Everyone experiences anxiety on some level, so why do creators and brands steer clear of the topic? Morra Aarons-Mele, a.k.a. “The Anxious Achiever,” is here to explain why addressing tough topics can be a win for audiences, creators, and marketers alike. This week on The Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes Morra Aarons-Mele, host of The Anxious Achiever podcast, as well as an author, Harvard professor, presidential campaign strategist, and totally-not-anxious person. Together, they examine the challenges of building a business around an identity, and discuss why brands should align with creators who are brave enough to talk about difficult topics. “Don’t start a podcast to become rich. But if you have a specific thing that you want to chew over and [want to] get access to people, do it. I can’t normally call up the Surgeon General and be like, ‘Hey, you want to talk about loneliness?’ But with a podcast, I can.” – Morra Aarons-Mele (Founder, MHL Partners; Host, The Anxious Achiever) Tough Topics Have Loyal Audiences – The conversations that are hardest to have in public build the strongest communities online. Morra and Dan note the value in Morra self-identifying with her brand name, The Anxious Achiever, which helps her build trust with audience members. Morra’s followers deepen their connection by buying her books, signing up for her newsletter, or attending one of her live events. That kind of 360-degree engagement is valuable for advertisers, not only because it’s so rare, but because it’s so meaningful. If a topic and show are the right fit for your brand, there’s a great deal to be made: You get to support a positive creator, and they get to align with a meaningful brand. It’s a win for all. The Right Creators Want To Build – Anxious creators shouldn’t measure their worth in dollars. Morra says the best podcasters jump into the medium because they want to have a healthy discourse, not because they want a cash grab. Those who are in it for impact are going to have a better product, because they care about their audience members, and will ultimately win their trust. Marketers would be wise to look for people like Morra, who appreciates the foundation upon which podcasting was built, and who believes it’s a medium for all: “You don’t have to be rich and famous and powerful and elite to be heard. I think that’s the really beautiful side of what we do that often gets lost. And that is so powerful.” Anxiety Over Ads Is Understandable – In a medium that constantly changes, reliable metrics matter more than ever. Morra notes that Unilever is now shifting all of its advertising budget to user-generated content. She and Dan also discuss the fact that ads are getting longer, sometimes stretching out to a few minutes. These are both major changes in the podcasting landscape, and Morra says measurement hasn’t kept up. Her access to audience data and ad performance is uneven across platforms, which is another reason why the industry needs a universal, consistent measurement metric. (We recently did an entire Media Roundtable episode on this very topic.) Without an industry standard, we can’t assess the current state of podcasting or adapt to future changes. Until then, find creators or agencies that work with an objective measurement tool. Anxious for more insights, you Achiever? Check out the full episode of Media Roundtable. The Classifieds This Suite Podcast Gives You Penthouse Access to a Beloved Child Star’s Life Network: Daylight Media / Episodic Downloads: 75k The group chat is a sacred vessel, full of random bits of humor and history. Actor Dylan Sprouse is bringing his eponymous chat with fellow host Brendan Columbus to life in Wildmen with Dylan Sprouse, a new podcast from Daylight Media. The twosome have been friends since college, and though Sprouse had a very different childhood, he and Columbus have more in common than you’d think. With the upcoming birth of Sprouse’s first child, this new series provides an inside look at a watershed moment in his life. And while nostalgia will drive a lot of the engagement for the show’s first episode, which debuts July 14th, fans will stick around, thanks to the show’s top-tier slate of guests, as well as the duo’s natural chemistry. Advertisers who want to reach pop culture-obsessed millennials are highly recommended to test. Your wildest dreams await if you click the link below for more information. Get The Deal You’re Invited to the World’s Most Inclusive Boardroom Chat Network: Impressions.fm / Episodic Downloads: 300k Michelle Toh has lived a busy life as a business and tech reporter for such outlets as CNN, FORTUNE, and The New York Times. Her weekly entrepreneurship-focused podcast, Behind the Business with Michelle Toh, is now in its second season, and the show finds Toh sitting down with a cadre of impressive guests: Airbnb co-founder and current CSO Nathan Blecharczyk, IM8 CEO Danny Yeung, and Factor CEO Adam Park. What sets Toh’s show apart from other podcasts is her central belief that business is always personal, and that stories about world-changing figures include gems of knowledge everyone can use. Toh approaches these interviews through a journalistic lens, aiming to provide insights for her audience without resorting to ego-boosting or PR talking points. Behind the Business has attracted a strong audience of self-starting women who are seasoned in their roles, but who are seeking guidance as they scale up their careers. Get behind this podcast’s continued success by clicking below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Be Prepared For a Wave of Political Radio Ads This Fall The Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing political parties to coordinate unlimited spending with federal candidates could complicate local broadcast inventory management heading into fall elections. Because coordinated party-candidate buys may now qualify for the lowest unit rate, political dollars could buy more TV and radio inventory than they did when more spending flowed through higher-priced outside groups. This is mostly a local TV issue, but radio is not immune. If political dollars can stretch further under the lowest unit rate, competitive markets could see tighter inventory and more schedule disruption. Marketers planning local radio in September or October should lock inventory earlier and pressure-test availability market by market. Read More Podcasts = Easy to Launch, Hard to Sustain New podcast launches continued to slow in the first half of 2026, with Podchaser reporting 153,767 new shows worldwide, down 14% from the prior year. The data suggests the post-pandemic boom has normalized rather than signaling a category decline. Survival remains difficult, though: Nearly 42% of new shows had already stopped publishing by the end of June, and only 0.7% reached a Podchaser Power Score of 50 or higher, reinforcing how hard it is for new shows to build meaningful audience scale. But fewer launches do not mean podcasting is shrinking: More than 150,000 shows in six months is still a plethora of new supply. Starting a podcast is easy; building one with a durable audience and advertiser value is not. For marketers, the opportunity is still in proven shows with consistent publishing, demonstrated audience behavior, and host trust. Read More Dear Media Is Not Just a Podcast Network Anymore Dear Media is expanding beyond podcasting into live events, creator-led brand experiences, and potentially consumer products, positioning its shows as the foundation for a broader lifestyle business. The network has used sold-out live shows and brand partnerships with companies like Threads and Pinterest to deepen audience connection beyond the podcast feed. Founder and CEO Michael Bosstick framed the company’s future as a holding company across media, entertainment, live events, technology, and CPG, with podcasting serving as the springboard rather than the endpoint. For strong creator-led brands, these host-audience relationships can now extend well beyond the ad read. That creates more ways for advertisers to participate, but also raises the bar on fit. Marketers need to know whether they are adding value to the creator’s ecosystem or competing with it. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Your Honor, This Silk Blouse From Quince is Criminally Good Barb McQuade and the crew of the hit legal show #SistersInLaw earn this week’s #STLR with a Quince read that feels like a genuine conversation between friends. The standout moment arrives when Barb raves about Quince’s washable silk blouse, turning a simple product feature into a relatable real-life story, one that can be appreciated by anybody who’s ever worried about ruining a favorite shirt. She also discusses purchases for both herself and her husband, making for an endorsement that feels authentic from start to finish. This is lifestyle marketing at its best: Practical, personal, and effortlessly persuasive. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Ashley Warmenhoven – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky Kelsey Odenthal Brian Raftery  

Everyone experiences anxiety on some level, so why do creators and brands steer clear of the topic? Morra Aarons-Mele, a.k.a. “The Anxious Achiever,” is here to explain why addressing tough topics can be a win for audiences, creators, and marketers alike. This week on The Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes Morra Aarons-Mele, host of The Anxious Achiever podcast, as well as an author, Harvard professor, presidential campaign strategist, and totally-not-anxious person. Together, they examine the challenges of building a business around an identity, and discuss why brands should align with creators who are brave enough to talk about difficult topics. “Don’t start a podcast to become rich. But if you have a specific thing that you want to chew over and [want to] get access to people, do it. I can’t normally call up the Surgeon General and be like, ‘Hey, you want to talk about loneliness?’ But with a podcast, I can.” – Morra Aarons-Mele (Founder, MHL Partners; Host, The Anxious Achiever) Tough Topics Have Loyal Audiences – The conversations that are hardest to have in public build the strongest communities online. Morra and Dan note the value in Morra self-identifying with her brand name, The Anxious Achiever, which helps her build trust with audience members. Morra’s followers deepen their connection by buying her books, signing up for her newsletter, or attending one of her live events. That kind of 360-degree engagement is valuable for advertisers, not only because it’s so rare, but because it’s so meaningful. If a topic and show are the right fit for your brand, there’s a great deal to be made: You get to support a positive creator, and they get to align with a meaningful brand. It’s a win for all. The Right Creators Want To Build – Anxious creators shouldn’t measure their worth in dollars. Morra says the best podcasters jump into the medium because they want to have a healthy discourse, not because they want a cash grab. Those who are in it for impact are going to have a better product, because they care about their audience members, and will ultimately win their trust. Marketers would be wise to look for people like Morra, who appreciates the foundation upon which podcasting was built, and who believes it’s a medium for all: “You don’t have to be rich and famous and powerful and elite to be heard. I think that’s the really beautiful side of what we do that often gets lost. And that is so powerful.” Anxiety Over Ads Is Understandable – In a medium that constantly changes, reliable metrics matter more than ever. Morra notes that Unilever is now shifting all of its advertising budget to user-generated content. She and Dan also discuss the fact that ads are getting longer, sometimes stretching out to a few minutes. These are both major changes in the podcasting landscape, and Morra says measurement hasn’t kept up. Her access to audience data and ad performance is uneven across platforms, which is another reason why the industry needs a universal, consistent measurement metric. (We recently did an entire Media Roundtable episode on this very topic.) Without an industry standard, we can’t assess the current state of podcasting or adapt to future changes. Until then, find creators or agencies that work with an objective measurement tool. Anxious for more insights, you Achiever? Check out the full episode of Media Roundtable. The Classifieds This Suite Podcast Gives You Penthouse Access to a Beloved Child Star’s Life Network: Daylight Media / Episodic Downloads: 75k The group chat is a sacred vessel, full of random bits of humor and history. Actor Dylan Sprouse is bringing his eponymous chat with fellow host Brendan Columbus to life in Wildmen with Dylan Sprouse, a new podcast from Daylight Media. The twosome have been friends since college, and though Sprouse had a very different childhood, he and Columbus have more in common than you’d think. With the upcoming birth of Sprouse’s first child, this new series provides an inside look at a watershed moment in his life. And while nostalgia will drive a lot of the engagement for the show’s first episode, which debuts July 14th, fans will stick around, thanks to the show’s top-tier slate of guests, as well as the duo’s natural chemistry. Advertisers who want to reach pop culture-obsessed millennials are highly recommended to test. Your wildest dreams await if you click the link below for more information. Get The Deal You’re Invited to the World’s Most Inclusive Boardroom Chat Network: Impressions.fm / Episodic Downloads: 300k Michelle Toh has lived a busy life as a business and tech reporter for such outlets as CNN, FORTUNE, and The New York Times. Her weekly entrepreneurship-focused podcast, Behind the Business with Michelle Toh, is now in its second season, and the show finds Toh sitting down with a cadre of impressive guests: Airbnb co-founder and current CSO Nathan Blecharczyk, IM8 CEO Danny Yeung, and Factor CEO Adam Park. What sets Toh’s show apart from other podcasts is her central belief that business is always personal, and that stories about world-changing figures include gems of knowledge everyone can use. Toh approaches these interviews through a journalistic lens, aiming to provide insights for her audience without resorting to ego-boosting or PR talking points. Behind the Business has attracted a strong audience of self-starting women who are seasoned in their roles, but who are seeking guidance as they scale up their careers. Get behind this podcast’s continued success by clicking below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Be Prepared For a Wave of Political Radio Ads This Fall The Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing political parties to coordinate unlimited spending with federal candidates could complicate local broadcast inventory management heading into fall elections. Because coordinated party-candidate buys may now qualify for the lowest unit rate, political dollars could buy more TV and radio inventory than they did when more spending flowed through higher-priced outside groups. This is mostly a local TV issue, but radio is not immune. If political dollars can stretch further under the lowest unit rate, competitive markets could see tighter inventory and more schedule disruption. Marketers planning local radio in September or October should lock inventory earlier and pressure-test availability market by market. Read More Podcasts = Easy to Launch, Hard to Sustain New podcast launches continued to slow in the first half of 2026, with Podchaser reporting 153,767 new shows worldwide, down 14% from the prior year. The data suggests the post-pandemic boom has normalized rather than signaling a category decline. Survival remains difficult, though: Nearly 42% of new shows had already stopped publishing by the end of June, and only 0.7% reached a Podchaser Power Score of 50 or higher, reinforcing how hard it is for new shows to build meaningful audience scale. But fewer launches do not mean podcasting is shrinking: More than 150,000 shows in six months is still a plethora of new supply. Starting a podcast is easy; building one with a durable audience and advertiser value is not. For marketers, the opportunity is still in proven shows with consistent publishing, demonstrated audience behavior, and host trust. Read More Dear Media Is Not Just a Podcast Network Anymore Dear Media is expanding beyond podcasting into live events, creator-led brand experiences, and potentially consumer products, positioning its shows as the foundation for a broader lifestyle business. The network has used sold-out live shows and brand partnerships with companies like Threads and Pinterest to deepen audience connection beyond the podcast feed. Founder and CEO Michael Bosstick framed the company’s future as a holding company across media, entertainment, live events, technology, and CPG, with podcasting serving as the springboard rather than the endpoint. For strong creator-led brands, these host-audience relationships can now extend well beyond the ad read. That creates more ways for advertisers to participate, but also raises the bar on fit. Marketers need to know whether they are adding value to the creator’s ecosystem or competing with it. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Your Honor, This Silk Blouse From Quince is Criminally Good Barb McQuade and the crew of the hit legal show #SistersInLaw earn this week’s #STLR with a Quince read that feels like a genuine conversation between friends. The standout moment arrives when Barb raves about Quince’s washable silk blouse, turning a simple product feature into a relatable real-life story, one that can be appreciated by anybody who’s ever worried about ruining a favorite shirt. She also discusses purchases for both herself and her husband, making for an endorsement that feels authentic from start to finish. This is lifestyle marketing at its best: Practical, personal, and effortlessly persuasive. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Ashley Warmenhoven – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky Kelsey Odenthal Brian Raftery  

For years, marketers have used downloads to help determine their podcast spend. But now that podcasts exist in so many different formats and spaces—from long-form Netflix videos to short-form YouTube Shorts clips to live shows—it’s harder than ever to determine audience size. With so many platforms in play, how can creators know exactly what they’re selling?  More importantly, how can buyers know what they’re getting? This week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts Steve Goldstein (Founder & CEO, Amplifi Media; Adjunct Professor, NYU) on Media Roundtable to talk about how $1-2B in additional growth can be unlocked if we ditch downloads and create a new universal and consistent metric. Want the DL on downloads? Join Dan and Steve as they debate new methods of measurement and discuss what buyers need to be paying attention to as podcasting moves into its next phase. “The money is going to flow to where the audience is. We have the audience. We have great shows…If we can verify the audience and present it in a unified sort of way, that’s where we need to be.”  – Steve Goldstein (Founder & CEO, Amplifi Media; Adjunct Professor, NYU) The Audience Wants It Both Ways – When it comes to audio vs. video, Steve notes that in numerous studies, audiences have made it clear they want to consume their podcasts wherever and however they can. Despite what  you might have heard, audio isn’t perishing, and video isn’t always an easy win. So, before you invest in a show, learn how its audience behaves and make sure there’s transparency about whether their audience is listening, watching, or both. Downloads Don’t Work – We all know the download has become an unreliable metric, but just how unreliable is it? According to Steve, many shows inflate download counts by as much as 50 percent. That may be why some platforms are moving away from downloads altogether. As Steve puts it: “If more podcasts stream on Spotify, and YouTube’s not even in that business, then we’re really just talking about Apple [in terms of downloads]. And if Apple’s video initiative kicks in, they’ll be out of the download game.” So what will be the best metric in the post-download era? Steve and Dan both agree: it’s plays and streams, which means you should start thinking about how to negotiate buys around a new set of numbers. Reach for High Value Content – Everyone agrees there’s simply too much content to contend with nowadays. Steve’s suggestion for navigating the glut: Focus on what he calls High Value Content, or HVC (which is not to be confused with HVAC School, a niche podcast about HVAC installation that Steve enjoys). Steve defines HVC podcasts as shows that instill long-term loyalty, even if fans don’t necessarily consume every single episode. “[It’s when] people say, ‘I enjoy spending time listening to Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. But do I make it through every minute? No. I pick and choose.’” With increased competition, the shows that will prosper are the ones that build relationships with listeners and encourage them to come back out of habit. For more deets on the download’s downfall, check out the full episode below.

For years, marketers have used downloads to help determine their podcast spend. But now that podcasts exist in so many different formats and spaces—from long-form Netflix videos to short-form YouTube Shorts clips to live shows—it’s harder than ever to determine audience size. With so many platforms in play, how can creators know exactly what they’re selling?  More importantly, how can buyers know what they’re getting? This week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts Steve Goldstein (Founder & CEO, Amplifi Media; Adjunct Professor, NYU) on Media Roundtable to talk about how $1-2B in additional growth can be unlocked if we ditch downloads and create a new universal and consistent metric. Want the DL on downloads? Join Dan and Steve as they debate new methods of measurement and discuss what buyers need to be paying attention to as podcasting moves into its next phase. “The money is going to flow to where the audience is. We have the audience. We have great shows…If we can verify the audience and present it in a unified sort of way, that’s where we need to be.”  – Steve Goldstein (Founder & CEO, Amplifi Media; Adjunct Professor, NYU) The Audience Wants It Both Ways – When it comes to audio vs. video, Steve notes that in numerous studies, audiences have made it clear they want to consume their podcasts wherever and however they can. Despite what  you might have heard, audio isn’t perishing, and video isn’t always an easy win. So, before you invest in a show, learn how its audience behaves and make sure there’s transparency about whether their audience is listening, watching, or both. Downloads Don’t Work – We all know the download has become an unreliable metric, but just how unreliable is it? According to Steve, many shows inflate download counts by as much as 50 percent. That may be why some platforms are moving away from downloads altogether. As Steve puts it: “If more podcasts stream on Spotify, and YouTube’s not even in that business, then we’re really just talking about Apple [in terms of downloads]. And if Apple’s video initiative kicks in, they’ll be out of the download game.” So what will be the best metric in the post-download era? Steve and Dan both agree: it’s plays and streams, which means you should start thinking about how to negotiate buys around a new set of numbers. Reach for High Value Content – Everyone agrees there’s simply too much content to contend with nowadays. Steve’s suggestion for navigating the glut: Focus on what he calls High Value Content, or HVC (which is not to be confused with HVAC School, a niche podcast about HVAC installation that Steve enjoys). Steve defines HVC podcasts as shows that instill long-term loyalty, even if fans don’t necessarily consume every single episode. “[It’s when] people say, ‘I enjoy spending time listening to Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. But do I make it through every minute? No. I pick and choose.’” With increased competition, the shows that will prosper are the ones that build relationships with listeners and encourage them to come back out of habit. For more deets on the download’s downfall, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds The Kids Are Alright, and Mom and Dad Are Telling All Network: Backyard Ventures / Episodic Downloads: 35k Given their busy schedules, it’s amazing that married superstars Keion and Shaunie Henderson have time for a podcast at all. Keion is the pastor of The Lighthouse Church; Shaunie is the creator and star of the long-running VH1 reality show Basketball Wives, and together, they have a blended family of six children. So there’s plenty for the couple to talk about on their weekly sitdown podcast, Grown & Growing by Keion and Shaunie Henderson. Each episode finds the couple honestly and playfully discussing their lives in conversations that demonstrate the duo’s obvious mutual respect. Whether you’re a fan of Shaunie’s reality-TV persona or a member of Keion’s congregation, Grown & Growing is a truly heart-warming BTS look at their lives. The show is a great opportunity for advertisers who see high performance in the Relationships, Kid & Family, or Religion & Spirituality categories. If you’re married to a solid testing strategy, click below for more details. Get The Deal This Book Club Will Make You Dust Off That Library Card Network: Audioboom / Episodic Downloads: 13k The phrase “book club” might get book nerds excited, but group literary gatherings don’t always have the happiest endings. Sometimes the conversation gets stodgy, and sometimes the book turns out to be a dud. It is also hard to find a book that interests everyone in the group. Luckily, there’s a podcast for pop culture fans eager to dive into a great new book without having to head to someone’s house every Thursday. Shelf Respect follows author Erin Moon, Knox McCoy and Jamie B. Golden, hosts of the popular podcast The Popcast With Knox and Jamie, as they discuss culture, art, and their love for literature, all with a light comedic touch. The show is a must-test for anybody already testing into The Popcast, as well as for those seeking female-skewing opportunities in the Art & Culture category. Put your bad testing practices on the shelf via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Don’t Pigeon-Hole Yourself Into Obvious Genre Alignment Marketing Week reports that brands are turning to unexpected podcast categories to reach niche but highly engaged audiences. One example is the travel group Explore Worldwide, which turned to true crime podcasts to drive leads and purchases, demonstrating that brands and shows don’t always need to be an obvious match in order to work. This bigger lesson here is one that many in the podcasting industry have known for years: Namely, that podcast audiences have a wide variety of interests, and that advertisers can reach them across a wide range of genres. So, whether you’re looking at business, comedy, sports, wellness, true crime, or any number of categories, make sure you’re diversifying your buy, not just falling into the obvious plays. Read More Podcasts + World Cup Fans = GOOOAAALLLL! Edison Research’s Podcast Consumer 2026 finds podcast audiences over-index on sports fandom, or any fandom that is particularly passionate about the content that they’re consuming. According to the story, 55% of podcast fans are interested in the 2026 World Cup, with interest rising further among heavy podcast listeners (by comparison, 47% of the overall U.S. population has expressed interest in the World Cup). It stands to reason that podcasts would over-index among U.S.-based World Cup fans. Podcasts skew upscale, and so does soccer. Aligning with the World Cup through podcasts may not be actionable for every brand, but the numbers are further proof that podcasting remains a strong place to reach upscale, engaged international audiences. Read More iHeart Makes a Game-Changing Play Regarding Radio Measurement iHeartMedia launched AudioGraph, a new platform designed to bring digital-style targeting, planning, and attribution to broadcast radio. The platform uses privacy-safe identity data, TransUnion audience attributes, Triton Digital technology, and external measurement partners to help advertisers buy and evaluate radio beyond traditional age and gender demographics. iHeart says early tests outperformed demographic-based plans, with broader industry rollout scheduled for 2027. Radio attribution has moved from less-than-ideal solutions like time-series attribution to a growing set of effective options from Claritas, Podscribe, Magellan AI, and now iHeart. That is real progress, but marketers still need to be careful. The ideal solution is a method that can measure all of the audio activity in a single plan, not through a piecemeal method with a variety of partners. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Tecovas Has This Host Hearing Wedding Bells While Walking Down the Aisle Dillon Cheverere, David Ruff, and Will DeFries of the Circling Back podcast earn this week’s #STLR with a Tecovas endorsement that feels more like best friends giving recommendations than a sponsored segment. The standout moment? Will casually mentions that he got married in his Tecovas boots, a personal detail that turns a product promotion into a real-life use case. From there, the conversation turns to weddings, ranch trips, festivals, and everyday wear, all of which demonstrate how Tecovas has become genuinely woven into their lifestyles. Throw in some playful banter about English soccer fans shopping for boots in Dallas, and you’ve got a read that’s funny, authentic, and packed with personality. This is brand alignment at its best: This read has us hearing wedding bells and checkout bells as customers go to add a new pair of boots to their carts. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Spotify Aligns With AMP on What a “Play” Actually Means We covered it here last week, but it’s worth a reminder: Spotify for Creators made a huge announcement recently, with Podnews and Podcast Business Journal picking it up shortly after. Spotify officially redefined what counts as a “play” in its Creators dashboard, adopting the AMP framework’s 30-second threshold, once per user, per session, across both audio and video. Spotify is the first major platform to publicly align with the standards AMP proposed, and while Spotify notes that its own data “helped inform” the definition, the direction of travel is clear. If you want to learn more about AMP’s goals, click HERE. Read More Entertainment Podcasts Are a Better Bet Than Advertisers Think Our latest June ORBIT ranking landed in Podnews and Podcast News Daily, with both outlets anchoring on the same finding: Entertainment and Media podcasts sit in the bottom-third of all genres for ad performance, but 15 shows consistently deviate from that trend. The data, drawn from over $1.8 billion in campaign spend across 500-plus advertisers, points to a clear pattern: niche-driven shows with engaged communities, particularly those built around TV, film, and female-skewing pop culture, outperform the genre average. The takeaway isn’t to avoid Entertainment; it’s to buy the show, not the label. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Ashley Warmenhoven – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky Kelsey Odenthal Brian Raftery  

How do you improve an industry you love? First, demand better data. In a surprise twist this week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) takes a break from Media Roundtable to guest-star on the award-winning show podCast411. Host Rob Walch (Host, podCast411 and VP, Podcast Relations, DAX Global) interviews Dan about the specialist advantage, why better info wins, the key to building bridges across industries, and much more. Let’s dive in. “I believe podcasting is the greatest canvas for the free and open exchange of ideas, but that has to be managed responsibly. And the tools to do so in many cases don’t yet exist.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Here’s to the Specialists – Dan started Oxford Road with a love of podcasting and a bold thesis: “Specialists can outperform generalists in the advertising business.” He realized early on that specialization wasn’t just an advantage but a necessity because podcasting rewards deep commitment. The same goes for advertisers: If you only dabble in the medium, you won’t reap the full rewards. It’s only when you fall in love with the medium and dive in that you can see game-changing results. Better Information = Better Decisions – One of OR’s earliest goals was getting better data to inform better decisions. That’s what inspired our biggest projects, including our push for “podcast nutritional labels” so brands know what they’re buying. It’s the same guiding philosophy behind the AMP Accords, which will help the industry measure actual impressions, not downloads. Breakthroughs come from wrangling the right data (for proof, check out the groundbreaking global podcast industry estimates from Owl & Co). Marketers: if you also wish you had better data, see our work on the AMP Accords and join the effort. The Bridge-Building Business – Podcasting is beautiful, messy, and complex. To help the industry, you have to connect all of its players. That includes unique voices on both the left and the right, as well as agencies, networks, hosts, and brands. It can be tricky, but Dan offers two bridge-building techniques: Get first-hand experience in as many industry roles as possible, and build diverse coalitions to tackle shared problems. For never-before-seen insights into the why of Oxford Road, check out the full episode below. Your Monthly ORBIT Report – June 2026 In the Entertainment & Media Category: Buy the Show, Not the Genre Genre podcast buying can be a trap and that’s especially true when it comes to the category of Entertainment & Media. To help you decide which Entertainment & Media shows to pivot to or from buying, we turned to ORBIT (the Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool). Special shout-out to our top-performers: The Weekly with Jon Stewart (#3), Back to the Barre (#2) , and The Popcast with Knox and Jamie (#1). Entertainment & Media is a lower-performing genre, one that trails more proven categories like True Crime, News, and Society & Culture. Yet, we’ve identified 15 Entertainment & Media programs that manage to shine, and there are promising sub-categories within our 15 winners that have demonstrated pockets of efficiency. Here’s what we found: It Pays to be Picky: Entertainment & Media sits in the bottom third of all our genres, but there are breakout titles. Our best advice? Don’t buy the genre indiscriminately, and don’t get hung up on size. The Entertainment & Media shows that tend to convert for advertisers are often built around specific, loyal communities and don’t always have a big infrastructure behind them. So, be selective and focus on the ORBIT winners. If you need to go deeper, talk to us, and we’ll help you find the pockets of efficiency. TV & Film Dominates the Conversations: Nearly every top entertainment show focuses on TV & film discussions. The shows connect with audiences who follow along to stay on top of weekly TV episodes and new-release films (much like how many of our top Sports category performers follow recent sporting events). Our sole music entry, Song Exploder, functions more like a TV & film show, with each episode going incredibly deep into a specific song. The point is clear: successful entertainment podcasts drive engagement by keeping track of their audiences’ interests and by keeping an eye on the current events calendar. When marketers are selective, Entertainment can be a smart addition to your campaigns. For the complete June ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report below. View The Full June 2026 ORBIT Rankings & Insights The Classifieds Un-Redacting Spectacular History Network: True Native / Monthly Downloads: 35k In celebration of Friday’s Juneteenth holiday, we’re spotlighting an illuminating podcast that celebrates Black excellence year-round. Produced by Airwave Media and available from True Native Media, Redacted History is a weekly series that covers complex and well-researched topics you don’t usually hear about. Each episode is narrated by Dr. André White Jr., a historian and voice actor who prides himself on creating thorough outlines of his research, which are then shared on the show’s Patreon. The show also puts Black history at the forefront, covering the deep wounds still felt by the African-American community while also spotlighting overlooked triumphs. History is a top-indexing genre for many B2B advertisers looking to target high household earners and small business owners, making Redacted History a promising prospect for many brands. The show could also be a key testing opportunity for Gen Z lifelong learners and pop culture-minded young professionals. Join us in celebrating America’s diversity by clicking below for more information Get The Deal This Podcast Traded Networks, But It Kept Its Secrets Network: Sony Podcasts / Monthly Downloads: 250k Speaking of shows that work well for B2Bs: top-performing podcast Trading Secrets has found its new home. Host Jason Tartick recently made the move over to Sony Podcasts, and he’s brought his trademark flair and solid advice with him. Listeners tune in every week to hear Tartick’s interviews with well-known industry leaders, as well as his pared-down solo episodes in which he discusses more personal subjects. Though many of the topics revolve around the world of business, finance, and tech, there’s also extensive overlap with influencer culture, reality TV, and self-help. The audience is largely made up of women aged 23-44, and for those already testing into Society & Culture, TV & Film, and Health & Fitness./ Trading Secrets would be a welcome addition to any new RFP. You can trade us some test dollars for the secret to high performance if you click below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Spotify Publicly Aligns With AMP Spotify is updating its Spotify for Creators analytics with new audience and engagement tools, including segment breakdowns for new versus returning listeners, episode benchmarks, historical performance data, and a redesigned discovery funnel. The bigger news: Spotify has adopted the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting’s definition of a “play,” now defined as 30 consecutive seconds of content consumed per user per session across audio and video. Spotify is the first major platform to publicly align with AMP’s standards, and Oxford Road spent over a year building the coalition to make that happen. Thank you to every advertiser, publisher, and industry leader who helped get us here. And thanks to Podnews and Podcast Business Journal, who picked up the story early. To learn more about AMP, CLICK HERE. Read More Mid-Tier Podcast Gold Rush Has a New Marketplace DAX US, a division of U.K.-based Global, is partnering with Captivate to launch Captivate Marketplace, which combines programmatic, direct sales, and host-read ads for podcasters. The platform is focused on aggregating mid-tier creators, whose loyal audiences are harder for advertisers to buy efficiently. Captivate Marketplace will allow them to reach those audiences at a greater scale. If DAX and Captivate can package inventory with better targeting and flexible ad formats, it could give brands another way to scale podcast campaigns beyond the top shows. Read More Turns Out “I Always Skip Ads” Is Not Exactly True YouGov research found that podcast ads continue to drive consumer action, even though many listeners say they usually skip or ignore them. The study found that 60% of podcast consumers have taken some action after hearing or seeing a podcast ad, whether it’s visiting a website, searching for a product, using a discount code, or making a purchase. Podcast ads ranked as less annoying than other digital ad formats, while host-read ads remained the most trusted podcast ad format (you can download the report here). Surveys are useful, but what people say they do is not always the same as what they actually do. That helps explain the contradiction here: Listeners say they skip podcast ads, yet many still take action after hearing or seeing them. For marketers, the takeaway is not to ignore ad avoidance, but to avoid overreacting to self-reported behavior. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Hungryroot Wins Because Host Hates Grocery Shopping Josh and Ian from Lights Out deliver this week’s #STLR with a genuinely relatable endorsement for Hungryroot. Rather than leading with product claims, Josh frames the whole read around a universal truth: he loves good food but has zero interest in grocery shopping or meal prep. The credibility kicker comes early when he casually mentions his family actually pays for Hungryroot themselves. From there, he walks through how it fits his routine, including a small but vivid detail about customizing a pasta dish by removing onions. Simple, specific, and never once sounds like he’s reading off a fact sheet. This is what a proper onboarding and true brand/host alignment sound like. Long live host reads like this! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

How do you improve an industry you love? First, demand better data. In a surprise twist this week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) takes a break from Media Roundtable to guest-star on the award-winning show podCast411. Host Rob Walch (Host, podCast411 and VP, Podcast Relations, DAX Global) interviews Dan about the specialist advantage, why better info wins, the key to building bridges across industries, and much more. Let’s dive in. “I believe podcasting is the greatest canvas for the free and open exchange of ideas, but that has to be managed responsibly. And the tools to do so in many cases don’t yet exist.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Here’s to the Specialists – Dan started Oxford Road with a love of podcasting and a bold thesis: “Specialists can outperform generalists in the advertising business.” He realized early on that specialization wasn’t just an advantage but a necessity because podcasting rewards deep commitment. The same goes for advertisers: If you only dabble in the medium, you won’t reap the full rewards. It’s only when you fall in love with the medium and dive in that you can see game-changing results. Better Information = Better Decisions – One of OR’s earliest goals was getting better data to inform better decisions. That’s what inspired our biggest projects, including our push for “podcast nutritional labels” so brands know what they’re buying. It’s the same guiding philosophy behind the AMP Accords, which will help the industry measure actual impressions, not downloads. Breakthroughs come from wrangling the right data (for proof, check out the groundbreaking global podcast industry estimates from Owl & Co). Marketers: if you also wish you had better data, see our work on the AMP Accords and join the effort. The Bridge-Building Business – Podcasting is beautiful, messy, and complex. To help the industry, you have to connect all of its players. That includes unique voices on both the left and the right, as well as agencies, networks, hosts, and brands. It can be tricky, but Dan offers two bridge-building techniques: Get first-hand experience in as many industry roles as possible, and build diverse coalitions to tackle shared problems. For never-before-seen insights into the why of Oxford Road, check out the full episode below.

Genre podcast buying can be a trap. That’s especially true when it comes to the category of Entertainment & Media. To help you decide which Entertainment & Media shows to renew, and which to cancel, we turned to ORBIT. ORBIT (the Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool) isolates performance using actual campaign data from 500+ advertisers and $1.8+ billion in annual spend. ORBIT doesn’t care about vanity metrics; it only highlights the inventory that actually converts for advertisers. June 2026 ORBIT Rankings   June 2026 ORBIT Insights Entertainment & Media is a lower-performing genre, one that trails more proven categories like True Crime, News, and Society Culture. Yet we’ve identified 15 Entertainment & Media programs that manage to shine, and there are promising subcategories within those 15 winners that have demonstrated pockets of efficiency. Here’s what we found: • It Pays to be Picky – Entertainment & Media sits in the bottom third of all our genres, but there are breakout titles. Our best advice? Don’t buy the genre indiscriminately. And don’t get hung up on size: The Entertainment & Media shows that tend to convert for advertisers are often built around specific, loyal communities, and don’t necessarily have a big infrastructure behind them. So be selective, and focus on the ORBIT winners. And if you need to go deeper, talk to us, and we’ll help you navigate the pockets of efficiency. • Depth Wins – Super Carlin Brothers and Blank Check with Griffin & David rank in the top five, even though they often focus on hyper-specific topics. Their advantage? Both programs go deep, approaching pop culture through theory and analysis. That approach has plenty of appeal for audience members leaning in with specific questions about what to watch next, whose taste to trust, and whether a film or show is worth their time. And these shows foster the kind of engaged relationships that can yield greater purchase intent. Our advice to brands: Niche-driven shows are fine, so long as you follow the way fans engage with the material. • TV & Film Dominates the Conversations – Nearly every top entertainment show focuses on discussions about TV and film. The shows connect with audiences who follow along to stay on top of weekly TV episodes and new-release films (much in the way some of our top sports performers follow recent sporting events). Our sole music entry, Song Exploder, functions more like a TV and film show, going deep on community-driven topics. The point is clear: Successful entertainment podcasts drive engagement by keeping track of their audience’s interests and by keeping an eye on the current events calendar. • Female Audiences Steal the Show – Though the Entertainment & Media genre still has room to grow in terms of audience reach, there’s a performance cluster that unlocks solid reach for the right brand. Four shows in our top 15 together make a female pop-culture cluster, with programming that focuses on female-skewing reality TV and pop-culture commentary. They’re not quite top-tier in terms of efficiency, but for DTC brands seeking a female audience, the cluster is a smart way to scale. • Acast’s Winners – Acast nabbed 4 of the top 15 spots, while all other publishers had one each. In a genre where the average lags, Acast’s doing something right, and in multiple show formats. When you’re negotiating an Entertainment & Media buy for Acast, be sure to anchor to their top four shows in order to ensure efficiency before layering on scale. Unlock past ORBIT rankings and insights   How ORBIT Works (And Why It’s A Metric That Matters) ORBIT normalizes performance across different advertiser goals, whether that’s target CAC, desired ROAS, or cost per qualified lead. This allows direct comparison across campaign types, something download-based rankings can’t provide. The difference: Many tracking tools tell you who’s advertising and estimate spend, count ad occurrences, or measure downloads and reach. ORBIT shows which podcasts made money and which ones didn’t. We factor in what advertisers paid, what they were trying to achieve, how it was measured– including survey-based attribution data–and whether the investment delivered ROI. That’s the difference between counting impressions and measuring profit. Our methodology: Minimum 3 distinct advertisers per show Minimum 3 paid drops per advertiser At least 50% of placements must exceed advertiser goals 12-month rolling analysis updated monthly Attribution-normalized across pixels, codes, URLs, and modeling For Advertisers Here’s how ORBIT can help you eliminate guesswork from podcast planning: De-risk initial buys by seeing which shows have proven track records with similar advertisers. Optimize faster with normalized performance data across attribution models. Find hidden gems before they become expensive tier-1 shows. Break category assumptions with data that shows where your customers actually listen. Scale with confidence, knowing which placements consistently deliver ROI. The era of buying podcast ads based on download numbers is over. ORBIT shows you which shows drive performance before you spend a dollar. Subscribe to The Influencer for monthly ORBIT updates  

For more than a year now, the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting, or AMP, has been working to create new frameworks for podcast measurement. In this week’s Media Roundtable, we’re announcing some of our latest findings. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP-Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) to discuss the problem with downloads, AMP’s internal tug-of-war, and the new standard metrics that could help grow the industry. “This type of evolution should put podcasting on a better footing to compete with other media channels for an enormous part of advertising dollars.” – Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) Downloads and Doubt – We don’t measure downloads because we love them; we use them because they were the best metric we had when podcasting began. The problem is it’s a wobbly foundational metric, one that invariably leads to speculation and uncertainty about actual consumption. It gets all the more confusing when you factor in different metrics across multiple channels. Moving away from downloads and toward a consumption-based metric will remove doubt from pricing. As Pete puts it, “ The fewer assumptions we have to make, the more accurate the results will be.” The Tug-of-War – Part of the beauty of podcasting is that no one entity or company owns the space. That also means you need cross-partner alignment and adoption in order to enact change. With AMP, stakeholders like Oxford Road, Podscribe, and Spotify all had a hand on the wheel, with the shared goal of finding a favorable outcome. While getting this many collaborators to agree might take more effort, the upside is that this result is acceptable to all and gives us a real chance at industry-wide implementation. (Want to join us? Check out the AMP Accords.) Two Simple Metrics – Out of this tug-of-war, AMP aligned on two major metrics. The first is that a play is when a user consumes at least 30 consecutive seconds of a podcast (audio or video). The second is that an ad impression is when any portion of an ad is shown to a user. If we adopt these, we take the guesswork out of ad delivery, which should be table stakes for any marketing channel. Making podcasting more buyer-friendly by removing doubt will help unlock the industry’s next billion dollars. For more insights from AMP’s first major announcement and why it matters, check out the full episode below.   The Classifieds Breakin’ News 2: Electric Boogaloo Network: MeidasTouch Network / Monthly Downloads: 150k The 24-hour news cycle is simply too slow for Gen Z, and thanks to influencers like Aaron Parnas, younger audiences now get their breaking news on demand. MeidasTouch Network has partnered with this trailblazing journalist for Breakin’ News 2: Electric Boogaloo, a show that brings Parnas’ timely updates to an RSS feed. Now, anyone and everyone can hear about developments in the Middle East, upcoming midterm elections, or the latest news from Capitol Hill. Though the episodes are only 10 minutes long, the content is jam-packed with contextual reporting that delivers a nuanced take on ever-evolving events. If you’re looking for tune-in value, Breakin’ News 2: Electric Boogaloo is very promising. Similar short-form news podcasts have done especially well for B2B advertisers looking to reach an engaged audience of self-starters who want to stay informed. Gain your own perspective at the link below. Get The Deal Hi, I’m Johnny Knoxville, and This is Your Next Test Network: Headgum / Monthly Downloads: 30k They’ve faced alligators, industrial-sized slingshots, bulls, tasers and more, but now it’s time for the Jackass gang to face their biggest challenge yet: A podcast. In conjunction with the upcoming release of Jackass: Best and Last, frontman Johnny Knoxville and director Jeff Tremaine are getting wistful and a bit nostalgic about their decades-long careers, and they’re recording it all for posterity. In this forthcoming series from Headgum, they sit down with past and current team members, who talk through some of their more grueling stunts, while offering their perspectives on the franchise’s legacy (initial guests include Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze and beloved Jackass mainstay Wee Man). The show promises to inspire many viral moments, courtesy of the gang’s need to prank one another as often as possible. Millennial, male-skewing advertisers are highly recommended to test this, especially those who work well in the TV & Film genre. Be a smartass and click below for additional details. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Even as Video Grows, Audio Still Remains King Edison Research’s new Podcast Consumer 2026 study provides some major new insights into evolving consumption trends. According to Edison, 57% of those surveyed say they both listen to and watch podcasts, while 21% are audio-only consumers, and just 2% exclusively watch video (YouTube is the video service used most often among weekly consumers). The big takeaway? Consumers haven’t written off audio podcasts, and neither should you. Instead, take the opportunity to plan podcasts as a flexible creator channel that can move across numerous devices and platforms while still being built on the intimacy and authenticity that made the medium work in the first place. Read More Programmatic Demands Only the Best Inventory as Fuel The ANA’s latest Programmatic Transparency Benchmark (report available for members) finds that programmatic efficiency improved in Q1 2026, with its TrueAdSpend metric rising from 36.3% to 43.3%. But those gains were uneven: Top-performing advertisers converted 54% of spend into quality impressions, compared with 32.1% for lower-performing advertisers. The difference was media quality, with stronger buyers using tighter supply paths, better measurement coverage, and more curated inventory. The ANA’s report shows the real advantage goes to advertisers that manage supply quality, measurement coverage, and curation. That matters as programmatic audio grows as a buying method. Premium audio should benefit, but only when the inventory is curated and advertisers resist treating every impression as equal. Read More Netflix and Tubi’s Podcast Bet Seems To Be Paying Off Edison Research’s first wave of Podcast Metrics data, including Netflix and Tubi, shows that 14% of weekly podcast consumers have used Netflix to consume podcasts, while 4% have used Tubi. Those numbers are still low, but the early traction is meaningful as more podcast publishers and streamers strike distribution deals, including Netflix’s reported deal with Jay Shetty’s On Purpose and Tubi’s partnerships with Audiochuck and SiriusXM. The data suggests streaming platforms are beginning to establish a role in podcast discovery and consumption. The Netflix and Tubi numbers are small compared with YouTube and Spotify, but small can be meaningful: If 14% of weekly podcast consumers have already used Netflix for podcasts, that’s enough to take the platform seriously over the long term. Importantly, talent-led podcast IP is becoming more portable across audio, video, social, streaming, and CTV. For marketers, the opportunity is to build around the host-audience relationship regardless of platform. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads A “StoryWorth” Telling That is Criminally Good This week’s #STLR belongs to Taylar Fetzner and Morgan Harris of the Creeps and Crimes podcast, who deliver a heartfelt and genuinely memorable read for StoryWorth. They open with a powerful truth that instantly resonates with their audience: Namely, that while most Father’s Day gifts eventually get forgotten, family stories last forever. The hosts do an excellent job of breaking down StoryWorth’s simple yet accessible process, highlighting features like voice recordings and guided phone calls in a way that feels practical and thoughtful rather than promotional. What truly makes this read shine, however, is Morgan’s personal story about her father, as she recounts how he rescued a man from a burning car as a teenager. It’s a vivid anecdote she may never have known about without StoryWorth, and it demonstrates how StoryWorth can help preserve crucial moments from a family’s past. The hosts’ enthusiasm feels completely earned because it stems from real experiences, making the recommendation feel less like an advertisement and more like advice from trusted friends. By the time they reach the call to action, listeners aren’t just thinking about Father’s Day; they’re thinking about the stories they want to preserve for generations to come. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News AMP’s Cross-Platform Alternative to the Download Forbes‘ Frank Raccioppi broke the story on AMP’s first major announcement: A unified impression framework for audio and video podcasting, ratified by all task force members with no dissenting votes. Sounds Profitable, Podnews, and Podcast News Daily all picked up the story, each focusing on AMP’s four new cross-platform exposure definitions. These will give advertisers a single consumption-based metric to compare audio and video inventory, without forcing platforms to abandon existing systems. The full framework and implementation guide will be unveiled at Oxford Road’s CAO Summit, which kicks off July 22nd. Read More Read More About AMP Here If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

For more than a year now, the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting, or AMP, has been working to create new frameworks for podcast measurement. In this week’s Media Roundtable, we’re announcing some of our latest findings. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP-Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) to discuss the problem with downloads, AMP’s internal tug-of-war, and the new standard metrics that could help grow the industry. “This type of evolution should put podcasting on a better footing to compete with other media channels for an enormous part of advertising dollars.” – Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) Downloads and Doubt – We don’t measure downloads because we love them; we use them because they were the best metric we had when podcasting began. The problem is it’s a wobbly foundational metric, one that invariably leads to speculation and uncertainty about actual consumption. It gets all the more confusing when you factor in different metrics across multiple channels. Moving away from downloads and toward a consumption-based metric will remove doubt from pricing. As Pete puts it, “ The fewer assumptions we have to make, the more accurate the results will be.” The Tug-of-War –  Part of the beauty of podcasting is that no one entity or company owns the space. That also means you need cross-partner alignment and adoption in order to enact change. With AMP, stakeholders like Oxford Road, Podscribe, and Spotify all had a hand on the wheel, with the shared goal of finding a favorable outcome. While getting this many collaborators to agree might take more effort, the upside is that this result is acceptable to all and gives us a real chance at industry-wide implementation. (Want to join us? Check out the AMP Accords.) Two Simple Metrics – Out of this tug-of-war, AMP aligned on two major metrics. The first is that a play is when a user consumes at least 30 consecutive seconds of a podcast (audio or video). The second is that an ad impression is when any portion of an ad is shown to a user. If we adopt these, we take the guesswork out of ad delivery, which should be table stakes for any marketing channel. Making podcasting more buyer-friendly by removing doubt will help unlock the industry’s next billion dollars. For more insights from AMP’s first major announcement and why it matters, check out the full episode below.  

