 4x year-over-year and 53% quarter-over-quarter, including big titles such as The Ringer, Goalhanger’s, The Rest Is Football, and No Laying Up. Female audience growth is up 353% year-over-year, with the US, UK, Brazil, and Australia leading the charge. Given the popularity of sports podcasts on YouTube, it’s no surprise Spotify is seeing an increase in video consumption. For brands in the sports space, video podcasts are a performance layup sitting right in front of you, so make sure you don’t miss your shot at getting into this red-hot market.

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Sounds Profitable’s Dives Deep Into the 2025 Podcast Landscape

Sounds Profitable’s annual Podcast Landscape study was released, revealing shifting definitions of podcasts and demographic growth among other trends for the year. Multicultural audiences are driving growth, with 65% of Hispanic, 62% of Black, and 66% of APAC American audiences listening monthly, compared to 52% of White audiences. The Joe Rogan Experience dropped two points, from 13% to 11%, as an audience favorite, and its lead over the number two show fell from 11 points to 7. Tom Webster sees this as a sign of a healthier market with more competition and choice. CAOs, start with Sounds Profitable’s Podcast Landscape if you want to stay current with the latest podcast listening trends.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

WWE Needs a Doctor—Thankfully, They Have Zocdoc

If you like body slams or have a tickle in your throat, this week’s #STLR has something you might relate to. On Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant, these two banter about Paul Heyman’s “larynx problems” (after years of live announcing in the ring) keeping listeners laughing while effortlessly weaving in Zocdoc’s vast benefits, like in-network filters, instant bookings, and same-day appointments. Additionally, Megan is a tried-and-true Zocdoc user herself, which lends credibility to her audience as she shares her personal experiences. By sharing relatable frustrations, such as the dread of calling doctor’s offices or putting off appointments due to time constraints or schedules, these two make Zocdoc feel like the perfect solution to problems everyone knows too well. Their playful, conversational delivery feels like a comedy sketch that just happens to sell you on a life-improving app. With a strong call to action that lands, emphasized by laughter, their live read doesn’t just inform—it entertains, persuades, and leaves you unable to resist the urge to download Zocdoc immediately. Listen via the link below. We promise—no one will get hurt.

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OXFORd In The News

A Farewell to Todd Cochrane, A Voice for All Podcasters

While it’s not exactly “Oxford in the News,” we’re saddened to share that Todd Cochrane, CEO of Blubrry and a pioneer of podcasting, has passed away. The link we’re sharing below is from Oxford Road friend and MRT’s favorite guest, James Cridland, whose eulogy delves deeper than we can here. CAOs should know that Todd’s vision and passion helped shape the modern podcasting industry. As the founder of RawVoice and Blubrry, he provided creators worldwide with the tools to host, measure, and grow their shows. He literally wrote the book on podcasting, introduced advertising on the medium to the earliest sponsors, and even founded the Podcast Awards in 2005. Beyond his innovations, Todd was the heart of the industry, championing independent voices with his humility and unwavering support. His impact will be felt for generations of podcasters to come. Our thoughts are with family and loved ones at this tragic time. Todd will be missed dearly.

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