This Week’s Influencer: Stew and Bethany on When Fear Becomes a Crutch; ORBIT Proves Good Ads Don’t Pick a Side; Substack Gets Serious; and More…

How do advertisers use fear—and where does persuasion become manipulation? Find out in a very spooky episode of Ad Infinitum.

That’s right: The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes Bethany Dwyer (comedian, author of Break Free from Fear, owner of Cryptiques Vintage) to talk about big fears, the Red Guardian, audience manipulation, and more. There’s even an Audiolytics breakdown of ads from Cigna Healthcare, Cloaked, 4imprint, and Northwest Registered Agent. Let’s dig in.

“ Fear keeps you small. It’s designed to do that. It’s like a parasite that lives off you, and you’re just a host.” – Bethany Dwyer (comedian, author of Break Free from Fear, owner of Cryptiques Vintage)

L.I.A.R.S. – What are fears? For Bethany, they’re L.I.A.R.S.:  Lying Instigators Attacking your Real Self. Most marketers have had a moment of fear when an ad campaign launches. That’s why we get multi-page guidelines for host-read ads, watered-down creative, and AI-written copy that aims to be average. But we listen to our fears at the risk of showing our true selves. Your ads should be as unique as your brand. And if they’re not for everybody, that’s okay. It’s better to be bold and real.

The Red Guardian of Courage – Stew loves the Red Guardian, the Russia-born Marvel hero who’s devoted to his daughters. As a Halloween party host, Stew went “full Guardian,” adopting the character’s outfit and accent—only to realize most of his guests were actually Russian. Decision time: Does Stew get small, drop the bit, and forget he tried to celebrate a character he loved? Or does he commit to the bit, because the costume came from a place of genuine affection? Stew doubled down and was rewarded with a celebratory photo with his guests and Red Guardian. Don’t let fear keep you from what’s real. Follow through, and claim your reward.

The Fear Lens – Bold statement: We don’t love it when advertisers use fear tactics on us. So take a listen to your ads. How often do you use fear to convince, cajole, and persuade your customers? Cigna Healthcare and Cloaked were top offenders in our ad breakdowns. We’re not saying that fear isn’t effective. But it can be a crutch. And there could be even more power to be had in in running positive messages instead (cue clip of Monsters Inc., where laughter is more powerful than screams).

Want more insights on overcoming fears in advertising and beyond? Tune in to the full episode below.

The Classifieds

These Scarily Smart Hosts Give Us the Creeps (In a Good Way)

Network: JoneKiri 
Episodic Downloads: 1,600

It’s the final stretch before Halloween, and our classifieds are fully in the spirit. This week, we’ve got two shows that look at the creepy stuff from very different angles: one through a microscope, and one through a crime scene. If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s a logical explanation for that bump in the night, Spooky Science Sisters is here to help.

Hosts Meagan Ankney, a geochemist, and Paige Miller, a chemist and lifelong Halloween fan, are sisters-in-law who use their science backgrounds to investigate ghosts, cryptids, aliens, and other oddities (the duo even turned their curiosity into the 2025 book Spooky Science). Their approach makes the paranormal feel approachable and fun, which is great news for curious, science-minded horror fans. Click the button below. We promise it’s not haunted.

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A Twisty True Crime Thriller Featuring An Unlikely Sleuth 

Network: Sony
Episodic Downloads: 1,200

Our second listing is a little darker, and a lot more personal. Finding Mom’s Killer, from Sony Music Entertainment and The Binge, is hosted by award-winning journalist Steve Fishman. The series revisits the 1989 disappearance of a mother in the small Midwest town of Mansfield, Ohio, and the unlikely duo who set out to solve it: the missing woman’s 11-year-old son, Collier Landry, and a homicide detective, Lieutenant Dave Messmore.

Between the boy-and-cop team-up and a killer’s confession, this story has more twists than your average scary movie, and the stakes are all too real. If you’re looking to reach true crime fans who love a gripping, character-driven mystery, click the button below.

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In Case You Missed It

Influencer Strategy Is an AI Search Strategy

Research from LTK and Northwestern University found 41% of surveyed senior U.S. brand marketers use creator content to influence AI search results. Nearly half consider certified experts important to their creator strategies. Respondents already invest in creator marketing, so adoption likely runs ahead of the broader market. Who knew? Creator content has a second job beyond directly influencing consumers. It can also help brands show up organically in AI search results.

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Substack Gets Serious About Podcast

Substack announced plans for dynamic ad insertion that will let podcasters replace sponsorships across their back catalogs and optionally fill inventory through third-party marketplaces. The company has also received IAB Tech Lab certification for podcast download measurement. The new ad capabilities are “early access/coming soon”, not broadly live today. Substack is pushing to turn the newsletter, podcast, and community into one creator media property. For marketers, the interesting opportunity is the potential to buy across a creator’s entire footprint.

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Apple Joined the Video Party Late, and Still Crushed It

Apple’s Jake Shapiro shared early insights into the traction following its launch of HLS video on Apple Podcasts. Among shows with the biggest gains, audiences grew more than 20% and new followers increased more than 130%, though these aren’t platform-wide averages. Apple is also working with hosting providers and ad networks to pair audio ads with visuals and support dynamically inserted video advertising. Apple’s early results come from a limited group of shows, but they’re promising. Video has already helped accelerate podcasting’s growth, so it stands to reason Apple would see benefits too, even if it’s late to the party.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

This Hoodie Comes With a Story (and Kaitlyn Bristowe Tells It Perfectly)

Kaitlyn Bristowe of Off the Vine delivers this week’s #STLR with a personal endorsement for PAKA Apparel that goes beyond comfort to spotlight the story behind what we wear. Kaitlyn highlights how PAKA’s best-selling hoodie is made from alpaca fiber in Peru, with each piece featuring a hand-woven Inca ID created by local artisans. That craftsmanship gives the product a meaningful connection to the people who make it, while the hoodie itself offers plenty of practical appeal. Kaitlyn describes it as softer than cashmere and warmer than wool, with temperature-regulating benefits that make it ideal for everything from running around the city to relaxing at home. By combining a genuine product testimonial with the story behind its materials and craftsmanship, Kaitlyn makes a compelling case for a hoodie built for everyday life.

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OXFORd In The News

ORBIT’s News and Politics Rankings Don’t Pick a Side

In October, Oxford Road released its newest ORBIT ranking, focusing on news and politics shows (ORBIT, which stands for Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool, isolates performance using actual campaign data representing over $2 billion in advertiser spend). Though the left-leaning Lovett Or Leave It grabbed the list’s top spot, the news and politics ranking featured programs from across the political spectrum–a finding that earned coverage in such publications as Podcast News Daily, Podcasting Today, The Podcasting News, and Sounds Profitable’s The Download newsletter.

Get the full ORBIT October ranker here