If your phone is full of podcast episodes you’ve never actually played, you know a download isn’t the same as an impression. So how can marketers figure out who’s really tuning in, and who’s tuning out? This week’s Media Roundtable discussion has you covered. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome Dan Misener (co-founder, Bumper) to talk about the Bumper Score, a major new step toward shrinking the gap between a podcast’s reported listenership and its actual audience. It’s no secret we’re big advocates for better podcast measurement (check out today’s Forbes story, written by Frank Racioppi, about our work on the AMP Accords). The Bumper Score, like AMP, is aimed at helping the industry unlock its next billions through better data. Join our panel of experts as they discuss how better information can not only lead to better measurement, but can also help prevent billions of dollars from being left on the sidelines. “There is a gigantic gap between what buyers are paying for and what sellers are actually delivering.” – Dan Misener (co-founder, Bumper) Minding the Gap – We measure downloads, views, and plays, which collectively adds up to what one panelist describes as “a mixed bag of garbage.” But what we actually care about is ad delivery. And as of now, the gap between what’s being measured and what’s being delivered can be huge. The big-picture takeaway? Bad decisions based on faulty metrics can create even worse decisions (which helps explain why a billion dollars’ worth of investment is being held back from the market, according to our count). TL;DR: When brands don’t trust what they’re buying, they buy less. Keeping Score – Bumper has found a way to shrink the frustrating measurement gap. The company looks at episode delivery data and compares it to actual playback data from first-party sources. That intel is used to create the Bumper Score, a ranking that determines how effectively a program reaches a real audience when compared against other shows. Bumper Scores range from 0 (Bad) to 200 (Great), with 100 as an average. Building A Better Yardstick – In practice, the Bumper Score can level the playing field between podcasters with quality audiences (but smaller traffic) and creators with big topline numbers (but weaker audiences). Much like our own ORBIT reports, the Bumper Score helps brands evaluate shows using metrics that actually matter, and allows them to decide if the true CPM is worth the effort (and the spend). For more details on Bumper, and further insight into how the industry is coming together to fight for better measurement, check out the full episode of Media Roundtable below. The Classifieds Caleb Hearon Makes Every Episode an Event Wave Sports / Monthly Downloads: 465k Mr. Roy G. Biv is back for the first official week of Pride Month, and he’s brought two top-notch classifieds for you to consider. Our first is hosted by stand-up comedian and actor Caleb Hearon, who used his experiences as a Missouri middle school teacher to create one-of-a-kind sketches and characters that found him a huge following online. Though he’s become a big-time star in recent years, with major roles in both TV (Overcompensating) and film (The Devil Wears Prada 2), Hearon hasn’t lost his deep connection to his fans, who tune in to So True with Caleb Hearon for NSFW conversations with high-profile guests. Every conversation feels like an event rather than a promotional-tour stop. And blue-chip and DR brands alike are taking notice of Hearon’s hilarious, heartfelt interview style. If you want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, click below for more details. Get The Deal Pride With Purpose and Community Network: Studio71 / Monthly Downloads: 57k Like so many of us, Texas-born lesbian comic Mal Glowenke is a work in progress. Each week on Made It Out, she sits down with a member of the LGBTQIA+ community to talk about their tender beginnings, their journeys with self-discovery, and the moments that shaped their lives. Though Made It Out features no shortage of heartbreak and humor, the show also focuses on self-improvement and community building. Even when the topic is rooted in a sense of grief or loss, Glowenke imbues every conversation with positivity and support. Made It Out’s largely female audience is interested in mental health, continuing education, the arts, and travel, all of which makes the show a desirable prospect for a variety of brands. Demonstrate your pride in podcasting by clicking below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Is the Download Past Its Prime? Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media led a London Podcast Show panel on whether downloads remain a viable core metric. While downloads standardized the industry, Goldstein notes, they often fail to capture true engagement or listener intent. And while the download helped podcasting grow, the medium has evolved faster than the metric. What the industry needs first, Goldstein argues, is more consistency in how audience delivery is measured across platforms, formats, and listening environments. That’s why the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (AMP) matters. Podcasting will never have perfect measurement, especially as audio, video, RSS, YouTube, Spotify, and social clips all blur together. But without clearer standards, marketers are left wondering what they’re actually getting from their investments. Read More Radio Measurement Is Getting an Overhaul Nielsen is planning changes to its diary-based radio ratings service in response to declining survey participation, rising costs, and changing consumer habits. The proposed hybrid methodology would add a lower-burden digital survey, use outside research panels for some respondents, and apply modeling to estimate full-week listening patterns. Radio measurement isn’t perfect, but the industry has a consistent framework, using Portable People Meters in the largest markets and diary surveys in the rest. Nielsen’s latest changes demonstrate the importance of measurement evolving in step with consumer behavior, even in legacy channels. The move also reinforces the need for shared measurement within podcasting. Read More  Spotify Knows You Better Than Your Therapist Does Spotify’s global head of ad product, Katie English, discusses how the platform uses data from Spotify Wrapped and other personalized listening insights to create standardized, buyable audience segments for advertisers. Spotify Wrapped is one of the best marketing initiatives in digital media, and while it’s unclear whether Wrapped-based audience segments can become a meaningful buying tool, the company is clearly interested in finding a way to turn a beloved consumer experience into an advertising product. As any music fan can tell you, listening habits are deeply tied to identity, mood, and personal taste. Those kinds of deep connections can be useful for media buying if packaged in a way advertisers can use. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads These Fangirls Are Serious About Their Health Sisters Lexi and Nicole of Fantasy Fangirls bring genuine enthusiasm to this week’s live read for Function Health. The hosts have a doctor in the family, so they know what they’re talking about, and their delivery is peppy but sincere, leaving them plenty of room to breathe between the details. And the specifics land because Function is personal to each user, not a one-size-fits-all panel of tests. The two hosts may obsess over worlds of fantasy, but they’re serious about their real-world health. Brands should take note: This is what authentic advocacy actually sounds like. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News The AMP Accords Go Viral Last week, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on AMP (Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting), a coalition of 12 industry players working toward a shared podcast definition and new frameworks for ad measurement. We told you about it here first, and the story quickly rippled across Barrett Media, Podnews, Podcast Business Journal, Sounds Profitable, Podcast News Daily, Podcasting Today, TV News Check, and Roastbrief. All of those mentions land on the same point: Without common measurements and definitions, budgets get orphaned, and a billion dollars in ad spend stays on the sideline. Learn more about the AMP Accords HERE. If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

If your phone is full of podcast episodes you’ve never actually played, you know a download isn’t the same as an impression. So how can marketers figure out who’s really tuning in, and who’s tuning out? This week’s Media Roundtable discussion has you covered. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome Dan Misener (co-founder, Bumper) to talk about the Bumper Score, a major new step toward shrinking the gap between a podcast’s reported listenership and its actual audience. It’s no secret we’re big advocates for better podcast measurement (check out today’s Forbes story, written by Frank Racioppi, about our work on the AMP Accords). The Bumper Score, like AMP, is aimed at helping the industry unlock its next billions through better data. Join our panel of experts as they discuss how better information can not only lead to better measurement, but can also help prevent billions of dollars from being left on the sidelines. “There is a gigantic gap between what buyers are paying for and what sellers are actually delivering.” – Dan Misener (co-founder, Bumper) Minding the Gap – We measure downloads, views, and plays, which collectively adds up to what one panelist describes as “a mixed bag of garbage.” But what we actually care about is ad delivery. And as of now, the gap between what’s being measured and what’s being delivered can be huge. The big-picture takeaway? Bad decisions based on faulty metrics can create even worse decisions (which helps explain why a billion dollars’ worth of investment is being held back from the market, according to our count). TL;DR: When brands don’t trust what they’re buying, they buy less. Keeping Score – Bumper has found a way to shrink the frustrating measurement gap. The company looks at episode delivery data and compares it to actual playback data from first-party sources. That intel is used to create the Bumper Score, a ranking that determines how effectively a program reaches a real audience when compared against other shows. Bumper Scores range from 0 (Bad) to 200 (Great), with 100 as an average. Building A Better Yardstick – In practice, the Bumper Score can level the playing field between podcasters with quality audiences (but smaller traffic) and creators with big topline numbers (but weaker audiences). Much like our own ORBIT reports, the Bumper Score helps brands evaluate shows using metrics that actually matter, and allows them to decide if the true CPM is worth the effort (and the spend). For more details on Bumper, and further insight into how the industry is coming together to fight for better measurement, check out the full episode of Media Roundtable below.

For the past year, some of the biggest names in podcasting have been working on a top-secret mission, one that could define the future of this multi-billion-dollar industry. Together, they debated three crucial questions: What’s a podcast? What’s an impression? Did the ad work? Now, after months of closed-door meetings and discussions, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and long-time strategy consigliere Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) are excited to unveil AMP, the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting. The unprecedented effort, which features a cross-section of industry leaders, aims to answer podcasting’s big three questions and, in doing so, create a new blueprint for creators, advertisers, and platforms. “We know that the lack of consistency in what we’re talking about, and in the things we’re measuring, is costing everyone money.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Learn More about AMP here But, Seriously…What’s a Podcast? – It’s a question that, admittedly, we’re just slightly obsessed with (for proof, check out our award-winning “What’s a Podcast?” series here). But it’s an issue that impacts everyone in the ecosystem. The lack of a standard podcast definition has caused confusion and chaos. So much so that, by our math, the industry’s leaving a billion dollars on the table. AMP is the industry’s chance to unify and standardize, and an attempt to lift all boats. The Best Brains in the Biz – In AMP’s meetings, we had voices from top podcast advertisers, platforms, and creators. They all recognize that the status quo isn’t working, and that the industry needs new and unified audio/video podcast definitions, exposure metrics, and ROI metrics. Did these smart, experienced, and very opinionated parties all land on the same answers? Of course not! But even if these diverse thinkers didn’t love every single aspect of the AMP Accords, they agreed to help put these changes in motion, for the betterment of the industry. The point is: We’ll work to make it work, together. What’s Next for AMP – Now that the secret’s out on the biggest cross-collaboration measurement effort in podcasting, what’s next? In June, we’ll share some of the task force’s findings and market guidance. Then, at our CAO Summit in July, we’ll share the full AMP Accords. From there, it’ll be up to the industry. If you also hope for a Podcasting landscape that’s better for creators, publishers, brands, and everyone else in the industry, stay up to date with the AMP Accords here. For more insights on one of the (previously) best-kept secrets in the industry, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds This is One Fesspool You Will Want To Dive Into Network: Your Mom’s House Studios / Monthly Downloads: 50k As literary genius Mark Twain once said, “Truth is stranger than fiction,” which perfectly summarizes the common consensus of the internet, and our first offering. Since premiering in early August, Arasha Lalani’s new podcast, Fesspool, capitalizes on our shared curiosity and constant FOMO. Each episode includes a talented guest, a colorful set, positive vibes, and jaw-dropping call-in confessions. Arasha already honed a vibrant, deeply sardonic persona as a contributor on Smosh and its popular segment Smosh Pit. In this less improv-based opportunity, she dives in with her guests, getting personal and profound while retaining her signature off-the-wall sense of humor. This is a great podcast to test into as it’s taking off, and is highly recommended for advertisers who find success on Gen Z comedy offerings from contributors to Smosh, Dropout TV, Second Try, Mythical, and Gumball productions. Your secrets might not be safe, but your testing dollars are if you click the link below. Get The Deal These Comedic Legends Are Bringing Down the House Network: Khan Artist Media / Monthly Downloads: 140k While Kevin Smith has many notable and familiar quotes, very few of them are fit to print in an industry newsletter. Luckily, he and Jason Mewes (Clerks I-III, Mallrats, Dogma, etc) finally have an appropriate space for those quotes, and so much more, in their new podcast. Premiering June 10th, the video-heavy simulcast promises to include behind-the-scenes anecdotes, updates on their current work, and long-form storytelling that has become synonymous with Smith’s audio offerings as of late. Longtime fans will also undoubtedly tune in to bask in the nostalgia and hear from one of their favorite creators on his recent exploits. Advertisers seeking an older male audience interested in TV & Film are a top priority to test in this fresh new opportunity.  If you’re standing outside a convenience store, open the door and come on through to the link below for more details. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Same Show + Different Measurement Standards = Chaos and Confusion Amazon used its Upfront pitch to position podcasts as more than an audio extension, with shows like its Oprah Winfrey partnership competing for broader entertainment and TV budgets. The more important point came from Amazon’s Head of Ad Revenue, Angie More, who acknowledged that measurement remains a major challenge, especially when audiences consume the same content across platforms that Amazon does not fully control. The article argues that video podcasts, creator shows, and hybrid media properties are being sold across podcast, CTV, and creator budgets, even though each channel uses different definitions of audience, delivery, and value. The author identifies the right problem but then argues it’s a buyer problem. Different buyers will always value the same property differently. The real problem is that the underlying unit is not consistent. A podcast download, a TV impression, and a YouTube/creator video view are often treated like comparable media exposures, but they are not the same. CPM only works as a common currency if everyone agrees on what the impression actually represents. Read More Brazil is Sitting on a Podcast Gold Mine & Marketers Have No Idea Brazil’s digital advertising market reached R$42.7 billion, roughly $8.68 billion in US dollars, in 2025. That is about the size of the U.S. digital audio market alone. Despite Brazil’s strong audio performance, digital audio remains a small part of the country’s ad mix: the IAB Brazil report does not break out audio as a separate category, while CENP Meios shows digital audio at just 0.3% of spending among major agencies. The article argues that the gap is not caused by consumer demand but by historical barriers related to fragmentation, measurement, and radio’s legacy buying structure. Brazil is a highly developed market for audio listenership; every major data point in the article supports that. Yet the audio ad market remains underdeveloped, particularly in podcasting. If audio inventory becomes more accessible, measurable, and easier to buy, international media budgets should follow. Read More Content Creators Open YouTube’s Black Box The Roost, the video-first podcast network behind creators like Theo Von and Trisha Paytas, has partnered with Magellan AI to bring attribution and verification tools to its advertiser campaigns across both audio and video. Advertisers will now have access to delivery verification, reach measurement, and lift reporting across The Roost’s creator network. As podcasting becomes more video-led, YouTube remains largely a black box. This partnership is interesting because it gives advertisers a better view into audio and video podcast delivery, even if only within one publisher network for now. That is a small but important move toward making creator-led podcast buys more accountable. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Investigator Slater Cracks the “Sad Underwear Drawer” Case Investigator Slater has all the facts lined up in this recent live read for MeUndies. She opens with the summer wardrobe audit, and I feel  personally called out; like yes, I too have underwear in my drawer from before the pandemic with absolutely no business still being there, waistbands all warped and sad, and the fact that she just said that out loud so casually is exactly why this ad works so well. She’s not a host reading copy; she’s a friend venting about her underwear drawer. Her tone is carefree yet intentional, addressing a more private topic while still showcasing the brand in a fun way.  It’s short and sweet, yet effective, and not coming from an overly pushy salesperson just looking for their next commission. What really seals the deal, though, is the drawer glow-up moment, going from a chaotic grab bag of miserable old pairs to something she actually doesn’t mind opening anymore. Case closed, culprit caught, MeUndies for the win. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

For the past year, some of the biggest names in podcasting have been working on a top-secret mission, one that could define the future of this multi-billion-dollar industry. Together, they debated three crucial questions: What’s a podcast? What’s an impression? Did the ad work? Now, after months of closed-door meetings and discussions, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and long-time strategy consigliere Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) are excited to unveil AMP, the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting. The unprecedented effort, which features a cross-section of industry leaders, aims to answer podcasting’s big three questions and, in doing so, create a new blueprint for creators, advertisers, and platforms. “We know that the lack of consistency in what we’re talking about, and in the things we’re measuring, is costing everyone money.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Learn More about AMP here But, Seriously…What’s a Podcast? – It’s a question that, admittedly, we’re just slightly obsessed with (for proof, check out our award-winning “What’s a Podcast?” series here). But it’s an issue that impacts everyone in the ecosystem. The lack of a standard podcast definition has caused confusion and chaos. So much so that, by our math, the industry’s leaving a billion dollars on the table. AMP is the industry’s chance to unify and standardize, and an attempt to lift all boats. The Best Brains in the Biz – In AMP’s meetings, we had voices from top podcast advertisers, platforms, and creators. They all recognize that the status quo isn’t working, and that the industry needs new and unified audio/video podcast definitions, exposure metrics, and ROI metrics. Did these smart, experienced, and very opinionated parties all land on the same answers? Of course not! But even if these diverse thinkers didn’t love every single aspect of the AMP Accords, they agreed to help put these changes in motion, for the betterment of the industry. The point is: We’ll work to make it work, together. What’s Next for AMP – Now that the secret’s out on the biggest cross-collaboration measurement effort in podcasting, what’s next? In June, we’ll share some of the task force’s findings and market guidance. Then, at our CAO Summit in July, we’ll share the full AMP Accords. From there, it’ll be up to the industry. If you also hope for a Podcasting landscape that’s better for creators, publishers, brands, and everyone else in the industry, stay up to date with the AMP Accords here. For more insights on one of the (previously) best-kept secrets in the industry, check out the full episode below.

The Creator Economy is a $250B industry powerhouse. So, how do you keep the creators at the heart of it from being exploited? Find out below. There is no creator economy without creators and no podcast advertising without podcasters. So, brands have a vested interest in making sure the economy is run responsibly and sustainably. On this week’s episode of Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts Emmy-nominated digital culture expert Shira Lazar (Founder, What’s Trending and Creators 4 Mental Health), who is at the heart of the effort to help creators. Join us as Shira and Dan talk: Fair Labor, Mental Health, and The Creator Bill of Rights. “In the trenches of [the Creator Economy], there’s a lack of infrastructure and support, and that is wild to me considering the maturation of this industry and how quickly it’s evolving.” – Shira Lazar (Founder, What’s Trending and Creators 4 Mental Health) Labor is Labor –  Brands want to work with creators. Creators want to work with brands. Yet some deals go nowhere. Shira recommends a two-step approach to avoid Project Purgatory. First, agree on a budget and get a contract. Basic, but necessary. Then do ideation. No one benefits when creators do creative labor on spec. It doesn’t allow creators to develop relationships with brands and it’s too easy for brands to walk away. If you don’t want them for a full engagement yet, hire them as a consultant. You’ll get high-level thoughts you can use, and you can end it quickly if it’s not a fit. Highlighting the Hurt – If we had a gym where 30-50% of the people were seriously injured, we’d notice. Shira founded Creators 4 Mental Health because studies show that social media is clearly hurting creators, yet they lack protections and infrastructure. The organization’s landmark study found 1 in 10 creators reported suicidal thoughts (nearly twice the average adult rate in the U.S.), and 9 in 10 lacked access to specialized mental health care. The lynchpin of the creator economy is fragile and, on its current path, not sustainable (62% of creators experience burnout). Just like podcasting has needed to install safeguards, the creators who underpin the creator economy need the same thing. The Creator Bill of Rights – Why does a bill of rights for creators matter to marketers? Because creators are a workforce. One with few protections and little leverage against their platforms or brand partners, but whose unique talents move hundreds of billions globally. Shira, Lisandra Vásquez, and Rep. Ro Khanna were the bill’s co-architects. Just like we’ve tried to bring transparency to brand safety to create stable podcast marketing, transparency and protection for creators benefits brands. Your favorite host who gives killer live reads is a creator. If you want them to create sustainably, their party of the economy needs to be formalized. For more insights from a powerhouse helping to organize the creator economy we all rely on, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds Dhar Mann Goes Unscripted Network: Studio71 / Monthly Downloads: 250k Kindness is a commodity that is constantly undervalued in today’s media landscape, but luckily, one of its biggest proponents is launching a new podcast focused on highlighting it. Dhar Mann started gaining viral popularity in 2020 and has since amassed a substantial YouTube following of 27m subscribers, earning him a top ranking among all US-based channels. His informative, morality-based content has consistently trended over the past six years, leading to internet fame and brand partnerships. His first podcast episode launched this week and includes a conversation with actress and activist Jameela Jamil. Though his usual videos are scripted, his interviewing skills lend an intimate, personal feel that is soothing and touchingly honest. Any advertiser with a predominantly female audience is strongly recommended to test this new offering, especially those who value self-improvement and mental health. If you’re not sure what happens next, click the link below to find out more. Get The Deal Listen to Your Gut, It’s Telling You Something Important Network: Wellness Loud / Monthly Downloads: 20k The “gut biome” has become a major conversation in the wellness space. This is not surprising once you realize that it influences allergies, metabolic diseases, chronic illnesses, and hormonal regulation. Integrative Nutritionist Courtney Swan is a food activist who wants to bring equity and stability to America’s disparate food systems. In her weekly podcast with Wellness Loud, she sits down with fellow experts to discuss the roadblocks currently in place, the strategy involved to reshape our daily diets, and the necessary conversations we should all be having. Whether she’s talking through pregnancy-related cravings or the role of PFAS in our drinking water, Swan strives to bring scientific theory and prescient activism to her listeners. This is a great opportunity for advertisers targeting health-focused, quality-loving decision-makers. No degree necessary to click the link below; all the information you need is available for you there. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The Upfronts Just Told Us Where Advertising Is Headed YouTube and Netflix used this year’s upfronts to show how far the TV marketplace has moved beyond traditional network programming. At Brandcast 2026, YouTube pitched advertisers on creators, commerce, AI-assisted video production, custom sponsorships, and shoppable connected TV ads. Netflix also leaned into a broader ad offering, saying more than 80% of ad-supported members are actively watching each week and announcing that ad inventory across podcasts and vertical video will be available globally in 2027. YouTube and Netflix are using these upfronts to sell creators, commerce, AI, podcasts, vertical video, and programmatic inventory, which tells you where the ad market is headed. “TV” is less about a specific kind of programming and more about premium video, wherever it shows up. For podcasting, being at the forefront during the upfronts is a sign that the medium is more than ever at the center of mainstream media planning. Read More The Creator Economy Is Not a Trend, It’s a Budget Line Scalable’s first Creator Economy Summit focused on where the money is flowing across the creator economy. Creator ad spending is forecasted to reach roughly $44 billion in 2026, according to IAB. Major brands are increasing their investments. Visa CMO Frank Cooper said the company doubled its creator investment over the past year and hopes to double it again, while OpenAI is also expanding its influencer marketing efforts. The event also highlighted how creator monetization is shifting beyond direct brand deals, with Meta’s partnership ads reaching a $10 billion revenue run rate, and Twitch generating two-thirds to three-quarters of revenue from viewer subscriptions. Visa doubling its creator investment is worth paying attention to. When a brand at that scale increases spend, it tells you creators are doing real work across both brand and performance. The catch is that not every creator platform is built around advertising. On Twitch, where subscriptions drive much of the revenue, brands need to find ways into the content experience itself, not just around it. Read More Podcast’s Measurement Gap Just Got Smaller Magellan AI and Signal Hill Insights are partnering to provide full-funnel podcast measurement by combining Magellan’s ad exposure data with Signal Hill’s brand lift methodology. The partnership is designed to connect podcast ad exposure to awareness, favorability, and intent, while also tying those results to downstream performance data. The companies say the approach can account for both dynamically inserted and baked-in ads through tags and server-side integrations. The more podcasting can connect brand impact and performance, the easier it is to properly credit the full value of the medium. That has been one of the category’s biggest challenges: podcasting often gets judged by only part of what it delivers — performance. The Magellan AI and Signal Hill partnership moves us closer to the ideal state, where advertisers see how podcast campaigns influence awareness, consideration, and action in one place. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Shop Pay Saves the Day Mindful in Minutes host Kelly Smith has the soothing remedy for all shop-worthy problems in this week’s #STLR with Shopify. She opens with a relatable parenting moment: her daughter Poppy’s bedtime emergency over a broken zipper. From that first beat, you’re not being pitched to, you’re being invited in. The Shopify mention emerges organically from the story, so by the time she calls the purple “Shop Pay” button “the happiest thing I have ever seen,” it lands as genuine relief, not a sales line. Warm pacing, a seamless transition to business recommendation, and a clean custom URL close it out. This is a live read that earns trust because it never once feels like an advertisement. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Oxford Road Takes Home Four Communicator Awards Oxford Road took home four Communicator Awards this year, two each for the Indie PaC Awards and What’s A Podcast, recognizing work that was always more about the industry than the agency. As Dan put it, the wins reflect “our effort to honor independent creators, expand the definition of podcasting, and grow the category for advertisers and partners across the ecosystem.” If you want to take a look at the other winners, click the link below. Read More ORBIT’s International Report is Gaining Attention Our May ORBIT rankings on the Top 15 Performing International Podcasts made the rounds across Podcast News Daily, Podcasting Today, Roastbrief, Podnews, Sounds Profitable, and Podcast Business Journal, all picking up on the same core warning: international podcast advertising isn’t a copy-paste of what works domestically. The data shows which markets are primed for growth and where a one-size-fits-all buy leaves performance on the table. If you want to view the report everyone is talking about for yourself, click here. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

The Creator Economy is a $250B industry powerhouse. So, how do you keep the creators at the heart of it from being exploited? Find out below. There is no creator economy without creators and no podcast advertising without podcasters. So, brands have a vested interest in making sure the economy is run responsibly and sustainably. On this week’s episode of Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts Emmy-nominated digital culture expert Shira Lazar (Founder, What’s Trending and Creators 4 Mental Health), who is at the heart of the effort to help creators. Join us as Shira and Dan talk: Fair Labor, Mental Health, and The Creator Bill of Rights. “In the trenches of [the Creator Economy], there’s a lack of infrastructure and support, and that is wild to me considering the maturation of this industry and how quickly it’s evolving.” – Shira Lazar (Founder, What’s Trending and Creators 4 Mental Health) Labor is Labor –  Brands want to work with creators. Creators want to work with brands. Yet some deals go nowhere. Shira recommends a two-step approach to avoid Project Purgatory. First, agree on a budget and get a contract. Basic, but necessary. Then do ideation. No one benefits when creators do creative labor on spec. It doesn’t allow creators to develop relationships with brands and it’s too easy for brands to walk away. If you don’t want them for a full engagement yet, hire them as a consultant. You’ll get high-level thoughts you can use, and you can end it quickly if it’s not a fit. Highlighting the Hurt – If we had a gym where 30-50% of the people were seriously injured, we’d notice. Shira founded Creators 4 Mental Health because studies show that social media is clearly hurting creators, yet they lack protections and infrastructure. The organization’s landmark study found 1 in 10 creators reported suicidal thoughts (nearly twice the average adult rate in the U.S.), and 9 in 10 lacked access to specialized mental health care. The lynchpin of the creator economy is fragile and, on its current path, not sustainable (62% of creators experience burnout). Just like podcasting has needed to install safeguards, the creators who underpin the creator economy need the same thing. The Creator Bill of Rights – Why does a bill of rights for creators matter to marketers? Because creators are a workforce. One with few protections and little leverage against their platforms or brand partners, but whose unique talents move hundreds of billions globally. Shira, Lisandra Vásquez, and Rep. Ro Khanna were the bill’s co-architects. Just like we’ve tried to bring transparency to brand safety to create stable podcast marketing, transparency and protection for creators benefits brands. Your favorite host who gives killer live reads is a creator. If you want them to create sustainably, their party of the economy needs to be formalized. For more insights from a powerhouse helping to organize the creator economy we all rely on, check out the full episode below.

How do you help 7500 co-workers be their most creative selves? Find out in the latest episode of Ad Infinitum. That’s right, the world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 4, Episode 2: “Rahul Sabnis: Guaranteed Human.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes bona fide creative master Rahul Sabnis (President & Chief Creative Officer, iHeartMedia) for a WIDE-ranging conversation spanning: Picking a Side, Creativity for All, The Memory Test, and more. There’s even an Audiolytics breakdown of ads from Mint Mobile, Aura Frames, Toyota, and Amazon Prime. Let’s dig in… “A voice in the dark when you feel alone.”  – The purpose of radio, according to Rahul Sabnis (President & Chief Creative Officer, iHeartMedia) Creativity: More How than What – Rahul’s job at iHeart? To unlock the inner creativity of his 7500 co-workers. Creativity is not just how we make ads, but also how we find new solutions. So, next time you’re hitting a creative roadblock, try this: pay attention to your frustrations. That’s how Rahul moved from being stymied by weeks-long ideation to writing ads for Ryan Seacrest in 20 minutes. Marketers, if something feels wrong, imagine how it could be different. Whether it’s ads, campaigns, or literally anything: our inner creativity lights up with the magic words, “what if…?” The Guaranteed Human – What is the point of radio? It’s to make people feel less alone. It’s connecting outside algorithms. That connection is impossible, though, if listeners doubt the humanity behind the message. So, iHeart has a guaranteed human initiative for all of its radio stations. A bulwark against AI mistrust. It’s not just about celebrating human connection. The insight came directly from iHeart research that 90% of their customers want media from humans. Marketers, if a part of AI is bad for your customers, listen to them. This is one of the easiest, smartest stands you can take. The Memory Test – Marketers, take your ad, read it aloud, wait 5 minutes, then try to tell someone one thing about it. If you can’t do that, your ad’s probably stuffing 10lbs of copy in a 5lb bag. If you can remember one thing, make sure it’s the main thing. And start cutting to make that main thing shine. Your customers are already wading through AI slop on the daily. Don’t feed them “copy slop”, too. Let simplicity shine. Want more insights from two creative heavyweights at the top of their game? Tune in to the full episode below. Your Monthly ORBIT Report – May 2026 International Podcasting Isn’t One Opportunity. It’s 194, but we’ll start with 4. International podcasting is one of the biggest opportunities in audio. But it’s not one market, and treating it like one is the difference between a worldwide takeoff and never leaving the runway. We turned to ORBIT, our benchmark intelligence tool built on $1.8B+ in real campaign data across 500+ advertisers, to find out where budgets actually perform across four distinct markets: UK-English, Spanish, French, and German. “Stepping into the international podcast market takes courage, but it shouldn’t require a leap of faith.” – Steven Abraham (President – Intl., Oxford Road) Special shout-out to top-performers #3 How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, #2 F1: Beyond The Grid, and #1 Have A Word With Adam Rowe & Dan Nightingale. For Podcast advertisers ready for worldwide success, we’re showing them exactly where to go. Here are a few tips to start. Sport is universal. Individual sports aren’t. Internationally, sports mean football (the one where you use only your feet) and F1. Despite their best efforts, the NFL does not travel internationally… yet. But remember from our sports analysis that the racing season is much longer, so consider that a plus. Treat each market differently and reap the rewards. Within UK English, for example, conversational and cultural formats show an efficiency edge over sports. Each of the four markets has its own version of this story. For the complete May ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report below. And as always, if you need a well-traveled guide to lead the way, we’re happy to help. View the Full May 2026 ORBIT Rankings & Insights The Classifieds Don’t Get Red-Carded on Your International Buy Network: Acast / Monthly Downloads: 800k This week’s classifieds are keeping with ORBIT’s international theme, highlighting two shows quintessential to any global campaign. Many people are anxiously awaiting the 2026 World Cup, which also means they are trying to brush up on all things fútbol before the big event. That’s where our first offering comes into play, with host James Richardson turning his decades of experience into content that even the greenest rookie can understand. Whether he’s breaking down the latest match or discussing larger trends across the various leagues, Richardson helps turn complex and detailed subject matter into casual chatter that everyone can keep up with. He makes listeners feel like they’re a part of the conversation, even if they’re across an ocean or cheering for an opposing club. If you don’t want your international campaigns red-carded, click the link below. Get The Deal  The World Is Complicated, This Show Isn’t Network: Genuina Media / Monthly Downloads: 225k Not into sports? No problem. Fernando Arancón has built a devoted following by doing something deceptively simple: making world history and politics genuinely entertaining. He selects topics intentionally, weaving cultural relevance with the context that listeners need to form an informed opinion, all without losing their attention. His casual delivery has made staying up to speed feel less like homework and more like a conversation with your smartest friend. Wildly popular among Spanish-speaking audiences, this one is a natural fit for brands looking to reach engaged, globally minded listeners. Head to the link below to learn more. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The Sun Never Sets on Podcast Growth Sounds Profitable’s 2026 UK Advertising Landscape Study shows that podcasting has moved well beyond “niche media” status, especially with younger audiences. Podcasting now reaches 60% of UK adults 18–34 monthly, pulling ahead of broadcast TV at 57%, while TV’s strength is increasingly concentrated among adults 55+. The study also highlights opportunities with the 35–54 demo, who are most likely to rank podcasting among their top ad-supported media platforms. Podcasting’s growth in the UK reinforces the global phenomenon of rising audio consumption. Marketers should be careful not to confuse consumer reach with buyable reach. More British 18–34’s may listen to podcasts than watch broadcast TV each month, but TV can still deliver broader reach more efficiently in your media buy. The real takeaway is that audio deserves a more serious role in reaching younger consumers in the UK market, where traditional video is losing ground. Read More Programmatic Gets You In, Host Reads Get You Remembered Advertiser Perceptions data, highlighted in a blog piece from Cumulus Media/Westwood One, shows programmatic audio buying has accelerated sharply, with 82% of agencies and advertisers now buying audio programmatically (up from 41% in 2022). Adoption is especially high among performance-focused campaigns. According to the WWO analysis, audio is moving closer to digital media buying norms. Programmatic audio is growing rapidly, but adoption still varies by format. According to eMarketer, about one-third of digital audio ad spending is traded programmatically. Podcasts are even lower at roughly 12%. More commoditized audio environments, such as streaming and, eventually, radio, are well-suited to programmatic buying. But the not-so-secret sauce of podcasting, and radio for that matter, still requires a more hands-on approach. We’re not saying direct buying is going away; it can just be complemented by programmatic. Read More Gen Z Has Changed the Channel Edison’s Q1 2026 Share of Ear data shows that younger consumers are the heaviest daily audio listeners, with persons 13–34 spending 4.5 hours per day with audio. While AM/FM still accounts for a meaningful share of ad-supported audio time among younger adults, the broader story is that the 13–34 demo is highly engaged with audio across formats, including digital and subscription-based listening environments. If you are young, were young, or know young people, it should not surprise you that audio listening is highest among younger audiences. Believe it or not, radio was once added to media schedules to reach younger consumers. What has changed is how younger audiences access audio. The behavior is still there, but it is now led by digital platforms, where ad exposure is more fragmented. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads These BFFs Just Made Bed Sheets Sound Like Therapy This week’s #STLR winner comes from long-distance besties and hosts of the Two Judgey Girls podcast as they discuss their love for Boll & Branch! Courtney opens with that universal love of coming home from vacation to your very own bed. She doesn’t rush to the product pitch, creating the perfect scenario for her listeners: the sheets piling, the corners popping off in the middle of the night, the pillows going flat, the bed somehow running too warm. By the time she gets to talking about Boll & Branch, the audience isn’t just hearing about a solution; they’re feeling relief. Her tone stays conversational and grounded throughout, never tipping into over-the-top enthusiasm. Instead, she lands on this genuine excitement that feels completely earned because she took the time to establish the contrast first. Her soft, warm delivery seals the deal, with an almost ASMR-like quality that makes you want to crawl into bed before the ad is even over. This ad is warm, perfectly paced, deeply personal, and the audio equivalent of sliding into cool, soft sheets at the end of a long day. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

How do you help 7500 co-workers be their most creative selves? Find out in the latest episode of Ad Infinitum. That’s right, the world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 4, Episode 2: “Rahul Sabnis: Guaranteed Human.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes bona fide creative master Rahul Sabnis (President & Chief Creative Officer, iHeartMedia) for a WIDE-ranging conversation spanning: Picking a Side, Creativity for All, The Memory Test, and more. There’s even an Audiolytics breakdown of ads from Mint Mobile, Aura Frames, Toyota, and Amazon Prime. Let’s dig in… “A voice in the dark when you feel alone.”  – The purpose of radio, according to Rahul Sabnis (President & Chief Creative Officer, iHeartMedia) Creativity: More How than What – Rahul’s job at iHeart? To unlock the inner creativity of his 7500 co-workers. Creativity is not just how we make ads, but also how we find new solutions. So, next time you’re hitting a creative roadblock, try this: pay attention to your frustrations. That’s how Rahul moved from being stymied by weeks-long ideation to writing ads for Ryan Seacrest in 20 minutes. Marketers, if something feels wrong, imagine how it could be different. Whether it’s ads, campaigns, or literally anything: our inner creativity lights up with the magic words, “what if…?” The Guaranteed Human – What is the point of radio? It’s to make people feel less alone. It’s connecting outside algorithms. That connection is impossible, though, if listeners doubt the humanity behind the message. So, iHeart has a guaranteed human initiative for all of its radio stations. A bulwark against AI mistrust. It’s not just about celebrating human connection. The insight came directly from iHeart research that 90% of their customers want media from humans. Marketers, if a part of AI is bad for your customers, listen to them. This is one of the easiest, smartest stands you can take. The Memory Test – Marketers, take your ad, read it aloud, wait 5 minutes, then try to tell someone one thing about it. If you can’t do that, your ad’s probably stuffing 10lbs of copy in a 5lb bag. If you can remember one thing, make sure it’s the main thing. And start cutting to make that main thing shine. Your customers are already wading through AI slop on the daily. Don’t feed them “copy slop”, too. Let simplicity shine. Want more insights from two creative heavyweights at the top of their game? Tune in to the full episode below.

Who should you trust your ad money with? That’s easy. Who do your listeners trust? This week on The Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes back Emmy, Murrow, and Webby Award-winning journalist Mosheh Oinounou (Founder & Host, Mo News) to discuss how he manages to keep his audience informed and entertained without sacrificing his morals or brand safety. Mo shares the story of how he transformed his legacy news career into a trusted, independent podcast with an audience of +1M strong. Even better, he does it all with integrity, not outrage or clickbait. In a shifting news landscape, marketers need mo’ creators like Mo. Join us as they talk: Leaving a Legacy, In Mo We Trust, and Journalistic FOMO. “[Brands] shouldn’t just be cutting checks to the organizations, podcasts, or creators that just have the largest number of views. They should be rewarding people who are actually contributing to responsible information and dialogue, and frankly, trying to preserve and maybe improve our democracy.” – Mosheh Oinounou (Founder & Host, Mo News) Leaving a Legacy – Mo isn’t the only journalist who has felt the pressure to transition away from traditional news media outlets. Brands and listeners are also leaving legacy news for new media like podcasts, which is a favored news medium for Gen Z. Should you follow their lead? If you’re buying legacy only, you’re missing out on the most trusted, most influential voices in the biz. But why pick one? If you can measure well and find good deals, keep a toe in each pond, so to speak. Just because something isn’t “enough” doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. In Mo We Trust – Consumers only buy from creators they trust. What makes a trusted creator? Ones like Mo, who prioritize integrity over algorithmic growth. He fact-checks, responds to comments and DMs, and best of all, owns up when he’s made a mistake. Rage-bait and riding trends deliver short-term gains but don’t build long-term trust. Sticking to values and protecting listeners unlocks bigger long-term gains. Look for partners who play the long game, and you’ll win together. Get Journalistic FOMO – Here’s the issue: brands can count on journalists like Mo, but the inverse isn’t always true. ORBIT shows the news genre is in the top 15% of all podcast genres for performance, and nothing beats it for scale. Yet brands still struggle to put their faith in creators like Mo, even when there is evidence that they are doing all of the right things. To beat the ad-sales roller coaster, Mo relies on ad-free subscribers. Marketers, we need great journalists, and we need to support them when we find them. It’s good for democracy and your ROI. The easiest of all win-wins. If you don’t support them now, they won’t stick around, or could go ad-free. It’s time to commit, before it’s too late. If you want to learn how Mo builds trust while keeping brand safety top of mind, listen to the full episode at the link below. The Classifieds Venturing Into the Void with Some New Friends Network: Moonbeam Media / Monthly Downloads: 500k Our world is inherently political, whether we’re discussing the rising cost of goods/services or a celebrity’s PR nightmare. Matt Bernstein thrives, sitting at the intersection of culture and critique, using his platform to discuss high-level insights on seemingly low-level internet chatter. This year, the podcast has increased its publishing frequency and invited a pantheon of well-versed guests, from the likes of journalist Kat Tenbarge to political streamer Caroline Kwan, and TV host Krystal Ball. These conversations often divert us into worlds we don’t want to visit ourselves, with influencers we may not have heard of, to make the journey feel less intimidating. Longtime sponsors of the podcast often include high-end DTC brands and female-skewed tech-related B2Bs. This is a recommended opportunity for Gen Z-skewing advertisers with a left-leaning consumer base. When life gives you lemons, grab some vodka for a lemon drop martini and get ready to gab away with your internet besties. You can reserve your seat via the link below. Get The Deal This Alien Invasion Comes with Wheels and Laughter Network: Backyard Ventures / Monthly Downloads: 50k Sam Tripoli has been building a podcasting empire, brick by brick, for years, and with his eighth new podcast from Backyard Ventures, his kingdom has yet another banger of a comedy podcast. Tripoli has a storied career as a stand-up comedian and conspiracy theorist, two things that have long appealed to an older, open-minded male audience. Like the title suggests, each week Tripoli and co-host Midnight Mike sit down at the Wheel of Doom and spin continually to find videos from all corners of the internet. Topics include conspiracy theories, tales of UFO sightings, random rants about the internet, and so much more. Viewers and listeners alike are along for the ride, and it’s no surprise that advertisers have found early success with Q1 performance. This is highly recommended for anyone interested in efficient comedy opportunities or looking for similar offerings to their core YouTube buys. If you’re ready to see what lies beyond, zap yourself up via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Amazon Leans In To Their Original Business To Recoup Podcast Losses TechCrunch is talking about an NYT report on Amazon’s restructured podcast business that points out how the giant plans on recovering from recent losses. Wondery lost 100+ jobs in August 2025, their audio-only podcasts moved under Audible, and a new Creator Services division now manages on-camera talent. Amazon’s strategy has shifted to integrate commerce directly with content, exemplified by the New Heights’ Kelce Clubhouse. This single storefront consolidates product recommendations, documentaries, and merchandise sales. We often assume tech giants can transfer success into any adjacent category simply because they are already successful, but podcasting is not commerce or cloud infrastructure. Big creator deals were never likely to pay back through ads alone. “Monetize everything” is closer to Amazon’s strengths, but they’re going to have to sell a lot of merch to recoup their hundreds of millions in podcast investments. Read More Branded Integrations Are on the Rise, Both Here and Abroad Fresh Air founder Neil Cowling is discussing with IPA how podcasting has crossed into its commercial era. Natural selection has produced a powerful tier of premium publishers, while measurement tools like Podscribe and Magellan AI now enable KPI alignment with other media, and video integration has made podcasting a multi-touchpoint brand vehicle. He cites a Waitrose-branded podcast moving brand metrics and a Cartier/NYT Modern Love campaign as proof that premium contextual integration outperforms standard ad placements. Podcasting’s commercial maturity is spreading beyond the U.S. That matters for global marketers who want a consistent audio strategy across markets. The U.S. podcast market has had a head start, but as this article points out, it is only a matter of time before international markets catch up. Don’t wait to get in on the trend, though, or you’ll be fighting with other brands for the same attention. Read More SQAD Brings Their Industry Standard-Setting Tools To Podcasts & CTV Guideline is expanding its SQADCosts Local platform — which has long been the standard CPM benchmarking reference for local linear TV and radio buys — to include geo-targeted CPMs for digital audio and podcasts across 60+ top U.S. publishers, using the same framework buyers already rely on. The extension normalizes CPMs, ad lengths, and content types across publishers, uses a directly comparable baseline for targeting, and adds CTV benchmarks alongside audio. If you’ve bought local radio or TV, you may be familiar with SQAD as a cost source. Those same guidelines are now being extended to CTV, streaming audio, and podcasts, giving marketers a useful new pricing reference. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads These Tecovas Boots Are Circling Back To a Country Two Step Dillon Cheverere, Dave Ruff, and part-time former co-host Will deFries on the Circling Back podcast are making plans and looking great, thanks to Tecovas. After some killer intro sound effects that make you want to two-step, these guys launch into their love for Tecovas like it’s a hangout over a cold one. Their natural, almost throwaway delivery is exactly what makes it work. They’re not selling boots. They’re just hyping up the weekend in Tecovas like they’re about to ride off into the sunset. The back-and-forth about a pair of sharp black Cartwrights turns the ad into two guys hyping each other up in front of a closet, and somehow you want in. Product details sneak in perfectly, with just enough dramatic flair on the word “meticulous” to make you actually laugh out loud. Clean 10% off offer, easy URL, and suddenly buying cowboy boots feels like the most logical decision you’ve made all week. Point your toes west via the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Who should you trust your ad money with? That’s easy. Who do your listeners trust? This week on The Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes back Emmy, Murrow, and Webby Award-winning journalist Mosheh Oinounou (Founder & Host, Mo News) to discuss how he manages to keep his audience informed and entertained without sacrificing his morals or brand safety. Mo shares the story of how he transformed his legacy news career into a trusted, independent podcast with an audience of +1M strong. Even better, he does it all with integrity, not outrage or clickbait. In a shifting news landscape, marketers need mo’ creators like Mo. Join us as they talk: Leaving a Legacy, In Mo We Trust, and Journalistic FOMO. “[Brands] shouldn’t just be cutting checks to the organizations, podcasts, or creators that just have the largest number of views. They should be rewarding people who are actually contributing to responsible information and dialogue, and frankly, trying to preserve and maybe improve our democracy.” – Mosheh Oinounou (Founder & Host, Mo News) Leaving a Legacy – Mo isn’t the only journalist who has felt the pressure to transition away from traditional news media outlets. Brands and listeners are also leaving legacy news for new media like podcasts, which is a favored news medium for Gen Z. Should you follow their lead? If you’re buying legacy only, you’re missing out on the most trusted, most influential voices in the biz. But why pick one? If you can measure well and find good deals, keep a toe in each pond, so to speak. Just because something isn’t “enough” doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. In Mo We Trust – Consumers only buy from creators they trust. What makes a trusted creator? Ones like Mo, who prioritize integrity over algorithmic growth. He fact-checks, responds to comments and DMs, and best of all, owns up when he’s made a mistake. Rage-bait and riding trends deliver short-term gains but don’t build long-term trust. Sticking to values and protecting listeners unlocks bigger long-term gains. Look for partners who play the long game, and you’ll win together. Get Journalistic FOMO – Here’s the issue: brands can count on journalists like Mo, but the inverse isn’t always true. ORBIT shows the news genre is in the top 15% of all podcast genres for performance, and nothing beats it for scale. Yet brands still struggle to put their faith in creators like Mo, even when there is evidence that they are doing all of the right things. To beat the ad-sales roller coaster, Mo relies on ad-free subscribers. Marketers, we need great journalists, and we need to support them when we find them. It’s good for democracy and your ROI. The easiest of all win-wins. If you don’t support them now, they won’t stick around, or could go ad-free. It’s time to commit, before it’s too late. If you want to learn how Mo builds trust while keeping brand safety top of mind, listen to the full episode at the link below.

The way to thrive in an AI future? Be authentically human. This week on The Media Roundtable, you have a VIP ticket to SXSW 2026 for the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon, with a podcasting powerhouse who consistently sees over the horizon. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) chatted with Jason Calacanis (Angel Investor & Host, This Week in Startups & All-In), to break down the current state of podcasting and what’s next. What do they agree on? AI can’t outperform human connection. The team takes on: Conversations Over Impressions, Remember the Trough, The George Lucas Alley-Oop, and more. Let’s dig in. “In a world of unlimited impressions, what matters? It’s that authenticity and aligning yourself with the conversations that matter.” – Jason Calacanis (Angel Investor & Host, This Week in Startups & All-In) Conversations over Impressions – You can get your fill of impressions almost anywhere, but you should know you’re encouraging the conversation wherever you are investing your dollars. It’s a luxury to have so many shows to support; you can actually find some you believe in that can also be successful for your brand. And it’s more futureproof too. Jason believes there’s always a place for  “people who can create new things in the world.” Support the creators bringing new things into the world that align with your values. Their fans will support you too. The George Lucas Alley-Oop – You miss 100% of the moments you’re not present for. Skilled interviewers (like Jason, who studied Charlie Rose, Howard Stern, and Oprah) can sense when the moments audiences crave appear. That’s when they go off-script and discover something new. Stay on the old track, and you’re like the interviewer who asked George Lucas about merchandise, ignoring an alley-oop about Lucas’ life-changing car accident. Marketers: this is paramount for host-reads. Let the experts shape the moment for their audience; just find ways to support them. Remember the Trough – The most valuable journeys you take in life are often marred with a trough of strife somewhere along the way.  Expecting that dip means you’ll be more prepared to stick it out. This advice applies to Y-Combinator, Tim Ferriss studying Mandarin, and Jason learning to play pickleball with his daughter. In an AI future, many tasks could be easier. The things that are still hard will be valuable, and will need practiced resilience to succeed. See the future in Jason’s crystal ball by tuning in to the full episode below The Classifieds Convicted and Cleared for Takeoff Network: Impressions.fm / Monthly Downloads: 500k Are you bold? Are you brash? Do you like to fly high and live fancy free? Barry Oberholzer can be described as just that, and in his wild podcast from Impressions.fm, he’s more than happy to show it. In one of the most unique, out there examples of audio’s potential, each episode of this opportunity is recorded within the confines of a Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter. High above the steady traffic and numerous mountains of Los Angeles, Oberholzer and his guests talk about the difficulties they have faced, the experiences that shaped them, and the lessons they invariably learned. There’s an expert level of production that is highlighted by the video portion of this opportunity. Watch as Heidi Montag flies above the wreckage of her home in the Palisades, or as Allen Iverson grows nostalgic about his time in the NBA. This time, it is okay that this jailbird is taking flight. Check out his flight patterns via the link below. Get The Deal These Internet Best Friends Help Cure the Loneliness Epidemic Network: TMG Studios / Monthly Downloads: 145k Los Angeles is a city of transplants, but with its size and constant traffic, Angeleños rank among the loneliest US citizens. For hosts Tristan Watson and Channing Glenn, this was never an issue. Moving to the city from Alabama, these longtime best friends came to rely on and support one another throughout their lives. Now they’re bringing those good vibes to their podcast Not That Y’all Care, a weekly sit-down that involves light roasting, long tangents, general shenanigans, and a strong sense of community. For their loyal listeners, each episode is a welcome distraction from the world and an outlet for those who miss the deep friendships they might’ve left behind. Since joining TMG Studios last year, many female-skewing high-end DTC advertisers have seen success with the show’s hosts. If you actually do care, as you should, you will click below for additional details. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It YouTube Was Already an Audio Giant. Now It’s Accessible at Scale YouTube has long been a massive audio platform, but buying its inventory at scale wasn’t possible until now. SiriusXM Media struck a deal to become the exclusive ad rep for YouTube Main & Music audio ads, combining their audiences for a reach of 255M unique monthly listeners (90% of the U.S. audio market). Oxford Road has secured one of ten beta slots ahead of the June launch. Inventory includes :15 and :30 spots with targeting across audience cohorts, lifestyle segments, and genre-specific listeners. Measurement during the beta relies on Google’s Brand Lift, so no 3rd-party attribution yet. Marketers should expect new scale and reach through this partnership, with measurement limitations in the near term. Read More Netflix’s Podcast Audience is a Work in Progress Hernan Lopez’s Streamonomics analysis of Netflix’s Q1 2026 earnings finds Netflix is looking for its next growth curve beyond core streaming, with advertising, gaming, creator content, and podcasts all part of the conversation. Podcasts are getting attention because Netflix is a massive platform, but Samba TV estimates they represented just 0.5% of Netflix’s total U.S. TV viewing hours in Q1. That puts the opportunity in perspective: Netflix podcasts may become useful for talent, IP, and discovery, but they have not yet scaled enough for a reach play for marketers. Netflix adding podcasts sounds like a big deal because Netflix is big. But when Streamonomics estimates that podcasts represent just 0.5% of total viewing hours, that puts the opportunity into perspective. Marketers do not need to panic about missing out, at least not yet. Reminder: don’t confuse platform buzz with actual audience delivery. Read More Radio Ads Work. Now iHeart Wants to Actually Prove It iHeartMedia’s AudioGraph platform aims to make broadcast radio addressable and programmatically transactable — closing a gap where 70% of audio inventory sits outside automated buying systems, even as ~90% of ad dollars flow through programmatic. Currently in closed beta using the iHeartRadio app and TransUnion identity data, Chief Business Officer Lisa Coffey projects it will grow total programmatic audio inventory by 400%. AudioGraph is iHeart recognizing how media is bought today. With most media bought programmatically, traditional media has to adapt if it wants to compete for modern budgets. AudioGraph’s real value will come down to whether it makes radio easier to plan, target, optimize, and prove out inside a broader media mix. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads When the Ad Feels Like a Voice Memo From Your Best Friend Heather McMahan has absolutely cooked with this week’s #STLR on her podcast, Absolutely Not, with her tried and true testament to fasting with Prolon from L-Nutra! She kicks things off by calling out everyone listening with second careers, crazy workweeks, and weekends that somehow feel busier than weekdays. That instant “she gets me” feeling is exactly why this ad works so well. She runs through all the Prolon benefits–fat loss, glowing skin, cellular renewal, and muscle protection–but it doesn’t feel like she’s reading off a fact sheet. It feels like she’s texting you a voice memo about something she’s genuinely obsessed with. Then, she drops that she personally does the Prolon program twice a year, and honestly, that’s it; we’re sold. No “my partners at Prolon” energy here, just a real person telling you what actually works for her. She drives this read home with a quick, quirky joke about how fasting is biblical and good for the soul. It’s funny, AND she actually means it; somehow, it makes you trust her even more. Only she could pull that off. Wrapping it all up with a concise call to action and an easy-to-remember link, her audience is coming away with a story to remember and a brand to check out for themselves. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News A New Scorecard That Could Unlock Serious Podcast Ad Dollars Podcast News Daily‘s deep dive on Bumper‘s new audience verification tool anchored its argument in our What Brands Want 2025 finding: better measurement could unlock $1 billion in additional podcast ad spend. As the industry races to solve for trust, the data we surfaced continues to frame the conversation. Read More The More AI Takes Over, The More a Human Voice Is Worth Our Media Roundtable episode, “The Guaranteed Human in an Artificial World,” was featured in Podcast News Daily‘s coverage of the Oxford Road x iHeart Luncheon panel during SXSW. Featuring executives from iHeart Podcasts, Libsyn, Whole Foods, and GoodRx, the conversation landed on one clear theme: as automation increases content volume, trust and authenticity are becoming scarcer, and more valuable. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

The way to thrive in an AI future? Be authentically human. This week on The Media Roundtable, you have a VIP ticket to SXSW 2026 for the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon, with a podcasting powerhouse who consistently sees over the horizon. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) chatted with Jason Calacanis (Angel Investor & Host, This Week in Startups & All-In), to break down the current state of podcasting and what’s next. What do they agree on? AI can’t outperform human connection. The team takes on: Conversations Over Impressions, Remember the Trough, The George Lucas Alley-Oop, and more. Let’s dig in. “In a world of unlimited impressions, what matters? It’s that authenticity and aligning yourself with the conversations that matter.” – Jason Calacanis (Angel Investor & Host, This Week in Startups & All-In) Conversations over Impressions – You can get your fill of impressions almost anywhere, but you should know you’re encouraging the conversation wherever you are investing your dollars. It’s a luxury to have so many shows to support; you can actually find some you believe in that can also be successful for your brand. And it’s more futureproof too. Jason believes there’s always a place for  “people who can create new things in the world.” Support the creators bringing new things into the world that align with your values. Their fans will support you too. The George Lucas Alley-Oop – You miss 100% of the moments you’re not present for. Skilled interviewers (like Jason, who studied Charlie Rose, Howard Stern, and Oprah) can sense when the moments audiences crave appear. That’s when they go off-script and discover something new. Stay on the old track, and you’re like the interviewer who asked George Lucas about merchandise, ignoring an alley-oop about Lucas’ life-changing car accident. Marketers: this is paramount for host-reads. Let the experts shape the moment for their audience; just find ways to support them. Remember the Trough – The most valuable journeys you take in life are often marred with a trough of strife somewhere along the way.  Expecting that dip means you’ll be more prepared to stick it out. This advice applies to Y-Combinator, Tim Ferriss studying Mandarin, and Jason learning to play pickleball with his daughter. In an AI future, many tasks could be easier. The things that are still hard will be valuable, and will need practiced resilience to succeed. See the future in Jason’s crystal ball by tuning in to the full episode below

Can you lean into AI advancements without losing human connection? Find out on a new Media Roundtable. During SXSW, Will Pearson (President, iHeartPodcasts) hosted “The Guaranteed Human In An Artificial World.” Will took the stage with some of the sharpest thinkers in podcasting: Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn), Gladwell Mwangi (Paid Media Enablement Lead, Whole Foods Market), and Richard Case (VP, Growth Marketing, GoodRX). Join us as they cover: The Guaranteed Human, Finding your Center, AI-Augmented, and more. Let’s dig in. “There’s a ton more [AI content] being created, but at the end of the day, listeners can tell. And they place a high level of expectation on those creators to deliver an authentic experience.” – Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn) The Guaranteed Human  – Podcasting’s magic relies on human connection. A host really believes in a brand, so they endorse it, and listeners really want to buy it. If any part of that chain of trust is broken, it doesn’t work. AI can sound human, but we don’t trust it like a human. iHeart’s emphasis on human-voiced content reinforces the trust that underpins audio’s unique connection Find your Center – I tools are just that: tools. They can be great for accomplishing tasks, but they can’t tell you what’s important in the first place. If you want to succeed with AI tools (or without them), focus on what matters to you. For Brendan, that’s supporting creators. So Libsyn uses AI to automate workflow, surface audience insights, and optimize monetization. Marketers, to avoid AI burnout, go back to the source. Who are you trying to help? Then see if there are new tools to make it AI-Augmented, not AI-Generated – Creators are singular talents with unique voices in every sense of the word. Audiences are tuning in for real human expertise and experience. Any help that AI is providing to content can’t overshadow the human creating it. In Brendan’s words: “Listeners can tell.” The same goes for marketers. There is something unique about how you understand your brand and your customers. If you abdicate that unique vision for the same tools everyone has access to, your creative will be wholly indistinguishable, and you’ll have given up your advantage. For more insights from industry leaders working to use AI while staying human, check out the full chat here. The Classifieds These Tech Grandpas Have a Lot to Say Network: Backbeat Media / Monthly Downloads: 6k Tech news is filtered through many sources: the insider, the journalist, the academic, and the futurist are the most visible. What if you learned about new product updates and company news from three older geeks with an axe to grind? As hosts Jason DeFillippo, Brian Schulmeister, and Dave Bittner crack non-stop jokes, difficult-to-understand concepts suddenly feel coherent, and the absurdity of this world becomes that much more stark. Often described as “Tech’s Walk of Shame,” there is a heavy emphasis on roasting tech CEO’s failures from a consumer POV. Their ribald language often lends to long rants that feel akin to a comedy podcast while making a strong impact with an older male consumer demographic. For those looking for highly efficient offerings targeting lifelong learners interested in internet culture, this is highly recommended. There’s no possible user error in finding more info. It’s at the link below. Get The Deal Press Play on Your Health Network: Audacy / Monthly Downloads: 200k Tech is a non-stop industry, but when it comes to women’s health, we’re still very much at a standstill. Before 1993, women were rarely included in medical trials, and even today their levels of participation remain disparate with the US population. Dr. Mary Claire Haver knows this reality all too well as a board-certified OB/GYN and certified menopause practitioner with two decades of experience. In her weekly sit-down with fellow experts, Haver discusses the personalized strategies and infallible advice that serve her patients and listeners alike. For women with unanswered questions around brain fog, libido decreases, and longevity, this is a must-listen opportunity that has grown immensely since launching last year. For those in the health and wellness space, this is a key offering that yields a strong consumer base of self-improvement minded listeners. Feel free to pause your reading, click below, and learn more about this podcast. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Oh Canada, How We Study Your Audio Trends Signal Hill Insights is launching Audio on the Move, a new subscription study designed to give the Canadian audio industry a holistic view of how consumers spend time across terrestrial and digital radio, streaming, podcasts, satellite, and emerging audio platforms. For marketers, the value here is finally getting a clearer picture of how audio channels work together, with highlights available for clients interested in the broader read. Edison’s Infinite Dial has provided a digital audio view of Canada, but the latest public report on Edison’s site appears to be from 2022. Signal Hill is widening the lens by bringing terrestrial into the mix, too. That matters for marketers who want a clearer view of the full audio marketplace. Ping us if you want highlights. We’ve got ‘em. Read More Gen Z Avoids the News Desks in Favor of Podcasts Reuters Institute’s Young People and the News report finds 18-24 year olds are more engaged with podcasts than older demographics, but not with news podcasts. Joe Rogan tops their “news podcast” list despite not fitting traditional definitions. 64% of 18-24s consume news daily vs. 87% of those 55+; only 35% are “very or extremely” interested in news. 51% of young people pay more attention to individual creators vs. 39% for traditional news brands. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube now surpass Facebook as primary news discovery platforms, with direct publisher access at just 14%. Young audiences are not tuning out news; they are just redefining what counts as news and who gets to deliver it. For marketers and publishers alike, that is a reminder that trust increasingly sits with creators and personalities. Read More IAB Confirms Podcasting Is Still Growing The IAB/PwC 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report says digital audio ad spending reached a record $8.4 billion in 2025, up 10.2% year over year, with podcasting growing even faster at 17.6% to $2.9 billion. The report also notes that podcast revenue likely understates the category’s full size as video podcast consumption grows, while broader shifts toward programmatic buying, creator media, and performance accountability continue to reshape how audio is bought and measured. Digital audio’s continued growth is a good reminder that the medium is working, even in a shaky market. The bigger story is that as video expands and measurement expectations rise, podcasting is starting to blur into the broader digital video and creator economy. That creates opportunity, but it also means the market will get messier until measurement catches up. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads So Money Has “Found” Financial Clarity Farnoosh Torabi on her podcast, So Money, strikes a thoughtful and light-hearted stellar live read for Found. She opens with a relatable question that immediately draws in small business owners, prompting an honest moment of reflection about how in control their finances really feel. Her tone stays conversational and light as she walks through the common chaos of managing expenses, invoices, and taxes, making the pain points feel real and widely shared. Her transition into Found is seamless, presenting it as a clear, streamlined solution without overcomplicating the explanation. The standout moment is her personal example of running two podcasts with separate financial systems, adding credibility while also bringing in a touch of humor that keeps her read engaging. Throughout, she maintains a friendly, supportive tone that aligns well with her brand, making the recommendation feel trustworthy and practical. By the time she lands on the call to action, it comes across as a smart, helpful next step rather than a hard sell. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News ORBIT’s True Crime Report Refuses to Go Cold The ORBIT coverage keeps coming. Our Top 15 Performing True Crime Podcasts report has now been picked up by Sounds Profitable, Podnews, Podcast News Daily, Podcast Business Journal, Ads Of Brands, and Roastbrief. The consensus is hard to ignore: True Crime ranks in the top 20% of genres for ad efficiency, and most brands are still underinvesting by treating it as a single audience rather than the nuanced, high-performing genre it is. The data is ours. The press is talking. The question is whether your brand is in the conversation. Read More ORBIT Goes to Bat for Independent Podcasts Ben Robins of The Sound Insights Report built his latest piece around a single data point from ORBIT: 80% of the top 15 performing podcasts for advertisers are independent. Not network flagships. Not platform exclusives. Independent shows with loyal, niche audiences deliver outsized results. Robins uses our findings as the backbone of a broader argument that scale and effectiveness are not the same thing in podcasting, and are often in direct tension. The piece is a smart, well-sourced read, and the fact that ORBIT data is anchoring the conversation is exactly where we want to be. Read More Bill Burr’s Host-Reads Are So Good, They’re Pressing Vinyl Our November ranking of the Top 15 Performing Comedy Podcasts just got a real-world encore. Literally. Podnews reported that after Bill Burr landed the #1 spot for comedy podcasts among advertisers, his ad sales team at Impressions.fm celebrated the only way that felt right: by pressing his best host-read ads onto a vinyl record and shipping them to buyers. A sizzle reel for people who still own a turntable. Burr isn’t for every client, but for those who get it, the returns speak for themselves. After more than a decade perfecting his singular approach to podcast endorsements, it’s safe to say the bit has landed. We’re thrilled to see Bill get the recognition he so richly deserves. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Can you lean into AI advancements without losing human connection? Find out on a new Media Roundtable. During SXSW, Will Pearson (President, iHeartPodcasts) hosted “The Guaranteed Human In An Artificial World.” Will took the stage with some of the sharpest thinkers in podcasting: Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn), Gladwell Mwangi (Paid Media Enablement Lead, Whole Foods Market), and Richard Case (VP, Growth Marketing, GoodRX). Join us as they cover: The Guaranteed Human, Finding your Center, AI-Augmented, and more. Let’s dig in. “There’s a ton more [AI content] being created, but at the end of the day, listeners can tell. And they place a high level of expectation on those creators to deliver an authentic experience.” – Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn) The Guaranteed Human  – Podcasting’s magic relies on human connection. A host really believes in a brand, so they endorse it, and listeners really want to buy it. If any part of that chain of trust is broken, it doesn’t work. AI can sound human, but we don’t trust it like a human. iHeart’s emphasis on human-voiced content reinforces the trust that underpins audio’s unique connection Find your Center – I tools are just that: tools. They can be great for accomplishing tasks, but they can’t tell you what’s important in the first place. If you want to succeed with AI tools (or without them), focus on what matters to you. For Brendan, that’s supporting creators. So Libsyn uses AI to automate workflow, surface audience insights, and optimize monetization. Marketers, to avoid AI burnout, go back to the source. Who are you trying to help? Then see if there are new tools to make it AI-Augmented, not AI-Generated – Creators are singular talents with unique voices in every sense of the word. Audiences are tuning in for real human expertise and experience. Any help that AI is providing to content can’t overshadow the human creating it. In Brendan’s words: “Listeners can tell.” The same goes for marketers. There is something unique about how you understand your brand and your customers. If you abdicate that unique vision for the same tools everyone has access to, your creative will be wholly indistinguishable, and you’ll have given up your advantage. For more insights from industry leaders working to use AI while staying human, check out the full chat here.

Creators may think they have an idea where AI is heading, but now they’re faced with a critical decision: when to lean in and when to run in the opposite direction. With constant changes and new reports of “AI brain fry,” it’s hard to get an accurate picture: does AI help creators or harm them? Is there a world in which there is a happy medium? This week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition comes straight from the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon at SXSW 2026, “Less Noise, More Life: The Science of Thriving in an Artificial World.” Featuring Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) as he hosts podcasting powerhouses Tim Ferriss (Entrepreneur & Host, The Tim Ferriss Show) and Dr. Laurie Santos (Psychologist & Host, The Happiness Lab) for an existential examination of AI. The panel breaks down when and how to use AI, and tackles the all-important question, “What the hell is going on?” Join them as they talk: Listener loyalty, screen fatigue, and the real cost of letting AI do your thinking. “The people who are going to convert the best right now would not consider themselves creators. They do not have extremely large audiences, but they have people who really, really trust them.” – Tim Ferriss (Entrepreneur & Host, The Tim Ferriss Show) AI Affects Creators & Their Bottom Line  – AI might grow your profit, but it’ll definitely burn you out. The proof? Laurie mentions a new study published in Harvard Business Review that found that, among all corporate roles, AI burned out marketing professionals the most. It requires more oversight and creates an information overload. Tim then drops a truth bomb: AI may accelerate work, but it also accelerates anxiety and depression. When you offload labor to AI, you might get “AI brain fry” AND miss out on work that is meaningful to you. Weigh the cost carefully. Your Listeners Trust YOU, Not ChatGPT – The internet is right: you need to go out and touch grass more often. Both Laurie and Tim are seeing trends regarding in-person connection. Why? Because consumers are on screens all day, every day. They crave real connection, and creators can leverage that by being authentic (read: clearly not AI). Tim also urges creators and marketers not to rely on the “algorithm gods.” He’s posted short videos with millions of views… but they’ve made zero impact on podcast downloads. Remember: the algorithm’s goal is to keep people on the platform, not to send them to your show. If you stay loyal to yourself, your listeners will stay loyal to you. Think Consistency, Not Change – What makes AI different from other technologies? How quickly it evolves. Tim explains that “even the programmers don’t fully know what an LLM is going to do” once it’s finalized. Let’s take the heat off creators and marketers: there’s not enough time for them to adapt to the continuous change, so instead, focus on consistency. Tim and his team use AI for repeatable, everyday tasks. They train LLMs as editors, use them for research, and test A/B ads. Tim has the right outlook: keep up with key skills like writing and strategy, and use AI to tee you up. Want the AI user guide for podcasts? Tune in at the link below. Your Monthly ORBIT Report April 2026 True Crime is One of Podcasting’s Biggest Genres, and One of the Most Misunderstood True Crime is the genre that started the podcasting boom, with podcasts like Serial leading the charge. But a lot has changed since 2014. To understand what’s driving performance in True Crime today, we used ORBIT (Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool). Special shout-out to top-performers #3 Crime, Conspiracy, Cults And Murder, #2 True Crime Obsessed, and #1 Cold Case Files. Turns out, while True Crime winners are frequent, they’re extremely varied, too. For marketers, where ad dollars are invested in True Crime and how they’re deployed make all the difference. For a closer look at succeeding in podcasting’s founding genre, we turned to ORBIT. True Crime isn’t a Monolith: True Crime might be one genre, but it’s comprised of many sub-formats. Companion, Investigative, Broadcast IP, and Dark Crossover all have a place in our top 15 list. If you’re testing one lane and calling it a day, you haven’t actually tested True Crime; you’ve tested a slice of it. Mind the Brand Safety Pricing Gap: True Crime has a reputation that raises brand safety flags for some advertisers. That caution increases for high-performing shows with paranormal or horror-adjacent tones. The irony: that same genre stigma suppresses competition and keeps rates down, despite highly engaged audiences. Brands, do your homework on the shows. If they meet your standards, you’re picking up high-performing inventory at a discount. When Marketers can see the genre clearly, True Crime can be a top-performer at scale. For the complete April ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report below. View April’s ORBIT Report Here The Classifieds She’s Eating Pinkberry and Enjoying Life Network: Dear Media / Monthly Downloads: 15k From the shores of Laguna Beach to the peaks of The Hills, Lo Bosworth has always struck a chord with those looking for a wholesome reality-TV role model. In her newest era as the CEO of Love Wellness and mom to a baby girl, Bosworth feels ready to share her life lessons. In the first episode of her premiere podcast with Dear Media, Bosworth produced an interesting before-and-after narrative, recording the first half pre-birth and the second half post-delivery. The show’s premise is to create a strong community, focused on acceptance and knowledge-sharing, and Bosworth does so by exploring the intimate details of her difficult pregnancy. This is a great opportunity for female-skewed DTCs that help new mothers, or for advertisers who perform well on Kids & Family content. Mother knows best, and this mother wants you to click below for more details. Get The Deal The Stars Say You Need to Test This Podcast Network: Moonbeam Media / Monthly Downloads: 15k In a big world full of unknown variables, astrology makes its followers feel grounded and part of something larger than themselves. It’s no wonder that its practice has grown in popularity and created a $3 billion industry. Podcasting has always been a perfect place for niche communities to take root and grow, so it’s no surprise that Amanda Steele found quick success in launching her newest offering with Moonbeam Media. Each week, Amanda uses astrology as a framework to discuss both real-life perspectives and the cosmic nuances. Whether she is looking at birth charts, reading tarot cards, or discussing spiritual journeys, Amanda takes these concepts seriously. This is geared towards a freethinking Gen Z audience who may also be interested in beauty, fashion, and self-improvement. Your horoscope says you’re going to test into this podcast, which you can find at the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The LatAm Sports Market Hasn’t Scored… Yet Despite futbol’s dominance across Latin America, sports podcasts have not broken through in the region the way they have in the U.S., with few titles reaching the top podcast charts in markets like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. This article points to three main reasons: a category centered on one sport, limited fantasy-sports behavior that would drive recurring listening, and a legacy-media model that has slowed creator-led growth. With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, the piece argues that sports podcasting in the region may be nearing an inflection point. Given the popularity of futbol and podcasting individually across Latin America, you would expect sports to already be a top genre. It isn’t, which is a reminder that consumer behavior is not always as intuitive as it seems. With the 2026 World Cup approaching, that gap looks more like an opening: marketers have a chance to stake their claim before the category catches up. Read More Podcasts Are the New Daytime TV Adweek argues that streamers are leaning into podcasts and creator shows because they function like modern daytime TV, with their personality-driven programming that can fill hours of content without the cost of traditional television. Following Netflix, companies including Tubi, Roku, Amazon, and MS Now are pursuing similar strategies to attract younger viewers and compete more directly with YouTube. Credit to Hernan Lopez at Owl & Co. for spotting this early. Streamers are embracing podcasts largely as a daypart play: they bring built-in audiences, low production costs, and enough volume to fill programming shelves without Hollywood-level budgets. For marketers, that means podcast IP is increasingly becoming part of the CTV inventory mix, not just the audio plan. Read More The Daily Wire Opens New Doors for Advertisers The Daily Wire is expanding its podcast slate with five new shows across news, culture, entertainment, true crime, and lifestyle genres, broadening the company’s lineup beyond the political programming it is best known for. At the same time, it hired veteran audio sales executive Adam Gilbert as VP of Sales, signaling a more serious push to monetize that wider portfolio. In other words: The Daily Wire just became more buyable. For advertisers that have seen strong results from independent podcasts but avoided the company’s political content, this broader slate creates new ways in. It is also encouraging to see a publisher bet on fresh programming rather than just squeezing more value out of the same core franchise. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Watch Your Package Go Long Gone with ShipStation Chris Black and Jason Stewart, hosts of the bi-coastal phenomenon the How Long Gone Podcast, pull out a chaotically charming live read for ShipStation, where two guys accidentally discover the logistics of shipping efficiency in real time. The whole thing kicks off with that classic “we’re busy, we don’t know what’s going on” energy, which somehow makes a shipping platform feel deeply relatable to the masses. Jason’s throwback to the old way of shipping, walking into “some place,” talking to “some guy,” and blindly agreeing to a price is hilarious and painfully accurate. What makes this read fun is how ShipStation gets framed as this behind-the-scenes friend who actually knows what’s going on, casually sorting through UPS, USPS, and FedEx like a logistics sommelier. There’s something very on-brand about turning “rate shopping and fulfillment” into “cutting your chaos in half so you can go do literally anything else.” Their tone stays loose and slightly absurd, but it still shows the value of saving time, saving money, and not having to guess your way through shipping anymore. By the time they drop the 60-day free trial, it feels less like a pitch and more like, “hey, stop doing it the hard way for no reason.” Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Data FINALLY Confirms Audio Isn’t Just for Awareness Little Black Book is spotlighting our recent Sound of Growth report, which finally puts numbers behind what we’ve long believed: audio doesn’t just build awareness—it drives action. Based on $400 million in cumulative audio spend over 30+ years of client data, the study found that audio drove an average of 18% of clients’ branded search volume, with heavy audio investors seeing that number climb to 40% or more. For marketers still treating audio as a top-of-funnel afterthought, the data has caught up. If you’re curious about how this applies to your campaigns, read the full report here. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

Creators may think they have an idea where AI is heading, but now they’re faced with a critical decision: when to lean in and when to run in the opposite direction. With constant changes and new reports of “AI brain fry,” it’s hard to get an accurate picture: does AI help creators or harm them? Is there a world in which there is a happy medium? This week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition comes straight from the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon at SXSW 2026, “Less Noise, More Life: The Science of Thriving in an Artificial World.” Featuring Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) as he hosts podcasting powerhouses Tim Ferriss (Entrepreneur & Host, The Tim Ferriss Show) and Dr. Laurie Santos (Psychologist & Host, The Happiness Lab) for an existential examination of AI. The panel breaks down when and how to use AI, and tackles the all-important question, “What the hell is going on?” Join them as they talk: Listener loyalty, screen fatigue, and the real cost of letting AI do your thinking. “The people who are going to convert the best right now would not consider themselves creators. They do not have extremely large audiences, but they have people who really, really trust them.” – Tim Ferriss (Entrepreneur & Host, The Tim Ferriss Show) AI Affects Creators & Their Bottom Line  – AI might grow your profit, but it’ll definitely burn you out. The proof? Laurie mentions a new study published in Harvard Business Review that found that, among all corporate roles, AI burned out marketing professionals the most. It requires more oversight and creates an information overload. Tim then drops a truth bomb: AI may accelerate work, but it also accelerates anxiety and depression. When you offload labor to AI, you might get “AI brain fry” AND miss out on work that is meaningful to you. Weigh the cost carefully. Your Listeners Trust YOU, Not ChatGPT – The internet is right: you need to go out and touch grass more often. Both Laurie and Tim are seeing trends regarding in-person connection. Why? Because consumers are on screens all day, every day. They crave real connection, and creators can leverage that by being authentic (read: clearly not AI). Tim also urges creators and marketers not to rely on the “algorithm gods.” He’s posted short videos with millions of views… but they’ve made zero impact on podcast downloads. Remember: the algorithm’s goal is to keep people on the platform, not to send them to your show. If you stay loyal to yourself, your listeners will stay loyal to you. Think Consistency, Not Change – What makes AI different from other technologies? How quickly it evolves. Tim explains that “even the programmers don’t fully know what an LLM is going to do” once it’s finalized. Let’s take the heat off creators and marketers: there’s not enough time for them to adapt to the continuous change, so instead, focus on consistency. Tim and his team use AI for repeatable, everyday tasks. They train LLMs as editors, use them for research, and test A/B ads. Tim has the right outlook: keep up with key skills like writing and strategy, and use AI to tee you up. Want the AI user guide for podcasts? Tune in at the link below.

What do an e-commerce giant, an online therapy platform, and a shipping powerhouse all have in common? They all have the same secret weapon when it comes to podcast performance, and they’re spilling it on the new Media Roundtable: Special Edition. This week, we’re going back to Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, where Miranda Romano (SVP, Media, Oxford Road) moderated a performance-unlocking panel, “The Power of Independence: Why Brands Are Betting on Independent Creators.” Sharing their indie wisdom was an all-star panel of brand leaders: Brynn Greenelsh (Audio Marketing, Auctane–Stamps.com & ShipStation) Jessica Williams (Global Brand Marketing & Partnerships, Shopify) Brittany Clevenger (Senior Director of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp) Join us as they cover: Becoming a Household Name, Unmatched Access, Ask An Expert, and more. Let’s dig in. “Get on the small shows, and it’ll be so worth it.” – Brittany Clevenger (Senior Director of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp) Household Names – Not every creator is a household name, but sponsoring them can turn your brand into one, and that just makes sense. The giant shows have countless sponsors, but for an indie show, you might be one of one.  That makes you the most important brand for the die-hard audiences that love the show. Our ORBIT data agrees: indie podcasts are 80% of our top 15 performing shows. When you show up for indie creators, the creators’ fans show up for you. Your All-Access Pass – When you place an ad on a giant show, hosted on a giant network, you’re not talking to the host. When you partner with an independent creator, it’s easier to hop on a call with them. You can spitball, workshop the creative to fit their voice, make the ad work for them and your brand. You don’t just have a host on autopilot reading copy points; they’re eager to make the ad land for their audience. Our panelists agree, unmatched host access unlocks unmatched performance. Here to Help – Independents offer amazing performance, but they might not have their processes buttoned up yet. To ensure success, Brittany recommends working with an agency (we swear we didn’t tell her to say it). Her point: there’s no need to do this work on your own. You can hit ROI heights with many brilliant indie shows, but to do it at scale, you need extra agency savvy and bandwidth. For more insights from brand leaders who understand the power of independent creators, check out the full chat via the links below: The Classifieds A Momfluencer Makes her Influencer Debut Network: Dead Center Talent LLC / Monthly Downloads: 30k Being a parent is hard, and it’s not getting any easier. It’s difficult for moms to trust outside perspectives and feel like their struggles are seen. Momfluencers have become a broader trend in the face of this uncertainty. Allisa Rose centers her content around her home, her husband, her child, her family, and her friends. In her vlogs she presents a bubbly visage, consistently showing the daily struggle of a working mother while engaging with her audience in a gracious and positive way. Whether she’s updating her son’s nursery, testing Costco products, or decorating for the holiday season, she always provides an honest perspective on how her life is going and what she’s doing to make the most of it. For female skew advertisers looking for a great spokesperson for their DTC products, this is a great channel to test in Q2. Don’t cry over spilled milk! Click below for more information. Get The Deal Thanks for Everything, Sal Saperstein Network: Studio71 / Monthly Downloads: 15k What do you get when every episode’s starting point is a trivia question, and what gets discussed after is so much more interesting? A hilarious mix between Jeopardy and an open mic night, that’s what. Comedian and show creator Ike Barinholtz hosts a weekly sit-down with equally funny people to test their knowledge, dive into their personal experiences, and showcase the deep bonds he’s made with his friends. He’s interviewed fellow show creator Mindy Kaling in the first episodes, whom he has worked with extensively since 2012, as well as Running Point star Kate Hudson. As Barinholtz has many comedy credits to his name (MadTV, The Studio, Eastbound and Down, etc.), there’s no telling how many amazing guests are on deck for future episodes. This is a superb opportunity for those looking for efficient comedy options that can lean into the creative element for personal endorsement. It’s funny that you ask for more details, because they can be found via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The Creator Economy Is Getting Ready to Enter a Bull Market At YouTube’s NewFronts, Coach’s VP of Marketing Kimberley Wallengren and Unilever’s Chief Media Officer Ryu Yokoi both described shifting from one-off creator deals to long-term partnerships. Coach cited “meaningful lift in consideration” among Gen Z and “supercharged acquisition,” while Unilever framed its creator strategy around building emotional craving rather than functional messaging. YouTube’s Brian Gargan urged brands to scale creator content with AI-powered paid formats. eMarketer projects social creator marketing will reach $21 billion in spend in 2026. If major brands are only now shifting from one-off buys to longer-term commitments, that tells you the creator economy is still early in development, but showing signs of promise. Scalability and measurement are only going to improve, and when they do, even more dollars will follow. Read More The Media Hierarchy Enters a New Realm Podcast News Daily flagged that Comcast Advertising is now pitching television as an add-on to podcast campaigns. This rationale is spurred by its own study showing a 207% lift in consumer intent to seek more information when TV is paired with podcast ads, and 1.6x brand recall improvement, while also noting AI search summaries reduce brand recall by 23%. Oh, how times have changed. Audio, print, outdoor, and, yes, even digital were once complements to a TV schedule. Now Comcast, one of the largest television networks, is positioning TV as a complement to podcasts, and that is a pretty eye-opening signal of how the media landscape has evolved. Cross-channel halo effects are nothing new. TV may still be presented as the lead channel, yet the fact that podcasts are now central enough to shape the story is notable. Read More Read More Spotify Wants More Than Your Ears Spotify introduced swipeable carousel ads in the Now Playing view, giving brands a way to feature up to six products with images, links, and pricing. It also launched branded, 100% share-of-voice takeovers on flagship playlists such as Rap Caviar, Today’s Top Hits, and New Music Friday, with Priceline and GNC among the early pilots. Combined with new A/B testing and automated bidding tools in Ads Manager, this rollout reflects Spotify’s push to build a more full-funnel ad suite. If you are a DTC advertiser already active on Spotify, Carousel ads are a logical test. Playlist takeovers feel more useful for launches, tentpole moments, and promotional windows, assuming you can secure them early. None of this is groundbreaking, but it is encouraging to see Spotify expand its through-the-funnel options for marketers. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads This Housewife Gets Real About Function Health Taking center stage in this week’s #STLR is the co-host of the Humble Brag Podcast, Cynthia Bailey, with one of the most vulnerable and raw hooks we’ve ever had in our weekly highlights.  Starting off with a deeply personal story about her mother’s recent health struggles, Cynthia underscores the importance of family support and the ongoing effort it takes to care for loved ones. That’s where Function Health naturally comes in as she connects her experience to how the platform has helped her expand her knowledge and prioritize meaningful testing. What really elevates the read is her specificity, calling out particular health markers she’s paying attention to, which makes her testimony feel thoughtful, credible, and relatable. The balance between personal storytelling and brand messaging is perfection, never forced, just reinforced with a layer of scientific backing. Her tone stays gentle yet purposeful, carrying a quiet urgency that makes the message land without feeling heavy-handed. And by the time she closes with her call to action, it’s clear this “humble brag” is anything but. If you want to see how a great ad can be functional yet relatable, listen via the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Video Finds the Audience, Audio Wins Them Over Oxford Road‘s SVP of Media, Miranda Romano, is making waves with a new LinkedIn article that Sounds Profitable flagged for its readers. Her argument? The creator ecosystem is a marketing funnel—and the industry needs to start selling it like one. Short-form video drives discovery at the top, but long-form audio is where trust gets built and conversions actually happen. The data backs it up: Oxford Road’s research shows YouTube views are up to 25% less effective at driving purchases than pure audio downloads. The takeaway for publishers and sellers: stop treating video and audio impressions as interchangeable, because reach and resonance aren’t the same thing. Read More Downloads Don’t Drive Our Decisions, Results Do Oxford Road‘s Director of Podcast Media, Courtney O’Connor, joined the PodBiz podcast to break down how brands actually spend in podcasting—and why the old playbook doesn’t work. Podcast News Daily picked up the conversation, highlighting Oxford Road’s “matchmaking” approach that prioritizes creator-audience fit over download thresholds. As Courtney put it: “I personally have bought podcasts with 65 downloads.” The takeaway? Endorsed media built on trust is still the best engine, and connecting the right brand with the right creator is everything. Listen to the full episode here and read the coverage here. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

What do an e-commerce giant, an online therapy platform, and a shipping powerhouse all have in common? They all have the same secret weapon when it comes to podcast performance, and they’re spilling it on the new Media Roundtable: Special Edition. This week, we’re going back to Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, where Miranda Romano (SVP, Media, Oxford Road) moderated a performance-unlocking panel, “The Power of Independence: Why Brands Are Betting on Independent Creators.” Sharing their indie wisdom was an all-star panel of brand leaders: Brynn Greenelsh (Audio Marketing, Auctane–Stamps.com & ShipStation) Jessica Williams (Global Brand Marketing & Partnerships, Shopify) Brittany Clevenger (Senior Director of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp) Join us as they cover: Becoming a Household Name, Unmatched Access, Ask An Expert, and more. Let’s dig in. “Get on the small shows, and it’ll be so worth it.” – Brittany Clevenger (Senior Director of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp) Household Names – Not every creator is a household name, but sponsoring them can turn your brand into one, and that just makes sense. The giant shows have countless sponsors, but for an indie show, you might be one of one.  That makes you the most important brand for the die-hard audiences that love the show. Our ORBIT data agrees: indie podcasts are 80% of our top 15 performing shows. When you show up for indie creators, the creators’ fans show up for you. Your All-Access Pass – When you place an ad on a giant show, hosted on a giant network, you’re not talking to the host. When you partner with an independent creator, it’s easier to hop on a call with them. You can spitball, workshop the creative to fit their voice, make the ad work for them and your brand. You don’t just have a host on autopilot reading copy points; they’re eager to make the ad land for their audience. Our panelists agree, unmatched host access unlocks unmatched performance. Here to Help – Independents offer amazing performance, but they might not have their processes buttoned up yet. To ensure success, Brittany recommends working with an agency (we swear we didn’t tell her to say it). Her point: there’s no need to do this work on your own. You can hit ROI heights with many brilliant indie shows, but to do it at scale, you need extra agency savvy and bandwidth. For more insights from brand leaders who understand the power of independent creators, check out the full chat via the links below:

Independent creators have to find a way to succeed, often without a network to support them and a safety net to fall back on.. In fact, 80% of the ORBIT top-15 performing podcasts are indies. But what does it take to win on their own… and is it worth it? Find out in an all-new Media Roundtable: Special Edition. Direct from Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) takes the stage with three of the hardest-working, most successful independent podcasters: Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, Host, Young and Profiting) and Brett and Jordy Meiselas (Co-founders, MeidasTouch Network, Hosts, The MeidasTouch Podcast). The panelists get real about the joys and struggles of podcasting without a net. Join them as they talk: Audience Trust, Loving Crunches, True Partnerships, and more. Let’s dig in. “The pro [of being independent] is that you have complete autonomy over your content and everything that happens, whether it’s a success or a failure, falls on you. The con is the same exact thing.” – Brett Meiselas (Co-founder, MeidasTouch Network, Host, The MeidasTouch Podcast) Audience First – Indie podcasters don’t have guarantees from networks, they just have the trust of their audience. If they betray that trust, they don’t have a show. So, every choice our creators make has to protect that audience and their trust. While that can sound like a heavy burden, it actually clarifies the work. Indie creators just have to ask how this will help their audience. If it doesn’t help, they have the power to say no. Start Doing Crunches – Jordy’s old boss said it best: Everybody wants a six pack. Nobody wants to do the crunches.” To excel as an indie creator, you have to be willing to do the crunches, even when it’s hard. That means getting in the weeds with your CPMs and talking to advertisers, relentlessly taking care of the audience and finding value for them, and constantly improving your ad reads. Marketers, if you find an indie creator who’s succeeding, you know they’ve been doing their crunches. True Partners – When you have a big network, it’s easier to make a quick buck, but for Hala and the Meiselas brothers, it pays to be selective with their brands. They only partner with advertisers they believe in, who have a strong audience fit, and who succeed on the show. As with most things indie, the effort is greater, but so is the reward. That’s how shows like Hala’s can punch above their weight in profitability and impact. For more honest insights from indies who are putting in the work and delivering for brands, you owe it to yourself to check out the full episode below. The Classifieds The Drama Bros are In, and the Tea is Hot Network: Up North Management Group / Monthly Downloads: 155k Entertainment can bring joy to a single person, but it doesn’t achieve pop-culture relevance until enough people want to talk about it. That nexus point is the home base for Aaron and Jo, a YouTube channel that reacts to trending TV, niche streaming content, and nostalgic kids films. Between their reactions to out-there moments is a consistent level of commentary and humor that is not to be missed. Since launching the channel, they have built a subscriber base of nearly 500k viewers and a consistent level of engagement per video that shows a fervent interest from a loyal audience. As the content consistently covers more female-skewing fare, their demo is made up of mostly Millennial women interested in reality TV and long-form video. You might not be here to make friends, but if you’re interested in a stunning new test, click below for more details. Get The Deal The Internet’s Favorite Vice Presidential Meme Finally Has a Podcast Network: E.A. Media / Monthly Downloads: 50k You know the meme: chubby cheeks, wild curls, a rosy-faced caricature of the VP riding a magic carpet and asking absolutely everyone if they said “thank you”. The internet built an entire alternate-universe version of JD Vance, and that universe now has a podcast. Aidan Delbis, the Bugonia actor so eerily similar to Big JD that casting him may be the greatest trolling in cinema history, hosts a weekly show in full form, covering gratitude etiquette, couch discourse, and why “pwease and tank you” should anchor all international diplomacy. The show is recorded, appropriately, from a couch,  and is downloadable in 47 countries. Inventory is available; you don’t even have to say thank you. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Radio Measurement Expanding? It’s About Time Magellan AI launched a Broadcast Radio Attribution tool that integrates AM/FM radio into the same measurement workflow it already uses for channels such as podcasts, streaming audio, and CTV. Magellan AI joins Claritas and Podscribe in bringing more attribution options to radio, and that is long overdue. When three major audio measurement players all see value in solving the same problem, it becomes harder to treat radio like an unmeasurable, traditional channel. Read More Tech Startup Claims to Track the Untrackable Silicon Valley startup TrueView Analytics announced it has cracked attribution across the three channels that have confounded media buyers for years: YouTube embedded ads, Spotify’s baked-in ad products, and traditional broadcast radio. Their methodology, called Relational Convergence Mapping, cross-references longitudinal brand sentiment, declared audience intent, passive behavioral resonance, and predictive mood alignment indexing to determine true campaign impact. Each reporting cycle concludes with lead analysts placing both hands on the Predictive Consensus Node, allowing latent market signals to resolve into a unified cost per lead. Early results across beta partners have been promising. Oxford Road is currently vetting the platform for full integration, though onboarding has stalled pending a formal review of whether the required candles violate our building’s fire safety protocol. Read More AdsWizz Teaches Its DSPs to Read the Room Big news in the programmatic world: AdsWizz integrated Barometer’s episode-level suitability and contextual targeting across its platform and connected DSPs. The setup lets advertisers apply episode-level standards before bidding, using contextual and sentiment analysis instead of keyword blocking. AdsWizz says that it can reduce false positives and expand eligible inventory. Barometer’s move beyond keyword blocking to contextual and sentiment analysis is welcome news, especially with AdsWizz making it part of the platform instead of an extra layer. That makes brand suitability more useful to advertisers who either had to pay extra for brand safety or relied on manual methods. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Chew on This Ruff Read, We Said What We Said The spotlight is on What We Said hosts Jaci Marie and Chelsey Jade this week for their stellar recommendation of Chewy, every pet parent’s favorite go-to delivery service. The read itself feels like you’ve been pulled into a group chat about dogs, tummy issues, and online shopping wins. They kick things off with an endearing hook about Sophie the Great Dane, then seamlessly weave in how Chewy fits into their real lives with auto-delivered food, supplements, and those inevitable random pet needs without it ever sounding forced. Their authenticity really shines through, especially in the small, off-hand moments about Lady eating something questionable and needing support. The range of products and services is naturally covered in the conversation, and the convenience factor of fast shipping and a seamless buying experience comes through clearly. What truly makes this read stand out is the gals’ tones: playful, a little chaotic, coming across very pet-parent confessional yet still grounded in real utility. By the time they deliver the offer, it feels like a no-brainer recommendation from people who genuinely rely on Chewy, not just a scripted brand deal. If you want to hear what this purrfect read sounds like, click the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Independent Podcasts Aren’t the Underdog, They’re the Top Performers Our latest ORBIT rankings on the Top 15 Performing Independent Podcasts landed across Podcast News Daily, Podcasting Today, Podnews, Sounds Profitable, Tropical Podcasting, and Podcast Business Journal, all anchoring on one headline stat: 80% of the top 15 performing podcasts are produced outside major networks. The data reinforces what we’ve been saying all along: independence isn’t a limitation, it’s a performance advantage. Check out the full ranker and insights here. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Independent creators have to find a way to succeed, often without a network to support them and a safety net to fall back on.. In fact, 80% of the ORBIT top-15 performing podcasts are indies. But what does it take to win on their own… and is it worth it? Find out in an all-new Media Roundtable: Special Edition. Direct from Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) takes the stage with three of the hardest-working, most successful independent podcasters: Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, Host, Young and Profiting) and Brett and Jordy Meiselas (Co-founders, MeidasTouch Network, Hosts, The MeidasTouch Podcast). The panelists get real about the joys and struggles of podcasting without a net. Join them as they talk: Audience Trust, Loving Crunches, True Partnerships, and more. Let’s dig in. “The pro [of being independent] is that you have complete autonomy over your content and everything that happens, whether it’s a success or a failure, falls on you. The con is the same exact thing.” – Brett Meiselas (Co-founder, MeidasTouch Network, Host, The MeidasTouch Podcast) Audience First – Indie podcasters don’t have guarantees from networks, they just have the trust of their audience. If they betray that trust, they don’t have a show. So, every choice our creators make has to protect that audience and their trust. While that can sound like a heavy burden, it actually clarifies the work. Indie creators just have to ask how this will help their audience. If it doesn’t help, they have the power to say no. Start Doing Crunches – Jordy’s old boss said it best: Everybody wants a six pack. Nobody wants to do the crunches.” To excel as an indie creator, you have to be willing to do the crunches, even when it’s hard. That means getting in the weeds with your CPMs and talking to advertisers, relentlessly taking care of the audience and finding value for them, and constantly improving your ad reads. Marketers, if you find an indie creator who’s succeeding, you know they’ve been doing their crunches. True Partners – When you have a big network, it’s easier to make a quick buck, but for Hala and the Meiselas brothers, it pays to be selective with their brands. They only partner with advertisers they believe in, who have a strong audience fit, and who succeed on the show. As with most things indie, the effort is greater, but so is the reward. That’s how shows like Hala’s can punch above their weight in profitability and impact. For more honest insights from indies who are putting in the work and delivering for brands, you owe it to yourself to check out the full episode below.

How does an audiophile thrive in the era of YouTube? How can two circles solve everything? Find out in the first video podcast of Ad Infinitum, featuring the legendary sonic sage Dallas Taylor! That’s right, the world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back, now in video! Today, we present to you Ad Infinitum Season 4, Episode 1: “Two Circles: Dallas Taylor on Podcasting, YouTube, and Creative Identity.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes award-winning sonic guide Dallas Taylor (Host, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Founder, Defacto Sound) to Headgum Studios for a creative masterclass about achieving great work time and time again. Stew and Dallas talk: Why the Audience Comes Last, Two Circles, Going Off the Rails, and more. Let’s dig in… “ I’ve always been a sound designer. I’ve been somebody who wanted to craft and create and celebrate sound, then I use the tools around me to tell everybody about how cool this is. I don’t really have any emotional or identity in the tools. That’s why I don’t say I’m a podcaster.” – Dallas Taylor (Host, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Founder Defacto Sound) “The Audience Comes Last” – This Rick Rubin quote brings clarity to all creative work, including for your brand. Take Dallas’s starting place for a project: who he is and what he cares about. If you want to make anything new, anything that will stand out (and marketers, yes, you do), you can’t start with what the audience is asking for. Instead, you need to start with your identity and passions. Then, when you’ve made something to the best of your abilities, see how the audience responds. Two Circles – 7 months ago, two circles made Dallas believe he’d have to shut down his decade-old podcast. The first was a small circle containing audio-podcast listeners who could love the distinctly sonic Twenty Thousand Hertz. The second, a multi-billion-person circle of TikTok, IG, and YouTube audiences, reachable only via video. But after a chat with Stew and sage James Ingrassia, Dallas saw that he could have both. He drew two new circles: Mindset (how to get on board with the shift) and Workflow (how to do the work). The result? Distinct video stories about audio that complement the podcast, a growing fanbase, and using the available tools to celebrate audio. Again, start with what matters to you and track the audience response. Go Off the Rails – How do you make great creative work? Build a trusted process… and be ready to abandon it when need be. At the mix stage of Pluribus, Dallas heard stories of Vince Gilligan asking for everyone’s opinions. He invited new elements that could challenge and disrupt what he believed. The lesson? Build a track, get derailed by the unexpected, then integrate the new pieces into your journey. (Kind of like how the best podcast ads come from ad libs, not copy points. #SaveTheLiveReads) Want more insights on unlocking creativity again and again from two champions of audio creativity? Tune in to the full episode here: The Classifieds This Rogue Indie is Your Perfect Campaign Companion Network: SiriusXM Media / Monthly Downloads: 500k This week’s Classified section is a tribute to some of our recent winners at the inaugural Indie PaC Awards. Our first winner has been featured three times already in our ORBIT rankings, which helped them solidify the ‘Highest Impact‘ award Sunday night. Tabletop Role-Playing games have been seeing a rise in popularity as of late, from video games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 (yes, this game is based on a tabletop game of the same name) bringing the genre into the forefront of the industry, while movies like the Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brought the allure of dice-based campaigns to the silver screen. Before that, people like prominent voice actor Matt Mercer paved the way for D&D campaigns to become mainstream entertainment. He and his wife, fellow VO Marisha Ray, assembled their highly talented group of friends to gather around a table each week, cracking jokes and skulls along the way. They have spent the last 11 years cultivating a highly engaged and very supportive community, which has led to their show performing well for a variety of advertisers here at Oxford Road. If you’re looking for a critical success, roll that D20 via the link below. Read More Get The Deal These Startups Bring In Big Business Performance Network: The Launch Partnership / Monthly Downloads: 250k Our second winner of the week is so passionate about indie businesses that he not only has an entire show devoted to highlighting them, but also a network! Jason Calacanis, the host of This Week In Startups, and our winner for ‘Best Independent Business & Entrepreneurship’ podcast, loves startups. He has spent the last 16 years highlighting the best advice for those looking to take the business world by storm, even though they’re just starting out. He has also built his network, The Launch Partnership, to co-defy this mission, and the list of companies that they have sponsored on their road to success is truly astounding. Calacanis isn’t just talk; he has been a key part of brands like Uber and Calm through his work as an “angel investor.” His advice is worth millions, yet he willingly gives it away to anyone who will listen each week on his podcast. This show is great not only for brands looking to reach business-minded individuals, but also for those who find that their messaging relates well to self-starters and the highly motivated crowd. If you’re ready to add this surefire investment to your test plans, start by clicking the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Edison Dials to Infinity and Beyond for 2026 Insights Edison Research’s Infinite Dial 2026 shows that podcasting and online audio are continuing to move further into the mainstream. Monthly podcast reach climbed to 58% of Americans, 12+, weekly reach hit 45%, and 57% now say they both listen to and watch podcasts. In-car podcast usage continues to rise, and adults 55+ are helping drive the growth of online audio. The podcasting tent keeps getting bigger, which is good news for marketers, but it also means podcast planning is becoming more nuanced. Growth among the 55+ demo is a reminder that podcasting is no longer just a younger-skewing play, and that matters when older consumers often have more disposable income. Read More Podcasting Manages to Sustain a Year-Over-Year Bump A new FMR Associates/Eastlan Ratings survey suggests podcast listening did not fall back after the election cycle. Weekly podcast listening among adults 25–64 held at 40%, up sharply from 24% in 2024 and roughly in line with 2025 levels. The election bump for podcasting stuck. The other real takeaway from this survey is video: YouTube leads, as expected, but Instagram and TikTok are showing up next, even at just 10%, suggesting social platforms may be better positioned than Netflix or Spotify to win share of video podcast consumption. Read More Creator Spend Projected to Hit $21B eMarketer projects U.S. creator spend will reach $21 billion in 2026, nearly double 2022 levels, with nano and micro influencers accounting for about half of that spend. But the economics are getting tougher: distribution is becoming more expensive, organic reach is weakening, and marketers are increasingly relying on paid support to make creator-led content work. The creator economy is still growing, but it is increasingly looking like paid media. If podcasts are working for your brand, the broader creator economy is an obvious extension, especially for social-first audiences. Creator spend is already larger than audio combined, which tells you how big the opportunity has become. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads It’s Time to Amp Up Your Spring Decor with Wayfair This week’s #STLR is for anyone thinking about a Spring refresh but unsure where to start. Up and Adam!’s Adam Newell delivers a standout Wayfair read, opening with a forward-looking hook about upgrading your space for 2026 that immediately sets an aspirational yet approachable tone. He blends brand messaging with a personal glimpse into life with his husband, Jason, creating a vivid and inviting entry point into redecorating. The read keeps strong momentum, balancing humor, honesty, and utility. Key benefits like style, selection, budget flexibility, reviews, filters, and assembly services are woven in seamlessly, building cleanly to a compelling call to action. The result is a masterclass in host reads: engaging, relatable, and persuasive without feeling forced. If you are looking to elevate your own reads, this one is worth studying. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News The First-Ever Indie PaC Awards Just Crowned Independent Podcasting and Creator Media’s Best. See Who Took Home Hardware. We threw our first-ever awards show at SXSW, and Killer Mike hosted it. Yeah, that happened. The inaugural Indie PaC Awards celebrated the independent podcasters and creators who built this medium from scratch. No network, no safety net, just talent and an audience that showed up. Winners were chosen using our ORBIT performance data and an independent jury of industry heavyweights, so the hardware actually meant something. Steven Bartlett swept the night, taking home both ‘Best Independent Interview Show’ and ‘Independent Creator of the Year’ for The Diary of a CEO. Tim Ferriss earned the ‘Oxford Prize in Podcasting’ and used his moment on stage to recognize the other creators in the room who shaped his journey. Hala Taha spoke about betting on herself when nobody else would. The whole night was a reminder of why creator media hits differently. These aren’t anchors reading from a teleprompter. They’re people who built something real, and advertisers who get that are winning because of it. Year one is done. Year two is already on our minds. Full list of winners at indiepac.com. If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

How does an audiophile thrive in the era of YouTube? How can two circles solve everything? Find out in the first video podcast of Ad Infinitum, featuring the legendary sonic sage Dallas Taylor! That’s right, the world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back, now in video! Today, we present to you Ad Infinitum Season 4, Episode 1: “Two Circles: Dallas Taylor on Podcasting, YouTube, and Creative Identity.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes award-winning sonic guide Dallas Taylor (Host, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Founder, Defacto Sound) to Headgum Studios for a creative masterclass about achieving great work time and time again. Stew and Dallas talk: Why the Audience Comes Last, Two Circles, Going Off the Rails, and more. Let’s dig in… “ I’ve always been a sound designer. I’ve been somebody who wanted to craft and create and celebrate sound, then I use the tools around me to tell everybody about how cool this is. I don’t really have any emotional or identity in the tools. That’s why I don’t say I’m a podcaster.” – Dallas Taylor (Host, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Founder Defacto Sound) “The Audience Comes Last” – This Rick Rubin quote brings clarity to all creative work, including for your brand. Take Dallas’s starting place for a project: who he is and what he cares about. If you want to make anything new, anything that will stand out (and marketers, yes, you do), you can’t start with what the audience is asking for. Instead, you need to start with your identity and passions. Then, when you’ve made something to the best of your abilities, see how the audience responds. Two Circles – 7 months ago, two circles made Dallas believe he’d have to shut down his decade-old podcast. The first was a small circle containing audio-podcast listeners who could love the distinctly sonic Twenty Thousand Hertz. The second, a multi-billion-person circle of TikTok, IG, and YouTube audiences, reachable only via video. But after a chat with Stew and sage James Ingrassia, Dallas saw that he could have both. He drew two new circles: Mindset (how to get on board with the shift) and Workflow (how to do the work). The result? Distinct video stories about audio that complement the podcast, a growing fanbase, and using the available tools to celebrate audio. Again, start with what matters to you and track the audience response. Go Off the Rails – How do you make great creative work? Build a trusted process… and be ready to abandon it when need be. At the mix stage of Pluribus, Dallas heard stories of Vince Gilligan asking for everyone’s opinions. He invited new elements that could challenge and disrupt what he believed. The lesson? Build a track, get derailed by the unexpected, then integrate the new pieces into your journey. (Kind of like how the best podcast ads come from ad libs, not copy points. #SaveTheLiveReads) Want more insights on unlocking creativity again and again from two champions of audio creativity? Tune in to the full episode here:

Podcasting began with a dream and a mic, but to reach the world, they often benefited from having someone in their corner, like this week’s guest. On a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts indie-creator advocate Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn, and Founder, Megaphone). Libsyn is also the founding sponsor of our Indie PaC Awards, which is an extension of their 20+ years of support for independent creators. Join Dan and Brendan as they cover: Indie Wins, Definitions, The Creator’s Voice, and more. Let’s dig in. “For us, it’s: how do we think about bringing revenue to [creators] and helping them fuel their dreams on the business side?” – Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn) Indies Hit Different – Whether brands realize it or not, they have a vested interest in supporting indie creators. Why? 80% of the top shows ranked by ORBIT are independents. Indies consistently punch above their weight in regard to ROI. Marketers, if you have an out-sized indie performer in your campaign, odds are you owe Libsyn a “thank you.” And if Indies aren’t a part of your strategy, you’re leaving performers on the table. The Definition of Independence – What makes a show independent? In part, it’s what they aren’t: no big network, no outside influence, no celebrity vehicles, no safety net. In other words, indies are creators where your support makes a vital difference. Podcasting is a fragile meritocracy where independent voices can only make an impact if they can distribute and monetize from day one. Then they’ll have a chance to find their audience. The Voice of the Creators – There’s one play you need to steal from Brendan’s business playbook. No matter the issue, he approaches it from the mindset of his core customer, the creators. Take AI: we have 10% improvement tools for creators (transcriptions), but where’s that improvement going to come from, and can you make that tool first? Marketers, bring the voice of your customers into your most important discussions and give them what they ask for. For more insights on independent creators and why they’re vital to marketers, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds They Make The Rules, So Get In Their Line-up Network: Audioboom / Monthly Downloads: 100k Of the 224 scripted series on TV and streaming last year, only 49 of the creators were women, and just 27 were BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). When Issa Rae created the iconic YouTube series Awkward Black Girl, and became the writer and star of HBO’s Insecure, she instantly cemented herself as a prominent cultural creative with a unique voice. Now, at the tenth anniversary of the show’s premiere, Rae and showrunner Prentice Penny are sitting down to view the long-term ripple effects that their show has created. Besides earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, the show had a stunning influence on the industry at large, and the work itself calls for retrospection and candid critique. This simulcast opportunity premieres on 4/27, and will be produced by Rae’s production company HOORAE Media. If you’re not too insecure, click the link below for more information. Get The Deal This Business Baddie Makes Bank Network: Flight Studio / Monthly Downloads: 40k Flight Studio has been hard at work expanding its roster of shows, and with that investment comes a fresh new podcast from an intriguing source. Maggie Sellers Reum both invests in brands and has developed a brand of her own. She works as a coveted multi-hyphenate: investor (Allara, De Soi, Sydecar), entrepreneur, writer, influencer, and now, podcast host. This self-improvement and business-focused offering is perfect for those who want to get a little hotter, a little smarter, and a whole lot richer. Sellers Reum interviews a multitude of guests who can help you achieve those goals, and always frames dreams as attainable and worth the effort. For women looking to become their best selves, this podcast offers many informed opinions on topics ranging from life after divorce to social media beauty trends.  If you’re ready to get advice from one of the newest, brightest stars in the biz, click the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Small Slice, Big Signal: Podcasts Punch Above Their Spend Guideline’s latest Digital Audio Market report says digital audio remains under-monetized relative to usage, reaching 58% of U.S. adults while capturing just 2% of media dollars. In the U.S., podcasts drove 77% of digital audio ad revenue growth in 2025 despite accounting for just 31% of media spend. Guideline projects total U.S. digital audio ad spend will grow from $2.6 billion in 2025 to $2.9 billion in 2026, with podcasts rising to 35% of category spend. We know audio is under-invested relative to consumption,  but the bigger news here is podcasting’s growth in a soft market. That tells you marketers are investing in a channel that drives business impact. For brands with limited investment, this is a signal to get more aggressive. Read More Lights, Camera, Collective Bargaining: Video Podcasts Enter the Union Era As video podcasts expand onto streaming platforms, SAG-AFTRA is increasing its efforts to organize the space and define how those projects should be managed. The article points to Netflix’s The Pete Davidson Show signing a SAG-AFTRA podcast agreement, noting that the union already has two podcast contracts in place, and says it expects to expand coverage across more shows as video podcasts increasingly blur the line between podcasts and streaming shows. More structure and standards would be good for marketers. We suspect SAG-AFTRA will have the most influence at the top end of the market, where the biggest names already resemble traditional talent and might even already belong to the union. That likely means established creators get more expensive, while much of the broader creator economy remains too fragmented to organize in the same way. Read More Magellan Brings Podcast Measurement to the Locals Magellan AI has integrated Nielsen DMA data into its platform, giving advertisers a standardized way to measure podcast performance at the local market level. Buyers and sellers will be able to evaluate podcasts’ impact across Nielsen’s 210 markets and compare podcast results more directly with channels like linear TV and radio. Many marketers still see gaps in podcasting’s audience measurement. This partnership will help close part of that gap by giving advertisers visibility into delivery at the DMA level, which is especially valuable for brands that buy nationally but need to understand performance in their most important markets. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads No Need to Prolon(g) Your Health – Listen to Your Friend Tinx Lifestyle personality and content creator Tinx is this week’s stellar read after recommending Prolon on her show, It’s Me, Tinx. Tinx kicks things off by acknowledging the universal truth that long work weeks and chaotic weekends can leave anyone feeling like a slightly crumpled human, which makes the idea of a five-day reset so appealing. The way she explains Prolon is refreshingly simple: five boxes, five days, no planning, no chaos. Just open the box and trust the process. What really makes her read fun, though, is her personal storytelling. She’s been on the Prolon train since before her influencer era, which adds a little credibility flex without feeling braggy. Her tone stays light, self-aware, and conversational the whole time, like she’s sharing a wellness tip in a group chat rather than delivering a sales pitch. By the time she gets to the discount and bonus gift, it feels less like an ad and more like a friendly nudge toward a tiny five-day glow-up experiment! If you want to cleanse your ears with a great read, click on the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Podcasting began with a dream and a mic, but to reach the world, they often benefited from having someone in their corner, like this week’s guest. On a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts indie-creator advocate Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn, and Founder, Megaphone). Libsyn is also the founding sponsor of our Indie PaC Awards, which is an extension of their 20+ years of support for independent creators. Join Dan and Brendan as they cover: Indie Wins, Definitions, The Creator’s Voice, and more. Let’s dig in. “For us, it’s: how do we think about bringing revenue to [creators] and helping them fuel their dreams on the business side?” – Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn) Indies Hit Different – Whether brands realize it or not, they have a vested interest in supporting indie creators. Why? 80% of the top shows ranked by ORBIT are independents. Indies consistently punch above their weight in regard to ROI. Marketers, if you have an out-sized indie performer in your campaign, odds are you owe Libsyn a “thank you.” And if Indies aren’t a part of your strategy, you’re leaving performers on the table. The Definition of Independence – What makes a show independent? In part, it’s what they aren’t: no big network, no outside influence, no celebrity vehicles, no safety net. In other words, indies are creators where your support makes a vital difference. Podcasting is a fragile meritocracy where independent voices can only make an impact if they can distribute and monetize from day one. Then they’ll have a chance to find their audience. The Voice of the Creators – There’s one play you need to steal from Brendan’s business playbook. No matter the issue, he approaches it from the mindset of his core customer, the creators. Take AI: we have 10% improvement tools for creators (transcriptions), but where’s that improvement going to come from, and can you make that tool first? Marketers, bring the voice of your customers into your most important discussions and give them what they ask for. For more insights on independent creators and why they’re vital to marketers, check out the full episode below.

B2B marketers don’t have the luxury of choosing between building brands or boosting ROI, they need to do both. So how do you do it? You listen to this week’s special guest, who’s spent her entire career managing this delicate balancing act. On this week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts veteran CMO Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation). Laura’s been everywhere, including prime time with the NFL, where she learned brand-building, to CMO roles at podcast mainstays like LegalZoom and Constant Contact. Join Dan and Laura as they cover: The Numbers, B2B Storytime, The Arms Race, and more. Let’s dig in. “ I want you to feel great about our brands, and that you trust them, but I also want you to transact.” – Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation) Know Thy Numbers, Love Thy Tools – Laura has two key tips for CMOs. First: know your numbers well. Whatever’s most important for the business, get in the weeds and make sure you’re tracking it. Second, embrace the tools at your disposal. The tech stack is constantly improving, so it pays to get curious about what’s out there and see how it can drive your key metrics. (Steal Laura’s idea for a Shark Tank day where vendors pitch you new tools.) Why B2B loves Podcasts – B2B companies don’t always have a physical product, which makes podcast endorsements a dream format. Hosts can just tell customers a story that helps listeners feel what it’s like to use the product. Laura remembers the “a-ha moment” when she first heard an ad hoc story about using her product. That transformed the ad from a list of dry features to something organic, persuasive, and alive. B2B wins on podcasts because it gives listeners more time to feel the story. Stay out of the Arms Race – Sometimes you’re the biggest company, and you can press your advantage, but most companies can’t compete in every channel. That’s why you need to know your space and look for your strategic advantage. Get sharp with your public-facing hygiene (up-to-date Wikipedia & accurate Reddit moderation), since that will drive AI search results. Turns out forced scrappiness can be a blessing in disguise. For insights from a CMO who’s thrived in B2B through changing landscapes, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds This Hilarious Four-Leaf Clover Is Your Testing Good Luck Charm Network: Acast / Monthly Downloads: 30k March is a double header for heritage months, and our first classified is in celebration of Irish-American Heritage. Hosts Tommy Tiernan, broadcaster Hector Ó hEochagáin,and podcasting producer Laurita Blewitt are beloved figures in the Irish comedy scene. This seasonal offering often records at live shows, which creates an electric back and forth between these hilarious hosts and a highly receptive audience. Their style of humor is aligned with conversational bits that often involve wild stories, vivid recollections, and outlandish impressions. For those keyed into the Irish comedy scene, or who want to connect back to their homeland, this podcast has been consistently lauded as a comfort. Advertisers with broad international appeal have historically leaned into that messaging in creative reads, often with great success. The newest season has yet to premiere in 2026, so there’s still time to book your test today. If you’re ready to visit the Emerald Isle, click the link below. Get The Deal A YT Legend Dives Deep Into the Shadowy Side of Life Network: Red Seat Ventures / Monthly Downloads:  770k Our second classified opportunity is in celebration of Women’s History Month, and who better as a representative than legendary YouTuber Bailey Sarian. The morbid makeup queen has been a mainstay in the true crime ecosystem for half a decade. Sarian built a niche genre into two podcasts and a YouTube channel that boasts nearly 8 million subscribers. Bailey is universally praised for her high production value, thorough research, and makeup skills. Though her bread and butter is true crime, Dark History covers a broader spectrum of topics, including tales of the occult, scams, and historical atrocities. These episodes have a less constrained structure than her past content, allowing her to connect more easily with her fans while showcasing her ribald humor. This is recommended for those seeking top-tier opportunities in True Crime and History that are female-skewed or heavily video-driven. Creep down into the murky dark with us by clicking below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Video Podcasts Are Growing. Apple Is Playing Catch-Up This week, we’re starting off with Coleman Insights look at Apple’s renewed push into video podcasts. Apple has supported video via RSS since 2005 but largely stopped promoting it. Today, 85% of consumers define podcasts as audio or video (up from 75% in 2023), and 77% say they switch between formats. That shift should be a tailwind, but Apple’s audience is aging: among 18–24s, Apple Podcasts usage falls to single digits. Apple is playing catch-up on video, and the move is smart in one important way: it sets Apple up to be more advertiser-friendly. But the article’s warning stands: YouTube has a multi-year lead in video (and it’s why Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, and Apple will struggle to catch them). The marketing implication in 2026 is straightforward: if video podcasts are on your plan, YouTube should be the centerpiece, with everything else treated as experimentation. Read More The Audio Strategy Gap That Marketers Still Haven’t Solved An EMARKETER survey commissioned by Amazon Ads finds 67% of marketers now include streaming audio and podcasts in their media mix. The top cited strength is incremental reach as their main motivation for choosing their media mix (52%). Marketers also see commerce potential: 25% believe consumers shop while listening, which skews performance. The biggest constraint on scaling spend remains ROI measurement (55%). Audio attribution has improved, but reliable measurement is still a challenge for marketers. This survey shows the gap is real. Marketers say the top reason to buy digital audio is incremental reach, but many still judge it like a pure performance channel. The move for 2026: use audio to extend reach and drive performance, and work with your partners to gain confidence in measurement. Read More Brand Lift Is the Incrementality Metric Marketers Need Signal Hill Insights looks at how brand lift studies measure incrementality by comparing exposed vs. control group reactions. In this case study: a YouTube podcast ad campaign for a home internet brand showed a 12-point lift in consideration (52% exposed vs. 40% control baseline). Even brands with high awareness (72% familiarity) can see demonstrable incremental lift in mid-funnel metrics. For marketers looking to improve audio measurement, add brand lift studies to your toolkit. They quantify incrementality by comparing exposed and control groups, which gives you proof of impact beyond clicks and last-touch attribution. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Putting Acorns Away Early Doesn’t Have To Be Pedantic For this week’s stellar read, we’re spotlighting Dr. Mona Amin, host of The PedsDoc Talk Podcast. She opens her Acorns Early sponsorship with a quick story about her son’s crafting, immediately connecting with parents listening. The moment naturally leads into a conversation about teaching kids the value of money, making the brand feel like a real solution rather than a scripted insert. Dr. Amin highlights features like the chores tracker and savings goals through the lens of her own parenting, keeping the message simple, relatable, and sincere. It’s a strong reminder of the value of working with creators who truly understand their audience and know how to integrate a brand into the conversations listeners already trust them for. If you want to hear this thoughtful read in action, listen via the provided link. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News The Indie PAC Awards Get the Hollywood Reporter Treatment The Hollywood Reporter is talking about us… and we’re not mad about it. The inaugural Indie PaC Awards got its first major press hit ahead of our March 15 debut at Podcast Movement Evolutions during SXSW in Austin, TX. Independent podcasters and creators built this industry from scratch. Sunday, we celebrate them. Grab your spot here. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

B2B marketers don’t have the luxury of choosing between building brands or boosting ROI, they need to do both. So how do you do it? You listen to this week’s special guest, who’s spent her entire career managing this delicate balancing act. On this week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts veteran CMO Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation). Laura’s been everywhere, including prime time with the NFL, where she learned brand-building, to CMO roles at podcast mainstays like LegalZoom and Constant Contact. Join Dan and Laura as they cover: The Numbers, B2B Storytime, The Arms Race, and more. Let’s dig in. “ I want you to feel great about our brands, and that you trust them, but I also want you to transact.” – Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation) Know Thy Numbers, Love Thy Tools – Laura has two key tips for CMOs. First: know your numbers well. Whatever’s most important for the business, get in the weeds and make sure you’re tracking it. Second, embrace the tools at your disposal. The tech stack is constantly improving, so it pays to get curious about what’s out there and see how it can drive your key metrics. (Steal Laura’s idea for a Shark Tank day where vendors pitch you new tools.) Why B2B loves Podcasts – B2B companies don’t always have a physical product, which makes podcast endorsements a dream format. Hosts can just tell customers a story that helps listeners feel what it’s like to use the product. Laura remembers the “a-ha moment” when she first heard an ad hoc story about using her product. That transformed the ad from a list of dry features to something organic, persuasive, and alive. B2B wins on podcasts because it gives listeners more time to feel the story. Stay out of the Arms Race – Sometimes you’re the biggest company, and you can press your advantage, but most companies can’t compete in every channel. That’s why you need to know your space and look for your strategic advantage. Get sharp with your public-facing hygiene (up-to-date Wikipedia & accurate Reddit moderation), since that will drive AI search results. Turns out forced scrappiness can be a blessing in disguise. For insights from a CMO who’s thrived in B2B through changing landscapes, check out the full episode below.

This year, America celebrates its 250th birthday. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low. AI is landing like an alien invasion. Nobody knows what’s coming or who to trust. So, is the American idea still alive? Meritocracy, free speech, open exchange? It’s hard, but it’s alive in podcasting and creator media. The greatest canvas for the free and open exchange of ideas, with no gatekeepers, no FCC, no program directors deciding what can and cannot be said. That’s been the spirit of this medium for more than two decades. Pirate radio for the internet age. But as the money has flowed in, consolidation has followed. Networks bought up shows, platforms locked creators into exclusive contracts, and some shows now have 20 minutes of ads per hour. Some of us came from radio. We left for a reason. Now, we’re watching parts of this industry try to rebuild the thing we escaped from. So, we decided to do something about it. Today, we’re announcing the first-ever Independent Podcast and Creator Awards (Indie PaC), happening at SXSW in Austin on Sunday, March 15th. The ceremony will be hosted by Killer Mike, the Grammy-winning artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for creator ownership who has built his career on the same principles of independence the awards celebrate. There’s nobody better to host this. Libsyn (Liberated Syndication Inc.), a longtime champion of independent creators and the leading podcasting platform for both creators and advertisers, is serving as the founding sponsor. This is the only awards ceremony exclusively for independent creators. No corporate shows. No celebrity vehicles. No platform exclusives. Jury-voted awards judged by Ashley Flowers, James Cridland, Hernan Lopez, and Gladwell Mwangi. The ORBIT Influence Awards based on real performance data. Patron Awards for the brands investing most in independents. And The Oxford Prize in Podcasting for lifetime achievement. Nominees include Steven Bartlett, Theo Von, Lex Fridman, Tim Ferriss, Shawn Ryan, Kill Tony, and dozens more, plus breakthrough creators like Kendall Rae, CreepCast, Jomboy, and Hala Taha, who are all building real audiences from the ground up. When we look at our ORBIT rankings, built on over $1.6 billion in campaign data, the independents consistently win. They work harder, they care more, and they deliver better value. It’s the difference between going to a local restaurant where the owner is cooking the food and hitting a fast-food drive-thru. This is Year One. It’ll be a little gritty, but independent creators tore down the gates and proved you don’t need anyone’s permission to build an audience that trusts you. And the establishment is starting to take notice. Today, Caitlin Huston at The Hollywood Reporter broke the exclusive on the Indie PaC Awards, recognizing this movement and the creators who are driving it. In a year when the American Experiment feels like it’s fraying, this is where it’s working. This is the new town square. Sunday, March 15th. Sounds Profitable Stage at Skybox on 6th. Austin, TX. 4:30 PM. Full details are available at IndiePaC.com. Listen to the full announcement on The Media Roundtable below, and read The Hollywood Reporter’s exclusive coverage here. The Classifieds These Famous Friends Stop Getting Nice, and Start Getting Real Network: Nativ.ly / Monthly Downloads: 350k In the first two minutes of this brand-new podcast, rapper Lil Dicky, joined by his wife Kristin Batalucco and friend Benny Blanco, exclaims, “… in this new multi-media format. Notice how I’m not using the word podcast…it’s so much more than a podcast.” Though our founder, Dan Granger, would likely disagree, it’s not surprising that this intrepid creator wants to emphasize the groundbreaking nature of this entry. Through his music videos and TV show Dave, Lil Dicky has always distinguished himself as a creator and comedian. In this sit-down simulcast show, filmed with multiple cameras in his LA home, the hosts try to reestablish the idea of a hang sesh and enliven the medium through artistic editing and sight gags. Though the ad read will undoubtedly feature a creative and production value associated with brand dollars, the format’s flexibility also aligns closely with performance-based advertisers. You don’t have to “blow that bank” to get in on this amazing offer. It’s time to “$ave Dat Money” by clicking the link below. Get The Deal Lore No Longer, the Spotlight Is Here Network: Podcast Nation / Monthly Downloads: 800k Though Eleanor Neale is quite young (she’s only 27), she has already been crowned the queen of the UK YouTube True Crime scene. Since 2018, the redheaded Brit has been making long-form content on famous murder cases, unsettling topics, and deep dives into little-known lore.  Her channel and podcast have amassed millions of loyal followers who tune in each week to hear her clear-cut reporting on distinctly unsettling information, delivered in her signature straightforward manner. Her brand is closely aligned with a research-based approach with an earnest focus on victims’ rights. Her long-running podcast recently found a new home with Podcast Nation, which is offering placements in both new episode releases and the extensive back catalogue. Clients with an international consumer base are strongly recommended to test into this female-skewing offering. This might seem like a folktale, but you can discover the real value of this opportunity via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It TikTok Goes Long…Form TikTok continues its long-form podcasting push with “TikTok in the Mix,” a four-episode live series featuring artists who broke out on the platform. This comes on the heels of TikTok’s November 2025 partnership with iHeartMedia to launch the TikTok Podcast Network. If you think of TikTok as a place for short-form content, please pay close attention. TikTok is branching out into long-form content. Keep an eye on the platform for investing in independent creators and their fandoms to capture highly loyal audiences for branded content. Of course, wait until there’s a way to measure performance, because that should be an industry requisite for anyone entering into the space. Read More Stop Renting Fans – Start Joining Them The Drum’s roundup of 15+ agency leaders argues sports marketing is shifting from “renting attention” via logo placement to earning relevance inside fan communities. Tentpole sponsorships matter, but brands can make those investments work harder through social, creator partnerships, and always-on engagement. Emerging leagues and niche communities are efficient campaign add-ons where brands can participate more authentically and measure impact directly. Keep the NFL money where it is. Tentpole rights buy reach and legitimacy; sports radio, podcasts, and creator partnerships are complementary, delivering credible, always-on access to the fan’s daily routine. Shift a portion of the budget to extend the sponsorship into community participation between games, not just on game day. Read More You Don’t Want to Skip This Revelation In a recently released report, Bumper argues that podcast ad skipping is real, but routinely overstated when measured via surveys. Using episode retention histograms from Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, they quantify “ad retention” by comparing the audience present during an ad break vs. the audience that likely would have been absent, skipping. Across many client shows, they often see 90%+ ad retention. However, longer ad breaks correlate with more avoidance (publishers: please note). In conclusion, don’t default to “everyone skips”; it’s more nuanced than that: consumers don’t do what they say they do. They over-claim ad skipping in surveys. Plan on observed, measurable retention, not self-reported attitudes. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads The Professor’s Lesson On Attracting the Best Talent Is Indeed Perfection In this week’s entry, we get to see how Scott Galloway makes Indeed feel like an absolute essential tool for those who want to get serious about hiring. On his hit show, Prof G Markets, he speaks directly to his audience of founders and business decision-makers who understand that talent is leverage, and leverage drives growth. By spotlighting the 90% higher likelihood of making a hire with Indeed’s sponsored job feature, Scott anchors the message in performance and ROI, the language his audience respects. He cuts through the chaos of sorting through resumes and reframes hiring as a competitive advantage, not a chore. The $75 job credit lowers the barrier to entry for anyone interested, making it an easy, smart move for those ready to scale. In classic Galloway fashion, this feels less like an ad and more like sharp business advice: build the right team, win the market. His tone is also calm and soothing, fostering quiet trust in his recommendation that is neither forced nor inauthentic. If you want to hear how a pro gets things done, listen via the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News For Sports, ORBIT Says Niche Is the New Major You read it here first, but our latest ORBIT rankings on the top-performing sports podcasts were featured in eMarketer, highlighting how niche categories are outpacing the major leagues in advertiser ROI. The coverage explores our findings that motorsports, participatory sports such as fantasy sports and golf, and even NFL off-season content are generating stronger results than traditional in-season programming. The takeaway for marketers? Passion beats popularity, and we have the data that backs it up. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

This year, America celebrates its 250th birthday. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low. AI is landing like an alien invasion. Nobody knows what’s coming or who to trust. So, is the American idea still alive? Meritocracy, free speech, open exchange? It’s hard, but it’s alive in podcasting and creator media. The greatest canvas for the free and open exchange of ideas, with no gatekeepers, no FCC, no program directors deciding what can and cannot be said. That’s been the spirit of this medium for more than two decades. Pirate radio for the internet age. But as the money has flowed in, consolidation has followed. Networks bought up shows, platforms locked creators into exclusive contracts, and some shows now have 20 minutes of ads per hour. Some of us came from radio. We left for a reason. Now, we’re watching parts of this industry try to rebuild the thing we escaped from. So, we decided to do something about it. Today, we’re announcing the first-ever Independent Podcast and Creator Awards (Indie PaC), happening at SXSW in Austin on Sunday, March 15th. The ceremony will be hosted by Killer Mike, the Grammy-winning artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for creator ownership who has built his career on the same principles of independence the awards celebrate. There’s nobody better to host this. Libsyn (Liberated Syndication Inc.), a longtime champion of independent creators and the leading podcasting platform for both creators and advertisers, is serving as the founding sponsor. This is the only awards ceremony exclusively for independent creators. No corporate shows. No celebrity vehicles. No platform exclusives. Jury-voted awards judged by Ashley Flowers, James Cridland, Hernan Lopez, and Gladwell Mwangi. The ORBIT Influence Awards based on real performance data. Patron Awards for the brands investing most in independents. And The Oxford Prize in Podcasting for lifetime achievement. Nominees include Steven Bartlett, Theo Von, Lex Fridman, Tim Ferriss, Shawn Ryan, Kill Tony, and dozens more, plus breakthrough creators like Kendall Rae, CreepCast, Jomboy, and Hala Taha, who are all building real audiences from the ground up. When we look at our ORBIT rankings, built on over $1.6 billion in campaign data, the independents consistently win. They work harder, they care more, and they deliver better value. It’s the difference between going to a local restaurant where the owner is cooking the food and hitting a fast-food drive-thru. This is Year One. It’ll be a little gritty, but independent creators tore down the gates and proved you don’t need anyone’s permission to build an audience that trusts you. And the establishment is starting to take notice. Today, Caitlin Huston at The Hollywood Reporter broke the exclusive on the Indie PaC Awards, recognizing this movement and the creators who are driving it. In a year when the American Experiment feels like it’s fraying, this is where it’s working. This is the new town square. Sunday, March 15th. Sounds Profitable Stage at Skybox on 6th. Austin, TX. 4:30 PM. Full details are available at IndiePaC.com. Listen to the full announcement on The Media Roundtable below, and read The Hollywood Reporter’s exclusive coverage here.

Lost in today’s media landscape? Or are you just curious as to how the industry got here? You need to go back to Marshall McLuhan, the grandfather of media literacy, and the grandfather of this week’s special guest. On this week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin ( EVP,  Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome the legacy media guru Andrew McLuhan (Director & Founder, The McLuhan Institute). Andrew’s work continues the legacy of his grandfather (Marshall McLuhan) and father (Eric McLuhan). The McLuhan family’s work is enormously relevant to marketers: it’s all about the effect that media and technology have on people. When marketers decide which channels to use and how to craft & place their messages, they would do well to draw on McLuhan’s insights. Dan, Giles, and Andrew are talking: Early Media Literacy, The Media is The Message, and Hot vs. Cool. Let’s dig in. “Nobody loves being sold stuff, so you’re already at a disadvantage. But people do love creativity. If that’s not a license to have some fun, I don’t know what is.” – Andrew McLuhan (Director & Founder, The McLuhan Institute) Early Media Literacy – Over 80 years ago, Marshall McLuhan had a wild idea: take new approaches to understanding literature and apply them to media and technology. That was the birth of ‘media literacy’, and it still has much to teach us about why people behave the way they do. One takeaway: in the post-linear video-electric age, advertisers need to sell a ‘vibe’, not a product. The Media is still the Message – Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “The Medium is the Message” in 1958, talking to radio broadcasters worried about TV. It could also apply to audio podcasters worried about video. The truth is, people interact with audio and video differently (more on that below), so each plays a different role. One doesn’t replace the other. Marketers should ask themselves: what effect am I trying to achieve, and which medium is the best for that effect? So Hot. So Cool – At the risk of having an Annie Hall moment, let’s talk about McLuhan’s theory of hot and cool media. Cool media (like audio podcasts) make you participate more actively in the media experience by mentally filling in gaps in information. The richer the information (adding in video), the hotter the media, and the more passive the audience becomes. When you want someone to act (like most performance advertisers), cool media can mean the audience is more attentive and engaged. This could help explain the audio podcasts’ boost in response. For insights drawing from early radio dramas to Hollywood goats, you owe it to yourself to check out the full episode below. Your Monthly ORBIT Report – Feb 2026 Niche Sports Grab the Gold February is overflowing with sports, with the Olympics and the “Big Game” dominating airwaves. That’s why we used ORBIT (Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool) to analyze the top-performing sports podcasts and networks. Turns out there are plenty of Moneyball opportunities year-round, including our top shows: #3 F1: Beyond The Grid, #2, 2 Pros And A Cup Of Joe, and #1 Locked On NHL. And special shoutout to our top networks, who have proven that their phenomenal sports content earns a spot in any roster: #3 The Athletic Media Company, #2 Harris Football, and #1 Good Karma Broadcasting. Just like managing a salary cap, smart decisions can set your campaign up for a championship run. Here to help you build a performance dynasty is ORBIT. A few key takeaways: Niches get Riches. Just fell in love with curling? You’re in good company. 67% of our top shows came from niche sports. And it makes sense. With a general NFL show, listeners spread out across the various teams. For niche shows, the community rallies around a single host, feels a greater affinity, and acts on host recs more often. Motorsports are in pole position. Motorsports are over 25% of our Top 15 shows. More importantly, they’re reliable. Unlike the short-lived spikes of the “Big Game” or March Madness, motorsports deliver sustained momentum over an 8-month season. Brands: You can stay top of mind for a deeply loyal fanbase for most of the year. Sounds like a checkered flag to us. For the complete February ORBIT Rankings and methodology, check out the full report here. The Classifieds Podcaster of all Trades, Master of None Network: Amplitude Media Partners / Monthly Downloads: 100k Seasonal podcasts are difficult to pitch: They’re often only producer-read, run for a limited amount of time, and there’s often zero previous performance to compare to. That said, countless direct-response advertisers have tested these opportunities with high success rates and often rebook when new seasons launch. Our first such show, produced by The Lever, is available for sale through Amplitude Media Partners. Investigative journalist and screenwriter David Sirota hosts this historic look at US politics and the factors that now shape our modern world. The narrative flow of the production is rooted in a wry humor that buoys its more unsavory elements. Advertisers who have found success on highly produced documentary-style offerings or in public radio are highly encouraged to test season 2, launching this March. You can request a plan by clicking below for more details. Get The Deal The Past Always Has a Way of Finding Us Again Network: Daylight Media / Monthly Downloads: 50k Our second opportunity is a well-established podcast that recently began its 10th season and 20th year of production. Nick van der Kolk is the show’s longtime host and frequent interviewer. Our main story revolves around a mythical figure in one of the most dangerous gangs in US history: the Aryan Brotherhood. Leader Michael Thompson is sitting in prison when he decides to change his life, redeem himself, and become an informant. From the perspective of two anonymous women, the series opens its multi-episode arc, setting the stage for a true story that never stops delivering malevolent twists. This is a highly produced podcast featuring a variety of past direct-response top performers across multiple categories. Those who are looking for self-improvement-minded young professionals are highly recommended to test out the season’s last several episodes. Don’t stay radio silent, turn in your information via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It From Daytime TV to Anytime Pods The Kelly Clarkson Show and Sherri cancellations fuel fears that video podcasts are displacing TV talk shows. Cable viewership is down 39% since 2021; podcast listening time is up 355% since 2015 to 773M hours/week. Talk show producers now compete with podcasts for guest bookings. WGA West is urging union organizing around YouTube/podcasts as “the future of television.” Talk shows aren’t dying because the format doesn’t work. They’re going extinct because podcasts and YouTube now do it better, with lower costs and fewer gatekeepers. The audience moved first, as it always does when content is compelling and easy to access. Advertisers now must adapt to this shift in consumer behavior. Read More She Listens. She Trusts. She Buys. A Katz Radio Group survey found that 70% of women 18+ consider podcasts trustworthy, approaching broadcast radio’s 83% trust level, as female podcast listenership reaches near parity with men. Edison data shows that 45% of U.S. women listen monthly (52% when video podcasts are included), totaling roughly 60 million women. Among those who have heard podcast ads, 75% report taking action, and nearly half say podcast advertising improves brand favorability, especially for brands supporting women-hosted shows. With women now at parity in podcast consumption and 75% taking action after hearing ads, they should be a priority in podcast planning. Lean into women-hosted shows in particular, where the trust multiplier is real, and brand alignment carries more weight. Read More Radio’s Future Is Here, But It’s Not in Charge Yet Radio’s digital business continues to expand, now accounting for 24.4% of total industry revenue ($2.3B in 2025) according to RAB/Borrell. Since 2022, digital revenue has grown at an 8.3% CAGR while core broadcast revenue has declined 2.2%. Digital may be where radio’s growth lies, but it’s not the core business yet. Roughly three-quarters of ad dollars and nearly 90% of listening still lives in broadcast. For marketers, terrestrial should remain the foundation of the plan, with digital as the complement. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Boll & Branch Pampers with Warm Luxury There are two types of people in winter: those who survive it and those who turn their beds into luxury retreats to escape it, just like Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson on their podcast, What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood.  Amy and Margaret are warm, relaxed, and full of those “wait, same” moments that make listeners lean in. Their genuine love for the cozy season shines through as they rave about their buttery soft Boll & Branch sheets. Margaret’s confession about sleeping hotter every year adds that perfectly relatable touch. Instead of listing features, they naturally fold in the benefits like 100% organic cotton, breathable comfort, softer with every wash, so everything is filled with enthusiasm rather than a scripted response. This live read also smartly ties the product to winter coziness, making it timely and emotionally resonant, while the sensory language helps listeners imagine the upgrade in their own bedrooms. Add in social proof with the 30-night guarantee, and a clear discount offer, and you’ve got a message that builds trust and urgency at the same time. By the time they tell listeners to “get cozy,” it feels less like an ad and more like two friends convincing you to level up your sleep for the rest of the season and all year long. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Lost in today’s media landscape? Or are you just curious as to how the industry got here? You need to go back to Marshall McLuhan, the grandfather of media literacy, and the grandfather of this week’s special guest. On this week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin ( EVP,  Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome the legacy media guru Andrew McLuhan (Director & Founder, The McLuhan Institute). Andrew’s work continues the legacy of his grandfather (Marshall McLuhan) and father (Eric McLuhan). The McLuhan family’s work is enormously relevant to marketers: it’s all about the effect that media and technology have on people. When marketers decide which channels to use and how to craft & place their messages, they would do well to draw on McLuhan’s insights. Dan, Giles, and Andrew are talking: Early Media Literacy, The Media is The Message, and Hot vs. Cool. Let’s dig in. “Nobody loves being sold stuff, so you’re already at a disadvantage. But people do love creativity. If that’s not a license to have some fun, I don’t know what is.” – Andrew McLuhan (Director & Founder, The McLuhan Institute) Early Media Literacy – Over 80 years ago, Marshall McLuhan had a wild idea: take new approaches to understanding literature and apply them to media and technology. That was the birth of ‘media literacy’, and it still has much to teach us about why people behave the way they do. One takeaway: in the post-linear video-electric age, advertisers need to sell a ‘vibe’, not a product. The Media is still the Message – Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “The Medium is the Message” in 1958, talking to radio broadcasters worried about TV. It could also apply to audio podcasters worried about video. The truth is, people interact with audio and video differently (more on that below), so each plays a different role. One doesn’t replace the other. Marketers should ask themselves: what effect am I trying to achieve, and which medium is the best for that effect? So Hot. So Cool – At the risk of having an Annie Hall moment, let’s talk about McLuhan’s theory of hot and cool media. Cool media (like audio podcasts) make you participate more actively in the media experience by mentally filling in gaps in information. The richer the information (adding in video), the hotter the media, and the more passive the audience becomes. When you want someone to act (like most performance advertisers), cool media can mean the audience is more attentive and engaged. This could help explain the audio podcasts’ boost in response. For insights drawing from early radio dramas to Hollywood goats, you owe it to yourself to check out the full episode below.

History has seen the rise of countless monarchies, but very few have the grit and determination to stand the test of time. No, we’re not talking about the newest Game of Thrones spin-off; this is a historical dive into the rise of audio, from the early days of radio to the explosion of podcasts and beyond. The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back with a one-of-a-kind episode that aims to change your understanding of the medium forever. Presenting the Ad Infinitum Season 3 finale, Episode 16: “The Royal and The Regent: The Audio Monarchy.” Hosted by Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) and guided by the “esteemed bard” and guest producer Jeanna Isham (Owner, Dreamr Productions), this episode takes you on a journey back in time to explore the meteoric rise of the “Audio Monarchy.” Throw out your history books and put on your headphones. This unusual episode explores how audio has become so dominant and how the kingdom can thrive going forward. The narrative spans from early TV jingles to YouTube CTAs, anchoring itself in the Six Sonic Laws of Audio Advertising, established by His Royal Highness, “King Radio”: #1 Attention, #2 Trust, #3 Memory, #4 Proximity, #5 Monetization, and #6 The Covenant (the promise not to abuse the listener’s time and to respect their loyalty). To discuss the above, the “council” includes: • Chancellor of the Airwaves: Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor, Oxford Road) • Royal Historian: Cynthia Meyers (Professor Emerita, College of Mount Saint Vincent) • Noble Scribes: Tom Webster (Partner, Sounds Profitable) and Paul Riismandel (President, Signal Hill Insights) • Brave Troubadours: Arielle Nissenblatt (Founder, Earbuds Podcast Collective), Dallas Taylor (host, Twenty Thousand Hertz), and Shaun Michael Colón (Director, The Age of Audio) Hear ye, hear ye: This is a must-listen for anyone interested in the business of sound. Join the Royal Council of Audio and step into the context of the monarchy. “Prince Podcasting was born on the principles of abundance, not scarcity, and focused on purposeful communication, not time sold to brands.” – Jeanna Isham (Owner, Dreamr Productions) Obey Thy Covenant – Six sonic laws have powered the rise of audio, but marketers would do well to heed #6: The promise not to abuse the listeners’ time and to respect their loyalty. Radio lost share as ad loads increased, and podcasts risk the same future if they’re not careful. Marketers, you can help in two ways: 1. Don’t make hosts read boring ads. Instead, let them innovate. 2. Support networks with low ad loads. Do these, and you’ll preserve the audio kingdom for generations (and improve performance too). Who Owns Audio? – Early radio should be both a blueprint and a warning. Because the power of ownership isn’t static, early advertisers controlled content by sponsoring shows (think Kraft Music Hall). Power shifted to the broadcasters in the 50s, but as media choices expanded, it became clear: the true power is in the hands, and ears, of the audience. They can always leave. Podcasting, just like its hosts, must continually give its audience a reason to stay. The Grateful Pod – The birth of podcasts was fan-led, not corporate. The first RSS-published audio file was a Grateful Dead song circulated as a protest against George W. Bush’s inauguration. It was an intimate desire to connect, piggybacked by an unforeseen technological possibility. Podcasts thrive when they monetize sustainably while preserving their original, authentic human spirit. The Classifieds When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going Network: Young and Profiting Media / Monthly Downloads: 15k After Trent Shelton left the world of professional football in 2011, he pivoted his focus to helping others, centered around self-improvement and personal betterment. Shelton has written several books and founded the Christian-based nonprofit RehabTime, which prioritizes mental health. In his weekly podcast on Young and Profiting Media, Shelton delves deeper into complex, emotionally charged topics such as motivational tools, facing hard truths, and confidence building. There are many opportunities to work with the show, whether on the podcast itself or through Facebook or Instagram Reels, which have an impressive reach totaling in the millions. Recommended advertisers include those with a sizable female consumer base or those seeking self-improvement podcasts that target both spiritual and personal growth. Be the change you want to see in the world, and click the link below for additional details. Get The Deal Ballin’ Out With Two Legendary Women Network: AMP Sports / Monthly Downloads: 200k The term “360” is used frequently, but for advertisers unfamiliar with the market’s potential, it can be unclear where to start. That’s where we come in: two opportunities with the potential to be tested across social, video, or audio. Our first Classified this week comes from the WNBA, which returns in May to celebrate the league’s 30th anniversary. Two of the sport’s legendary players, Candace Parker and current Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston sit down every week to discuss what’s on their minds. Whether they’re detailing their perspective on in-game strategy or discussing their day-to-day lives, this twosome radiates positivity and assured confidence. Both brand and performance advertisers have found success by testing this opportunity and have also benefited from leveraging the show’s video production and social handles. Don’t wait ‘til the clock runs out to test this champion of a show. Take your shot at the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Bad Bunny Isn’t Just a Halftime Show Choice. He’s a Strategy Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t a random decision; it was a part of a strategic and carefully calculated campaign led by the NFL. NFL SVP Marissa Solis stated league growth is “mathematically impossible without Latinos,” citing 39M+ US Latino fans currently not being reached by the brand. Spanish-language Super Bowl broadcasts drew 1.9M viewers (+340% vs 2014’s first Spanish broadcast). The league’s “Por La Cultura” campaign positioned Bad Bunny as a strategic growth play. From a marketing perspective, Bad Bunny headlining makes total sense. The Hispanic segment represents roughly 20% of the US population, is growing, and skews younger than the national average. The NFL isn’t a cultural trend setter; it’s following demographics and making a smart growth calculation. Marketers should take note: if Hispanic audiences aren’t a deliberate part of your strategy, you’re limiting future growth potential. Read More Sports Podcasts Spike 358% After Games Spotify data shared with eMarketer shows sports podcast consumption surges 358% in the days following games and 172% above average in the lead-up, revealing a growing window of opportunity for advertisers beyond live viewing. Emarketer frames post-event conversations as potentially more effective than pre-game because fans are emotionally charged, seeking analysis, and primed for messaging tied to outcomes. This research is useful for any marketer with sports audio in their mix. As a complement to live sports, audio sees its highest engagement in the lead-up to games and immediately after. That pattern makes intuitive sense, and this data confirms how fans actually behave—using audio to get ready for the game and to process what just happened. Read More The Streaming Wars Continue: Here Comes Hulu Emarketer reports that Hulu’s licensing of the standalone video podcast “We’re Here to Help” escalates the streamer podcast arms race. Unlike companion pods (Only Murders, etc.), this mirrors YouTube’s video-first strategy. Netflix has already launched a Pete Davidson original and secured deals with iHeartMedia (15+ shows) and Spotify. Emarketer warns that the expansion introduces new fragmentation challenges for marketers. It was only a matter of time before Hulu followed YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon into video podcasts, and more CTV platforms will follow. What’s unclear is how this inventory will actually be sold and what measurements will be available. Marketers should expect short-term uncertainty, with performance measurement likely limited or nonexistent in the interim. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads AG1 for Parents: One Scoop, Zero Chaos Elise Hu helps parents juggle the chaos of raising kids and managing life with the help of AG1! Her podcast, Raising Us: A Parenting Podcast, delivers this live read to busy parents juggling packed schedules, carpools, and nonstop responsibilities, making AG1 feel like the easiest victory of the day. By boiling nutrition down to one scoop and 20 seconds of your time, Elise turns healthy habits into her quiet morning ritual before the kids wake up, painting AG1 as a calming anchor before the daily chaos begins. With delicious flavor callouts, smoothie options, and a focus on consistency over perfection, Elise makes AG1 feel like it naturally fits into family life. Add in the strong reviews, money-back guarantee, and generous limited-time offer, and the read lands as motivating, reassuring, and refreshingly doable exactly what makes it such a standout in audio history books! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

History has seen the rise of countless monarchies, but very few have the grit and determination to stand the test of time. No, we’re not talking about the newest Game of Thrones spin-off; this is a historical dive into the rise of audio, from the early days of radio to the explosion of podcasts and beyond. The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back with a one-of-a-kind episode that aims to change your understanding of the medium forever. Presenting the Ad Infinitum Season 3 finale, Episode 16: “The Royal and The Regent: The Audio Monarchy.” Hosted by Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) and guided by the “esteemed bard” and guest producer Jeanna Isham (Owner, Dreamr Productions), this episode takes you on a journey back in time to explore the meteoric rise of the “Audio Monarchy.” Throw out your history books and put on your headphones. This unusual episode explores how audio has become so dominant and how the kingdom can thrive going forward. The narrative spans from early TV jingles to YouTube CTAs, anchoring itself in the Six Sonic Laws of Audio Advertising, established by His Royal Highness, “King Radio”: #1 Attention, #2 Trust, #3 Memory, #4 Proximity, #5 Monetization, and #6 The Covenant (the promise not to abuse the listener’s time and to respect their loyalty). To discuss the above, the “council” includes: • Chancellor of the Airwaves: Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor, Oxford Road) • Royal Historian: Cynthia Meyers (Professor Emerita, College of Mount Saint Vincent) • Noble Scribes: Tom Webster (Partner, Sounds Profitable) and Paul Riismandel (President, Signal Hill Insights) • Brave Troubadours: Arielle Nissenblatt (Founder, Earbuds Podcast Collective), Dallas Taylor (host, Twenty Thousand Hertz), and Shaun Michael Colón (Director, The Age of Audio) Hear ye, hear ye: This is a must-listen for anyone interested in the business of sound. Join the Royal Council of Audio and step into the context of the monarchy. “Prince Podcasting was born on the principles of abundance, not scarcity, and focused on purposeful communication, not time sold to brands.” – Jeanna Isham (Owner, Dreamr Productions) Obey Thy Covenant – Six sonic laws have powered the rise of audio, but marketers would do well to heed #6: The promise not to abuse the listeners’ time and to respect their loyalty. Radio lost share as ad loads increased, and podcasts risk the same future if they’re not careful. Marketers, you can help in two ways: 1. Don’t make hosts read boring ads. Instead, let them innovate. 2. Support networks with low ad loads. Do these, and you’ll preserve the audio kingdom for generations (and improve performance too). Who Owns Audio? – Early radio should be both a blueprint and a warning. Because the power of ownership isn’t static, early advertisers controlled content by sponsoring shows (think Kraft Music Hall). Power shifted to the broadcasters in the 50s, but as media choices expanded, it became clear: the true power is in the hands, and ears, of the audience. They can always leave. Podcasting, just like its hosts, must continually give its audience a reason to stay. The Grateful Pod – The birth of podcasts was fan-led, not corporate. The first RSS-published audio file was a Grateful Dead song circulated as a protest against George W. Bush’s inauguration. It was an intimate desire to connect, piggybacked by an unforeseen technological possibility. Podcasts thrive when they monetize sustainably while preserving their original, authentic human spirit.

Advertising always walks a fine line between building audience trust and breaking it. So, how does one find that ever-important line? That’s the question at the center of this week’s Media Roundtable: Industry Edition. Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) is joined by our own experts Jillian Garner (Account Manager), Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Planning), and Kyle Jelinek (VP of Client Services) to break down what’s driving performance in podcasting. From Podtrac’s new multi-channel ranker to Podscribe’s latest incrementality report, the team explores what matters beyond downloads. They debate the long-form’s staying power, the durability of history podcasts, and what would happen if ChatGPT introduced ads. Let’s dig in. “Seeing that history podcasts are as popular as they are, it’s a good reminder that people aren’t actually moving away from depth. They’re just adding short-form [content] on top of it.” – Jillian Garner (Account Manager, Oxford Road) Multi-Channel Rankings – Podtrac has new rankings that include audio, video, and clip impressions. Getting a full picture of reach is hard, so any transparency is a win. Plus, Marketers can use the data in a few ways. If you know a show’s reach is largely from clips, negotiate those clips as part of the campaign. (And try for usage rights to run on your own paid channels). Are impressions audio-only? Factor in a greater episode completion rate as you analyze the CPMs. Historical Performance – History podcasts are epic in every sense of the word. You get multi-hour, in-depth episodes (Like Hardcore History) and a fanatical audience. Brands don’t always flock to these shows, but they’re worth considering. After all, hosts are trusted for their rigor, which flows on to advertisers. They won’t be hits for every brand, but we’ve seen lots of winners, and anecdotally, B2B marketers should take an especially close look. ChatGPT: Now with Ads? – Ads look like the next ChatGPT move. It’s worth highlighting the differences between podcast ads and AI ads. In ChatGPT, an ad undermines the trust and neutrality we’re used to. Meanwhile, podcasts have always had ads, and people can sense how much the hosts actually believe in what they’re saying. In other words: ads only work when there’s enough trust to inspire action. Marketers, the channels you choose for your brands should rely on audiences’ trusted sources for information. You can’t erode one and still expect performance. Want more insights from the forces shaping the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below. The Classifieds Dollaz Dollaz Bills Y’all Network: Barstool Sports / Monthly Downloads: 300k This week kicks off the start of Black History Month, and we are celebrating with two high-performing podcasts from African-American hosts. Our first selection has been a longtime behemoth in the music landscape, and a cultural touchstone for the rap and hip/hop community. Hosts Gillie da Kid and Wallo267 have countless years of experience as producers, musicians, and influencers, but it is their incisive, groundbreaking commentary that has given them staying power in the podcasting landscape. Beyond its cultural reach, the show has been praised by its audience for its raw, passionate conversations about the hosts’ personal struggles and lived experiences. Many high-profile guests have joined the twosome, including Kevin Hart and Shaq. Male-skew advertisers are highly recommended to consider this offering, especially those looking for a well-versed audience of culture vultures. Get your head in the game and out of the clouds by clicking the link below. Get The Deal No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn, Carmelo Says So Network: Wave Sports / Monthly Downloads: 350k Podcasting provides a level of access that previous generations of sports fans could only dream of. Carmelo Anthony is a ten-time NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team member who recently-ish retired. Since partnering with Wave Sports in 2023, Anthony has hosted a weekly podcast that covers his time as an athlete and explores his thoughts on music, movies, comedy, and everything else in between. Guests are often brought on to discuss their expertise or POV on introspective cultural moments, especially those from his beloved New York City. Recent episodes have featured iconoclasts such as Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, former New York Knicks shooting guard John Starks, and rapper Styles P. Advertisers who have achieved success in testing on this show are often tech companies with an efficiency mindset. Testing into a great podcast? No time like the present, so feel free to click below for more details. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It DAX: The Middle Child of Creator Marketing Is Winning Advertising Week published DAX US President Brian Conlan’s case for mid-tier creators (typically boasting 50,000 to 500,000 followers). The core argument: a podcaster with 40K weekly listeners averaging 40-minute sessions delivers more value than follower counts suggest. The case study recommends treating creators like media channels with “bench plans,” A/B testing, and 10-20% test budgets, scaling top performers into multi-flight deals. Big-name creators are essential for reach and credibility, but performance often comes from the mid-tier and long-tail results. Smart planning treats creators like a portfolio: cherry-pick top-tier talent, then drive efficiency through mid-tier and long-tail shows where pricing is efficient and ad reads are more flexible Read More Radio Didn’t Underperform, Your Model Did John Fix, the former P&G media analytics leader credited with bringing the company back into audio, argues that radio should be treated as a fundamentally new media channel in Media Mix Models. Historically, radio underperformed in MMMs due to its reliance on planned, low-granularity data and tight historical priors that constrained ROI to past norms. That has changed. Broadcasters now provide weekly, as-run radio delivery data at the DMA level. Fix recommends that modelers fully refresh MMMs using as-run data across the entire time series, relax historical priors, and allow the model to relearn radio’s contribution based on this improved signal. When the person most responsible for P&G’s renewed commitment to audio says MMMs need a reset, marketers and analysts should listen. Read More Why UK Brands Are Turning Up the Volume on Audio in 2026 Reuters Institute‘s 2026 journalism trends report finds news publishers expect search traffic to decline 43% over three years due to AI “answer engines.” In response, 71% say expanding audio formats is important since podcasts are harder for AI to rewrite/summarize than text. Two-thirds worry creators are drawing audiences away and 75% plan to encourage journalists to “behave more like creators.” U.S. creator ad spend hit $37B in 2025, growing 4x faster than the industry average. A projected 43% decline in search traffic is an existential threat to digital news. Audio and video are key to survival, so expect them to rise. The shift for marketers: newsrooms are pushing journalists to act more like creators, making premium news inventory feel less institutional and more personality-driven. For better or worse, early movers will benefit. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Swiftie Charm, Pilates Glow-Ups, and a Fabletics Mic Drop Kelly Keegs and Gia Mariano from the Taylor Watch podcast absolutely crush this Fabletics live read with boss babe energy, authenticity, and Swiftie-level charm, turning a simple promo into a full-on fashion moment. From Gia’s Pilates glow-up to the relatable struggle of wanting to look cute in class without dropping a fortune, these gals hit all the right notes, effortlessly blending real-life context with product perks. Their excitement feels genuine, not scripted, and their seamless back-and-forth makes the ad feel like part of the show, not an interruption. They spotlight the comfort, quality, and insane savings of the Fabletics VIP program (can you say 80% off?!), all while making listeners feel like they’re in on a stylish, money-saving secret. It’s fun, fresh, and the kind of read that not only informs but also makes you want to click the link right now and treat yourself to a matching set or two. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com!

Advertising always walks a fine line between building audience trust and breaking it. So, how does one find that ever-important line? That’s the question at the center of this week’s Media Roundtable: Industry Edition. Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) is joined by our own experts Jillian Garner (Account Manager), Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Planning), and Kyle Jelinek (VP of Client Services) to break down what’s driving performance in podcasting. From Podtrac’s new multi-channel ranker to Podscribe’s latest incrementality report, the team explores what matters beyond downloads. They debate the long-form’s staying power, the durability of history podcasts, and what would happen if ChatGPT introduced ads. Let’s dig in. “Seeing that history podcasts are as popular as they are, it’s a good reminder that people aren’t actually moving away from depth. They’re just adding short-form [content] on top of it.” – Jillian Garner (Account Manager, Oxford Road) Multi-Channel Rankings – Podtrac has new rankings that include audio, video, and clip impressions. Getting a full picture of reach is hard, so any transparency is a win. Plus, Marketers can use the data in a few ways. If you know a show’s reach is largely from clips, negotiate those clips as part of the campaign. (And try for usage rights to run on your own paid channels). Are impressions audio-only? Factor in a greater episode completion rate as you analyze the CPMs. Historical Performance – History podcasts are epic in every sense of the word. You get multi-hour, in-depth episodes (Like Hardcore History) and a fanatical audience. Brands don’t always flock to these shows, but they’re worth considering. After all, hosts are trusted for their rigor, which flows on to advertisers. They won’t be hits for every brand, but we’ve seen lots of winners, and anecdotally, B2B marketers should take an especially close look. ChatGPT: Now with Ads? – Ads look like the next ChatGPT move. It’s worth highlighting the differences between podcast ads and AI ads. In ChatGPT, an ad undermines the trust and neutrality we’re used to. Meanwhile, podcasts have always had ads, and people can sense how much the hosts actually believe in what they’re saying. In other words: ads only work when there’s enough trust to inspire action. Marketers, the channels you choose for your brands should rely on audiences’ trusted sources for information. You can’t erode one and still expect performance. Want more insights from the forces shaping the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

Imagine you’re the best at what you do… and you didn’t realize it until now. This week’s edition of Media Roundtable: Special Edition is another creator spotlight, as Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes Gina Ryan (Host, The Anxiety Coaches Podcast) to the pod. Gina’s podcast is a quiet ORBIT powerhouse, recently ranked #1 in our Self-Improvement list. But because brands don’t usually share results with creators, she had no idea she was a low-key marketing superstar. Dan and Gina sat down to unpack her (formerly) secret success. They’re talking: Honest Ads, The Listening Family, and Hyper Organic Growth. Let’s dig in. “I just talk about it as it’s still me. I don’t all of a sudden switch into: ‘And now a word from our sponsor,’ and become a radio advertisement.” – Gina Ryan (Host, The Anxiety Coaches Podcast) Be Clear, Be You – Gina’s success isn’t accidental; it’s the result of her very detailed approach to sponsorships. She discloses and separates the ads, then performs the read in her own voice. She’s not in sales mode: she’s the same calm, genuine presence that listeners hear during the show. She doesn’t rush copy; instead, she speaks from her experience and connects to brands she cares about. Another great sign: she rejects misaligned brands. It’s fine for an ad to clearly be an ad, as long as the host is still being their genuine self. The Listening Family – That’s how Gina refers to her audience. Not consumers, not followers, family. It helps that Gina built her podcast with the intent to help, not to grow and monetize a following. You want a protective host because they’re actively maintaining the hard-won trust they’ve built with the audience. Hyper Organic Growth – Gina grew the podcast over many years without relying on a dedicated marketing or promotional push. She focused on creating a show people loved. Every member of her audience found her organically and stayed because they love what she’s doing. Other shows might have bigger reach, but the depth of connection is unmatched, and that is what drives ad performance. For more tips from a genuine performance superstar, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds Not Your Average Open Mic Night Network: Backyard Ventures / Monthly Downloads: 55k Even though we just highlighted our ORBIT Self-Improvement top-performers last week, it’s good to mix in some new folks to your media plan as well. This week, we have two such opportunities to help balance out your Q1 media plans. Our first juicy morsel comes from the folks at Backyard Ventures. It’s hosted by a comedic influencer with sharp wit and a unique perspective. Jessie Woo gained internet traction with her immense musical talent, but has additionally built an audience on social media by posting cultural criticism and humorous takes on current trends. It doesn’t matter if she is giving her opinion on the music industry, reality television, or drama, she is always entertaining and refreshingly candid. Woo proves that an internet event on its own isn’t what’s interesting; it’s the way that it’s covered, and she is always ready to bring her wit to any red carpet. Though she has not yet worked with advertisers, female-skewing DTCs are highly recommended to test in Q1. If this offer wooed you, just take a couple of seconds to click the link below. Get The Deal To Be or Not to Be Real? Network: Sony Podcasts / Monthly Downloads: 185k For those uninitiated in reality show culture, Carl Radke’s name may not ring any bells. But, for those who were highly invested in Bravo’s Summer House, this new release is abuzz with excitement. Radke’s recent path to sobriety and personal development has led to his expansion into podcasting. Though the landscape is littered with celebrity podcasts, what sets this show apart is his continued messaging around empathy, openness, honesty, and personal growth. In his weekly interview-style podcast, he sits down with folks from all walks of life to speak about their journeys, no matter how rocky the waters may be. Whether he’s centering the conversation around entrepreneurship, self-improvement, or habit formation, the emphasis is on creating tools and sharing different perspectives. Though the show is obviously recommended for anyone looking for reality TV fans, there’s also clear rationale for advertisers in categories such as Heath, Personal Finance, Recruitment, and Tech. If you want to breathe more life into your media campaign, it’s time to click the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Podtrac’s Foray Into Ranking Multi-Channel Performance Podtrac launched a new paid subscription product, the “Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcasts Ranking”, designed to measure podcast performance across audio, video, and social platforms. The monthly rankings include audio downloads and streams (Apple, Spotify, other apps), video views (YouTube, Spotify), and clip views (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube). The methodology combines Podtrac’s first-party measurement, platform data, and proprietary estimates developed over 20 years to offer a clearer, more unified view of how shows perform across formats. It’s a meaningful step toward grounding the audio vs. video conversation in real data. As the product evolves, we look forward to seeing the rankings expand beyond the initial 200 shows and reflect an even broader set of creators. Read More YouTube’s 2026 Priorities Aim to Push Creators Into the Big Leagues YouTube CEO Neal Mohan‘s 2026 letter outlines four priorities: positioning creators as full-scale stars and studios (including YouTubers buying Hollywood studio lots and green-lighting their own projects), expanding kids and teen safety tools (parental controls such as a zero-Shorts timer), continued investment in the creator economy ($100B paid over 4 years, $55B U.S. GDP contribution in 2024), and a broader adoption of AI creator tools (now used daily by 1M+ channels). Key for advertisers: new brand partnership tools let creators swap branded segments from back catalogs after deals conclude. YouTube is the backbone of the creator economy, and it isn’t standing pat. Creators now own production, distribution, and monetization, and they’re investing like real studios because the returns justify it. That should worry traditional TV networks that underinvest in content quality. Enough with the disposable primetime game shows. Consumers follow the best content, not legacy brands, and YouTube is increasingly where they find it. Read More Digital News Outlets Worry About the Threat of AI Searches Reuters Institute‘s 2026 journalism trends report finds news publishers expect search traffic to decline 43% over three years due to AI “answer engines.” In response, 71% say expanding audio formats is important since podcasts are harder for AI to rewrite/summarize than text. Two-thirds worry creators are drawing audiences away and 75% plan to encourage journalists to “behave more like creators.” U.S. creator ad spend hit $37B in 2025, growing 4x faster than the industry average. A projected 43% decline in search traffic is an existential threat to digital news. Audio and video are key to survival, so expect them to rise. The shift for marketers: newsrooms are pushing journalists to act more like creators, making premium news inventory feel less institutional and more personality-driven. For better or worse, early movers will benefit. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Taking Care of Yourself Goes From Fantasy to Reality With Function Health Sisters Nicole and Lexi of Fantasy Fangirls are absolutely head over heels for this week’s #STLR shoutout, Function Health, using their signature spunk to narrate an epiphany for anyone who’s sick of guessing what their body needs. Nicole keeps it real by discussing her rocky relationship with food, and then reveals how Function’s data helped her finally ditch gluten, corn, and dairy and start to feel amazing. You can hear and feel how genuine her endorsement is, and it’s clear that the product made a mark on her life. The sisters’ energy together makes the science feel like something you actually want to engage with: no boring jargon, just real talk from real people with real issues. They shout out Function Health Advisory Board Member Dr. Huberman to back up their statements. They make Function’s bite-sized lessons, personalized insights, and “$1 a day” price point sound like the ultimate self-care move. Their infectious enthusiasm turns health data into something empowering, not intimidating. With a $25 credit for listeners stacked on top, this read doesn’t just inform, it motivates with a wink, a laugh, and a whole lot of fangirling energy. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Imagine you’re the best at what you do… and you didn’t realize it until now. This week’s edition of Media Roundtable: Special Edition is another creator spotlight, as Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes Gina Ryan (Host, The Anxiety Coaches Podcast) to the pod. Gina’s podcast is a quiet ORBIT powerhouse, recently ranked #1 in our Self-Improvement list. But because brands don’t usually share results with creators, she had no idea she was a low-key marketing superstar. Dan and Gina sat down to unpack her (formerly) secret success. They’re talking: Honest Ads, The Listening Family, and Hyper Organic Growth. Let’s dig in. “I just talk about it as it’s still me. I don’t all of a sudden switch into: ‘And now a word from our sponsor,’ and become a radio advertisement.” – Gina Ryan (Host, The Anxiety Coaches Podcast) Be Clear, Be You – Gina’s success isn’t accidental; it’s the result of her very detailed approach to sponsorships. She discloses and separates the ads, then performs the read in her own voice. She’s not in sales mode: she’s the same calm, genuine presence that listeners hear during the show. She doesn’t rush copy; instead, she speaks from her experience and connects to brands she cares about. Another great sign: she rejects misaligned brands. It’s fine for an ad to clearly be an ad, as long as the host is still being their genuine self. The Listening Family – That’s how Gina refers to her audience. Not consumers, not followers, family. It helps that Gina built her podcast with the intent to help, not to grow and monetize a following. You want a protective host because they’re actively maintaining the hard-won trust they’ve built with the audience. Hyper Organic Growth – Gina grew the podcast over many years without relying on a dedicated marketing or promotional push. She focused on creating a show people loved. Every member of her audience found her organically and stayed because they love what she’s doing. Other shows might have bigger reach, but the depth of connection is unmatched, and that is what drives ad performance. For more tips from a genuine performance superstar, check out the full episode below.

What happens when a podcasting powerhouse is also an elite marketer? Find out in a creator spotlight episode of Media Roundtable: Special Edition. This week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes The Podcast Princess herself, Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, host of Young and Profiting). We’re some of the biggest Hala supporters here at Oxford Road because she’s one of the few creators who cares as much as we do about making the ads work. (Check out her Ad Infinitum episode with our very own Stew Redwine). Hala has consistently delivered great reads and results for clients for years, and ORBIT has the receipts. Young and Profiting was #4 on our OG Podcast list, and it’s #2 in this month’s Self-Improvement ranking. But hearing how Hala approaches the ads, that performance is not surprising. Dan and Hala put on a masterclass in creator marketing, talking: The Power of Demonstration, Letting Creators Cook, and Getting in the Weeds. Let’s dig in. “It’s not about the channel. It’s not about audio, YouTube, social; it doesn’t matter. What you’re picking is the creator.” – Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, host of Young and Profiting) Your Monthly ORBIT Report – Jan 2026 Mental Health Tops the Self-Help Genre Q1 is a resolution gold rush. That’s why we used ORBIT (Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool) to analyze the top-performing self-improvement podcasts to see where January ad dollars actually convert. Turns out, the conventional playbook is backwards, as seen by our top performers: #3 On Purpose with Jay Shetty, #2 Young and Profiting with Hala Taha, and #1 The Anxiety Coaches Podcast. While most brands pile into fitness shows every January, ORBIT shows that mental health content delivers the real returns. A few key takeaways: Fitness Is a Gamble, Mental Health Is a Plan: Health & Fitness shows are 8x more volatile than Mental Health shows, with wild swings between wins and misses. The play here is to treat Mental Health shows as your foundation, then layer in fitness content with strict performance metrics before committing serious budget. The Category That Doesn’t Quit: Advertisers dump budget into gym and nutrition shows in January, expecting quick returns. But the sustainable performance is happening in mental resilience and personal development content. Mental Health audiences don’t disappear when resolutions fail. They double down. If you’re treating Q1 like a one-month sprint, you’re walking away from valuable conversions. For the complete January ORBIT Rankings and methodology, check out the full report HERE The Classifieds Every Day is a Great Day When You’re Always On Vacation Network: RedCircle Technologies / Monthly Downloads: 20k With podcasts premiering on Netflix and brand campaign dollars fueling much of the industry’s chatter, the small, niche, performance-based podcasts are continuing to hold strong for our clients. This week, we have two such selections to share with you, starting with the very specific genre of Places and Travel. Carlye Wisel is the intrepid host of Very Amusing, a podcast about everything and anything theme park related. Wisel built her following as a journalist for publications such as Vanity Fair, TIME, and National Geographic. Her main focus is Disney and Universal parks, catering perfectly to Disney Adults: a strong demographic of enthusiastic consumers fueled by nostalgia. Since premiering, the show has gained sizable traction with multiple performance-based advertisers, especially those looking to reach female Millennial homeowners. Put on your Mickey ears, ride the Jungle Cruise, and arrive at your own Magic Kingdom via the link below. Get The Deal It’s-a Me! A Podcast! Network: Audioboom / Monthly Downloads: 25k Video game content dominates YouTube and Twitch due to its visual appeal and variety of content. In podcasts, gaming is a varied genre, but the really efficient offerings are centered around key topics. Kit Ellis and Krista Yang previously worked at Nintendo, eventually becoming the co-creators of Nintendo Minute. Since going solo and creating this podcast, the twosome have found success in regaling fans with inside knowledge of working at the hallowed company, giving their two cents on unfolding gaming news, and interviewing guests who have also worked in the industry. The show caters to both listeners and viewers, with the audio providing a cosy atmosphere and its video feed allowing fans to engage with all the amazing visuals the industry has to offer. The show has traditionally done best with tech-based offerings, especially B2C clients, for either a male or female-skewed audience. Hit that X button while you speed down Rainbow Road to the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It AI, Social, Creators Oh My! eMarketer’s 2026 outlook shows creators, AI search, and social strategy converging. The key data shows that daily AI search users doubled from 14% to 29% in 2025. 61% of agencies are optimizing for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). Top creators now operate like independent networks. Only 74% trust influencer ads vs. 87% for general advertising. This is about credibility. Trust is shifting away from platforms and toward people, with audiences increasingly looking to creators for expertise and judgment. As a result, top creators are becoming powerful distribution partners for brands. For marketers, the opportunity is to align with voices that have already earned their audiences’ trust. Read More It’s Not Just a Bill, It’s a Movement Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced a “Creator Bill of Rights” in Congress, partnering with Creators 4 Mental Health founder Shira Lazar. The seven-point proposal targets fair treatment, transparent revenue-sharing, cross-platform guardrails, and protections against algorithmic deranking and generative AI for the 10 million Americans working in a platform-based economy. This follows prior creator advocacy efforts and bipartisan creator outreach from both the Biden and Trump administrations. Congressional attention signals that the creator economy has crossed over from niche to mainstream distribution. The focus on AI and algorithmic de-ranking is notable as platforms exert more control over discovery. Whether or not this becomes law, this creates legitimacy for the industry as it confers on creators as a communications channel. Read More Podscribe Says No More PSAs Needed for Incrementality Tests Podscribe shipped 65+ product updates in 2025. Their 2026 priorities: expanded international device graphs, radio/CTV/social measurement beyond podcasts, SmartServe evolution with automatic holdout group incrementality (no PSA ads required), contextual targeting, AI-driven auto-optimization, and AI Assist for automated campaign insights and competitive intelligence. If Podscribe delivers on half of this roadmap, it’s a meaningful step forward for audio measurement. Eliminating the need for PSA ads in control groups would simplify incrementality testing. We dare to dream of a future where audio measurement doesn’t rely on that kind of workaround. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads A Fantastical Tool that Matches the Setting with Babbel Get ready for peak podcast magic with this week’s stellar live read from the gang at All Fantasy Everything, who’s talking Babbel! The ad is both chill and somehow actually makes learning a new language sound… easy? The hosts get straight to the good stuff, speaking a language in real life with real people, not sitting in a corner conjugating verbs like it’s a pop quiz. They bring their classic energy, calling out how Babbel’s bite-sized lessons are the perfect low-stress, high results combo in just 10–15 minutes: no panic, no pressure, just results. It’s all delivered with that signature best friend flair, making listeners feel more like they’re a part of the conversation than a casual listener. It doesn’t feel like an ad. It feels like a friend hyping you up to try something cool that actually works. With 14 languages, real human-designed lessons (not that weird AI stuff), and a massive 55% off deal, this read doesn’t just sell Babbel, it makes you wanna open the app right now! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

What happens when a podcasting powerhouse is also an elite marketer? Find out in a creator spotlight episode of Media Roundtable: Special Edition. This week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes The Podcast Princess herself, Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, host of Young and Profiting). We’re some of the biggest Hala supporters here at Oxford Road because she’s one of the few creators who cares as much as we do about making the ads work. (Check out her Ad Infinitum episode with our very own Stew Redwine). Hala has consistently delivered great reads and results for clients for years, and ORBIT has the receipts. Young and Profiting was #4 on our OG Podcast list, and it’s #2 in this month’s Self-Improvement ranking. But hearing how Hala approaches the ads, that performance is not surprising. Dan and Hala put on a masterclass in creator marketing, talking: The Power of Demonstration, Letting Creators Cook, and Getting in the Weeds. Let’s dig in. “It’s not about the channel. It’s not about audio, YouTube, social; it doesn’t matter. What you’re picking is the creator.” – Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, host of Young and Profiting)

Podcasts walked the red carpet, won the awards, and settled into your living room. So, where does the industry head next? Find out on a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition. Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) breaks down the biggest stories with fellow audiophiles: Bart Roselli (EVP Media, Oxford Road) Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road) Giles Martin (EVP Strategy, Oxford Road) The team is talking: The End of Ads, PodFraud, the Living Room Podcast, and more. Let’s dig in. “ Is it the end of ads? No, but I do think that it’s potentially an end of an era.” – Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road) The End of Ads? – It sounds like a sensationalist take: could podcast ads see the same collapse as ‘90s banner ads? No, but at a minimum, guarding against increasing ad load is smart business (Podcasting was dragged for its ads during the Golden Globes). No one wants podcasts to become burdened with ads like radio. Marketers, check the ad load of your shows, and reward the networks who are keeping the percentage low. PodFraud – We have two cases of advertising rule-breaking this week, but remember, fraud is an arrow. It points to value. Take the pay-to-play scandal in India, where people pay $15-30k to be a guest on a show: the value of the show has to be many times higher to justify the risk. On another note, if there’s a business for someone to strip out the ads and resell the shows, that’s a problem, but this points to the bigger issue of rising podloads. Again, the industry needs to manage ads or risk audiences opting out. In the meantime, marketers must work to make their ads compelling enough that no one would skip them. (Stumped? We can help.) The Living Room Podcast – YouTube says couch podcast viewing hit 700M hours in October 2025. Giles’ rough math says that’s ~4% of CTV viewing, a staggering number. There’s one thing we don’t know: exactly how attentive is the watcher? Couch podcasts could be a source of active engagement, or background noise that might not even have someone in the room listening to it.. Our POV: if you can measure well, kick the tires on a campaign. Then you’ll know if the results justify the CPMs. Want more insights from the forces shaping the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below. The Classifieds Nothing to Fear But the Laughs Yet to Come Network: Daylight Media / Monthly Downloads: 360k Finding a podcast that’s hosted by a single online personality is hard to come by. Finding one hosted by four is an extreme feat. The combined following of this offering’s hosts (Hasan Piker, Will Neff, Austin Show, and QTCinderella) totals 6.5 million subscribers and includes a strong Gen Z and Millennial demographic. Though these content creators have different interests and backgrounds, they always connect over their long-term friendships and experiences with one another. In their shared podcast from Daylight Media, topics often skew on the lighter side, including internet discourse, pop culture coverage, off-the-wall humor, and recaps of their lives in the spotlight. They also boast a strong guest lineup that contributes to a robust social presence and constant viral moments. Those who are looking to find a highly informed demographic of young professionals, or an LGBTQIA+ audience segment, are strongly recommended to test. Have no fear, the link below is here, so click below. Get The Deal This Phenomenal Woman is Fighting For Her Place on the Charts and in Your Heart Network: Lemonada Media / Monthly Downloads: 30k Reshma Saujani is an inspirational phenomenon: activist, author, non-profit founder, CEO, lawyer, and now podcast host. While her background is centered on computer science and the American political landscape, her chart-topping podcast delves into a more personal avenue: being a middle-aged woman. Women are underrepresented in many industries, artforms, and political arenas, even though they make up 50% of the US population. While the most popular podcasts tend to be male-led, the intimacy of audio offers resources and community building for all that cannot be beat. Saujani talks to guests about the nuances of being an older woman, whether it’s regarding common experiences around careers, health, religion, or more specific topics like relationship advice and confidence building. Advertisers looking for the coveted older female demographic are in luck, as this has become a top-performing opportunity for similar clients. There’s nothing “so-called” about this amazing opportunity: find out for yourself via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It From Earbuds to the Golden Globes – Podcast Goes Hollywood Good Hang With Amy Poehler (Paper Kite Productions/The Ringer) won the inaugural Golden Globe for Best Podcast on January 11, 2026. Other nominees (selected from an extremely short list of just 25 shows by Golden Globe’s data partner Luminate): Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, Smartless, The Mel Robbins Podcast, and NPR’s Up First. During her acceptance speech, Poehler joked about “celebs phoning it in” to the medium. Yes, the Golden Globes took shots at podcast ad load, something we’ve flagged before. But let’s be clear: podcast ad load is still relatively light, especially compared to TV and radio. The important point is recognition. Podcasts are now being treated on par with film and TV. That matters for brands and the industry. Read More  AI Recommendations ≠ Smart Media Buying Frank Racioppi of Ear Worthy tested AI recommendation systems and found they systematically exclude independent podcasts, returning only network shows like Joe Rogan and Crime Junkie unless users explicitly push the prompt for “independent podcasts.” He called on industry leaders to address the bias and published Ear Worthy‘s own curated indie podcast list as a workaround. AI can help with podcast discovery; however, recommendation systems default to scale and familiarity, which favors bigger shows unless users know what to ask for. For marketers, that means AI-only discovery may push you toward higher-demand inventory. This is where expert-led curation still matters. Rankings like Oxford Road’s monthly ORBIT list help surface shows that actually perform, not just those with name recognition. Read More Pierre Robert: A Voice That Lasted Before AI & Algorithms Coleman Insights posted a heartwarming tribute to Pierre Robert, a longtime DJ on Philadelphia’s rock station WMMR, who passed away on October 29th, after 44 years on air. Sam Milkman reflects on what made Pierre iconic: his beyond-authentic personality shaped by counterculture influences, love for the art form, clarity of purpose, his own vocabulary (“Great Day in the Morning,” “citizens”), and a willingness to break rules while staying true to his principles. The piece asks whether radio can still nurture “truly unique, multi-faceted, and imperfect” personalities in an AI era. Pierre’s lesson applies directly to creators and brands alike. People who build 44-year relationships don’t follow playbooks, algorithms, or best practices. They follow passion, develop a distinct voice, and break rules without breaking principles. For marketers looking for “authentic creators,” this tribute is a reminder that authenticity isn’t optimized, scaled, or manufactured. It’s built over time, and it’s worth protecting in today’s media landscape. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Health Panic Solved the Funny Way with Zocdoc Listen up as IHIP Podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan line up their Zocdoc live read in the sweet spot of being hilarious, relatable, and genuinely helpful. These gals open with a perfectly chaotic confession we’ve all lived: spiraling into a doom scroll of self-diagnosed symptoms online, jumping between TikTok, AI, and panic. It’s instantly engaging and sets up the perfect pitch for Zocdoc’s real-world solution. Their personal story about moving from Oklahoma City to New York adds authenticity and positions Zocdoc as not just helpful, but as a lifesaver during big life changes. The tone is casual and approachable while delivering instead of sounding like a product rundown. The read feels like a trusted friend saying, “Hey, I’ve been there. This actually works.” The clear call to action and clever reminder to stop putting off doctor appointments tie it all together, making this a stellar, standout example of how to turn personal experience into listener motivation. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Podcasts walked the red carpet, won the awards, and settled into your living room. So, where does the industry head next? Find out on a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition. Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) breaks down the biggest stories with fellow audiophiles: Bart Roselli (EVP Media, Oxford Road) Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road) Giles Martin (EVP Strategy, Oxford Road) The team is talking: The End of Ads, PodFraud, the Living Room Podcast, and more. Let’s dig in. “ Is it the end of ads? No, but I do think that it’s potentially an end of an era.” – Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road) The End of Ads? – It sounds like a sensationalist take: could podcast ads see the same collapse as ‘90s banner ads? No, but at a minimum, guarding against increasing ad load is smart business (Podcasting was dragged for its ads during the Golden Globes). No one wants podcasts to become burdened with ads like radio. Marketers, check the ad load of your shows, and reward the networks who are keeping the percentage low. PodFraud – We have two cases of advertising rule-breaking this week, but remember, fraud is an arrow. It points to value. Take the pay-to-play scandal in India, where people pay $15-30k to be a guest on a show: the value of the show has to be many times higher to justify the risk. On another note, if there’s a business for someone to strip out the ads and resell the shows, that’s a problem, but this points to the bigger issue of rising podloads. Again, the industry needs to manage ads or risk audiences opting out. In the meantime, marketers must work to make their ads compelling enough that no one would skip them. (Stumped? We can help.) The Living Room Podcast – YouTube says couch podcast viewing hit 700M hours in October 2025. Giles’ rough math says that’s ~4% of CTV viewing, a staggering number. There’s one thing we don’t know: exactly how attentive is the watcher? Couch podcasts could be a source of active engagement, or background noise that might not even have someone in the room listening to it.. Our POV: if you can measure well, kick the tires on a campaign. Then you’ll know if the results justify the CPMs. Want more insights from the forces shaping the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

Happy 2026! As the New Year kicks into high gear, it’s time to dust off the crystal ball and see what it might reveal about the media landscape this year. Will we finally get standardized measurement? Will podcasters still pick video over audio? How should you navigate a seller’s market? Find out as we make big, bold (and accurate) predictions for 2026. All on a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes back a stacked team of podcast nostradamuses: Hernan Lopez (Founder of Owl & Co & Wondery James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) Kyle Jelinek (VP, Client Services, Oxford Road) Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) They’re talking: Audio’s Rise, Standardization (Finally!), Seller’s Markets, and more. Let’s dig in. “ My prediction is: the buyer’s market has officially ended.” – Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) Video Doesn’t Kill the Audio Star – Our first prediction is a move back to audio only for mid-tier podcasts. In short, the juice wasn’t worth the production squeeze for everyone. As a side prediction, video investment will increase for top shows, including in vertical podcast formats. Big opportunity for one of the major platforms to support vertical podcasts in 2026. Measurement Standardization (Finally!) – This is the year for cross-platform standardization. We predict that 2 out of the 3 major podcast platforms will move towards standardization. Even bolder? We envision seeing some movement as early as Summer. In the meantime, if you share the dream of better measurement across all your podcast channels, keep making noise. It’s working. Bargains in a Seller’s Market – We’re moving from a buyer’s to a seller’s market. As platforms fix measurement issues, brands will spend more and drive up prices. Two hedges against rising CPMs? 1. Lock in deals with your favorite shows early. 2. Look outside of the top 10% of podcasts. Programmatic buys on niche shows should be a strong value play in 2026. Want more insights into what will surely be a pivotal year for the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below. The Classifieds A Companion for Your Ears and Your Testing Network: Companion Arts / Monthly Downloads: 55k Welcome to 2026, a year for new habits, hobbies, podcasts, and more. To kick off this transformative era, we have two new networks to share, alongside some high-performing podcasts on their rosters. Our first podcast’s hosts are YouTube legends Mamrie Hart and Grace Helbig, who are intrinsically tied to comedy and food culture but have branched out into books, stand-up, and acting in recent years. Their show is a mix of goofy banter, straight-from-the-heart moments, and constant conversations about recipes, restaurants, and all sorts of cuisine. Both figures operate under the “comfort creator” moniker and are often grouped with other LGBTQIA+ and left-leaning online voices based on content alignment. The target demo for this opportunity is chronically online millennials and self-improvement-minded women. This might get weird, or get wonderful results for Q1 testing, so click below to see additional details. Get The Deal We Don’t Need No Parental Guidance Here Network: And, If / Monthly Downloads: 45k True crime and History podcasts have a common goal: to tell a good story. Podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith loves a good story, but they also love to find out why that story happened, who made it happen, and whether it will happen again. In that quest, American Hysteria was born, a podcast that works to understand the moral panics, urban legends, conspiracy theories, and misunderstood moments that drove normal people to their breaking point. From the imagined horror of Bloody Mary to very real, obscure mobile game ads, Weber-Smith is fascinated by anything and everything outside the norm. The content is both well-researched and off-the-cuff, making for a great edu-tainment opportunity. Those who do well in female-skewed comedy offerings with an educational/literary foundation are highly recommended. No need for hysterics: the information you seek is available at the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Pew Shares Stats on YouTube’s Dominance A new Pew survey (5,022 adults) shows that only YouTube and Facebook reach a majority across all age groups. 80% of 18-29-year-olds use Instagram, compared with 19% of 65+. Half of 18-29-year-olds use TikTok daily, compared with 5% of 65+. Instagram is higher among Hispanic (62%), Black (54%), and Asian (58%) than White (45%). Threads, Bluesky, Truth Social at ~10% or less. This is why YouTube wins for video podcasts and creator content. Massive, cross-generational reach. Call it the Natural Law of Monopoly applied to media: audiences consolidate where scale, habit, and utility intersect. Read More Have Podcast Ads Jumped the Shark? Podcast consultant Dave Jackson warns that podcast advertising may collapse like 1990s banner ads. Every major host now offers dynamic ad insertion, flooding the supply. AI farms like Inception Point accept any CPM, undercutting creators. Podcast apps let listeners skip ads entirely. Shows are stretching episodes and cramming more ads just to maintain revenue, degrading quality. He predicts a shift toward premium subscriptions. Podload is a real issue, but let’s not get hysterical. Clutter exists, 100%. However, marketers still have tools to identify high-quality shows with lighter ad loads and real engagement. Read More Video Killed The Video Star MTV is not shutting down. Despite online rumors, the flagship MTV channel will continue operating. What is ending are several MTV-branded, music-only channels, which are being shut down as part of a broader network change. The move underscores how far MTV has shifted from its original music-video roots, with music programming now largely displaced by reality and entertainment content. Some of us have nostalgia for MTV music videos. But it’s not like music videos disappeared. You can still watch them anytime. YouTube or Vevo, anyone? Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Call Her Safe with SimpliSafe Alex Cooper, host of the HIT podcast Call Her Daddy, doesn’t just read this SimpliSafe ad; she turns it into a full-on “Daddy Gang” moment, effortlessly blending humor, confidence, and just the right amount of self-aware paranoia in this week’s #STLR! From her opening line, it feels like your funniest friend urgently reminding you that safety is hot, especially when it’s AI-powered. Cooper clearly and playfully explains what makes SimpliSafe different: cameras that detect threats before someone gets inside and real monitoring agents who step in even if you’re asleep, without ever sounding salesy or overwhelming. The mental image of intruders being confronted, spotlighted, and sirened into rethinking their entire life is both hilarious and genuinely reassuring. Alex’s pacing is tight and conversational, repeating key benefits just enough to make them stick while keeping the energy silly and engaging. By the time she hits the offer, it feels organic, like she’s letting the “Daddy Gang” in on a smart little secret rather than selling them something. Alex makes home security feel fun, relatable, and undeniably on-brand, which is why she’s earned our first honor of the year! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese

Happy 2026! As the New Year kicks into high gear, it’s time to dust off the crystal ball and see what it might reveal about the media landscape this year. Will we finally get standardized measurement? Will podcasters still pick video over audio? How should you navigate a seller’s market? Find out as we make big, bold (and accurate) predictions for 2026. All on a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes back a stacked team of podcast nostradamuses: Hernan Lopez (Founder of Owl & Co & Wondery James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) Kyle Jelinek (VP, Client Services, Oxford Road) Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) They’re talking: Audio’s Rise, Standardization (Finally!), Seller’s Markets, and more. Let’s dig in. “ My prediction is: the buyer’s market has officially ended.” – Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) Video Doesn’t Kill the Audio Star – Our first prediction is a move back to audio only for mid-tier podcasts. In short, the juice wasn’t worth the production squeeze for everyone. As a side prediction, video investment will increase for top shows, including in vertical podcast formats. Big opportunity for one of the major platforms to support vertical podcasts in 2026. Measurement Standardization (Finally!) – This is the year for cross-platform standardization. We predict that 2 out of the 3 major podcast platforms will move towards standardization. Even bolder? We envision seeing some movement as early as Summer. In the meantime, if you share the dream of better measurement across all your podcast channels, keep making noise. It’s working. Bargains in a Seller’s Market – We’re moving from a buyer’s to a seller’s market. As platforms fix measurement issues, brands will spend more and drive up prices. Two hedges against rising CPMs? 1. Lock in deals with your favorite shows early. 2. Look outside of the top 10% of podcasts. Programmatic buys on niche shows should be a strong value play in 2026. Want more insights into what will surely be a pivotal year for the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

What’s one podcast genre that’s successful for advertisers but is often overlooked? Find out in a creator spotlight episode of Media Roundtable: Special Edition. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes the co-hosts of the hit, faith-based podcast Girls Gone Bible, Angela Halili & Arielle Reitsma. They’re talking: A Meteoric Rise, Brand Love, and Marketing with Faith. Let’s dig in. “There’s no dollar amount that’s worth doing anything that goes against our core mission.” – Angela Halili (Co-Host, Girls Gone Bible) By Popular Demand – Video had a large part in creating these podcast stars. After a messy first episode, Arielle and Angela decided not to scrap the whole recording. Instead, they released some of the best clips, which promptly blew up with 20M views. The unfiltered rawness on display connected with their audience and fueled a subsequent meteoric rise. Clips can reveal what audiences want. Podcasts are where creators deliver. Only Promote What You Love – You know when hosts phone in the ads? Not on GGB. Arielle and Angela are so protective of their audience that they pick brands they love enough to promote them. This should be a must for your campaigns: work with engaged hosts. They’re the creators who maintain the highest audience trust. Marketing with Faith – Recent ORBIT insights showed that the Faith genre is a strong performer, but lags in investment. Brands are growing more comfortable supporting faith-based shows, but some hesitations prevent further investment. That means there’s a fantastic opportunity for smart brands to invest before the market catches on. Want more insights into an overlooked, overperforming part of the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking any of the links below. The Classifieds May Your Days Be Merry and Bright Network: Cloud10 / Monthly Downloads: 15k With Q4 drawing to a close, we’re soon entering the industry’s quietest period of the year. For those able to rest and reset ahead of a bright new year, now is the time to start planning for better, healthier habits. Our first classified has recently joined Cloud10, a network that merrily promotes female-focused shows, many of which are self-improvement-based. Host Grace Bithell, LCSW, spends each episode working through toxic examples of guilt, stress, and shame to help her listeners find their joy. For those looking for honest advice from an industry professional with the levity of a casual conversation with a new friend, this scratches that itch. This is an excellent opportunity for advertisers in the Mental Health or Wellness space, or any DTCs that focus on self-improvement or efficiency. So head down to the link below to add a guilt-free test to your Q1 plans. Get The Deal Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot Network: Acast / Monthly Downloads: 30k While “doing more reading” was not one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions, there have been many literary podcasts seeing performance boosts in 2025, especially with the rise of “Booktok”. Fiction-based work has seen sizable growth in recent years, which has led to the rise of our second offering. Sisters Nicole and Lexi have been hosting Fantasy Fangirls for several years, and in that time, they have covered series such as Empyrean, A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and the Kindred’s Curse Saga. The podcast has built an impressive online community through its imaginative show structure, sassy jokes, and genuine enthusiasm. For those who balk at the constraint of book clubs but love finding kinship with their fellow readers, this is a great middle ground. For advertisers who find success in male-skewed genres such as Leisure, this female-skewed opportunity offers balance and a chance to diversify your audience. One does not simply walk into Mordor, nor do they find information anywhere but the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Retire the Word “Podcast”? No Thanks. The Verge’s Andru Marino argues “podcast” has become meaningless in 2025 as video dominates. YouTube’s podcast tab now shows late-night clips, video essays, food reviews, and cable news alongside traditional audio shows. Marino suggests retiring “podcast” as an outdated term in her latest article, similar to “web series,” proposing we repurpose older terminology instead. We say no, thank you. In 2025, podcasts reached mass consumption. Like it or not, the term is going to stick around. People know what podcasts are, and one look at the comments on the article confirms it. Yes, the iPod no longer exists, but by the same token, we still call a phone a phone even though it is no longer attached to your wall… It’s time, however, to recognize that podcasts have evolved beyond audio. The trick is evolving our understanding and measurement to capture the differences in delivery. Read More Podcasting’s Next Phase – Flexibility Will Be Key Amplifi Media’s CEO Steve Goldstein declares podcasting has entered a new phase: the “Liquid Content” era. Following the intimate “MeUndies Era” (~$750K industry revenue), the investment-heavy “Spaghetti-Against-the-Wall Era,” and the “What Is a Podcast?” identity crisis, content now flows freely across YouTube, clips, newsletters, livestreams, and events. Goldstein has been involved since the beginning, so if he says we’re in a new phase of podcasting, he’s probably right. The key implication, as noted above, is that as podcasting continues to evolve, it may become harder to fully measure performance across new platforms. That said, this industry has a way of adjusting. If you want a virtually foolproof measurement, consider a HDYHAU survey with a second layer that captures specific podcast titles. We can help you set it up. Read More The Drama is Over: Howard Stern Renews with SXM Howard Stern announced a new three-year deal with SiriusXM through 2028 on his final show of the year, ending months of speculation after reports suggested the platform might not renew his previous $100M/year contract. Terms of the new “more flexible schedule” deal weren’t disclosed. There was a lot of buzz this summer about whether Stern’s run at SiriusXM was coming to an end. While we know he’s sticking around through at least 2028, this might be the last long-term contract for Stern, given he’s in his 70s. It’s good news for Stern, SiriusXM, and advertisers who’ve continued to see real performance from his host-read ads. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads A Stoic Take on Giving That Works As the year winds down, this #STLR from The Daily Stoic is a timely reminder of why one of our advertisers, GiveWell, matters. Host Ryan Holiday starts with a very stoic question: “What are you actually going to do about it?” His read for the philanthropic-focused brand works because it is not preachy; It’s practical, empowering, and grounded in real impact. It also highlights GiveWell’s 18 years of research, its massive donor trust, and Ryan’s personal contributions every year. In a season focused on meaningful gifts and real outcomes, the message lands perfectly: generosity can be intentional and effective, turning good intentions into action that genuinely saves lives. This is a personal endorsement at its best, and is guaranteed to inspire even the stingiest of Scrooges this holiday season. Listen to this final gift of a read at the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

What’s one podcast genre that’s successful for advertisers but is often overlooked? Find out in a creator spotlight episode of Media Roundtable: Special Edition. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes the co-hosts of the hit, faith-based podcast Girls Gone Bible, Angela Halili & Arielle Reitsma. They’re talking: A Meteoric Rise, Brand Love, and Marketing with Faith. Let’s dig in. “There’s no dollar amount that’s worth doing anything that goes against our core mission.” – Angela Halili (Co-Host, Girls Gone Bible) By Popular Demand – Video had a large part in creating these podcast stars. After a messy first episode, Arielle and Angela decided not to scrap the whole recording. Instead, they released some of the best clips, which promptly blew up with 20M views. The unfiltered rawness on display connected with their audience and fueled a subsequent meteoric rise. Clips can reveal what audiences want. Podcasts are where creators deliver. Only Promote What You Love – You know when hosts phone in the ads? Not on GGB. Arielle and Angela are so protective of their audience that they pick brands they love enough to promote them. This should be a must for your campaigns: work with engaged hosts. They’re the creators who maintain the highest audience trust. Marketing with Faith – Recent ORBIT insights showed that the Faith genre is a strong performer, but lags in investment. Brands are growing more comfortable supporting faith-based shows, but some hesitations prevent further investment. That means there’s a fantastic opportunity for smart brands to invest before the market catches on. Want more insights into an overlooked, overperforming part of the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking any of the links below.

Does video perform better than audio? That is a question the market has been trying to answer for years, especially now that many podcasts feature video. The industry has pivoted hard to video. It offers massive scale and new discovery opportunities. But for years, we’ve operated inside a measurement “black box,” forcing marketers to assume that a YouTube view is worth the same as a podcast download. We now know that assumption is potentially costing brands millions. In this Media Roundtable: Special Edition,  Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) welcomes Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) to reveal the results of our industry-first report, “Re-Thinking YouTube: Why Your YouTube Ads Are Converting 25% Worse Than Audio.” After analyzing over 1,000 campaigns across 100+ brands, the data has revealed a shocking performance gap. “The biggest unlocker of revenue is some way to measure the host-read embedded ads on YouTube.” – Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) Pete and Giles are talking: The Black Box, Smart Methodology, and Lean-In Audiences. The Classifieds TL;DR: It’s a Classified Network: Big Little Media / Monthly Downloads: 155k Podcasts, like birds, migrate during Q4, and this year is no different. This week, we have two top-performing podcasts with new networks that may still be available for rebooks. Our first is a brilliant melange of comedy, news, and internet hijinks. Hosts Ricky Hayberg and Eliot Morgan> cover a mix of global, national, and internet news, often peppering in their own brand of witty critique and bold reporting. This is a video-heavy show with strong content alignment with similar nerd-driven YouTube channels, such as Funhaus and GameGrumps. Their content attracts a loyal, engaged audience of high-value consumers seeking effective updates on trending topics. They have amassed many DR advertisers with a strong male demo and a penchant for efficiency. Don’t allow a lag in your decision; sprint through your backlog by clicking below. Get The Deal Your Download For the Cultural Trends of Today Network: Nativ.ly / Monthly Downloads: 50k Creativity doesn’t have a strict standardization and is therefore a boundless topic of conversation. Sam Fragoso knows this well, as the idea fuels his long-running podcast, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. As a writer and cultural critic, Fragoso has explored complex ideas around the human condition for over a decade, and in his sit-down interviews, he deconstructs that creative process with a wide variety of industry professionals. Whether waxing poetic about The New Yorker’s 100th anniversary or walking through the production of a director’s new film, Fragoso creates welcoming, curious spaces for his listeners, and they happily walk through them. This has become an efficient top performer for several internal clients, especially those looking for a consumer base interested in high-end DTC products. Put the pen to paper, or the arrow icon on the link below, and learn more about this key offering. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Programmatic Audio: It’s the Next Big Thing Madison & Wall projects digital audio will capture $1.2 billion of the $36 billion US programmatic market in 2025, with programmatic representing 73% of all open web transactions. Programmatic automation in audio is forecasted to climb from 22% in 2025 to 46% by 2030. eMarketer projects that 183.3 million of 239.6 million US digital audio listeners will be ad-accessible by 2026. iHeartMedia recently joined Spotify and SiriusXM in selling inventory through Amazon DSP. Madison & Wall is more conservative than eMarketer’s $2.3B forecast. Go figure, eMarketer is known to be optimistic. Either way, programmatic still represents only about 10–20% of digital audio spend, which says we are still in the early stages of growth. That will change, as access to inventory expands. If you want to enter this space, talk to us. We have the experts. Read More Podcasting’s Adult Years Edison Research Share of Ear Q3 2025 shows podcasting’s median age has jumped to 39, up from 34 in 2023 and 29 in 2017—a “10-year increase in just eight years.” Biggest growth came from the 45-54 and 55-64 demos. Podcasts now hold 20% share of ad-supported audio vs. AM/FM’s 64%. 2025 is the year Edison Research showed podcasting hitting 55% in monthly consumption, helped by a broader definition that better captures video. It stands to reason that the median age would rise as well. As the podcasting tent gets bigger, there are more opportunities to reach a wider range of demographic segments, including older listeners with significant disposable income and purchasing power. Read More Podcast Ads Reward Smart Buyers Acast reports 41% Q3 sales growth driven by big brands like Capital One and Coca-Cola flooding into podcast ads. Startups are struggling to compete. One brand (Asset) spent $60K on podcast ads with poor conversion on large shows, but found that smaller niche shows delivered better ROI. Acast CEO Greg Glenday admits the core problem: “Everybody is interested in podcasting ads, nobody has gone all the way in because it’s hard to buy and measure the ads.” If you’re a marketer working through a holdco, then yes, podcasting might be hard to buy and hard to measure. That’s not the case for specialist agencies that live in this space. Don’t overlook the insight that smaller shows often outperform big shows on ROI. Just don’t misinterpret it as a strategy to only buy niche shows. If you buy small, you’re likely to stay small. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads A Wickedly Good MasterClass on Ad-Reads Hollywood is abuzz about this week’s #STLR from Tactful Pettiness hosts Cody Rigsby and Andrew Chappelle, turning what could be a standard ad into an engaging, story-driven moment perfect for MasterClass. By opening with a personal, glamorous anecdote about attending the Wicked: For Good premiere, the listener is instantly hooked. This cultural moment connects that sense of access and aspiration to what MasterClass offers, making the transition feel organic rather than salesy. The tone is conversational, curious, and confident, with genuine enthusiasm that comes through in thoughtful name checks of instructors like Shonda Rhimes, Martha Stewart, Kris Jenner, and Annie Leibovitz. Key product details, pricing, flexibility, variety, and guarantees are delivered clearly without disrupting the flow, while the call to action feels friendly and on brand rather than scripted. The ad’s common theme is authenticity, energy, and trust, making it possible to learn from the biggest and boldest names in showbiz and beyond! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Oxford Road Reveals That “OGs” Dominate New Podcasts In Ad Performance Last week, we released our ORBIT Top 15 Performing OG Podcasts report, and the industry is taking notice. Outlets including Sounds Profitable, Podnews, Podcast Business Journal, and Podcasting Today are covering how ORBIT continues to challenge conventional wisdom about podcast advertising. This month’s rankings reveal that shows launched before March 2020 (before the podcasting gold rush) consistently outperform newer shows in driving ROI. In fact, 75% of today’s top performers launched before the pandemic, and OG shows carry a 12% efficiency premium thanks to multi-year listener relationships that newer entrants simply can’t replicate. The findings span 9 different genres, proving once again that there’s no single winning category, only shows that have built high-trust environments over time. For advertisers still chasing the latest celebrity launch or chart-topper, the data offers a clear message: execution outlasts hype. To see which veteran shows are delivering the strongest advertiser results, check out the full ORBIT Top 15 Performing OG Podcasts list here Read More Understanding The Science Behind What Makes a Radio Ad Stick Our award-winning podcast Ad Infinitum is making waves beyond the podcasting world. Radio Ink picked up the latest episode, “Human Hacks,” featuring best-selling behavioral science author Richard Shotton, and transformed it into a deep dive on the science of audio persuasion. The piece explores Shotton’s insights from his book Hacking the Human Mind and how Oxford Road’s Executive Creative Director, Stew Redwine, applies them to audio advertising. The takeaway? Abstraction is the enemy of memorability. As Shotton explains, people remember just 9% of abstract phrases but 36% of concrete ones, a fourfold difference that makes or breaks audio creative. It’s why Red Bull says “gives you wings” instead of “gives you energy.” For advertisers looking to understand why some audio ads stick while others dissolve on-air, this is required listening. Check out the full episode here. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese

Does video perform better than audio? That is a question the market has been trying to answer for years, especially now that many podcasts feature video. The industry has pivoted hard to video. It offers massive scale and new discovery opportunities. But for years, we’ve operated inside a measurement “black box,” forcing marketers to assume that a YouTube view is worth the same as a podcast download. We now know that assumption is potentially costing brands millions. In this Media Roundtable: Special Edition,  Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) welcomes Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) to reveal the results of our industry-first report, “Re-Thinking YouTube: Why Your YouTube Ads Are Converting 25% Worse Than Audio.” After analyzing over 1,000 campaigns across 100+ brands, the data has revealed a shocking performance gap. “The biggest unlocker of revenue is some way to measure the host-read embedded ads on YouTube.” – Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe) Pete and Giles are talking: The Black Box, Smart Methodology, and Lean-In Audiences.

Video podcast wars, reaching critical masses, or radio’s reckoning… or reinvention: what was the biggest story of 2025, and how will it shape 2026? Find out as we look back on all the major news stories of 2025 in a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the stories that shaped the year with fellow audio luminaries: Hernan Lopez (Founder of Owl & Co & Wondery, former CEO of Fox International) James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) Kyle Jelinek (VP, Client Services, Oxford Road) Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Video Everything, Critical Mass, and Radio’s Next Act. Let’s dig in. “ Video is definitely the big story for 2025.” – Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) Video Podcast Wars – While YouTube still holds the crown, Spotify and Netflix came for it in 2025. We don’t know who will rule video next year (okay, probably still YouTube), but advertisers can’t ignore the video part of podcasts. Measurement is messier, but 100% doable. It’s time to get off the sidelines, and for the industry, we need to count impressions the same way. No more random combinations of views/downloads/instant plays/vibes. Standardize measurements to create confidence and growth. Critical Mass – 73% of Americans have consumed a podcast. This is proof that our little industry’s all grown up. But James says the important number is 773, as in 773 million podcast hours consumed each week. Going from 73% to 100% is harder and less fruitful than increasing consumption. In 2026, industry expansion will come from both deepening relationships with existing deals, while expanding reach. Radio’s Reckoning – Radio remains a contradiction. It’s still shrinking (~1% a year), and it’s still big (74% of audio use in cars). It has a massive reach, but the median age is ~59. This year saw Nielsen juicing ratings, local radio scoring in trust, and Tesla planning to drop FM from lower-priced models. Still, we think Radio is more overlooked than overrated, making it a smart channel for advertisers to invest in. Want more insights from what was a wild year for the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below. Your Monthly ORBIT Report – Dec 2025 This month, we used ORBIT (Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool) to analyze the staying power of the “OGs.” We looked exclusively at podcasts that began publishing before March 2020 to see if “new” really means “better.” The data suggests otherwise. Big congrats to our top performers: #3 Monday Morning Podcast, #2 Explain It to Me, and #1 Critical Role. While the industry often chases the latest chart-toppers, ORBIT reveals that long-term loyalty is where the ROI lives. Here are a couple of quick insights: The Brand Tax Is Real: Buying fame is expensive. We found a massive efficiency gap between high-profile “celebrity” shows and niche fan favorites. One major brand-name show costs nearly 19x more per drop than our #1 performer, yet delivers lower conversion results. Smart buyers stop paying for the host’s name and start paying for the host’s relationship with the listener. Execution Outlasts Hype: 75% of today’s top performers are OGs. Their success isn’t due to the “heat” of their genre; it comes from years of consistent development. These shows carry a 12% efficiency premium over newcomers because they have built a defensive moat of listener loyalty that new entrants can’t replicate quickly. For the full December ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out our newest report here. The Classifieds Your Honor, Let Her Cook Network: TMG Studios / Monthly Downloads: 30k It is the tail end of the Decade of the Female Lawyer, a historic period in which women overtook men in law school admissions and enrollment. In this period, social media adoption has skyrocketed, and at that intersection sits lawyer and TikTok creator Reb Masel. Masel is a practicing attorney and author who will join TMG Studios in 2026 to launch a video-forward podcast. Each week, she details crimes and precedent-defining court cases. The stories are unbelievable and perfectly bolstered by Masel’s succinct coverage. Though Masel is sure to say her show doesn’t provide personal legal advice, some of the information she details could someday come in handy. Advertisers focused on personal/network security, or on legal representation, are highly recommended, as are female-skew Gen Z DTCs. The burden of proof will be fulfilled once this show premieres, but to file a motion, click the link below. Get The Deal Self-Care Never Goes Out of Style Network: AMP House / Monthly Downloads: 60k Our selection isn’t new, but it is part of a new network launch. Host Dr. Alison Cook is an accredited therapist who combines her acumen and expertise with spiritual wisdom to offer a nuanced perspective on self-care. This framework offers a more holistic perspective on growth and healing while providing a safe, intimate space for self-discovery. Recent episode topics have included pattern recognition in negative thinking, the abject downside of people-pleasing, and building tools for anxiety relief. Dr. Cook is an extremely appealing host with a warm disposition, and this carries over to her ad reads for a perfect blend of information and warm sentiment. Over the years, the show has amassed multiple female-skewing top performers across a wide array of categories, all of which include a strong consumer base with a high household income. Be your best self by clicking below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Creator Content Serves Results on TikTok TikTok reports creator-led content drives 70% higher clickthrough rate and 159% higher engagement vs. non-creator ads for the same CPM. The average skip time for influencer content is 17.8 seconds, compared with just 7.9 seconds for traditional branded content. However, 64% of consumers distrust influencers who don’t disclose brand relationships. Another data point to give marketers confidence: creators drive results, even if this source has a vested interest in saying it. The other part that matters is consumer expectations. Great news for creators, but transparency is the safe path. Better to disclose upfront before you damage your brand’s reputation. Read More ChatGPT Wants to Be in Ad Sales? Code discovered in ChatGPT’s Android app reveals references to “search ad” and “search ads carousel,” signaling imminent advertising despite CEO Sam Altman previously calling ads a “last resort,” with OpenAI posting a job listing for ad infrastructure in September. While ChatGPT’s massive user base and high-intent queries present opportunities, introducing ads risks reducing user trust levels (currently 67%+ trust the information provided) and driving users to ad-free alternatives if integration feels intrusive or diminishes response quality. We already know AI is reshaping search. If ChatGPT starts taking ads, brace yourself for a period of disruption. Marketers who rely on capturing demand will feel it first. The safer move is to create demand, with audio, for example, so you are less exposed to whatever happens to the SERP or an AI-driven results page. Read More 2026 Ad Outlook: Ask Again Later WARC’s Voice of the Marketer report (1,000+ respondents) finds optimism cooling for 2026, with 59% expecting improved conditions, but only 19% anticipating higher budgets. Short-termism concerns have spiked from 25% (2022) to 55% today. Budget-squeezed marketers are prioritizing performance marketing (42%) over brand-building (29%), which WARC warns could fuel a “doom loop” of faulty metrics and diminishing returns. We expect podcasting to be a seller’s market in 2026, but the broader ad outlook is less clear. WARC’s data shows what happens when budgets tighten: performance gets protected and brand-building gets cut. That shift may seem rational, but it carries risk. Over-prioritizing performance makes it harder to drive future growth. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Random Acts of Kindness Are on the Upside This Holiday Season If you’ve ever felt inspired by the holiday merriment to do good, you’re in great company with TK Lawns. TK wins over his YouTube audience with his FREE lawn care services and now offers the best cashback recommendations with Upside. In between comedic “vrooms” of his lawn tools, they keep it real, relatable, and visually interesting. Right from the start, they tap into a universal truth: the holidays are expensive. So the promise of real cash back on things they’re already buying? Instantly compelling. His tone is relaxed and trustworthy, like a friend giving you a money-saving tip, as well as how they use the Upside app every time they fill up their truck. The breakdown of how the app works is clear and approachable, and their emphasis on no weird points, just real cash back, helps eliminate any listener hesitation. It’s helpful, it’s honest, and it’s perfectly timed for listeners who want to save during the spendiest season of the year. Some could even say they can look forward to the TK random act of kindness best with these cashback specials! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

Video podcast wars, reaching critical masses, or radio’s reckoning… or reinvention: what was the biggest story of 2025, and how will it shape 2026? Find out as we look back on all the major news stories of 2025 in a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the stories that shaped the year with fellow audio luminaries: Hernan Lopez (Founder of Owl & Co & Wondery, former CEO of Fox International) James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) Kyle Jelinek (VP, Client Services, Oxford Road) Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Video Everything, Critical Mass, and Radio’s Next Act. Let’s dig in. “ Video is definitely the big story for 2025.” – Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) Video Podcast Wars – While YouTube still holds the crown, Spotify and Netflix came for it in 2025. We don’t know who will rule video next year (okay, probably still YouTube), but advertisers can’t ignore the video part of podcasts. Measurement is messier, but 100% doable. It’s time to get off the sidelines, and for the industry, we need to count impressions the same way. No more random combinations of views/downloads/instant plays/vibes. Standardize measurements to create confidence and growth. Critical Mass – 73% of Americans have consumed a podcast. This is proof that our little industry’s all grown up. But James says the important number is 773, as in 773 million podcast hours consumed each week. Going from 73% to 100% is harder and less fruitful than increasing consumption. In 2026, industry expansion will come from both deepening relationships with existing deals, while expanding reach. Radio’s Reckoning – Radio remains a contradiction. It’s still shrinking (~1% a year), and it’s still big (74% of audio use in cars). It has a massive reach, but the median age is ~59. This year saw Nielsen juicing ratings, local radio scoring in trust, and Tesla planning to drop FM from lower-priced models. Still, we think Radio is more overlooked than overrated, making it a smart channel for advertisers to invest in. Want more insights from what was a wild year for the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

Marketers have been trying to predict how consumers will behave with statistics and studies for decades. But what if there’s a chance that science could help you understand consumers? Would you take it? The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back with those answers and more! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 15: “Human Hacks.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes best-selling behavioral science author Richard Shotton (The Choice Factory, Hacking the Human Mind). They’re looking at some of the most relevant behavioral studies in marketing and applying that formula to top-spending podcast ads from  McAfee, AmBev, Tide Pods, and  IBM Stew and Richard talk Simplicity, Big Ladles, Concrete, and more. Let’s dig in… “[It’s] always easier to work with human nature than against it.” – Richard Shotton (Author, Hacking the Human Mind) Simple is Smart – To sound smart, keep it simple. In a study with simple and complex versions of the same text, readers said the simple version’s author sounded smarter. Why?  Big words confuse the audience, and they blame the writer. So make your talking points simple. Hosts will love you, and you’ll sound smarter, too. Get the Big Ladle – We think information is the big blocker to action, but actually, it’s ease. A study showed that people ate more vegetables when a large serving ladle was used instead of tongs. CAOs, reflect on your current setup. Is it ridiculously easy for customers to sign up? Or ridiculously easy for hosts to read your copy (see above)? Whatever the challenge, instead of adding new info, try greasing the wheels first. Words like Concrete – Studies show people remember concrete phrases (“white horse”) 4 times more than intangible ones (“subtle fault”). Look over your copy. If you want it to stick in people’s minds, skip the floating abstract words and firm up the copy with sturdy, concrete words and phrases. Want more research-backed insights to make stronger audio ads? Tune in to the full episode here: The Classifieds Old School Gamer Finds New Strides on YouTube Network: eSports Talent Management LLC / Monthly Downloads: 250k Before there was Candy Crush, Cyberpunk, or Baldur’s Gate, many gamers found themselves logging in daily to RuneScape. The nearly 25-year-old game is a massively popular fantasy MMORPG. Though the graphics may look primeval, the fandom around this longtime giant is as fervent as ever. TorvestaRS is a UK YouTube channel entirely devoted to finding new and exciting ways to enhance the gaming experience. The videos are a mix of gameplay, strategy, and humor, often reliant on internet slang terms and meme culture. The subscriber count is currently at a respectable 500k, and this creator is exceptionally good at publishing content regularly. This is heartily recommended for anyone looking for a loyal, tech-aligned male audience. Don’t be an NPC in your own game of life. Click below to unlock this rare collectible for your media plan. Get The Deal The Critic Gets a Classified Network: Solaro Consulting Inc. / Monthly Downloads: 120k YouTube is an exceptional place for niche celebrities to find a dedicated audience. Our second channel is hosted by just such a figure. Karsten Runquist built a significant following through Letterboxd, a social media platform for cinephiles. At the same time, his YouTube channel exploded in popularity. He’s now lauded as a prominent figure in the internet age of film criticism. His content is a mashup of nostalgic throwbacks, theories around mainstream classics, and topical essays on new releases. He covers many series, franchises, and award-season contenders, attracting film buffs from all walks of life. Karsten is a reliable publisher who never misses an episode and, thanks to his popularity and brand-safe approach, has built many long-term DTC and B2C partnerships. For those looking to test TV & Film opportunities with strong engagement, this is a key offering. Grab your popcorn and novelty cup and watch a masterpiece via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Podscribe’s Early Holiday Gift To Advertisers Podcast ad loads hit a new high of 10.9% in Q3 2025 (highest ever tracked), up 10% year-over-year, but Podscribe’s Q4 Benchmark Report shows 70% of advertisers still saw strong CPA improvements with higher net-new reach. 60% saw a positive correlation between conversion rates and first-time listeners, particularly pronounced for big spenders (over $400K/month). Heavy frequency buys underperform, with Podscribe warning that repetition can turn “persuasion into punishment.” Host-read ads prove more resilient to higher ad loads than producer reads. As always, there are tons of benchmark data in the report. One new area that stood out to us is benchmarks by industry and by genre. Also, if you’re curious about how (rising) ad loads impact performance, check out our case study on the subject. Read More iHeart Says Humans Only iHeartMedia is rolling out a “Guaranteed Human” label across all stations, from hourly legal IDs to sweepers, positioning themselves against AI-generated content. Their research shows 90% of consumers want media created by real humans. 92% say nothing can replace human connection (up from 76% in 2016), and 96% find “Guaranteed Human” content appealing. This is a good move by iHeart to capture press attention and to reassure listeners of authenticity in this new AI world. But here’s the thing, synthetic voices are not new. The technology dates back to the invention of the Vocoder in the 1930s. Read More Spotify’s Year of Transition Spotify admitted 2025 is a “transition year” for its ads business and doesn’t expect growth to improve until the second half of 2026. For the first time, nearly 1,700 brands advertised on podcasts in Q3—a 41% increase from Q2. Brand awareness campaigns  now account for 56% of podcast ad spending, while direct response dropped to 41%. 1,700 new brands in one quarter means competition for inventory, putting intense pressure on a supply-and-demand marketplace. Lock in deals now. 2026 could see a change to a “sellers” market. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Chewy Decks the Paws For the Holidays Dan Le Batard kicks off this holiday season by reminding us ‘tis the season for great ad reads and cute pets. The sports aficionado partners with Chewy in this week’s Save The Live Read to talk about the two things he loves the most: good quality pet products and his dog, Roma. He kicks things off with a sweet holiday moment featuring Roma—decked out in seasonal gear, of course, which instantly sets a cozy, relatable tone. He also takes that opportunity to pivot into one of Chewy’s charitable ventures, donating meals to pet shelters, but also doing good. He also praises the brand’s quick and convenient delivery, as if there weren’t enough reasons to sign up for your first box! The ad rings with holiday cheer and spirit, with a sincerity that we’re sure caroled in a slew of first-time orders. If you want to hear what cozy holiday feelings sound like, click the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

Marketers have been trying to predict how consumers will behave with statistics and studies for decades. But what if there’s a chance that science could help you understand consumers? Would you take it? The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back with those answers and more! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 15: “Human Hacks.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes best-selling behavioral science author Richard Shotton (The Choice Factory, Hacking the Human Mind). They’re looking at some of the most relevant behavioral studies in marketing and applying that formula to top-spending podcast ads from  McAfee, AmBev, Tide Pods, and  IBM Stew and Richard talk Simplicity, Big Ladles, Concrete, and more. Let’s dig in… “[It’s] always easier to work with human nature than against it.” – Richard Shotton (Author, Hacking the Human Mind) Simple is Smart – To sound smart, keep it simple. In a study with simple and complex versions of the same text, readers said the simple version’s author sounded smarter. Why?  Big words confuse the audience, and they blame the writer. So make your talking points simple. Hosts will love you, and you’ll sound smarter, too. Get the Big Ladle – We think information is the big blocker to action, but actually, it’s ease. A study showed that people ate more vegetables when a large serving ladle was used instead of tongs. CAOs, reflect on your current setup. Is it ridiculously easy for customers to sign up? Or ridiculously easy for hosts to read your copy (see above)? Whatever the challenge, instead of adding new info, try greasing the wheels first. Words like Concrete – Studies show people remember concrete phrases (“white horse”) 4 times more than intangible ones (“subtle fault”). Look over your copy. If you want it to stick in people’s minds, skip the floating abstract words and firm up the copy with sturdy, concrete words and phrases. Want more research-backed insights to make stronger audio ads? Tune in to the full episode here:

How will the industry shift with 200k AI episodes? Or with Netflix’s $400M podcast push? How do audio and video podcasts actually stack up for attention? Find out on a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, sponsored by our friends at ALLCITY Network. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the biggest stories and their potential impacts on the industry with fellow audiophiles: • James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) • Spencer Semonson (Media Supervisor, Oxford Road) • Todd Elbrink (Director of Strategy & Performance, Oxford Road) • Tucker Peleuses (VP of Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Cheap TV, Video vs. Audio Attention, and Wading Past AI Slop. Let’s dig in. “How do we make sure that we don’t get run over, for those of us that really care about the human connection piece?” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road)   Netflix’s $8M Question – Netflix is offering 50+ podcasts to leave YouTube for $8M. If Netflix thinks podcasts are just cheaper TV, this move makes sense. But most podcasters don’t think about themselves that way. They build audience connection in a wildly powerful and efficient way. Leaving open platforms for closed ones diminishes that power. Todd’s hot take: Podcasters looking for a fast payday should take the exit and leave the others to grow their audiences. Attention Increases ROI – A new study found that video podcasts cost 77% more to produce than audio, but audio beats video for completion rates (66% vs 61%). Audio’s an incredibly efficient way to grab and hold attention. That said, adding a video component actually increases plays for the audio version. The TLDR for CAOs: audio and video both help your campaigns. Measurement’s going to be harder, but it’s worth it. And in the meantime, keep asking for better measurement tools to anyone who’ll listen. Protecting Human Connection – Ashley Carman’s Podcast Business Summit encapsulated the fight for the soul of podcasting. Inception Point boasts +200k AI episodes (all without QC). Netflix hopes to entice shows to take the sure money, and creators want to stay in control and help build brands (their own and their partners). While there’s money to be made in all directions, trying to protect the heart of podcasting, the authentic human connection, is only possible from some paths. CAOs: Uncertainty creates opportunity–for your shows that work, start conversations that can deepen your partnerships. If you value the connection between your creators and their audiences, continue to invest in them, and they’ll continue to invest in you.   Want more insights from the forces shaping the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.   The Classifieds These Tea Leaves See Profits In Your Future Network: Sony Podcasts / Monthly Downloads: 200k This week is all about being grateful for the things you have, and being grateful for the podcasts we shall receive. Our first feature premieres in January, and it is the perfect way to kick off a new year. Haley Sacks (@mrsdowjones) wants to put spending power back in the hands of women and educate them on their financial futures. Sacks has built a subscriber base of 1.3M followers through her social media, video courses, and product reviews, all geared towards women trying to build wealth for future generations. Her advice covers a variety of topics, such as sustainable buying practices, smart lifestyle choices, long-term investment strategies, and market insights. This podcast will most likely align with her socials in terms of content and messaging if you want an early preview. We recommend this for any premium female skew DTC or B2C advertiser looking to reach a millennial audience. Invest your dollars wisely by clicking below for more information. Get The Deal Class is Back in Session – Keating 101 Style Network: Podcast Nation / Monthly Downloads: 50k Shondaland may sound like a magical realm, but it’s actually a television production company that has brought us some of the biggest shows of the past 20 years. One of its most beloved properties was How to Get Away with Murder, a critical and commercial success that still sees significant love on streaming. Two of its stars, Jack Falahee and Matt McGorry, are now teaming up for a rewatch podcast with the fine folks at Podcast Nation. Fans will get to relive the show’s dramatic twists and turns, intense plot lines, and consistently high bar. Falahee and McGorry will spend each week going behind the scenes and unpacking fan theories. For those looking for fresh TV & Film opportunities with a millennial female audience, this is a key test for Q1. We find you guilty of not testing enough and sentence you to click the link below. Get The Deal   In Case You Missed It   Audio Multitasking Creates Additional Hours For Engagement Katz Media Group’s analysis of Activate’s 2026 Consumer Technology & Media Outlook reveals media multitasking has expanded total daily consumption to a “32-hour day,” with audio capturing 2 hours 49 minutes (21% of media time) by uniquely complementing rather than competing for visual attention. Audio dominates multitasking: 72% multitask while listening to music, and 62% while consuming podcasts. Audio stands out as the ultimate companion medium. While that means audio advertising must work harder to earn recall, its unmatched reach and cost efficiencies make it ideal for building frequency and staying top of mind. Read More   Audio Hosts Out-Earn Their Social Media Counterparts Audacy’s new insights report positions radio and podcast hosts as superior influencers compared to social media creators. It cites doubled creator revenue since 2020, with data showing that 44% of listeners feel stronger brand connections when endorsed by their favorite audio host, emphasizing long-term partnerships over transactional ad reads. Is this self-serving? Of course. Audacy wants to rebrand its hosts as influencers, which makes sense given that the creator economy is now worth $37 billion and audio spending lags far behind. There’s still some truth here. Radio and podcast hosts were the original creators, and they’ve long proven their ability to drive both brand impact and return on ad spend. Read More    Customers Spend More If The Jingle Bells Are Rocking Research from iHeartMedia and Critical Mass Media shows that 98% of holiday music radio listeners say it helps them feel festive. 90% reported increased shopping excitement and 75% say they’re more likely to buy from brands advertised on their favorite holiday station, positioning seasonal radio as both an emotional trigger and purchase driver. CAOs, if you want to reach holiday shoppers, add holiday music stations to your mix on both terrestrial and digital. While you’re at it, throw in the Hallmark Channel and its endless holiday movies. The best way to spread holiday cheer is through holiday sounds. Read More   Save The Live Reads Don’t Be Scared To Be Home Alone This Holiday Season With SimpliSafe Nic and the Captain, hosts of the hit podcast True Crime Garage, have this week’s exemplary host-read for SimpliSafe wrapped up tighter than a Thanksgiving turkey. This ad kicks things off with a flooding horror story that makes you instantly feel the “why didn’t I install security sooner?” panic—and bam, you’re hooked. Nic and Cap easily rave about how SimpliSafe became their go-to for peace of mind when it came to their homes and their mother-in-law’s too. The delivery is warm and full of personality, calling out all the must-have features like water sensors, glass-break detectors, and the app’s super slick interface. Just when you think it can’t get any better, they drop in new product features like the Smoke & CO Alarm Listener and 24/7 monitoring with ActiveGuard. Before hitting the road for Thanksgiving, these guys have their homes locked up tight—because nothing says “peace of mind” like knowing SimpliSafe is standing guard while you’re busy passing the gravy or in a turkey coma. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation   OXFORd In The News   Bloomberg’s Talking Right Wing Influencers and ORBIT’s Comedy Insights Take Off Oxford Road received a Bloomberg shoutout this week. In a deep-dive on how right-wing podcasters are fueling a boom in politically charged advertising, the outlet cited our study, The Untold Story of the Podcast Election, which showed that podcasts featuring Trump appearances outperformed those with Harris. The takeaway? What looks “risky” from a brand safety perspective often delivers results from a performance one. In other news, ORBIT keeps building momentum. Our latest ranking of the top 15 performing comedy podcasts is getting picked up across the industry by a variety of networks and publications. Turns out, when it comes to comedy, the question isn’t just “who’s funny?”—it’s “who’s actually moving the needle?”. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

How will the industry shift with 200k AI episodes? Or with Netflix’s $400M podcast push? How do audio and video podcasts actually stack up for attention? Find out on a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, sponsored by our friends at ALLCITY Network. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the biggest stories and their potential impacts on the industry with fellow audiophiles: • James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal) • Spencer Semonson (Media Supervisor, Oxford Road) • Todd Elbrink (Director of Strategy & Performance, Oxford Road) • Tucker Peleuses (VP of Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Cheap TV, Video vs. Audio Attention, and Wading Past AI Slop. Let’s dig in. “How do we make sure that we don’t get run over, for those of us that really care about the human connection piece?” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road)   Netflix’s $8M Question – Netflix is offering 50+ podcasts to leave YouTube for $8M. If Netflix thinks podcasts are just cheaper TV, this move makes sense. But most podcasters don’t think about themselves that way. They build audience connection in a wildly powerful and efficient way. Leaving open platforms for closed ones diminishes that power. Todd’s hot take: Podcasters looking for a fast payday should take the exit and leave the others to grow their audiences. Attention Increases ROI – A new study found that video podcasts cost 77% more to produce than audio, but audio beats video for completion rates (66% vs 61%). Audio’s an incredibly efficient way to grab and hold attention. That said, adding a video component actually increases plays for the audio version. The TLDR for CAOs: audio and video both help your campaigns. Measurement’s going to be harder, but it’s worth it. And in the meantime, keep asking for better measurement tools to anyone who’ll listen. Protecting Human Connection – Ashley Carman’s Podcast Business Summit encapsulated the fight for the soul of podcasting. Inception Point boasts +200k AI episodes (all without QC). Netflix hopes to entice shows to take the sure money, and creators want to stay in control and help build brands (their own and their partners). While there’s money to be made in all directions, trying to protect the heart of podcasting, the authentic human connection, is only possible from some paths. CAOs: Uncertainty creates opportunity–for your shows that work, start conversations that can deepen your partnerships. If you value the connection between your creators and their audiences, continue to invest in them, and they’ll continue to invest in you.   Want more insights from the forces shaping the industry? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

How can audio ads break through in a world of AI ads and boring reads? By being relentlessly real. The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads strikes back against AI! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 14: “This is My Real Voice.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes Brandon Beville (Producer, Morning Wire). They get to the root of authenticity, tapping into Brandon’s special insight as both producer and ad-reader (according to one commenter, his voice sounds like “ a frat guy from Boston”). Together, they put up Brandon’s spot against top-spending podcast ads from Google, ParkWhiz, LG, and Wells Fargo using our Audiolytics™ framework. Which spot will come out on top? Guess you’ll have to dial in to find out. Stew and Brandon talk The Real You, The 3-4 Rule, Active Listening, and more. Let’s dig in… “Make it as much you as you can.” – Brandon Beville (Producer, Morning Wire) Bring Your Full Self — Whether you’re writing copy, setting strategy, or voicing an ad read, none of it will work if it feels inauthentic. To make the words land, it has to feel real. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to be genuine. For ads, that means tapping into why you actually care about the product you’re selling. CAOs, for hosts to give honest endorsements of your brand, it helps if you can show why you care, too, even by sharing personal anecdotes. The 3-4 Rule — Ads that break through don’t sound like ads. To get those kinds of performances, Brandon aims for 3-4 takes. That’s enough to dial it in, get comfortable with the words, and have a natural read in one go before it turns stale. CAOs, listen to your airchecks. If the reads are awkward, it might be their first time with the material. Raise your hand to encourage them to put in more effort. And meet them halfway! If they’re stumbling on a line that sounds like jargon, change it and write it more like how you’d tell a friend instead of how you’d pitch to a boardroom. Listening Ears On — Brandon took his inspiration for his Ollie ad when he heard his dog growling at dinner time. When we’re open to it, the world is rich with sound… but most ads only use the spoken word. CAOs, if you want your ads to sound like no one else, start by listening like no one else. Whether your product is digital or physical, using it will leave some audio fingerprints that only you could create. Capture them to create richer experiences for listeners. Want more insights on making the realest audio ads you can? Tune in to the full episode here:

How can audio ads break through in a world of AI ads and boring reads? By being relentlessly real. The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads strikes back against AI! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 14: “This is My Real Voice.” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes Brandon Beville (Producer, Morning Wire). They get to the root of authenticity, tapping into Brandon’s special insight as both producer and ad-reader (according to one commenter, his voice sounds like “ a frat guy from Boston”). Together, they put up Brandon’s spot against top-spending podcast ads from Google, ParkWhiz, LG, and Wells Fargo using our Audiolytics™ framework. Which spot will come out on top? Guess you’ll have to dial in to find out. Stew and Brandon talk The Real You, The 3-4 Rule, Active Listening, and more. Let’s dig in… “Make it as much you as you can.” – Brandon Beville (Producer, Morning Wire) Bring Your Full Self — Whether you’re writing copy, setting strategy, or voicing an ad read, none of it will work if it feels inauthentic. To make the words land, it has to feel real. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to be genuine. For ads, that means tapping into why you actually care about the product you’re selling. CAOs, for hosts to give honest endorsements of your brand, it helps if you can show why you care, too, even by sharing personal anecdotes. The 3-4 Rule — Ads that break through don’t sound like ads. To get those kinds of performances, Brandon aims for 3-4 takes. That’s enough to dial it in, get comfortable with the words, and have a natural read in one go before it turns stale. CAOs, listen to your airchecks. If the reads are awkward, it might be their first time with the material. Raise your hand to encourage them to put in more effort. And meet them halfway! If they’re stumbling on a line that sounds like jargon, change it and write it more like how you’d tell a friend instead of how you’d pitch to a boardroom. Listening Ears On — Brandon took his inspiration for his Ollie ad when he heard his dog growling at dinner time. When we’re open to it, the world is rich with sound… but most ads only use the spoken word. CAOs, if you want your ads to sound like no one else, start by listening like no one else. Whether your product is digital or physical, using it will leave some audio fingerprints that only you could create. Capture them to create richer experiences for listeners. Want more insights on making the realest audio ads you can? Tune in to the full episode here: Your Monthly ORBIT Report – Nov 2025 Last month, we introduced Influencer readers to ORBIT (The Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool). This week, we’re putting the tool to use to examine real advertiser performance, this time in the Comedy genre’s Top 15 Performing podcasts. Big congrats to #3, Emergency Intercom, #2 Soder, and #1 Monday Morning Podcast. While the Comedy genre is #1 in advertiser investment in the space, the ORBIT analysis shows some funny business. Here are a couple of quick insights: Laughter Is Not the Best Medicine: Comedy claims the most ad spend, but as a genre, performance is in the bottom tier. So why the outsized investment? It may be brand safety concerns–Comedy looks like a safe place to scale over more controversial categories like Politics and Government. Instead, shift Comedy dollars from a “safe default” to a “sophisticated category requiring strategic expertise.” The Best vs. The Rest: While the genre is soft overall, the top 15 Comedy podcasts boast elite-tier performance. These shows represent distinct comedy styles and formats, from advice-based to game shows. The takeaway? There are no guarantees in Comedy performance, but there are lots of ways to turn funny into money. For full ORBIT Rankings and Insights, check out the full report here. The Classifieds They’re All Talk, But That’s Exactly What We Want Network: Your Mom’s House Studios / Monthly Downloads: 25k “Classifieds?” you ask, “Are there any podcasts that still have open dates to test in Q4?” What an amazing question! The answer is yes, and we have two for you this week. The first is a humorous podcast from two TikTok comedians. Sydney Heller and Olivia DeLaurentis (@sydandolivia) have cultivated a brand of improvisational satire that blends surrealism with women’s lived experiences. Every week, they sit down with like-minded internet comedy icons to riff,  ad-lib, and babble about any wacky thing that comes to mind. Since its formal relaunch last fall, the show has consistently been adding a roster of DR top performers. Their audience is made up of progressive, self-improvement-conscious Gen Z listeners, so app-based advertisers or those looking for lifelong learners are highly encouraged to test. If you’re ready to tell your truth, no matter how hot it may be, head right on down to the link below. Get The Deal This Southern Classic is Great For Breakfast and For Entertainment Network: Cake Media / Monthly Downloads: 300k Podcasts can often be distilled down to basic details that can work regardless of who the host is. Few’s success depends entirely on the personality attached. Deante’ Kyle is the soul, lifeblood, and main creator of the scrumptious Grits and Eggs Podcast, a part of the equally delicious Cake Media. Kyle rose to prominence as a critic of burnout work culture and easily transitioned into the role of cultural critic. His loyal followers tune in every week to hear his take on trending topics, notable pop culture moments, and music critiques. He often correlates his responses in historical terms, drawing from the socio-political environment that inspires African-American art forms. Kyle himself is a likeable, blunt individual with a sense of humor that cannot be beat. This opportunity has only just landed with their seller but has already become a top performer for several B2B-focused male-skew advertisers. These grits are about to see the gravy train, so slide on up and grab a plate at the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The Indie Podcasting Gap: Creative Drive vs Commercial Returns Alitu’s survey of 558 indie podcasters reveals 85% generate no revenue. 9% measure success by profitability, 31% are motivated by helping others, and 72% cite audience discovery as their biggest challenge. Unsurprisingly, one in four has considered quitting due to financial difficulties or burnout. ​​To us, this is one of the biggest reasons indie podcasts should work with agencies if they’re struggling to find support on their own. Oxford Road helps marketers find performance in the indie podcast ecosystem, something the traditional agencies rarely bother to explore. Read More Australia Gets A Unified Audio ID Australia’s Commercial Radio & Audio launched CRA Audio ID, a unified identity solution on Google’s DV360 that consolidates 14.7M monthly listeners across four major networks, offering frequency management and audience de-duplication for streamlined digital audio buying at scale. Competitors aligning on a shared identity tag is a step toward audio closing the gap with digital channels. If the U.S. audio industry wants to level up, this is a good model to follow. Read More Cumulus: Podcasts Still Lean Audio-First, Despite Video’s Rise The Fall 2025 Podcast Download Report from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights finds that despite the rise of video formats, podcasts remain an overwhelmingly audio-first medium. 92% of weekly podcast consumers primarily listen rather than watch. While YouTube continues to dominate as the most-cited podcast platform, actual listening behavior shows Spotify and YouTube are nearly even in time spent, with Apple close behind. YouTube plays a significant role in discovery, but its audience remains fluid, with 70% saying they’d switch platforms if content moved elsewhere. Smart TVs have surpassed smart speakers for podcast listening, signaling broader shifts in how people consume podcasts. There’s good stuff in this research, but remember, the David Ogilvy quote: “People don’t think what they feel, they don’t say what they think, and they don’t do what they say.” If YouTube leads podcast consumption, viewership is likely higher than respondents admit. And while 70% claim they’d switch platforms, betting against YouTube seems risky to us. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Beauty Queen Crowns Shopify As the Belle of the Merchandise Ball Beauty guru, Shopify merch, and host of the hit podcast Noche de Pendejadas with Alannized, Alan, better known as Alannized, delivers a stellar live read for Shopify by striking the perfect balance between personal experience and logical value. From the start, they acknowledge the intimidating reality of launching a business, a feeling many listeners will relate to. What makes this read stand out is their genuine enthusiasm and relatability—sharing their own journey of launching merch but being unsure about building a website. Alan highlights Shopify’s user-friendly templates and all-in-one tools in a conversational, non-scripted way, making the platform feel approachable for entrepreneurs at any technical level. By the time the $1 trial offer rolls around, it doesn’t feel like a sales pitch—it feels like solid advice from a trusted friend who’s been there and figured it out. If you’re curious about what a winning sales pitch sounds like, listen via the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese

Did you have Netflix becoming a major audio platform on your 2026 bingo card? Don’t worry if you’re surprised, we’re here to help you make sense of the big moves by the industry’s (new) big players. This week on The Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts audio experts: James Ingrassia (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) Shannon Quintana (VP, Account Management, Oxford Road) Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Netflix x Spotify, Thinking Locally, Podcast’s Growth, and more. Let’s dig in. “We’re in the right space. I think we all just wish there were fewer leashes to hold as you’re trying to make sense of all of it.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Netflix and Spotify Press Play – Spotify inked a deal with Netflix to move some podcasts (mostly from The Ringer network) off YouTube and onto Netflix starting in 2026. Pros: Netflix would love to steal some of YouTube’s share of couch (July 2025 Nielsen TV viewing had YouTube: 13.4%, Netflix: 8.8%), and Spotify gets its content recommended to a new audience. Cons: Gated content shrinks the audience, big questions remain on how live reads will be executed, and more measurement complications. For performance CAOs, wait-and-see. For those in the winner-take-all categories, Netflix Podcast ads might be worth exploring? Local’s Moment is Coming – Audio is the fastest-growing tool in local content marketing. 15% of local businesses use audio for marketing, up from 6% in 2022 (per a Borrell study). If small businesses and retailers are seeing success in local audio, there could be a revenue uptick for local journalism and local content creation. Soon consumption numbers and distribution ease could make local audio a key part of any CAO’s playbook. Podcasts: Still Growing Strong – Podcasting remains one of the fastest-growing digital channels per a new IAB report. Fresh off the double-digit gains of last year, the IAB forecasts podcast ad revenue will climb 7.4% in 2025. (4.8% increase projected for digital audio not including podcasts). It’s a good sign for the strength of the industry. Even in an ROI-centric environment, marketers increase their bets on audio. And if we want to grow ad investment further, we have some thoughts from our CAOs (*cough* better measurement *cough*). Want more insights from the industry’s movers and shakers without getting shook? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below. The Classifieds If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Podcast Studio Network: Blue Wire Podcasts / Monthly Downloads: 30k Not to scare our readers who are booking for Q4, but just a reminder: Thanksgiving is in two weeks! If you’re digging through RFP submissions for a true gem, here are two podcasts ripe for testing at great rates. Sports podcasts are especially hard to come by, due to their current seasonality, but Blue Wire Podcasts luckily has open availability on one of their highest-performing opportunities. Stay Hot: A Sports Podcast is unique for its coverage of multiple franchises (NFL, NBA, and occasionally MLB and NHL). The show is hosted by TikTok stars Matt Sponhour, Blaiden Kirk, and Theo Ash, who provide informed, attentive coverage for their followers. With a majority male audience, this is a key offering for advertisers in the B2B and B2C spaces as the NFL season approaches playoff season. Heat your frigid Q4 budgets by clicking the link below. Get The Deal  Be Shepherds of the Flock Network: Pray.com / Monthly Downloads: 700k Faith is often personal and intimate, so finding a community is something many struggle with. Pray.com offers a slate of podcasts that connect Christian Americans to a virtual congregation, helping deepen their beliefs. Pastor Jack Graham has been a longtime leader of Southern Baptists in Texas, culminating in 16 million parishioners and a term on the Religious Advisory Council. This podcast is a mix of theatrical recreation and theological deep dives, culminating in the Pastor’s personal framing of the original Biblical text and his musings on its teachings. Though multiple media are available for sponsorship, audio impressions alone are quite high compared to similar opportunities. The audience leans older, female-skewed, and family-oriented, so any DTC advertiser targeting that demo is highly recommended to test. It’s better to give than receive, so we give you the link below to bless you with more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The Podcast Election 2.0 – Midterms Confirm Podcasting’s Importance At The Polls Edison Research analysis reveals 2025 election winners dominated podcast guest appearances, with NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appearing on 31 podcasts (reaching 12.5 million Americans weekly) and NJ Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill on 18 podcasts (reaching 4.1 million weekly). The data shows candidates are using podcasts more than ever to connect with voters, with winners significantly outpacing opponents in both podcast appearances and reach. Take it from the politicians: podcasting works. If you need more proof, check out our whitepaper: The Untold Story of the Podcast Election. Read More Meta Profiting from Ad Fraud? Reuters reveals Meta internally projected earning $16 billion (10% of 2024 revenue) from scam ads and banned goods, with internal documents showing the platform serves users 15 billion “higher risk” scam ads daily while only banning advertisers at 95%+ fraud certainty. Meta aims to reduce scam revenue from 10.1% in 2024 to 5.8% by 2027, prioritizing enforcement only in markets facing regulatory action. Meta made nearly as much from scam ads as the entire U.S. audio advertising market (~$18B). Marketers, take note: fraud inflates CPMs and devalues your campaigns. Might we suggest audio as an alternative? Read More iHeart Looking to TikTok to Reach New Audiences TikTok and iHeartMedia are teaming up on a broad multiplatform partnership that launches the TikTok Podcast Network. Featuring up to 25 creator-hosted shows and new co-branded studios in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta, the deal also includes TikTok Radio—a national station designed to mimic the app’s experience in audio form—and live event integrations, signaling TikTok’s push into long-form audio and iHeart’s continued expansion across digital platforms. Credit where it’s due: iHeartMedia is on a roll. In just weeks, it’s inked deals with Netflix, Amazon’s DSP, and now TikTok. The real test will be whether these partnerships deliver tangible value for advertisers. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Ryan George Jams Out With Raycon This Holiday Season Ryan George is jamming out to all his favorite holiday tunes this week thanks to Raycon! As the Holiday and Black Friday season is upon us, Ryan’s signature absurdist humor turns what could be a generic sales pitch into a hilarious journey through “ad space” as an astronaut, promoting the new bone conduction headphones. His quirky lines, like “my bones are quite busy at the moment,” don’t just entertain; they cleverly highlight the product’s core features in a memorable way. Ryan is the ideal spokesperson here because he seamlessly blends his comedic brand with the product’s functionality, making technical specs like open-ear audio and waterproof design feel both accessible and cool. This ad is punchy, weird in the best way, and totally effective—because Ryan doesn’t just sell the product, he owns it! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

Did you have Netflix becoming a major audio platform on your 2026 bingo card? Don’t worry if you’re surprised, we’re here to help you make sense of the big moves by the industry’s (new) big players. This week on The Media Roundtable: Industry Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts audio experts: James Ingrassia (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) Shannon Quintana (VP, Account Management, Oxford Road) Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Netflix x Spotify, Thinking Locally, Podcast’s Growth, and more. Let’s dig in. “We’re in the right space. I think we all just wish there were fewer leashes to hold as you’re trying to make sense of all of it.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Netflix and Spotify Press Play – Spotify inked a deal with Netflix to move some podcasts (mostly from The Ringer network) off YouTube and onto Netflix starting in 2026. Pros: Netflix would love to steal some of YouTube’s share of couch (July 2025 Nielsen TV viewing had YouTube: 13.4%, Netflix: 8.8%), and Spotify gets its content recommended to a new audience. Cons: Gated content shrinks the audience, big questions remain on how live reads will be executed, and more measurement complications. For performance CAOs, wait-and-see. For those in the winner-take-all categories, Netflix Podcast ads might be worth exploring? Local’s Moment is Coming – Audio is the fastest-growing tool in local content marketing. 15% of local businesses use audio for marketing, up from 6% in 2022 (per a Borrell study). If small businesses and retailers are seeing success in local audio, there could be a revenue uptick for local journalism and local content creation. Soon consumption numbers and distribution ease could make local audio a key part of any CAO’s playbook. Podcasts: Still Growing Strong – Podcasting remains one of the fastest-growing digital channels per a new IAB report. Fresh off the double-digit gains of last year, the IAB forecasts podcast ad revenue will climb 7.4% in 2025. (4.8% increase projected for digital audio not including podcasts). It’s a good sign for the strength of the industry. Even in an ROI-centric environment, marketers increase their bets on audio. And if we want to grow ad investment further, we have some thoughts from our CAOs (*cough* better measurement *cough*). Want more insights from the industry’s movers and shakers without getting shook? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

What happens when you invite AI into the Ad Infinitum hot seat? The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 12: “Infinite Prompts. Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes Juniper GPT for a Human/AI collab session. Together, they break down Magellan AI’s July 2025 Movers & Shakers report, grading fresh podcast ads from My Mochi, Activision‘s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, and JCPenney using the Audiolytics™ framework. Will Juniper’s AI algorithms concur with human judgment? Stew and Juniper talk Tools of the Trade, Having Fun, Painting Audio Pictures, and more. Let’s dig in. “For people in creative fields, it’s about embracing AI as a kind of creative partner. It can help you work faster and open up new possibilities, but the heart and soul of the work will still come from you.” – Juniper GPT It’s A Tool, Not a Solution – AI tools like Juniper are game-changers because they’re readily available to everyone. But if they’re available to everyone, anything they generate can’t be a unique creative advantage. So how do you make the most of GenAI tools without sounding like everyone else? Studies show that while being heavily reliant on AI can harm your thinking, if you’re thoughtful and active in your GenAI use, you could boost your creativity. Have Fun Making the Ads Work – Boring prompts create boring ads. But Stew’s actively playing around with Juniper–seeing what’s possible, and checking it against his internal creative compass. That’s how we get Western and Shakespearean Tony Hawk ads. That doesn’t mean those are fit to go to air, but if you’re feeling stuck for your next campaign, testing out a wildcard idea could trigger something completely original of your own. Paint Audio Pictures – Juniper and Stew tapped the Tony Hawk and Meta Glasses spots as their winners. One winning creative element? Each ad had multiple audioscapes. A mock-PSA shifts to a high-energy skate park. A cityscape shifts to a kitchen. The ads felt bigger because they took the listener on a multi-locale journey. CAOs, with or without Juniper, as you’re crafting your audio ads think: can you tell a bigger story? The Classifieds A Deathly Good Time at the Cinema Network: Daylight Media / Monthly Downloads: 50k As inventory tightens up and Q4 testing becomes an intrepid battleground, there are still top-performing shows available for review. Our first is from the newly named Daylight Media and hosted by a household name: Brett Goldstein. Goldstein is a British comedian who gained fame for his portrayal of Roy Kent in the comedy series Ted Lasso. Goldstein has also worked as a touring stand-up and is the co-creator of Shrinking, so he has a lot of funny friends who join him each week. Though the conversations cover a whole host of interesting tidbits, the main focus is on life and death and its storytelling impact. Guests have recalled details from recent performances, like Joey King’s offbeat turn in Bullet Train, or nostalgic memories like director Chris Columbus’ on Home Alone.  If you’re even morbidly curious about this offer, pay your respects at the link below. Get The Deal Gen Z Drama Time With Two TikTok OGs Network: Your Mom’s House Studios / Monthly Downloads: 75k Kayla Malecc and Jacob Sartorius: These are names that most of those with a 19 in their birth year have never come across, but for Gen Z, they’re very familiar. Between the two of them, these TikTok superstars have a combined 41 million followers, and though they’re still quite young, they’re still finding ways to grow. In this video-heavy simulcast opportunity, the twosome talks about anything and everything their hearts desire. Whether they’re falling down a conspiracy rabbit hole to celebrate Halloween, recapping recent internet drama, or revealing intimate details about their lives, they always have fun together. This is a raucous, rowdy time, and even at their level of fame, they’re always relatable. Advertisers looking to reach engaged, drama-loving young adults have found great success in testing this offering. Those who see traction in YouTube and social media are also strongly recommended. Get it on, bang a gong, and get over to the link below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Why Podcasts Are the New Word of Mouth Acast’s 2025 Podcast Pulse combines insights from 2,600 consumers across 10 global markets, 137 podcasters, and 200 marketers. Two in three listeners say they’ve discovered new brands through podcasts, and 70% have considered a brand after a host recommends it. Podcasters rank among the most trusted voices ahead of YouTubers and social influencers. The report also highlights podcasting’s influence on cultural conversation. The multi-country report shows that the impact of podcasts is consistent. Listeners everywhere trust hosts, act on recommendations, and see podcasts as shaping their views. For marketers, that reliability makes podcasts a global channel to scale influence. Read More Subscribers Surge, Ads Soften: Spotify’s Paradox of Growth The Wrap reports that Spotify’s Q3 2025 earnings beat expectations. Strong subscriber gains fueled growth. Meanwhile, ad-supported revenue fell 6%. According to the article, Growth in music and podcast advertising sales, driven by growth in impressions sold, was offset by “softness in pricing and optimization”. In other words, it was a soft ad market. One of the stickiest subscription services raises its prices and still sees strong growth. It also saw growth in ad impressions sold. Sounds like a good place to reach consumers… Read More In a Sea of Sameness, Authentic Beats Algorithm Amplifi Media argues the AI-accelerated glut will punish the “medium” and reward high-value content; algorithms follow performance, not volume. Some of the truest words in advertising: you get what you pay for. Keep this in mind when planning your audio media: in a world where everyone’s talking, the voices that rise above will be the ones using innovation to sound more human, not less. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Finding Your Holiday Style with Quince This week, we’re sharing how April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary, hosts of the Dressed: The History of Fashion, deliver a holiday ad read that hits all the right notes. Partnering with Quince, they weave warmth, comfort, and gifting into a story that feels as natural as conversation over cocoa or a set of Turkish towels. From cashmere beanies to eucalyptus sheets, their enthusiasm feels personal, not promotional. It’s a masterclass in authentic integration; the kind that only works when the brand, agency, and hosts are perfectly in sync. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

What happens when you invite AI into the Ad Infinitum hot seat? The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 12: “Infinite Prompts. Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes Juniper GPT for a Human/AI collab session. Together, they break down Magellan AI’s July 2025 Movers & Shakers report, grading fresh podcast ads from My Mochi, Activision‘s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, and JCPenney using the Audiolytics™ framework. Will Juniper’s AI algorithms concur with human judgment? Stew and Juniper talk Tools of the Trade, Having Fun, Painting Audio Pictures, and more. Let’s dig in. “For people in creative fields, it’s about embracing AI as a kind of creative partner. It can help you work faster and open up new possibilities, but the heart and soul of the work will still come from you.” – Juniper GPT It’s A Tool, Not a Solution – AI tools like Juniper are game-changers because they’re readily available to everyone. But if they’re available to everyone, anything they generate can’t be a unique creative advantage. So how do you make the most of GenAI tools without sounding like everyone else? Studies show that while being heavily reliant on AI can harm your thinking, if you’re thoughtful and active in your GenAI use, you could boost your creativity. Have Fun Making the Ads Work – Boring prompts create boring ads. But Stew’s actively playing around with Juniper–seeing what’s possible, and checking it against his internal creative compass. That’s how we get Western and Shakespearean Tony Hawk ads. That doesn’t mean those are fit to go to air, but if you’re feeling stuck for your next campaign, testing out a wildcard idea could trigger something completely original of your own. Paint Audio Pictures – Juniper and Stew tapped the Tony Hawk and Meta Glasses spots as their winners. One winning creative element? Each ad had multiple audioscapes. A mock-PSA shifts to a high-energy skate park. A cityscape shifts to a kitchen. The ads felt bigger because they took the listener on a multi-locale journey. CAOs, with or without Juniper, as you’re crafting your audio ads think: can you tell a bigger story?

Why Brands Aren’t Spending That Extra $1B on Podcasts (Yet) Advertisers want to spend an extra $1B in podcasting, but they’re holding back until we address the industry’s most significant issues. This week on The Media Roundtable, we’ve assembled a powerhouse of CAOs to talk about the findings of our 2025 “What Brands Want” report. At this summer’s CAO Summit, we learned that podcasting could be one billion dollars bigger… if brands had what they need today. After polling brand leaders on their hurdles and needs, the results are in. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the findings with: Justin Fitzpatrick (Head of Performance Marketing, Found) Julianna Crozier (Associate Director, Influencer Partnerships & Growth Marketing, Thrive Market) Will Flaherty (SVP, Growth, Ro) Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Closing the Measurement Gap, Beating the Clutter, Minding the Macro, and more. Let’s dig in: “Any sort of improvement that we can make on the measurement side to prove the efficacy of our ad dollars is going to only enable us to put more and more budget into the channel.” – Justin Fitzpatrick (Head of Performance Marketing, Found) Close the Measurement Gap – The industry’s most significant hurdle to unlocking the next billion? The lack of standardized measurement, especially between RSS and YouTube impressions. We’re pushing for the big players to give CAOs standardized tracking, but until then, we recommend a two-step HDYHAU to capture performance by channel AND show. Bonus: listeners actually want to give credit to their favorite hosts; we just need to make sure there’s a way for them to do so. Beat the Clutter – Podcasts thrive on breakthrough authenticity. Rising ad loads and undisclosed AI voice clones threaten podcasting’s golden goose. CAOs want to protect that authentic connection between the brand and host, while maintaining an authentic host/audience connection. Creators and publishers take note: brands want to spend more for results. You can grow more with fewer, customized, and authentic ads than with skippable ad blocks. CAOs, keep asking questions about ad loads and checking the Oxford Clock. Mind the Macro – If measurement is the first blocker for expanding budgets, then macro environment concerns (e.g. tariffs) are the second. How can CAOs and creators respond? Resonant creative messaging. Our panel doubles down on understanding their audience and how their products can help current issues. Authentic partnerships with hosts and solid measurement practices (see above) give you the certainty you need to increase budgets in uncertain times. Want more know-how on the industry’s hurdles and solutions? Grab the full “What Brands Want” report here. And for in-depth insights, check out the full episode below: The Classifieds OG YouTubers Make Long Overdue Debut Network: Studio 71 / Monthly Downloads: 500k The first wave of YouTubers is all but extinct, thanks to burnout, controversies, algorithm changes, or all three. Dan and Phil (Daniel Howell and Phil Lester) have broken that curse, having started on the platform in 2009 and maintaining a presence there ever since. Though they have been slower to create content in recent years, they have been enjoying a much-deserved Renaissance as of late. This could be because the twosome has been hiding a 16-year relationship and has decided to hard-launch it in this new venture with Studio 71. New episodes will be published in both audio and video, and soon hosts will be available for on-screen reads. This opportunity is perfectly aligned for a millennial audience of comedy lovers, especially those included in the LGBTQIA+ community. If you’re ready to “hard launch” into a test, you can start via the link below. Get The Deal A Well Behaved Woman Who Has Made History Network:  ZATV Podcast Network / Monthly Downloads: 10k When you’re building self-respect, the idea of adhering to etiquette doesn’t often cross one’s mind. Traditionally, “minding your manners” has been given a negative connotation, often within an assimilationist framework. Sara Jane Ho has spent her career outlining the inherent positives of living a more purposeful life, both as a Chinese finishing school founder and TV host. In her new podcast, Ho is less concerned with instruction and more apt to open herself up to her guests. The conversations are still surrounding self-acceptance, improvement, and confidence, but also touching on topics that are dear to her heart. There’s a heavy occurrence of alternative and Eastern Health remedies as well as discussions around issues inherent to women’s healthcare. Advertisers in the health and wellness space are highly recommended to test this in Q4. Please take your elbows off the table, and leave your shoes at the door before clicking below for more details. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Podcasting’s Increasing Share of Ad-Supported Audio Podcast News Daily reports that Nielsen’s Q3 data shows podcasts now account for 20% of all ad-supported audio listening, up slightly from last quarter. Among the 18-34 demo, the share of listening increases to 31%. For the same demo, podcasts and music streaming (54%) surpasses radio (43%) for ad-supported listening. The findings underscore audio’s overall stability and the growing role of podcasts as both a reach and engagement driver for advertisers. Radio continues to hold the majority of ad-supported listening overall with 62% share. However, for younger listeners, digital audio now rules listenership. Read More (True) Crime Pays – MrBallen Inks Deal with SXM SiriusXM has signed a multi-year deal with John Allen, better known as MrBallen, to distribute and monetize his lineup of podcasts. The agreement brings MrBallen’s flagship true-crime show, The MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories, and other originals under the SiriusXM umbrella. The move strengthens SiriusXM’s position in the premium podcast space by aligning with a creator who has built a massive, loyal following across platforms. Big deals keep landing for creators with loyal, scaled audiences. Keep an eye on SXM, they’ve been aggressive in locking down top talent. Read More So Long Late Night Talk Shows? SiriusXM reports that podcasts are increasingly filling the cultural role once held by late-night talk shows—offering personality-driven commentary, interviews, and humor on demand rather than at a set time. Listeners now turn to podcasters for the same mix of insight and entertainment they’d usually find with late-night shows, but with greater authenticity and intimacy. CAOs looking to replace the declining reach of late-night TV should look to podcasts. Don’t be surprised if Colbert, Fallon, or Kimmel follow Conan’s path to audio. Podcasts serve a similar cultural function but with greater intimacy and flexibility – sans the laugh tracks and musical guests 🙂 Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Allie Ostander Gives a Satiatingly Good Read For HungryRoot This week’s #STLR is meal-prep magic meets post-run reality, from pro athlete and host of her very own YouTube Channel, Allie Ostander, and we are so here for it. Fresh off a trip to Chicago and running on empty (literally),  NCAA long-distance runner and mental health advocate turns a grocery-store panic into a total flex with her Hungryroot box. She unboxes like a pro, raving about clean ingredients, 15-minute meals, and a Chicken Caesar Salad so easy it basically makes itself. The way she casually drops “pre-prepped protein” while juggling travel, training, and healthy eating? Chef’s kiss. Allie and Hungryroot are a match made in heaven. AND she provides visually enticing jump cuts of herself unboxing her very own box full of food goodies.  It’s fun, it’s relatable, it’s “please sign me up immediately” energy—and with 40% off plus a free item for life? Yeah, we’re sold before the salad hits the plate! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Why Podcast Advertisers Are Holding Back Close to $1 Billion The conversation around podcast advertising just got louder. Oxford Road’s “What Brands Want 2025” report is making waves again, this time in The Hollywood Reporter, which spotlights one of the study’s most significant findings: advertisers are holding back nearly $1 billion in potential podcast spend because measurement still hasn’t caught up to the medium’s growth. As YouTube, Spotify, and Apple continue to operate under separate standards, brands are calling for a unified system of attribution and a clear definition of what a “podcast” really is. Until then, the money’s waiting for the metrics to align. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

Why Brands Aren’t Spending That Extra $1B on Podcasts (Yet) Advertisers want to spend an extra $1B in podcasting, but they’re holding back until we address the industry’s most significant issues. This week on The Media Roundtable, we’ve assembled a powerhouse of CAOs to talk about the findings of our 2025 “What Brands Want” report. At this summer’s CAO Summit, we learned that podcasting could be one billion dollars bigger… if brands had what they need today. After polling brand leaders on their hurdles and needs, the results are in. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) breaks down the findings with: Justin Fitzpatrick (Head of Performance Marketing, Found) Julianna Crozier (Associate Director, Influencer Partnerships & Growth Marketing, Thrive Market) Will Flaherty (SVP, Growth, Ro) Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) The team is talking: Closing the Measurement Gap, Beating the Clutter, Minding the Macro, and more. Let’s dig in: “Any sort of improvement that we can make on the measurement side to prove the efficacy of our ad dollars is going to only enable us to put more and more budget into the channel.” – Justin Fitzpatrick (Head of Performance Marketing, Found) Close the Measurement Gap – The industry’s most significant hurdle to unlocking the next billion? The lack of standardized measurement, especially between RSS and YouTube impressions. We’re pushing for the big players to give CAOs standardized tracking, but until then, we recommend a two-step HDYHAU to capture performance by channel AND show. Bonus: listeners actually want to give credit to their favorite hosts; we just need to make sure there’s a way for them to do so. Beat the Clutter – Podcasts thrive on breakthrough authenticity. Rising ad loads and undisclosed AI voice clones threaten podcasting’s golden goose. CAOs want to protect that authentic connection between the brand and host, while maintaining an authentic host/audience connection. Creators and publishers take note: brands want to spend more for results. You can grow more with fewer, customized, and authentic ads than with skippable ad blocks. CAOs, keep asking questions about ad loads and checking the Oxford Clock. Mind the Macro – If measurement is the first blocker for expanding budgets, then macro environment concerns (e.g. tariffs) are the second. How can CAOs and creators respond? Resonant creative messaging. Our panel doubles down on understanding their audience and how their products can help current issues. Authentic partnerships with hosts and solid measurement practices (see above) give you the certainty you need to increase budgets in uncertain times. Want more know-how on the industry’s hurdles and solutions? Grab the full “What Brands Want” report here. And for in-depth insights, check out the full episode below:

CAOs: We analyzed $1.6 billion in podcast ads. Here’s what actually drives ROI. During this week’s Media Roundtable, the team at Oxford Road unveiled ORBIT, the Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool, built on $1.6 billion in actual campaign performance data: not estimates, not surveys; just real results from advertisers spending real money. This is the planning tool we’ve been chasing for a decade. ORBIT doesn’t just tell you which podcasts are popular; it tells you which ones drive ROI, which ones convert, and which ones are worth the check you’re about to write. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) sits down with the data wizards who made it real: Brian Kim (Director of Analytics, Oxford Road) Mike Dunsmore (Director of Analytics, Reporting and Insights, Oxford Road) Tucker Peleuses (VP of Strategy, Oxford Road) The team unpacks: Why Joe Rogan Didn’t Crack the Top 15, the Faith-Based Performance Secret, the Genre Trap Costing You Money, and more. Let’s get into it. “This is what happened when real companies spent real money. If you want to know which podcasts work, start here.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) The Performance Index That Shouldn’t Exist (But Does) – ORBIT aggregates $1.6B in podcast spend across hundreds of advertisers, 120+ genres, multiple attribution models, and normalizes it all into one question: What actually worked? We’re publishing monthly rankings so you can validate your buys before you sign the IO. Who made the first Top 3? Critical Role (#1), The David Pakman Show (#2),  and The Megyn Kelly Show (#3). Notice what’s missing? The shows everyone thinks perform best. Big Reach ≠ Big Results – Joe Rogan didn’t make the Top 15. Neither did most tier-1 mega-shows. Meanwhile, smaller podcasts and niche genres dominated the performance rankings. Turns out, marketers systematically overpay for household names while ignoring shows that deliver better returns. ORBIT cuts through the hype and shows you what actually converts, not what rate cards hope works. Stop Buying Your Own Industry’s Shows! – Tucker tested the theory that had plagued him for 13 years: Do tech companies perform better on tech podcasts? Finance brands on business shows? ORBIT data says no. There’s no statistically significant lift from matching your industry to your genre. Your customers listen to the same shows as everyone else: comedy, true crime, politics… the genre silo is costing you sales. (Bonus insight: Faith-based podcasts rank top 20% for performance across verticals. Amen!) Ready to plan smarter? The full episode breaks down how ORBIT works, what it reveals, and why nothing like this has ever existed in podcasting. Click below if you’re ready to launch your campaigns into the thermosphere. The Classifieds A Library Filled With the Literary Titles That Shape and Educate Network: The Free Press / Monthly Downloads: 30k Book clubs are great, but they don’t always choose what you’re most interested in. For men who are looking to find literature that fits them and their interests, The Free Press has a brand new podcast for you. Host Shilo Brooks is a sought-after speaker and educator in the realm of political science. In his newly premiered podcast, Brooks sits down with men of a particular distinction to discuss the singular works that shaped them. Whether he’s parsing the old text of Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” or Pulitzer Prize-winning non-fiction, Brooks is extremely deliberate and thoughtful about the ways he and his guests discuss their love of literature. This is a more right-leaning, male-skewing opportunity, and is best suited for those seeking lifelong learners with a penchant for self-improvement. Pencils down! The answers you seek can be found via the link below. Get The Deal Phil DeFranco Embarks on a New Journey, and He’s Bringing Friends Network: Trival Media / Monthly Downloads: 140k You’re used to seeing him alone, speaking directly to the camera, but in his newest podcast from Trival Media, Philip DeFranco is finally welcoming guests! Since premiering in July, the show has brought on experts with various media backgrounds to walk through trending topics and headline-defining news. Similar to DeFranco’s YouTube videos, the content focuses on education related to history, economics, and political science. Guests have included prominent podcasters such as Tim Miller of The Bulwark, Ben Rhodes from Pod Save the World, and Too Many Tabs’ Alex Pearlman, who cover both right and left-leaning political ideologies. These more in-depth conversations touch on many topics such as healthcare, civil unrest, free speech, and pending legislation. For those seeking political options with a strong male audience on YouTube, this presents a key opportunity to test in Q4. O come all ye faithful, be joyful and triumphant when you click below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Your Secret Weapon for Performance and Brand New data from the IPA’s first cross-industry Influencer Marketing Database shows influencers drive returns on par with other media channels in the short term and outperform all media over the long term. Short-term ROI indexes at 99 versus the all-channel average of 100, while long-term ROI hits 151 with a 3.35 multiplier, the highest of any channel. We know influencer marketing drives short-term performance. Now we know it works in the long term, too. CAOs, creators are part of the same influencer-sphere. Value them for both performance and brand impact. Read More The Goods on Podcasting in Germany So far in 2025, Germany’s podcast ad market has topped €100M with 14% YoY growth. Approximately 49% of Germans listen, trust in host-reads remains high, and DAI scales reach. German measurement and compliance standards lead Europe, with video podcasts and AI targeting accelerating cross-channel planning into 2026. Good insights on international podcast markets are hard to find. This piece highlights how Germany’s podcast sector is maturing with clear standards, strong trust, and steady growth. It’s a useful model for marketers looking at podcasting on a global scale. Read More Podcasting’s Plateau? Not So Fast eMarketer projects U.S. podcast ad spending will climb from $2.69B in 2025 to $3.7B by 2029, expanding its share of digital audio revenue from 35.6% to 40.6%. While overall digital audio grows 4–6% annually, podcasts continue to outperform, fueled by dynamic ad tech, cross-platform measurement, and steady brand adoption. Despite gains, podcasts still account for less than 1% of total digital ad spend, underscoring the medium’s under-leveraged potential relative to engagement. Last year, talk centered on podcasting’s growth plateauing. These new projections suggest otherwise. Podcasting still has room to run, with ad dollars continuing to follow listener engagement. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads  Focusing on Solving Your Hiring Needs with Indeed This week’s standout read comes to us from the Focused podcast, where host David Sparks transforms what could have been just another sponsorship for the hiring platform Indeed into something that feels wholly authentic. Instead of reading a script verbatim, David shares his own experience hiring through the platform, weaving together real data with genuine endorsement. The moment he drops, “In the minute I’ve been talking to you, 23 hires were made on Indeed,” the impact lands. It’s human, it’s factual, and it proves that the best podcast ads don’t sound like ads at all; they sound like an experience. When message and messenger align naturally, the results speak for themselves. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News $1.6 Billion in Data Says: Passion Beats Popularity If you’ve made it this far, you probably know about Oxford Road’s new ORBIT podcast performance ranking. Now, the rest of the industry does too. Outlets including Sounds Profitable and Podnews to Inside Radio, Podcasting Today, and Ads of Brands are all covering how ORBIT is changing the way podcast advertising works. For readers skipping ahead, ORBIT is built on $1.6 billion in verified campaign data, and doesn’t reward popularity; it recognizes performance. The findings show that smaller, niche, and even controversial shows often outperform the biggest names, proving that passion and trust drive conversions more effectively than scale alone. It’s a clear signal that the future of podcast media planning is not about chasing downloads, but about investing where audiences actually take action. To learn more about the first podcast ranking system based on ROI, check out the full report HERE, and keep reading The Influencer for monthly updates. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky

CAOs: We analyzed $1.6 billion in podcast ads. Here’s what actually drives ROI. During this week’s Media Roundtable, the team at Oxford Road unveiled ORBIT, the Oxford Road Benchmark Intelligence Tool, built on $1.6 billion in actual campaign performance data: not estimates, not surveys; just real results from advertisers spending real money. This is the planning tool we’ve been chasing for a decade. ORBIT doesn’t just tell you which podcasts are popular; it tells you which ones drive ROI, which ones convert, and which ones are worth the check you’re about to write. •  Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) sits down with the data wizards who made it real: •  Brian Kim (Director of Analytics, Oxford Road) •  Mike Dunsmore (Director of Analytics, Reporting and Insights, Oxford Road) •  Tucker Peleuses (VP of Strategy, Oxford Road) The team unpacks: Why Joe Rogan Didn’t Crack the Top 15, the Faith-Based Performance Secret, the Genre Trap Costing You Money, and more. Let’s get into it. “This is what happened when real companies spent real money. If you want to know which podcasts work, start here.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) The Performance Index That Shouldn’t Exist (But Does) – ORBIT aggregates $1.6B in podcast spend across hundreds of advertisers, 120+ genres, multiple attribution models, and normalizes it all into one question: What actually worked? We’re publishing monthly rankings so you can validate your buys before you sign the IO. Who made the first Top 3? Critical Role (#1), The David Pakman Show (#2),  and The Megyn Kelly Show (#3). Notice what’s missing? The shows everyone thinks perform best. Big Reach ≠ Big Results – Joe Rogan didn’t make the Top 15. Neither did most tier-1 mega-shows. Meanwhile, smaller podcasts and niche genres dominated the performance rankings. Turns out, marketers systematically overpay for household names while ignoring shows that deliver better returns. ORBIT cuts through the hype and shows you what actually converts, not what rate cards hope works. Stop Buying Your Own Industry’s Shows! – Tucker tested the theory that had plagued him for 13 years: Do tech companies perform better on tech podcasts? Finance brands on business shows? ORBIT data says no. There’s no statistically significant lift from matching your industry to your genre. Your customers listen to the same shows as everyone else: comedy, true crime, politics… the genre silo is costing you sales. (Bonus insight: Faith-based podcasts rank top 20% for performance across verticals. Amen!) Ready to plan smarter? The full episode breaks down how ORBIT works, what it reveals, and why nothing like this has ever existed in podcasting. Click below if you’re ready to launch your campaigns into the thermosphere.

Here’s What $1.6 Billion in Performance Data Actually Reveals. The first podcast rankings based on ROI, not downloads. Built on real campaign results from hundreds of advertisers. After more than a decade of development, Oxford Road is unveiling ORBIT: a first-of-its-kind Benchmark Intelligence Tool built on real campaign outcomes from across the industry. ORBIT aggregates over $1.6 billion in verified podcast spend, across hundreds of advertisers and 120+ genres, then normalizes it into one question: What actually worked? It doesn’t tell you which podcasts are popular. It tells you which ones drive ROI. Which ones convert. Which ones are worth the check you’re about to write. October 2025 ORBIT Rankings Below are the Top 15 Performing Podcasts in October 2025, ranked by advertiser results over the previous 12 months.These are the shows that consistently outperformed benchmarks and delivered measurable ROI. What ORBIT Reveals • Big reach ≠ big results: Joe Rogan and most tier-1 mega-shows didn’t crack the Top 15. Only 3 of the top performers (20%) are household-name podcasts. Advertisers systematically overpay for reach while ignoring shows that deliver better returns. • Comedy and politics dominate. 11 of the top 15 performers are comedy or news/politics shows—the exact categories many advertisers deliberately avoid due to brand safety concerns. Controversial content, when aligned with brand values, drives action. • Stop buying your own industry. We tested it: Tech companies don’t perform better on tech podcasts. Finance brands don’t win on business shows. There’s no statistically significant lift from matching your industry to your genre. Your customers listen to the same shows everyone else does: comedy, true crime, politics. The genre silo is costing you discoveries. • Faith-based shows overperform. Religious podcasts, particularly Christianity-focused content, rank in the top 6 genres for consistent ROI across multiple verticals—a finding impossible to surface without normalized, goal-based data See the Top 15 Performing Entertainment Podcasts from June 2026 See the Top 15 Performing International Podcasts from May 2026 See the Top 15 Performing True Crime Podcasts from April 2026 See the Top 15 Performing Independent Podcasts from March 2026 See the Top 15 Performing Sports Podcasts and Networks from February 2026 See the Top 15 Performing Self-Improvement Podcasts from January 2026 See the Top 15 Performing OG Podcasts from December 2025 See the Top 15 Performing Comedy Podcasts from November 2025   How ORBIT Works (And Why It’s Different) ORBIT normalizes performance across different advertiser goals—whether that’s target CAC, desired ROAS, or cost per qualified lead. This allows direct comparison across campaign types, something download-based rankings can’t provide. The difference: Many tracking tools tell you who’s advertising and estimate spend, count ad occurrences, or measure downloads and reach ORBIT shows which podcasts made money and which ones didn’t. We factor in what advertisers paid, what they were trying to achieve, how it was measured, including survey-based attribution data, and whether the investment delivered ROI. That’s the difference between counting impressions and measuring profit. Our methodology: Minimum 3 distinct advertisers per show Minimum 3 paid drops per advertiser At least 50% of placements must exceed advertiser goals 12-month rolling analysis updated monthly Attribution-normalized across pixels, codes, URLs, and modeling   For Advertisers ORBIT eliminates guesswork from podcast planning: De-risk initial buys by seeing which shows have proven track records with similar advertisers Optimize faster with normalized performance data across attribution models Find hidden gems before they become expensive tier-1 shows Break category assumptions with data that shows where your customers actually listen Scale with confidence, knowing which placements consistently deliver ROI The era of buying podcast ads based on download numbers is over. ORBIT shows you which shows drive performance, before you spend a dollar. “This is what happened when real companies spent real money. If you want to know which podcasts work, start here.”— Dan Granger, CEO, Oxford Road   Subscribe to The Influencer for monthly ORBIT updates

To make an industry better, you can’t be afraid to shake things up. We’re celebrating one whole year since two competitors, Oxford Road and Veritone One, joined forces to become the world’s largest podcast and creator-based video agency. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) gathered leaders from across the new organization to talk about wins, hard-fought lessons, and tips for anyone looking to create chaos for the better. It’s part victory lap, part therapy, and part masterclass. Joining are some of  our fearless leaders who led the charge during this formative year: Bart Roselli (EVP of Media, Oxford Road) Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road) Hilary Shafer (SVP of Podcast & Influencer, Oxford Road) Kyle Jelinek (VP of Client Services, Oxford Road) and Miranda Romano (SVP of Media, Oxford Road The team’s talking: Slow and Steady, Spider-Man Wisdom, Staying Humble, and more. Let’s dig in. “ You need to come in and you need to be ready to listen, you need to be ready to observe, and ready to admit where maybe we were wrong in the past and that there’s a better path forward. With that, I think anything’s possible.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Not Fast and Furious: Big ideas spark the fire, but optimism, effort, and humility fuel it. In an industry that moves at the speed of sound, it’s hard to merge two companies without burning out. This is why it was crucial for our leaders and team to thoroughly and critically examine our processes, without missing a beat. It’s also okay to adjust your timing if you don’t get it right the first time. As Hillary puts it: “When I think back to initial timelines and goals we set, I have to chuckle… It’s not that mountains haven’t been moved. They just took longer because there were many more details.” “With Great Power”: Bart took his inspiration from a famous Spider-Man quote: “This is not just about creating leverage. It’s, ‘how do we make the industry better?’” If Oxford Road had tried to just grow without a bigger mission of improving the industry, we wouldn’t have smashed our employee (and client) retention goals. For anyone facing significant challenges, it helps to remember your ‘why’. Values > Tactics: How do you move through differences? Focus on that common goal, and welcome the chance to improve with your top competitor. ”It’s been fascinating just to see, “Oh, you know what? We didn’t think of that, and you guys did that a hell of a lot better,” and vice versa. When the goal is to be better, you put your ego aside to find new solutions. Turns out if you approach improvement with humility, you can do almost anything, including unlocking 30% gains for Oxford Road clients year over year. Want more insights from a year of growth? Check out the full episode below: The Classifieds The Codex For Understanding Your Brain Finally Revealed Network: The Paragon Collective / Monthly Downloads: 30k These days, everyone has a life hack for the simplest inconveniences, but most of the time, they just create stress instead of helping. But what if there was a podcast that was based on working with your brain, not against it? What if I also told you it only takes 40 minutes of your time? Welcome to your new favorite show, centered around optimizing your brain, Do You F*cking Mind? In this Paragon show, Host Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa uses her Master’s Degree in Neuroscience to explain why we sometimes struggle with the basics, and why changing ingrained habits isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be. Alexis focuses on everything from self-love to maximizing your brain’s efficiency, and how to get your mind into any type of mentality. This show would be a good fit for clients seeking a female-skewing audience that is health-conscious, as well as for those looking to attract lifelong learners. To maximize your Q4 media plans, please click the link below if you don’t mind. Get The Deal This Digital News Desk Keeps You Informed Without A Banner Network: Meidas Touch / Monthly Downloads: 200k The news landscape has been changing a lot these past few years, with people moving away from traditional media and turning to digital content to stay informed. Digital journalism has also provided a career pivot for those affected by layoffs or restructuring. Take our first classified as an example. After being laid off from MSNBC, Katie Phang found herself without a news desk. Thankfully, Meidas Touch came along, providing her with a desk and a mic to help Phang reconnect with her loyal audience. The new, shorter format enables audiences to explore issues in a way that traditional news often struggles to, while the shorter, topic-based conversation allows viewers to engage with the stories that appeal to them most. If you’ve found success with political shows or want to target news audiences outside of traditional settings, this would be a great Q4 test. BREAKING NEWS: Click that link below to get in on this opportunity now! Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Spotify Hits Play with Netflix Deal Netflix will distribute select Spotify video podcasts, including The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Rewatchables, starting in 2026. The move expands Netflix’s experiments with talk-driven formats and gives Spotify new reach for shows that need broader exposure. The partnership highlights the growing overlap between streaming audio and video. This makes us wonder how Spotify’s push into video is going. Look beyond that, and you’ll find a good reason for the partnership. Netflix expands its content offerings, and Spotify increases its reach. Read More More Podcasts than Ever Active podcasts have reached record highs in 2025, signaling continued growth in creator participation and advertiser interest. More shows create more ad inventory and lower barriers for brands entering the space. Thumbs up for more supply! However, creating a podcast and building an audience are not the same. Most listening still happens within the top 200 or so podcasts, and longevity pays off for those willing to grind it out. Read More A Lane for AI Podcasts? A recent Amplifi Media experiment asked college students to critique AI-generated podcasts from Inception Point AI. The AI Podcasts that fared better were instructional-based. However, students still noted a lack of warmth and spontaneity as a drawback… go figure. The appeal of instructional podcasts becomes clear when considering how often people rely on AI tools for utility. As a mentor to one of our strategists once said, “Insights only feel obvious after you’ve read them.” Read More #SaveTheLiveReads No More Password Experimentation This #STLR comes to us from Cal Newport and his podcast, Deep Questions. This read is a total win—it’s smart, hilarious, and sneakily educational. Right out of the gate, Cal reels you in with a laugh-out-loud throwback to old-school IT setups (lab coats and mainframes, anyone?), setting the stage for a refreshingly fun take on cybersecurity. But just when you think it’s all fun and jokes, the message lands: today’s digital workplaces are messy, vulnerable, and packed with unseen risks. That’s where 1Password comes in. Instead of rattling off monotonous features, Cal walks us through the chaos of modern SaaS sprawl with personality and clarity, making the case for 1Password’s Trail Code like he’s solving a mystery, not securing his network. The storytelling is top-notch, the value proposition is crystal clear, and the delivery makes you want to laugh and sign up at the same time. Bottom line? Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be boring—and you can be reminded of that in the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News The Future of Podcast Advertising Lies In Collaboration The best conversations don’t just “happen,” they’re curated. At this year’s CAO event, Oxford Road had a blast helping bring together creators, brands, and the thought leaders driving podcast advertising forward. We especially loved how our planning enabled a standout session with Nick Viall (The Viall Files, Libsyn), Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie, Audiochuck), and Kim Komando (The Kim Komando Show, WestStar MultiMedia Entertainment) to share how to get the most authentic reads from the hosts they sponsor. By structuring and facilitating the dialogue, Oxford Road played a role in surfacing the insights that we know will push the industry ahead. When passionate minds meet, the ideas get louder, and that’s the kind of collaboration we’re all about. Thank you to Libsyn for their support! Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Kristen Larson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese Bianca Gorodinsky  

To make an industry better, you can’t be afraid to shake things up. We’re celebrating one whole year since two competitors, Oxford Road and Veritone One, joined forces to become the world’s largest podcast and creator-based video agency. Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) gathered leaders from across the new organization to talk about wins, hard-fought lessons, and tips for anyone looking to create chaos for the better. It’s part victory lap, part therapy, and part masterclass. Joining are some of  our fearless leaders who led the charge during this formative year: Bart Roselli (EVP of Media, Oxford Road) Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road) Hilary Shafer (SVP of Podcast & Influencer, Oxford Road) Kyle Jelinek (VP of Client Services, Oxford Road) and Miranda Romano (SVP of Media, Oxford Road The team’s talking: Slow and Steady, Spider-Man Wisdom, Staying Humble, and more. Let’s dig in. “ You need to come in and you need to be ready to listen, you need to be ready to observe, and ready to admit where maybe we were wrong in the past and that there’s a better path forward. With that, I think anything’s possible.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) Not Fast and Furious: Big ideas spark the fire, but optimism, effort, and humility fuel it. In an industry that moves at the speed of sound, it’s hard to merge two companies without burning out. This is why it was crucial for our leaders and team to thoroughly and critically examine our processes, without missing a beat. It’s also okay to adjust your timing if you don’t get it right the first time. As Hillary puts it: “When I think back to initial timelines and goals we set, I have to chuckle… It’s not that mountains haven’t been moved. They just took longer because there were many more details.” “With Great Power” – Bart took his inspiration from a famous Spider-Man quote: “This is not just about creating leverage. It’s, ‘how do we make the industry better?’” If Oxford Road had tried to just grow without a bigger mission of improving the industry, we wouldn’t have smashed our employee (and client) retention goals. For anyone facing significant challenges, it helps to remember your ‘why’. Values > Tactics – How do you move through differences? Focus on that common goal, and welcome the chance to improve with your top competitor. ”It’s been fascinating just to see, “Oh, you know what? We didn’t think of that, and you guys did that a hell of a lot better,” and vice versa. When the goal is to be better, you put your ego aside to find new solutions. Turns out if you approach improvement with humility, you can do almost anything, including unlocking 30% gains for Oxford Road clients year over year. Want more insights from a year of growth? Check out the full episode below:

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re revisiting the time Dan Granger sat down with Lex Friedman (not to be confused with podcaster Lex Fridman), one of podcasting’s original builders, and a leader who’s shaped the business of podcasting since Day 1, for our limited series, “What’s a Podcast? – The Extended Interviews.” Before launching his own consulting business, Lex played a role in nearly every major chapter of the industry: Chief Business Development at Midroll, Chief Revenue Officer at ART19, Head of Podcast Partnerships at Amazon, and Head of Podcast Strategy at Wondery. Along the way, he’s helped define how ads get sold, how shows get funded, and how podcasting itself gets defined. Let’s dig in… “Stop apologizing for podcasting being what it is—because it’s clearly working.” – Lex Friedman (Lex Friedman Consulting) “Win-Win-Win”: Want to know why podcast ads have worked from Day 1? Advertisers got results, creators could fund their shows, and listeners enjoyed free content without tuning out. Podcasting works because all parties benefit, and this remains one of its biggest strengths to this day Talk Radio, On Demand: Lex’s earliest pitch for podcasting was simple: it’s talk radio you can control. That framing helped advertisers “get it” before Serial, before Spotify, before the boom. It’s Electric! But It’s Still a Guitar: Just as “guitar” became “acoustic guitar” after the electric was invented, podcasts may evolve with video, but the word “podcast” isn’t going anywhere. Podcasting’s evolution will open doors, not close them, leading to more opportunities for listeners and advertisers. To delve deeper into the conversation, which covers topics such as Ad Load Tipping Points, Completionist Behavior, Consolidation, Mega-Deals, and more, click the link below. The Classifieds I Always Feel Like, Somebody’s Watching Me Network: Libsyn / Monthly Downloads: 15k Q4 heralds the start of network show swapping, and this week, we are showcasing two top-performing podcasts with brand-new homes for 2026. Our first is a true crime opportunity that covers a very specific type of crime. Often noted as the predecessor of offenses such as assault and murder, stalking’s severity has long been downplayed in our society. Luckily, as true crime has gained popularity, amateur detectives have begun spotting warning signs, which is where this title comes into play. Jaimie Beebe and Jake Deptula spend each episode speaking with real stalking survivors who have come out the other side and are willing to tell their stories. Whether they’re detailing domestic abuse or online webs of deceit, every story contains heartbreaking moments meant to educate and inform. This has been a top true crime performer for many Oxford performance-based advertisers, especially those based in the tech space. If we’ve piqued your curiosity, find more details at the link below. Get The Deal Many Motives, Means, and Opportunities Network: Realm / Monthly Downloads: 55k The words “murder” and “cozy” don’t usually find themselves in the same sentence, but that’s the only way we can deftly describe this true crime podcast, now at Realm. Our moms, Melissa and Mandy, are part of the broader true crime movement, focusing their content on the victim’s point of view, advocating for domestic abuse awareness, and supporting solving cold cases. Their episodes range from well-known mysteries of the past to current, headline-defining stories. Initially, the show focused only on murder, but has since expanded to any crime-related story with a harrowing story that highlights injustices that might not be fully discussed. The show is also a big proponent of compiling deep research and getting the facts right at every turn, resulting in a listenership of engaged, open-minded individuals. Any female-skewing advertiser looking to work with a top-performing opportunity should apportion test dollars accordingly. No mollycoddling around here. Simply click below to open the files of success. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Creative Quality Beats Targeting A new Creative Dividend analysis from Effie and System1 finds that creativity, not targeting or performance tactics, is the single biggest multiplier of advertising profit. Campaigns that use emotional storytelling and build long-term brand effects outperform those focused on short-term metrics like clicks or conversions. Among media channels, radio and podcasts prove to be “super touchpoints,” performing well in short-term sales and long-term conversions. Check out the WWO Audio Group’s summary of the report’s findings. Our take? You can have the best media plan in the world, but it won’t matter if the creative falls flat. The lesson here is that the key to effective advertising is emotionally driven creative that is placed where it best reaches your audience. Read More ChatGPT: Spotify’s New DJ? By way of Sounds Profitable, we learned that Spotify has launched a new integration that allows users to connect their Spotify account directly with ChatGPT to receive personalized music and podcast recommendations. Users can ask ChatGPT to recommend songs, playlists, artists, albums, or podcast episodes. ChatGPT then searches Spotify content and opens tracks or episodes in the Spotify app, allowing listeners to engage with content faster. The feature is available globally, in English, across 145 countries for both Free and Premium users. There isn’t a direct marketing implication for the Spotify-ChatGPT integration. However, with 34% of U.S. adults using ChatGPT (according to Pew Research), Spotify is playing the long game. Embedding the brand into ChatGPT for music and podcast discovery will drive incremental audiences for the platform, potentially even increasing time spent in the app. Read More Swift’s Record-Breaking Release Is a Win for Audio Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, broke Spotify’s single-day streaming record, reached #1 on Apple Music, sold 2.7 million copies in one day, and topped the film box office with her Official Release Party of a Showgirl watch party. The global response was instantaneous, with her music playing everywhere from London restaurants to BBC Radio. The piece highlights how radio capitalized on the moment, with the likes of iHeart, Audacy, and SiriusXM all building special programming and fan events for the release. Marketers can and should take advantage of the Taylor Swift halo. Her album’s release sparks massive spikes in listening across streaming platforms like Spotify, Pandora, and more. For an insight we also found insightful: also check out Ashley Carman’s take on LinkedIn. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads “Earn Your Happy” Pulls Back the Curtains on Blinds.com’s Industry Flip Taking top honors in this week’s #STLR hall of fame is Lori Harder on Earn Your Happy, and her sensational read for Blinds.com! Known for giving listeners “the advice you didn’t even know you needed,” Lori goes full home glow-up mode with a hilarious yet all-too-real tale of window treatment disasters of the past. She paints the picture perfectly, discussing missed appointments, overpriced quotes, and the endless DIY struggle—before revealing how Blinds.com came in and flipped the entire industry on its dusty valence. With their white-glove service, zero pressure to purchase, and actually helpful help (who knew?), Lori’s personal story brings credibility and warmth that makes you want to click add to cart immediately. It’s relatable, refreshingly honest, and makes window upgrades sound like the self-care move of the season. To uncover what a great read sounds like, click the link below and give this read a listen. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Oxford Road + Friends Top the Influential Pod List CoHost just dropped its “Top 75 Thought Leaders in Podcasting” roster, and the lineup feels like an Oxford Road Christmas party guest list. Roadies Dan Granger, Bart Roselli, Hilary Ross Shafer, and Rosemary Scalabrino all secured spots, alongside agency pals Bryan Barletta, James Cridland, and Ashley Carman, as well as a strong showing from some of our favorite network partners. With so many Oxford Road voices (and friends of the family) filling CoHost’s list, it’s clear our corner of the industry is making plenty of noise Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re revisiting the time Dan Granger sat down with Lex Friedman (not to be confused with podcaster Lex Fridman), one of podcasting’s original builders, and a leader who’s shaped the business of podcasting since Day 1, for our limited series, “What’s a Podcast? – The Extended Interviews.” Before launching his own consulting business, Lex played a role in nearly every major chapter of the industry: Chief Business Development at Midroll, Chief Revenue Officer at ART19, Head of Podcast Partnerships at Amazon, and Head of Podcast Strategy at Wondery. Along the way, he’s helped define how ads get sold, how shows get funded, and how podcasting itself gets defined. Let’s dig in… “Stop apologizing for podcasting being what it is—because it’s clearly working.” – Lex Friedman (Lex Friedman Consulting) “Win-Win-Win”: Want to know why podcast ads have worked from Day 1? Advertisers got results, creators could fund their shows, and listeners enjoyed free content without tuning out. Podcasting works because all parties benefit, and this remains one of its biggest strengths to this day Talk Radio, On Demand: Lex’s earliest pitch for podcasting was simple: it’s talk radio you can control. That framing helped advertisers “get it” before Serial, before Spotify, before the boom. It’s Electric! But It’s Still a Guitar: Just as “guitar” became “acoustic guitar” after the electric was invented, podcasts may evolve with video, but the word “podcast” isn’t going anywhere. Podcasting’s evolution will open doors, not close them, leading to more opportunities for listeners and advertisers. To delve deeper into the conversation, which covers topics such as Ad Load Tipping Points, Completionist Behavior, Consolidation, Mega-Deals, and more, click the link below.

It finally happened- we found insights that brand builders and performance marketers can agree on. We gathered CAOs from all walks of business: from finance and food to jobs and boots. They share everything they’ve learned as they’ve scaled podcasting to enviable levels. Whether you’re team brand or team performance, you’ll benefit from their wealth of experience. On The Media Roundtable, we have one of our favorite conversations from our 2025 CAO Summit.  Conor Doyle (President, Oxford Road) moderated the ”No More Maybes: Scaling Podcast Performance with Precision” panel, where he gathered some of the sharpest CAOs around, who agreed to share their secrets on scaling podcasts. Conor was joined by our VIPs: Gladwell Mwangi (Director of Paid Media, Whole Foods) Kezia Koo (Former Sr. Director, Global Growth & Performance Marketing, Indeed) Megan Smith (Director, Media Strategy, Tecovas) Nick Fairbairn (Vice President, Growth Marketing, Chime) These audio evangelists candidly shared how they grew their podcast buys with confidence and their hard-won lessons from the journey. “Every single time we ratchet up the quality of our measurement, it’s telling us time and time again that podcast is efficient-it’s driving revenue and bringing customers in.” – Kezia Koo (Former Sr. Director, Global Growth & Performance Marketing, Indeed) This week, we’re talking: Measurement Quality, Podcasts Play Nice, Thoughtful Success, and more. Let’s dig in: Measurement Quality: The first step to every success story? Getting measurements you trust. But as spend increases, so should measurement sophistication. Over 6 years, Indeed moved from a single attribution model to different media mix models, and onto clean room measurement. The common result? Podcasts have a fantastic ROI and deserve more spend. The lesson? Scale is constrained by the confidence you have in your performance. Better measurement unlocks increased spend at optimal levels. Podcasts Play Well with Others:  Podcast absolutely performs on its own. But thanks to video, it’s an incredible team player too, helping other channels efficiently scale. Combine book endorsement spots with a trusted podcast host, negotiate usage rights, and you have an abundance of powerful clips for CTV, paid social, and programmatic. With the rise of video, visual brands like Tecovas especially benefit, but the truth is, host authenticity is the rising tide that lifts all marketing boats, so make sure you’re not ignoring it. Thoughtful Success: While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, intentionality played a key role in all of our CAOs’ success stories. You need: Clarity: Define how podcasts can support the rest of your marketing. Longer host endorsements humanize brands more effectively than 15-second DR TV spots can. Thoughtfulness with your placements: Look past the top 10 shows, track your CPAs on a show-level, and when you find a winner, make a commitment. You’ll get amazing reads (which you can then use again elsewhere in your marketing ecosystem). Want more stats and secrets from every step of the scaling journey? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below. The Classifieds Don’t Be Blinded By Her Light Network: Sony Podcasts /  Monthly Downloads: 185k When we talk about death, it’s often from the viewpoint of those mourning, usually leading to a somber, morose conversation. What if you could talk with the deceased before they actually died? British comedian and presenter Mel Giedroyc is facilitating weekly conversations with a cadre of guests who want to find the funny in the great beyond. Although the central premise may be morbid, the content is often filled with levity and light. Mel and co often focused on the gratitude we all feel for one another and celebrating life itself while we still can. Giedroyc has often been a part of cozy, feel-good entertainment (The Great British Bake Off, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year), and her recent takeover of this longstanding podcast has resulted in a similar theme. For those looking to reach a dedicated UK-based audience interested in classic, British humor, this is undoubtedly a great test to consider for Q4. Meet us at the pearly gates below for more angelic details. Trust us, this is not something you want to pass on. Get The Deal Don’t Worry, Be Happy Now Network: That Sounds Fun Network /  Monthly Downloads: 150k We’re entering that time of year again when people start forming goals for themselves, often linked to health and happiness. Jeanine Amapola is a Texas-born YouTuber who wanted to build a platform for well-intentioned, self-loving women who finally put those goals ahead of society’s expectations. Her fundamental beliefs are built around Christianity, family, and stability, and that comes through in every episode. Whether she’s discussing toxic diet culture, the perils of social media, or giving her unvarnished advice, Amapola is always ready with an opinion and a strong argument to back it up. This is an opportunity from That Sounds Fun, a Christian-focused network that prioritizes women-led voices. Since premiering five years ago, this has been a solid top-performer for many female-skewing DTC clients, especially those that cater to young mothers. If you would like to be happier (seeing great performance) and healthier (less stressed about unfilled budgets), click below for more details. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It The King Has Abdicated, All Hail the New Regents Spotify announced Tuesday that founder and CEO Daniel Ek will step down in January 2026 to become Executive Chairman as the company adopts a new co-CEO model. Gustav Söderström, Chief Product and Technology Officer, and Alex Norström, Chief Business Officer, will jointly lead operations starting next year. Ek described his role as shifting “from a player to a coach,” focusing on capital allocation and long-term strategy. Spotify, founded in 2006, posted its first annual profit in 2024 following price hikes and cost cuts, and now has nearly 700 million monthly users. This move won’t change how marketers approach audio buys, but it’s still significant. Ek is the founder and has been synonymous with Spotify since its inception, so this change will be a significant shift for all. Maybe not on the same level, but it reminds us of when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos handed CEO duties to Andy Jassy. Read More Pew’s News About News Pew Research released its 2025 fact sheet on podcasts and news. Data shows that 49% of U.S. adults have listened to a podcast in the past month, up from 42% in 2023. Among listeners, 32% report podcasts as a regular news source. The report found younger adults (18–29) are the most engaged, with 67% monthly reach, compared with 28% for those 65+. Pew notes that while podcasts expand news reach, most listeners consume them alongside traditional media outlets. Podcasts as a main source of news are growing. The Pew Research report provides insights into the news genre that every marketer should know. The news genre is one that consistently drives performance across a variety of brand categories, and this report proves that all generations engage with it. Read More Ignore the Platform That Reaches Most Americans? Bouvard Says Yes In a new blog post, Cumulus Media/Westwood One’s One’s Chief Insights Officer, Pierre Bouvard, criticized YouTube Music’s audience claims, calling them vague and unsubstantiated. He noted that agencies often hear “billions” used in YouTube’s pitch materials, without a clear explanation of what demographics or countries are represented. Edison Research’s Q2 2025 Share of Ear study shows YouTube Music’s ad-supported service accounts for only 1% of U.S. listening time, far behind AM/FM radio at 66%, podcasts at 20%, Spotify at 5%, and Pandora at 4%. Bouvard urges agencies and marketers to ground planning in measured data, warning that overlooking radio in favor of digital narratives risks under-delivering on reach. As far as we know, YouTube hasn’t claimed its “billions” number refers to the music service. The “billions” refers to global podcast reach (which we have also questioned). YouTube’s role in podcasting and music content is well established. Marketers know better than to ignore its reach and growing role in audio. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Parenting Class is in Session with MasterClass Taking care of everyone on a weekly basis, teacher & parenting coach JoAnn Crohn, M.Ed., and co-host parenting coach & educator, Brie Tucker of No Guilt Mom, deliver a standout example of how authenticity, vulnerability, and real-life parenting struggles can be transformed into a powerful and relatable endorsement. Praising MasterClass during this #STLR, these gals effortlessly weave their personal experiences (moments of stress, short fuses, and everyday chaos) into their substantiation of MasterClass’s Science of Parenting class, creating a seamless and emotionally resonant connection for listeners. By sharing specific takeaways and how the class improved their confidence and calm as parents, they offer genuine, results-driven testimony that adds both credibility and warmth. Their tone is upbeat and supportive, mirroring the message of the class itself: progress over perfection, backed by science, not guilt. It’s informative, engaging, and above all, empowering, making this a pitch that doesn’t shame listeners but leaves listeners feeling seen, supported, and eager to sign up for the class themselves. Class is in session, and you can take notes via the link below. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese

It finally happened- we found insights that brand builders and performance marketers can agree on. We gathered CAOs from all walks of business: from finance and food to jobs and boots. They share everything they’ve learned as they’ve scaled podcasting to enviable levels. Whether you’re team brand or team performance, you’ll benefit from their wealth of experience. On The Media Roundtable, we have one of our favorite conversations from our 2025 CAO Summit.  Conor Doyle (President, Oxford Road) moderated the ”No More Maybes: Scaling Podcast Performance with Precision” panel, where he gathered some of the sharpest CAOs around, who agreed to share their secrets on scaling podcasts. Conor was joined by our VIPs: Gladwell Mwangi (Director of Paid Media, Whole Foods) Kezia Koo (Former Sr. Director, Global Growth & Performance Marketing, Indeed) Megan Smith (Director, Media Strategy, Tecovas) Nick Fairbairn (Vice President, Growth Marketing, Chime) These audio evangelists candidly shared how they grew their podcast buys with confidence and their hard-won lessons from the journey. “Every single time we ratchet up the quality of our measurement, it’s telling us time and time again that podcast is efficient-it’s driving revenue and bringing customers in.” – Kezia Koo (Former Sr. Director, Global Growth & Performance Marketing, Indeed) This week, we’re talking: Measurement Quality, Podcasts Play Nice, Thoughtful Success, and more. Let’s dig in: Measurement Quality: The first step to every success story? Getting measurements you trust. But as spend increases, so should measurement sophistication. Over 6 years, Indeed moved from a single attribution model to different media mix models, and onto clean room measurement. The common result? Podcasts have a fantastic ROI and deserve more spend. The lesson? Scale is constrained by the confidence you have in your performance. Better measurement unlocks increased spend at optimal levels. Podcasts Play Well with Others:  Podcast absolutely performs on its own. But thanks to video, it’s an incredible team player too, helping other channels efficiently scale. Combine book endorsement spots with a trusted podcast host, negotiate usage rights, and you have an abundance of powerful clips for CTV, paid social, and programmatic. With the rise of video, visual brands like Tecovas especially benefit, but the truth is, host authenticity is the rising tide that lifts all marketing boats, so make sure you’re not ignoring it. Thoughtful Success: While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, intentionality played a key role in all of our CAOs’ success stories. You need: Clarity: Define how podcasts can support the rest of your marketing. Longer host endorsements humanize brands more effectively than 15-second DR TV spots can. Thoughtfulness with your placements: Look past the top 10 shows, track your CPAs on a show-level, and when you find a winner, make a commitment. You’ll get amazing reads (which you can then use again elsewhere in your marketing ecosystem). Want more stats and secrets from every step of the scaling journey? Tune in to the full episode by clicking the link below.

Want better insights into the chaotic world of podcasting? You need to hear from the audio experts, who’ve returned from their hiatus to discuss all things CAO Summit 2025. The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 11: “When the Helmets Come Off—Kraig T. Kitchin at CAO Summit 2025” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes back Hall of Fame legend Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor for Oxford Road) to break down their biggest takeaways from July’s event. “[The CAOs] brought their best material and they didn’t hold back vulnerabilities of the goods, the bads, and the uglies of what it is they do.” – Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor for Oxford Road & Bonafide Audio Legend) Collaborators, Not Competitors: One magical part of the CAO Summit? The attendees – some of the biggest names in podcast advertising – were honest about their successes and challenges. Fierce competitors took off their game faces and helmets and became vulnerable–sparking breakthroughs for all attendees. The lesson? Mutual success in our industry can grow the pie for all. Audio’s Built-In Edge: What makes podcasting talent different? Their ability to manage two vastly different roles: the entertainer and the authentic salesperson. Since the days of radio, audiences have been comfortable with hosts playing dual roles, which has proven to be a strength for the medium. However, to maintain the effectiveness of ads, podcasting should also look to radio as a cautionary tale. Oversaturate the content with ads, and you will lose the audience. CAOs, when you’re buying ads, keep an eye on ad load. For best performance, we recommend no more than 10%. Use AI to  Be More Human: At an event where in-person interactions, vulnerability, and authenticity reigned, one question echoed throughout the halls: how do you reconcile the human touch with the growing power of AI in creative? Stew lays out the cure: “The antidote to the fear of AI is caring.” AI can do a lot of work, but it can’t care for you. For the most potent creative, care for your audience, and your product shines through. However you choose to integrate AI into your work, it should always center on humans. The hosts, your audience, your partners, and your own creative sensibilities. Ensure that any AI elements facilitate deeper connections for you, rather than trying to replace them. Want more views from the top of the (CAO) Summit? Tune in to the full episode here: The Classifieds Every Angel Gets Its Wings Network: Playmaker Podcast Network / Monthly Downloads: 100k As women’s sports continue their rise in popularity, advertisers have begun looking for ways to meet fans outside of stadiums and fields. Women’s basketball has exploded in popularity thanks to players such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, so it only makes sense that the latter has decided to start her own podcast. Launching its second season next month, Unapologetically Angel is a sit-down interview show presenting weekly conversations with her friends, collaborators, and cultural equals. Guests from season one included reality star and musician Chrisean Rock, rapper Lady London, and American football player/NFL commentator Cam Newton. The show has availability for Q4 testing, as well as social & title sponsorships, live events, and more. This is a solid opportunity for sports-focused advertisers or those looking to reach a female-skewing audience interested in African-American cultural touchstones. If you want an invite to the Bayou Barbie dream house, ring the bell in the link below. Get The Deal A Trio of Legends Create a Hall of Fame Podcast Network: Nativ.ly / Monthly Downloads: 250k There’s a party going on over at Nativ.ly, and the guest list contains some of the biggest names in women’s sports. Women’s sports icons Abby Wambach, Billie Jean King, and Julie Foudy are inviting you to join them week after week to discuss the hows, whats, and whens associated with women’s sports. Coming from the disparate worlds of tennis and soccer, these co-hosts discuss a wide range of sports-related topics that haven’t always gotten their due. Since premiering in September, the show has featured interviews with well-known figures, including NBC Sports presenter Rebecca Lowe, WNBA star Breanna Stewart, and retired US track and field Olympian Allyson Felix. Advertisers seeking opportunities across multiple sports are highly encouraged to test at this time. This is a home run, ace, turkey, hat trick, and touchdown that will have you seeing gold, so if you want to lock in your place at the podium, please click below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Dynamic Sponsorships or Disappearing Brand Placements? YouTube is reportedly rolling out new tools that allow creators more flexibility to integrate and manage brand partnerships. The most significant shift for advertisers: creators will be able to dynamically insert or swap branded content within long-form videos. That means embedded ads aren’t permanently locked into a piece of content and can be updated, resold, or customized by market. YouTube says this move helps creators monetize more flexibly. For advertisers, it’s a double-edged sword. The upside is more inventory, lower barriers to entry, and new ways to integrate into content. On the other side, the shift to dynamic ad swaps risks weakening the halo effect that baked-in ads provide, which is one of the larger appeals for the buy type. Time will tell how the change affects this growing influencer channel’s ability to monetize while maintaining performance for advertisers. Read More Nielsen: Why You Should Reallocate Some TV Dollars Audacy is leaning on Nielsen and Commspoint data to argue that reallocating even small slices of TV spend into AM/FM radio and streaming audio delivers outsized gains in reach and impressions. A simulated March 2025 plan shifting 15% of TV dollars to radio nearly doubled impressions (11.7M to 21M) and lifted reach from 44% to over 70% without increasing spend. The analysis also highlights radio’s ability to connect “engagement gap” audiences that use little TV or the internet to advertisers. Reaching light TV viewers is great, but that ship has already sailed. About three-quarters of ad spend is in digital. Radio needs to show how it complements digital so it works even harder to reach your goals. It can’t just hang its hat on extending TV reach, because that slice of the pie keeps shrinking. Read More Spanish Podcasts: The Secret Weapon Brands Ignore In a LinkedIn post, Edison Research highlighted the growing influence of Spanish-speaking podcast audiences. Hispanic listeners engage deeply with shows in both English and Spanish. Younger Hispanic listeners are setting broader digital media trends, adopting a mobile-first and personalized approach to their audio habits. The Hispanic population accounts for nearly 20% of the U.S. and is growing, and brands that engage with this audience see success. Spanish-language audio, especially within the podcast space, is no longer niche. The brands that tap into the culture right will gain an advantage. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Shopify Brings a Divided, True Crime Couple Together Murder With My Husband, starring true-crime-loving couple Payton and Garrett Moreland, who partner with Shopify as the host for their merch store, graces our #STLR spotlight this week. Opening the spot with a playful “Shopify” chant, the duo immediately showcases their seven-year history with the platform, providing the listener with the credibility and warmth of a personal recommendation rather than a scripted pitch. Instead of rattling off generic features, they weave in personally tested benefits, such as ease of use, intuitive design, and powerful tools for both online and in-store sales, creating a clear picture of how Shopify helps small businesses grow. Their upbeat, conversational tone makes even complex features, such as POS integration and first-party data, sound approachable and straightforward. They conclude with an irresistible call to action, encouraging listeners to jump in and start selling. While this husband-and-wife duo might not agree on everything, including the topic of their podcast, one thing is clear: they both give Shopify an enthusiastic chant of approval. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Back the Indies Before It’s Too Late Our very own Giles Martin (EVP of Strategy, Oxford Road) just dropped a wake-up call in Fast Company’s Ask The Experts column. His message? Don’t let shiny video podcasts from big networks distract you from the soul of the medium: independents. Yes, buying indie shows comes with less-flashy production and trickier measurement, but that’s precisely why they need marketplace support. Giles argues that without brand investment, the voices that make podcasting authentic and diverse risk being drowned out by cookie-cutter video productions from major networks. The bottom line: if advertisers want podcasting to keep its edge, they need to put dollars behind indie creators, imperfections and all. Read More Oxford Road’s Podload Report In Practice The Wall Street Journal just profiled tech-bros-turned-podcasters John Coogan and Jordi Hays of TBPN, who’ve built an 11-month-old daily live show into a $5M revenue-generating machine. Their latest move: hiring newly elected president Dylan Abruscato to triple that number by 2026. And tucked inside the piece was a beautiful shoutout to Oxford Road’s Podload Report (built in conjunction with Podscribe), which gave TBPN the baseline on how much ad load their show could handle. While the industry average sits at 10.9%, TBPN clocks in at just 5% — proof that moderation is key. For us, it’s validation that our research isn’t just theory; it’s shaping real business strategy at one of the hottest indie shows in media. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese

Want better insights into the chaotic world of podcasting? You need to hear from the audio experts, who’ve returned from their hiatus to discuss all things CAO Summit 2025. The world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back! Presenting Ad Infinitum Season 3, Episode 11: “When the Helmets Come Off—Kraig T. Kitchin at CAO Summit 2025” Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes back Hall of Fame legend Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor for Oxford Road) to break down their biggest takeaways from July’s event. “[The CAOs] brought their best material and they didn’t hold back vulnerabilities of the goods, the bads, and the uglies of what it is they do.” – Kraig T. Kitchin (Senior Strategic Advisor for Oxford Road & Bonafide Audio Legend) Collaborators, Not Competitors: One magical part of the CAO Summit? The attendees – some of the biggest names in podcast advertising – were honest about their successes and challenges. Fierce competitors took off their game faces and helmets and became vulnerable–sparking breakthroughs for all attendees. The lesson? Mutual success in our industry can grow the pie for all. Audio’s Built-In Edge: What makes podcasting talent different? Their ability to manage two vastly different roles: the entertainer and the authentic salesperson. Since the days of radio, audiences have been comfortable with hosts playing dual roles, which has proven to be a strength for the medium. However, to maintain the effectiveness of ads, podcasting should also look to radio as a cautionary tale. Oversaturate the content with ads, and you will lose the audience. CAOs, when you’re buying ads, keep an eye on ad load. For best performance, we recommend no more than 10%. Use AI to  Be More Human: At an event where in-person interactions, vulnerability, and authenticity reigned, one question echoed throughout the halls: how do you reconcile the human touch with the growing power of AI in creative? Stew lays out the cure: “The antidote to the fear of AI is caring.” AI can do a lot of work, but it can’t care for you. For the most potent creative, care for your audience, and your product shines through. However you choose to integrate AI into your work, it should always center on humans. The hosts, your audience, your partners, and your own creative sensibilities. Ensure that any AI elements facilitate deeper connections for you, rather than trying to replace them. Want more views from the top of the (CAO) Summit? Tune in to the full episode here:  

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re taking you back to our 2025 CAO Summit for a tactical conversation on one of media’s most resilient channels: radio. Guest moderator and radio legend Kim Komando leads a panel featuring Nick Macco (Legacybox), Mike Janigian (DraftKings), and Rion Swartz (brand-side growth leader, previously at LegalZoom) on why we shouldn’t write the obituary for broadcast radio just yet. The panel laid out a playbook for turning “old-school” radio into a modern performance media, and we’re giving you a sneak peek: “Radio is a ‘cucaracha’—we keep trying to stamp it out, and it just keeps coming back.” – Kim Komando, Host of ” The Kim Komando Show“ Attribution can be simpler than you think: Promo codes and landing pages help, but Legacybox and others on the panel have found that post-purchase surveys consistently matched more complex models. Triangulation is key. DraftKings mentioned their perfect formula for measurement success: promo codes + surveys + MMM. Creative continuity is key: One of the best things you can do to shore up your radio buy: keep the host connection alive throughout the conversion funnel. Think tailored pages, remarketing with host likeness, and copy that mirrors an on-air read. Host buy-in > genre: Entertainment, sports, talk radio, you name it—if the relationship is real, the results follow. And don’t sleep on political placements: Legacybox found less crowded inventory and more efficient media on conservative radio. The common consensus: radio’s not a relic—it’s a responsive reach engine that still delivers results. Pair engaged hosts with pragmatic measurement and you’ll get both scale and signal. For the full conversation (and more tales from the “cucaracha” that won’t die), tune in below. The Classifieds La Llorona and the Lads Network: Sonoro Media / Monthly Downloads: 25k This week kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of Latinx culture, community, and shared history. Our first classified is steeped in the unique experience of being Gen Z Mexican-Americans and the superstitions that go along with it. Jorge Moran and Ricardo Amado have grown in popularity on TikTok through clips of the show that cover paranormal sightings and Mexican urban legends. In between those more viral moments, the duo delves into endless conversations about their families and shared interests. Family often pops up, especially for young father Amado, who lovingly talks about his children every chance he gets. They also love talking about music, video games, true crime, and so much more. This is a great opportunity for advertisers seeking video-first testing options that specifically target young men who favor niche but engaged communities, especially Reddit. If you’re superstitious about losing testing dollars, click below asap for more information. Get The Deal Shattering the Facade of Some of Society’s Worst Pretenders Network: Starlight Ads / Monthly Downloads: 250k “How could this happen?” This statement is often attached to stories that twist and turn, with no visible end in sight. Javier Leiva is interested in protagonists who cannot be trusted, who build identities and backgrounds that aren’t all that they seem—those who pretend. Whether he’s interviewing dangerous cult leaders, victims of insidious crimes, or running down a fiendish con artist, Leiva is unafraid to dig until he discovers the truth. This is a great opportunity that sits at the intersection of tech, true crime, and education, and exposes the stories that often never see the light of day. Though this is a long-running podcast with a wealth of DR advertisers, they have only recently migrated to a new seller who’s willing to create unique, bespoke opportunities for enhanced re-testing ahead of Q4. Don’t just pretend to click the link below, or you might be featured in the next episode. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It SiriusXM Finds New Reach With Amazon’s DSP? Amazon Ads has struck a partnership with SiriusXM to make its streaming portfolio, including Pandora, SoundCloud, and eventually podcasts, available through Amazon’s demand-side platform. The deal opens up access to more than 160 million monthly U.S. digital listeners and lets advertisers pair Amazon’s first-party data with SiriusXM’s premium audio content. This move heightens Amazon’s rivalry with platforms like Google and The Trade Desk while offering brands a full-funnel attribution proposition. For SiriusXM, it is a new monetization path as streaming competition grows. Access to SiriusXM inventory, coupled with Amazon’s retail data, is a tempting proposition for even the shrewdest marketer, but first, let’s see how transparent Amazon will be with its data and attribution models; history says maybe not. Read More Brazil: Podcasting’s Sleeping Giant The latest revelation from Podnews may surprise some: Brazil remains one of the most overlooked podcast markets despite its size and listening power. With over 200 million people and a robust digital presence, Brazil consistently ranks among the top countries for podcast consumption. Advertisers want access to these audiences, but the ad marketplace is still underdeveloped on the platform side. While Spotify and YouTube have a significant presence, international networks and platforms have yet to establish robust monetization, creating a gap between audience demand and advertising opportunities. Brazil is podcasting’s biggest untapped opportunity, and once international networks shore up the market, expect ad dollars to follow fast. Read More Spotify’s Free Upgrade: Better for Users and Advertisers? Spotify is making its free tier more attractive to consumers by introducing “Pick & Play,” “Search & Play,” and “Share & Play” features globally. Free users can now search for and play any specific track, or instantly play songs shared by friends or artists on social media platforms like Instagram. This marks a significant shift from the prior, shuffle-only experience with limited skips. There’s still a catch: free listeners get an “on-demand time” allocation, after which they’ll revert to limited skips. Spotify is seeking to boost engagement amongst its ad-supported users and expose them to more ads. Spotify isn’t expanding its free tier out of generosity—they’re chasing more engagement and ad revenue. For advertisers, this is good news: more features for free users means longer sessions and more ad inventory to work with. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Getting Healthy at Home with Function HealthIn this week’s “Save the Live Read”, Andrew O’Hara and Stephen Robles know how important it is to recommend the right products on their show HomeKit Insider, by acknowledging the gravity of a serious topic and bringing it to life. Instead of simply rattling off features, the duo shares their personal experience of using Function Health: booking tests for the next day, seeing 160 biomarkers, and getting real-action steps, proving that the benefits are something that can’t be faked. They also break down the process of using Function Health, going above and beyond your typical 60-second ad while creating an atmosphere of a friendly back-and-forth one might have with their friends. Additionally, their recommendation about how Function Health goes beyond the average smart watch feature positions Function as the golden ticket to jump-starting a healthier and happier life. And the $100 credit at the end? It’s the cherry on top that makes clicking “sign up” feel like a no-brainer. Listen below to hear the vitals of a great read. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Rubi Mora – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re taking you back to our 2025 CAO Summit for a tactical conversation on one of media’s most resilient channels: radio. Guest moderator and radio legend Kim Komando leads a panel featuring Nick Macco (Legacybox), Mike Janigian (DraftKings), and Rion Swartz (brand-side growth leader, previously at LegalZoom) on why we shouldn’t write the obituary for broadcast radio just yet. The panel laid out a playbook for turning “old-school” radio into a modern performance media, and we’re giving you a sneak peek: “Radio is a ‘cucaracha’—we keep trying to stamp it out, and it just keeps coming back.” – Kim Komando, Host of ” The Kim Komando Show“ Attribution can be simpler than you think: Promo codes and landing pages help, but Legacybox and others on the panel have found that post-purchase surveys consistently matched more complex models. Triangulation is key. DraftKings mentioned their perfect formula for measurement success: promo codes + surveys + MMM. Creative continuity is key: One of the best things you can do to shore up your radio buy: keep the host connection alive throughout the conversion funnel. Think tailored pages, remarketing with host likeness, and copy that mirrors an on-air read. Host buy-in > genre: Entertainment, sports, talk radio, you name it—if the relationship is real, the results follow. And don’t sleep on political placements: Legacybox found less crowded inventory and more efficient media on conservative radio. The common consensus: radio’s not a relic—it’s a responsive reach engine that still delivers results. Pair engaged hosts with pragmatic measurement and you’ll get both scale and signal. For the full conversation (and more tales from the “cucaracha” that won’t die), tune in below.

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. Get The Deal 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. Read More 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. Read More 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. Read More #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. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  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. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Rubi Mora – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

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.

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re bringing you inside the opening fireside chat from the 2025 Chief Audio Officer Summit, featuring two of the most influential voices in independent media today: Steven Bartlett (Host of Diary of a CEO, Founder of FLIGHTSTORY) and Ben Shapiro (Host of The Ben Shapiro Show, Co-Founder of The Daily Wire). In a conversation with Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road), with a stunning oceanfront sunset as their backdrop, our guests get into the real trade-offs of staying independent, especially in the face of nine-figure offers; the discipline behind their respective growth; and how brands can unlock substantial results when they lean into creator-led partnerships. “Independence, in this moment, is a good marker for a lot of listeners and audiences of authenticity. People want to feel like they’re not just tuning in to an institution.  They want to feel like they’re tuning in to a person.” – Ben Shapiro (Host of The Ben Shapiro Show, Co-Founder of The Daily Wire) Experimenting for Exponential Growth: Steven Bartlett breaks down how his Head of Failure team (yes, you read that right, that’s a real department at FlightStory) tests 300–400 variables per episode: from punctuation in titles to the CO₂ levels in the recording room. One tweak to the first 10 seconds of an episode drove a 350% subscriber lift—proof that small tests can unlock massive growth. Striking the Right Ad Load Balance: Both Bartlett and Shapiro (as well as your Oxford Road team) agree: fewer, better ads win. Bartlett flatly rejected a $100M deal that would have stuffed his show with “12 adverts in a podcast,” insisting host reads must be content, and judged by retention and results, rather than just units sold. Letting Creators Cook: Shapiro’s advice to brands: “Get us really familiar with your product—and then let us cook.” These creators know their audience better than anyone else, and they’re not going to expend their own brand equity on just anything. Give them some freedom and they can deliver endorsements that feel personal, perform stronger, and build brand loyalty that lasts. For advertisers seeking to connect with enigmatic hosts who understand how to engage their audiences, Bartlett and Shapiro are the gold standard. For the full conversation, check out the full episode below. The Classifieds 19 Truths and Counting with Jinger and Jeremy Network: Colture Podcast Network / Impressions: 140k This week, we’re celebrating the unofficial beginning of the 2026 annual planning by showcasing two new top performers. Our first new testing win comes from the world of reality TV and truly tries to provide a safe space for cozy family values and kinship. Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo, who were heavily featured on the TLC shows 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, sit down for a weekly podcast where they are given the chance to open up, peel back the layers, and get down to sharing their truth. In many instances, they regale their audience with behind-the-scenes tidbits and context on the production of reality TV. In other episodes, they talk about the topics that mean the most to them: family, love, spirituality, and growth. This has been a top performer for several female-skew advertisers, especially DTC products that target mothers. We’re counting on you to click below, where you will find more information. Get The Deal Chuckling ‘Til the World Ends Network: Headgum / Impressions: 50k On the less wholesome side of the podcast landscape, we have a comedy opportunity that finds the funny in the bad. Hosted by the eponymous Gianmarco Soresi and comedian Russell Daniels, each episode includes stark, cynical conversations about the world at large. You might assume that no one could make that funny, but Soresi has proven himself to be a quick wit, a clever improviser, and an unhinged personality who is unafraid of even the most dismal subjects. This is a steadily growing opportunity thanks to Soresi’s continued growth on social media and recent appearance on Dropout’s newest season of Game Changer. The twosome is also often joined by guests from the comedy world, such as Alex Edelman, Josh Sharp, and Vir Das. In the cluttered Comedy genre, this offering sets itself apart by working specifically for a left-leaning audience that values diversity, edgy topics, and internet culture. If you want to laugh like the world is ending, get down via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Hot Off the Press-Podscribe’s Q3 Benchmark Report is Here The Q3 2025 Podscribe Performance Benchmarks show that podcast and streaming audio now reach 85% of U.S. listeners. Programmatic and run-of-network buys have surged, while YouTube simulcasts account for the majority of video-driven campaigns. The optimal frequency remains three ads per campaign and five ads per month across all channels. iPhone users convert 30% better than Android users, retail leads all industries in efficiency, and mid-roll placements continue to deliver the strongest results. For CAOs who want to maximize their investments while staying current with the latest trends, these benchmark reports are invaluable, but based on our data, individual results will vary. Read More Measurement Stunting Growth of the Creator Economy The creator economy wants to be seen as a mature media channel, but a lack of consistent measurement is limiting progress. While advertisers have steadily increased spending on creators, Digiday reports that brand leaders still struggle to justify budgets without standardized metrics across platforms. Executives interviewed in the piece describe measurement as the “final hurdle” to unlocking more spend. Thanks to Sounds Profitable for highlighting this story and pointing out that transparent reporting is the table stakes for podcasts delivered via RSS feed. The challenge lies with embedded ads in simulcasted video or video-only podcasts, where measurement still lags. Don’t panic though, because the team at Oxford Road is hard at work to solve this issue so all campaigns can have accurate reporting. Read More Apple’s TuneIn to Radio Apple expanded its radio footprint by partnering with TuneIn to bring six curated radio stations to 75 million monthly active users on TuneIn’s platform. This strategic partnership extends Apple’s reach beyond its current ecosystem at a time when Spotify and YouTube are gaining ground in audio. It also demonstrates Apple’s intent to use free radio access as a funnel into its subscription-based products. This partnership achieves two key objectives: it brings content from Apple Music to an ad-supported environment and helps raise awareness of TuneIn, which can often be overlooked as an option for reaching listeners via streaming audio. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads True Crimes Solved with SelectQuote Hope you #STLR listeners are eager for a thriller of a read this week because the hosts of Crimehub: True Crime Stories are contemplating the mystery of the perfect life insurance policy from SelectQuote. This show grabs listeners right out of the gate with the wild “Slayer Statutes” hook, because who isn’t going to perk up when life insurance and true crime collide? From there, the host pivots smoothly into why SelectQuote matters, making a serious topic feel approachable and entertaining. The personal trust they place in SelectQuote adds warmth and credibility, while the mention of $700 billion in coverage and same-day policies gives this ad real credibility. What really makes this pop is the balance: it’s part story, part reassurance, and part practical advice you can actually use, making purchasing insurance less of a crime scene and more of a walk in the park. And with a clear promise of saving more than 50%, the call to action is irresistible and empowering—leaving listeners with a reason to laugh, listen, and an actionable choice to feel a little more secure in their lifetime plans. Don’t be afraid to click on that link below; we promise it’s not scary. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Show Me the Money! (But First The Data) According to Insider Radio, Oxford Road’s State of Audio Advertising report shows podcast ad budgets aren’t being capped by money—it’s the lack of performance data that’s holding billions back. Nearly half of buyers say they’d spend more if they could actually measure ROI, while only a third blame budget limits. Additionally, definitions of “podcast” are still fuzzy (audio-only purists, you’re in the minority), but most marketers seem content to move forward anyway. Brand safety? It turns out that political drama worries buyers more than profanity. Podcast ads are booming, but without better data, the industry’s leaving serious money on the table. Read More Podcast Ads Are Growing Fast, But Counting’s Slow According to Radio Online, Oxford Road’s State of Audio Advertising report shows podcasts are printing growth charts, but not without growing pains. Ad spend is soaring, YouTube now accounts for a quarter of podcast listening, and yet marketers are still struggling with measurement and ROI. Oxford Road is rallying the industry with the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (“AMP Task Force” for short)—bringing heavy hitters together to finally get on the same page about what a podcast is, how to measure it, and how to prove ROI—because somebody’s gotta bring law and order to the Wild West of audio. The future of podcast ads is big, messy, and totally worth watching. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Rubi Mora – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re bringing you inside the opening fireside chat from the 2025 Chief Audio Officer Summit, featuring two of the most influential voices in independent media today: Steven Bartlett (Host of Diary of a CEO, Founder of FLIGHTSTORY) and Ben Shapiro (Host of The Ben Shapiro Show, Co-Founder of The Daily Wire). In a conversation with Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road), with a stunning oceanfront sunset as their backdrop, our guests get into the real trade-offs of staying independent, especially in the face of nine-figure offers; the discipline behind their respective growth; and how brands can unlock substantial results when they lean into creator-led partnerships. “Independence, in this moment, is a good marker for a lot of listeners and audiences of authenticity. People want to feel like they’re not just tuning in to an institution.  They want to feel like they’re tuning in to a person.” – Ben Shapiro (Host of The Ben Shapiro Show, Co-Founder of The Daily Wire) Experimenting for Exponential Growth: Steven Bartlett breaks down how his Head of Failure team (yes, you read that right, that’s a real department at FlightStory) tests 300–400 variables per episode: from punctuation in titles to the CO₂ levels in the recording room. One tweak to the first 10 seconds of an episode drove a 350% subscriber lift—proof that small tests can unlock massive growth. Striking the Right Ad Load Balance: Both Bartlett and Shapiro (as well as your Oxford Road team) agree: fewer, better ads win. Bartlett flatly rejected a $100M deal that would have stuffed his show with “12 adverts in a podcast,” insisting host reads must be content, and judged by retention and results, rather than just units sold. Letting Creators Cook: Shapiro’s advice to brands: “Get us really familiar with your product—and then let us cook.” These creators know their audience better than anyone else, and they’re not going to expend their own brand equity on just anything. Give them some freedom and they can deliver endorsements that feel personal, perform stronger, and build brand loyalty that lasts. For advertisers seeking to connect with enigmatic hosts who understand how to engage their audiences, Bartlett and Shapiro are the gold standard. For the full conversation, check out the full episode below.

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re taking you inside Podcast Movement 2025. While the major players of the industry gathered in Dallas, breaking news hit the scene: Sounds Profitable has merged with Podcast Movement. On this episode, host Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) recaps the event with team members Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road), Julia Palermo (Audio Media Buyer & Planner, Oxford Road), and James Ingrassia (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road)—plus a special guest appearance from Bryan Barletta (Founder of Sounds Profitable) and newly named President of Podcast Movement. Together, they unpack what the merger means for creators, advertisers, and the future of industry events–and everything else they took away from this year’s Podcast Movement. Bryan shares how he plans to evolve the conferences, balance creator and advertiser needs, and bring new focus to content and measurement. Then, the team reflects on hot topics and perennial trends from the week: rising podcast consumption, video’s surge, programmatic momentum, and frequency as the new buzzword. These topics are not going away–so get the scoop from our boots on the ground. This week’s episode is brought to you by our friends at Podscribe. “The [podcasting] space changes every two years. It feels like a brand new industry.” – Bryan Barletta, founder of Sounds Profitable and President of Podcast Movement The Big Merge: Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement are now one. Bryan Barletta takes the reins as President, bringing a new vision for how the industry gathers. Confirmed: brands will have free access to next year’s event as the flagship event moves to New York in 2026, promising fresh energy, more accessibility, and a tighter focus on advertisers’ needs and struggles. Video is Here… Forever: Simulcast isn’t new—but it absolutely dominated the hallway chatter this year. From pixels to QR codes, how we measure and monetize video impressions is the hot question everyone’s trying to answer (we’re doing our part!) It’s About Relationships: Our panel was unanimous: the real ROI of Podcast Movement isn’t what happens on stage, it’s what happens after. Yes, the sessions bring value, but the real breakthroughs come from bumping into a partner in the hallway, hashing out a sticky issue over coffee, or striking a deal at the lobby bar at midnight. When the entire industry converges on one city, chance encounters turn into game-changing conversations—the kind no email, Slack thread, or Zoom call could ever replicate. For more of the conversation regarding all things Podcast Movement-Dallas, join our exclusive panel at one of the links below. Did you know that you can measure audio ads with as much or more precision as other digital channels? Podscribe is the leading podcast and streaming audio measurement platform that helps you go beyond basic reporting, giving you critical insights on how to improve your performance. See in real time which shows, episodes, creatives, audience segments, devices, geos and much more performed best. Quantify audio’s holistic impact with real-time incrementality, and seamlessly integrate your results into your MTA or MMM through the API. Whether you’re a brand testing new shows to advertise on, or a publisher trying to prove ROI to clients, or just looking to diversify your media mix, Podscribe gives you a full-funnel view to turn insights into action. Ready to see what smart audio measurement looks like? Sign up here with promo code NEW20 to get 20% off your first 3 months, or email us at partnerships@podscribe.com to get started. The Classifieds Fighting Fire with Fire Network: The Daily Wire / Monthly Downloads: 750k A lot of energizing conversations were just had at Podcast Movement, but the ones that will have the most follow-ups surround custom integrations. The Daily Wire has long distinguished itself by expanding into new media. In their latest launch, coming this September, the conservative stalwart is pulling all the stops in audio, video, social, and more. This bi-weekly opportunity will feature a rotating guest list of the top conservative voices intent on debating political and cultural topics, no matter how heated things get. For those who want to key in coverage on the news of the day, this podcast will provide diverse POVs that satisfy a curious mind. This is a great new test for anyone already seeing performance in News and Politics, or who needs a solid brand awareness play that is outside the box. If you want out of the frying pan and into the fire, hop on over to the link below. Get The Deal Release The Drama Files! Network: Libsyn / Monthly Downloads: 200k It’s not just new shows that are focusing on larger integrations. Reliable top performers are also finding unique ways to engage with their audiences, and Nick Viall and Natalie Joy certainly know how. Viall (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette) has been a reality TV star for some time, but through his podcast and subsequent new production network, he has strongly endeared himself to fans and drama lovers alike. Each week, the show recaps recent episodes of classic franchises such as Love Island, Love is Blind, and Vanderpump Rules. In accordance with the show’s popularity, many personalities have graced the podcast for exclusive interviews, including recent high-profile guests such as director James Gunn, RHOSLC Monica Garcia, and Perfect Match’s Daniel and Lucy. While host reads are always available for new tests, longer integrations and social extensions are now available for the right advertiser or brand. Get in line and file down below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Magellan AI’s Latest Benchmark Report Shows Spend Is Up Magellan AI’s quarterly benchmark report shows the podcast market is accelerating: with overall spend rising 28% year-over-year and 17% quarter-over-quarter. Financial services was the top-spending category, followed closely by Business Services & Software and Consumer Services & Software. Advertisers spent an average of $318K per month on podcasts ranking in the top 500, and mid-tier shows (ranked 501–3,000) averaged ~$39K in monthly revenue. Ad load also continues to increase, with Q2 averaging 8.13%. This is evidence that growth isn’t confined to the top shows. For marketers, the report findings underscore the need for balance when planning. While top shows provide scale and diversity across mid- and upper-mid-tier shows, smaller shows can improve efficiency while still tapping into passionate, intent-rich audiences. Read More Talk Shows Are Out, Podcasts Are In Podcasting is seeing a decline in narrative-style productions, while chat-driven shows, usually in a video-first format, are increasing in dominance. Personalities like Theo Von, Mel Robbins, and various political commentators are climbing the charts, pushing out shows with more structured conversational formats. This shift reflects the waning allure of traditional talk shows on TV and the rise of podcasts as their replacement, sometimes complete with live events and sell-out audiences. Podcasting will continue to evolve, but in 2025, it’s the casual talk-show style format that’s capturing consumer attention. For marketers, take note of this trend. Read More No More “Bye Bye Booey”? Howard Stern has reportedly signed a new deal with SiriusXM, even as speculation swirled about his potential retirement. The agreement reportedly secures Stern’s continued presence in the audio landscape, underscoring the enduring power of legacy talent to anchor platforms and drive advertiser interest. While terms were not disclosed, the news quells uncertainty in the short term for SiriusXM and advertisers who rely on Stern’s loyal audience. We covered The Sun story about Howard’s cancellation, although with a caveat that we would wait for confirmation. For now, it looks like Howard is sticking around, and the chatter about his future might boost interest in his show–we’ll know for sure when he comes back from vacation next week. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads EarnIn with the Brohios This week’s EarnIn shoutout by the Brohio podcast Bros, Delicious Nickilicious, and Rob Dawg, is a perfect example of how authenticity and relatability can transform an ad into a moment of real connection. From the very start, the Bros paint a vivid picture of a universal struggle—running low on cash before payday—and immediately pull listeners in with humor and honesty. Their storytelling is lively and specific, making EarnIn’s value feel both practical and urgent. What elevates the read is the balance of personality and clarity: a natural tone makes the message fun to hear while the straightforward breakdown of EarnIn’s features—$150 a day, $750 between paychecks—entices the audience. It’s not just informative; it’s entertaining, memorable, and leaves listeners with a sense of empowerment. By closing with a straightforward call to action that also supports the show, this ad culminates in a win-win moment that motivates listeners to cash in right away Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News The State of Audio 2025: Chaos, Clarity, and the Frequency Fight Ahead Audio is having its chaotic-teenager moment in 2025: growing fast, experimenting wildly, and leaving brands scrambling to keep up. Oxford Road’s new State of Audio Advertising report doesn’t just document the madness, but calls it out; calling out the shaky measurement, fuzzy definitions, and video muscling its way into the podcast space. Our hot take? The industry needs a backbone of clarity and authenticity; otherwise, budgets and brands will drift. Audio is ready to roar, but only if the industry starts dialing in its frequency with a little more clarity and a lot less guesswork. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Rubi Mora – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re taking you inside Podcast Movement 2025. While the major players of the industry gathered in Dallas, breaking news hit the scene: Sounds Profitable has merged with Podcast Movement. On this episode, host Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) recaps the event with team members Courtney O’Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road), Julia Palermo (Audio Media Buyer & Planner, Oxford Road), and James Ingrassia (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road)—plus a special guest appearance from Bryan Barletta (Founder of Sounds Profitable) and newly named President of Podcast Movement. Together, they unpack what the merger means for creators, advertisers, and the future of industry events–and everything else they took away from this year’s Podcast Movement. Bryan shares how he plans to evolve the conferences, balance creator and advertiser needs, and bring new focus to content and measurement. Then, the team reflects on hot topics and perennial trends from the week: rising podcast consumption, video’s surge, programmatic momentum, and frequency as the new buzzword. These topics are not going away–so get the scoop from our boots on the ground. This week’s episode is brought to you by our friends at Podscribe. “The [podcasting] space changes every two years. It feels like a brand new industry.” – Bryan Barletta, founder of Sounds Profitable and President of Podcast Movement The Big Merge: Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement are now one. Bryan Barletta takes the reins as President, bringing a new vision for how the industry gathers. Confirmed: brands will have free access to next year’s event as the flagship event moves to New York in 2026, promising fresh energy, more accessibility, and a tighter focus on advertisers’ needs and struggles. Video is Here… Forever: Simulcast isn’t new—but it absolutely dominated the hallway chatter this year. From pixels to QR codes, how we measure and monetize video impressions is the hot question everyone’s trying to answer (we’re doing our part!) It’s About Relationships: Our panel was unanimous: the real ROI of Podcast Movement isn’t what happens on stage, it’s what happens after. Yes, the sessions bring value, but the real breakthroughs come from bumping into a partner in the hallway, hashing out a sticky issue over coffee, or striking a deal at the lobby bar at midnight. When the entire industry converges on one city, chance encounters turn into game-changing conversations—the kind no email, Slack thread, or Zoom call could ever replicate. For more of the conversation regarding all things Podcast Movement-Dallas, join our exclusive panel at one of the links below.

This week on Media Roundtable, we’re bringing you the inside story straight from the 2025 Chief Audio Officer Summit, where the people shaping the future of podcasting and audio advertising gathered to ask one big question: Where do we go from here? This episode is a recording of Dan Granger’s keynote presentation of Oxford Road’s annual State of Audio Advertising report, which gave attendees the answer. The free report is available too–download it now for the full experience. In his address, Dan touches on the industry’s most pressing topics—attribution, fragmentation, and the rise of video—calling marketers to mobilize around standards that unlock growth. He introduces new data from Oxford Road’s upcoming “What Brands Want” survey, challenges assumptions about channel spend versus consumption, and gives Chief Audio Officers in attendance a road map for the year ahead. “When we define the medium, we can align on metrics. And when we align on metrics, we can unlock scale.” – Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road Metric Mayhem: From promo codes and pixels to clean rooms and walled gardens, attribution is all over the map. The result: inflated costs, missed investment opportunities, and frustrated marketers. The YouTube Effect: With 25% of U.S. podcast consumption happening on YouTube, the dynamic is shifting between platforms. For advertisers, it’s both a gift (scale) and a hazard (measurement headaches). Uncluttered Advantage: Compared to TV and social, podcasts remain cost-effective and relatively ad-light, making them one of the best buys in media. To catch up on all the groundbreaking revelations and strategies from CAO ‘25, click the play button on one of the links below. Download the full report here The Classifieds Embracing “Because” Instead of “Why?” Network: Realm / Monthly Downloads: 1.5m Leadership is an evolving discipline that many people struggle to perfect. Mick Hunt has been on a path to propel others forward through the power of purpose. Hunt grew multiple businesses and graced the Forbes Business Council before writing his bestselling book How to Be a Good Leader. In his chart-topping Leadership podcast from Realm, Hunt drills down on important topics related to a variety of sectors such as entertainment, medicine, politics, and sports. Hunt advocates for finding the fuel that you need to accomplish any goal and be the best leader you can be. Both DR and high-reach brands are taking significant notice of this podcast’s messaging and have come out in droves to test in recent months. For anyone looking for self-improvement-based Business, Education, or Mental Health opportunities, this is a must-test for Q4. For more information, lead yourself to the link below. Get The Deal  Psalms & Syrups Network: Audacy / Monthly Downloads: 35k Audio is consistently linked to intimate vulnerability, so it makes sense that we hear a lot of religious podcasts that contain raw truths. Ally Yost has been building a close following through her TikTok, (currently sitting at an astounding 2.1 million followers) by documenting her conversion to Christianity and subsequent glow-up. In both her social media and podcast, Yost provides a brand of level-headed compassion and vulnerability that resonates strongly with her audience. Whether she’s espousing gratitude or providing guidance for those starting their own journeys, Yost continually strives to do her best. Since premiering in 2023, the show has partnered with DR advertisers that align with life changes, especially employment, education, and marriage. If you’re a female-skewed brand that aligns with a value-oriented consumer base, this is an excellent opportunity to explore during your next test period. I’ll take cream, two sugars, and a slice of the link below, please! Get The Deal In Case You Missed It It’s Tay Tay’s World, We Just Live Here Swifties across the podcast world finally got their wish–Taylor finally appeared on New Heights–and it might just be one for the ages. She shared personal stories, announced her 12th album (The Life of a Showgirl), and in just 24 hours, garnered 11.7M YouTube views, 400M+ social clip views, 3,000% Spotify listener spike, and doubled the show’s female audience share. Oh, and don’t forget, demand crashed the livestream. This was another masterclass in marketing from Miss Swift. Mirroring what we saw with the “Podcast Election”, Taylor’s decision to use a podcast to promote her album release shows the growing cultural impact of the medium in shaping narratives and driving MASSIVE reach. This “showgirl” still knows how to dazzle, whether it’s in a bejeweled bodysuit or a podcasting studio. Read More Radio Discovers Local Content is Important An article in RadioInk highlights how local radio operators across the U.S. are defying headwinds by focusing on community connections, local content, and multiplatform ad packages. The strength of local media—and make no mistake, radio is a local medium by a wide margin—is its content and connection to the region. The fact that this is news in an industry trade publication is equal parts telling and alarming about the current state of terrestrial radio. Read More Nielsen Drops Its Annual Podcast Report Nielsen’s latest “Podcasting Today” report reveals steady U.S. audience growth, with multicultural and Gen Z listenership expanding rapidly. Among the 18-34 segment, podcasts now represent 32% of ad-supported listening, with podcasts continuing to outperform other channels on recall and engagement. Nielsen’s report echoes Edison’s report shared last week—the podcast landscape is becoming increasingly diverse! CAOs, this report provides valuable insights, and it’s no wonder podcasting is seeing a surge in spend. Growth isn’t slowing down; it’s becoming more multifarious. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Adios, Language Learning Anxiety! The Anxiety Coaches are back as Gina Ryan delivers this week’s #STLR, featuring the perfect tool to avoid those cringe-worthy moments when your foreign language skills are no bueno—Babbel! We’ve all felt that panic of traveling somewhere and not knowing the language, but Gina keeps it light and funny while introducing Babbel as the easy fix. Her gentle, soothing demeanor makes language learning feel approachable instead of intimidating. While sharing her own story about learning Spanish, she embeds warmth and authenticity throughout the read, making the ad feel more like advice from a trusted friend than a sales pitch. Highlighting Babbel’s practical, real-world lessons shows listeners it’s something they can stick with—and wrapping it up with a significant 55% discount makes hitting “sign up” feel like a total no-brainer, or una buena opción. Listen below and hear for yourself. ¡Disfruta la escucha! Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORd In The News Oxford Road Cracks YT Measurement Everyone in podcasting has been asking the same question: How do you measure YouTube podcast ads when the platform won’t let you? Influencer readers and CAOs already know, Oxford Road just answered it at last month’s CAO event. Numerous industry publications are mentioning this breakthrough, including Inside Radio, Ads of Brands, Podcast News Daily, Podcasting Today, and Roastbrief. By teaming up with Media IDentity Graph (MIDG), we built a way to measure ads inside YouTube’s walled garden (without peeking over the fence). The research shows YouTube podcast audiences skew younger, male, and a bit less diverse—different from the classic audio crowd. Bottom line: this is the first real proof that YouTube podcast ads deliver, and it could push the industry toward finally standardizing podcast ad measurement across all mediums. Read More MRT Named “Must-Listen Podcast About Podcasts” We’re thrilled that our own Media Roundtable was featured in Podglomerate’s exclusive list of “18 Must-Listen Podcasts About Podcasts”—a curated celebration of the best shows exploring the craft, the industry, and the future of podcasting. This shout-out isn’t just recognition—it’s validation. Oxford Road’s MRT inclusion underscores our role not only as sharers of measurement innovation and thought leadership (like our “What Is a Podcast?” white paper with Edison Research)—but also as champions of deeper conversations that propel the podcasting ecosystem forward. Thanks to Podglomerate for spotlighting voices that help the medium grow smarter. Read More Wondery’s Recalibration is a Turning Point In the latest Podnews Weekly Review, hosts James Cridland and Sam Sethi unpacked Amazon’s sweeping restructure of Wondery, choosing to separate their audio and video business. Dan Granger’, CEO of Oxford Road, framed the move as a strategic recalibration toward an integrated audio ecosystem, highlighting how the industry must adapt to shifting listener behavior. The episode also spotlighted Patreon’s $10B creator milestone, Spotify’s new UK age-verification rules, and Riverside’s expansion into hosting—cementing Oxford Road’s role as a thought leader driving the conversation on where podcasting goes next. Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Ezra Fox – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

This week on Media Roundtable, we’re bringing you the inside story straight from the 2025 Chief Audio Officer Summit, where the people shaping the future of podcasting and audio advertising gathered to ask one big question: Where do we go from here? This episode is a recording of Dan Granger’s keynote presentation of Oxford Road’s annual State of Audio Advertising report, which gave attendees the answer. The free report is available too–download it now for the full experience. In his address, Dan touches on the industry’s most pressing topics—attribution, fragmentation, and the rise of video—calling marketers to mobilize around standards that unlock growth. He introduces new data from Oxford Road’s upcoming “What Brands Want” survey, challenges assumptions about channel spend versus consumption, and gives Chief Audio Officers in attendance a road map for the year ahead. “When we define the medium, we can align on metrics. And when we align on metrics, we can unlock scale.” – Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road Metric Mayhem: From promo codes and pixels to clean rooms and walled gardens, attribution is all over the map. The result: inflated costs, missed investment opportunities, and frustrated marketers. The YouTube Effect: With 25% of U.S. podcast consumption happening on YouTube, the dynamic is shifting between platforms. For advertisers, it’s both a gift (scale) and a hazard (measurement headaches). Uncluttered Advantage: Compared to TV and social, podcasts remain cost-effective and relatively ad-light, making them one of the best buys in media. To catch up on all the groundbreaking revelations and strategies from CAO ‘25, click the play button on one of the links below. Download the full report here

In This Week’s Ep: Our Industry-First Breakthrough on YouTube Podcast Attribution (CAO Summit Exclusive) This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re giving you a front-row seat to the 2025 Chief Audio Officer Summit for a case study breakthrough that could change the way podcast advertisers think about YouTube—or at least how they measure it–forever. Led by our own Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road), this session marks an industry first: using passive panel data to measure the true impact of podcast simulcasts on YouTube. The pilot study, developed in partnership with Keith Friedenberg of Media IDentity Graph (MIDG), measures what marketers have only guessed at—and proves YouTube podcast ads can deliver statistically significant lift. This episode is a companion to our groundbreaking white paper, Inside the Walled Garden: Breaking New Ground on YouTube Podcast Measurement, available NOW for free.. The team is talking: Cracking the Simulcast Code, What YouTube Viewers Really Look Like, The Lift That Bucks the Trend, and more. Let’s dig in… “To our knowledge, this is the first time YouTube podcast impressions have been specifically measured—and we’ve been able to put a number on what they contribute to a client’s business. – Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road)   Proof You Can Take to the CFO: Using passive panel data, we tracked YouTube simulcast viewers and saw a statistically significant lift in site visitation. For the first time, brands can validate spend on YouTube podcast inventory with hard numbers. No More Apples to Oranges: YouTube podcasts and audio-only just entered the same weight class. Let the budget reallocations begin! The First Step Toward Standarization: This breakthrough gives the industry a foothold for building universal simulcsat measurement benchmarks, something advertisers have been asking for loudly. Dive into all things measurement in the episode below, and make sure to read our white paper to learn about this breakthrough in YouTube attribution. Download the report The Classifieds Millennial News Network Gets a Gen Z Addition Network: The Daily Wire / Monthly Downloads: 150k The Daily Wire is continuing to expand its roster by bringing on author, influencer, and podcast host Isabel Brown. Brown gained recognition as a Gen Z conservative figure with her 2021 book, Finding My Voice on an American College Campus, and has only continued to grow in popularity. Her background is firmly rooted in biomedical research, but her true passion is raising red flags around the American pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, parenthood and much more. Her original podcast was short-lived before getting scooped up, and is soon set to be re-launched in September under the Westwood One banner. Brown is a new mother centered in Washington, D.C., and aims to continue speaking up on the same topics and issues she has always championed. This new release is brand safe and civil in its content alignment, and aims to reach a high percentage of young mothers and video-watching Gen Z. Speak your truth at the link below for more details. Get The Deal Salt, Sugar, Acid, and Heat Network: Big Little Media / Monthly Downloads: 25k Audio can make you feel seen and heard, but did you know it can also summon your appetite? Whether you’re a foodie, chef, or simple lover of cuisine, this has always been true. Food critics and hosts Aliza Abarbanel and Matt Rodbard spend each episode interviewing food-centric celebs, visionaries, and iconoclasts about how food has shaped their lives. While they might start off talking about the minutiae that make a meal, conversations often broach cultural identities, formative experiences, and nostalgic predispositions that make their guests who they are today. The production creates a soothing, earnest listening experience that immediately calms and restores. This is a cultural podcast that often veers into literature, travel, and cultural mainstays, attracting an audience of young professionals with a preference for urban cities. This food podcast is going to sell like hotcakes, but don’t cry over spilled milk; we’ll save you a slice via the link below. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Podcast Fusion: Holy Grail or Hype Train? Edison Research and Nielsen are teaming up to unveil Nielsen Podcast Fusion—a shiny, “first-of-its-kind” dataset promising to finally connect the dots between podcasts, TV, radio, digital, and social. In theory, it’s the holy grail of media planning: one place to plan, optimize, and compare it all. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the quest for truly holistic measurement is littered with well-intentioned tools that fell short of their promises. With two of the biggest names in the game, this one has our attention—and a dash of skepticism. We’ll be watching closely to see if this is the bridge we’ve been waiting for… or just another scenic detour. Read More Calling All CAOs:  The Youth Are Listening Our next offering may be a case in point to our previous article. While podcast continues to be a highly popular medium for 18 to 29-year-olds, Edison Research’s new Share of Ear report claims podcasts are now tied with AM/FM radio in this key demographic, making up 14% of daily listening time for the Millennial/Gen Z audience. If true, this is big news for two reasons: this key demographic is spending a decent chunk of their time engaging with podcasts, and it also proves that radio is still a popular medium, even for the younger generations. If you want to target these young potential clients, you now know two different platforms where you can find them. Read More Sip Your Tea: The British (Pod) Invasion is Here Edison has been busy this week, both in the US and internationally. Their latest Podcast Consumer Report shows an increase in podcast listenership in the UK, with 51% of Brits confirming that they’ve listened to a podcast in the last month, and 33% of them having listened to podcasts in the past week. Listeners on the Isle have notoriously been a desired demographic for many advertisers, and this report confirms that there is an audience here for anyone who wants to take their campaigns across the Atlantic for their next test. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads Tinx Has the Clarins Beauty Secret Christina Najjar, best known as Tinx from her podcast It’s Me, Tinx, is one of audio’s biggest names. In this week’s #STLR review, she leaves listeners feeling like they’re hearing a beauty hack straight from their best friend. Tinx kicks things off by raving about Clarins’ new Double Serum, mixing in just enough science to make you believe in the efficacy without feeling like a lecture. Her excitement is contagious—she’s “slathering” it on her face, neck, and chest, sharing real-life results that make you want to grab a bottle immediately. The way she weaves personal testimony into the read makes it feel like a must-have essential, not just another basic product plug. And with that juicy discount and gift offer at the end, it’s the kind of pitch that makes listeners think, “okay bestie, I’m all in for Clarins”. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  This week’s Influencer is sponsored by our friends at The Trade Desk. Click the image above to take your omnichannel campaigns to the next level. If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Rubi Mora – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wiese  

In This Week’s Ep: Our Industry-First Breakthrough on YouTube Podcast Attribution (CAO Summit Exclusive) This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re giving you a front-row seat to the 2025 Chief Audio Officer Summit for a case study breakthrough that could change the way podcast advertisers think about YouTube—or at least how they measure it–forever. Led by our own Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road), this session marks an industry first: using passive panel data to measure the true impact of podcast simulcasts on YouTube. The pilot study, developed in partnership with Keith Friedenberg of Media IDentity Graph (MIDG), measures what marketers have only guessed at—and proves YouTube podcast ads can deliver statistically significant lift. This episode is a companion to our groundbreaking white paper, Inside the Walled Garden: Breaking New Ground on YouTube Podcast Measurement, available NOW for free.. The team is talking: Cracking the Simulcast Code, What YouTube Viewers Really Look Like, The Lift That Bucks the Trend, and more. Let’s dig in… “To our knowledge, this is the first time YouTube podcast impressions have been specifically measured—and we’ve been able to put a number on what they contribute to a client’s business. – Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road)   Proof You Can Take to the CFO: Using passive panel data, we tracked YouTube simulcast viewers and saw a statistically significant lift in site visitation. For the first time, brands can validate spend on YouTube podcast inventory with hard numbers. No More Apples to Oranges: YouTube podcasts and audio-only just entered the same weight class. Let the budget reallocations begin! The First Step Toward Standarization: This breakthrough gives the industry a foothold for building universal simulcsat measurement benchmarks, something advertisers have been asking for loudly. Dive into all things measurement in the episode below, and make sure to read our white paper to learn about this breakthrough in YouTube attribution. Download the report

This week, we’re sharing one of the long-form interviews that helped create the What’s a Podcast? series. This edition of The Extended Interviews features one of the voices that helped build the podcast industry as we know it: Guy Raz. Dan Granger (CEO and Founder, Oxford Road) sits down with the creator of How I Built This to talk about “How We Built This”—i.e. how podcasting went from media exile to a mainstream power player—and what’s worth protecting as the lines between audio, video, and algorithm blur. This episode is an informative insight into the early phases that shaped the Podcast world as we know it today, straight from one of the faces on Podcast’s Mount Rushmore. The blueprint to greatness is as follows: “I wanted to make things that inspire people… and I found podcasting was the place to do that.” – Guy Raz (Creator, How I Built This) The Podcast Intimacy Advantage: here’s nothing else like it: just one voice in your ears, building a world in your mind. Guy explains why podcasting delivers connection and nuance in ways video can’t replicate, and why there will always be room for content that’s audio-first. Video is the Add-On, Not the Engine: Yes, he´s adapting to video. Yes, he shoots in-studio now. But the core of Guy’s show still works with eyes closed-by design. CAOs: don’t confuse the sizzle for the steak. From Gatekeepers to Garage Tinkerers: Guy reflects on the early days of podcasting, back when it felt like career exile, and why that scrappy, DIY spirit still matters today. You didn’t need permission to start then-you don’t need permission now-and that freedom is worth defending. In a moment of rapid evolution for the podcasting industry, Guy Raz offers a rare blend of creative insight and operational clarity on what’s worth preserving — and what’s ready for reinvention. This episode equips CAOs with the perspective they need to navigate shifting platforms, define standards, and protect the long-term value of an audio-first strategy. For more tips on creating your podcasting empire, click one of the links below to listen to the full episode. The Classifieds You’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat Network: Cloud10 / Monthly Downloads: 50k It can be hard to find friends willing to listen to you info dump about another pointless bit of internet drama or pop culture nonsense. Luckily, there’s plenty of great podcasts available to pick up that slack. Sophie Ross and Christy Leung are friends and co-hosts who post two episodes a week, chock full of drama, inspo, recaps, and a whole lot more. Though their Thursday episode features the more tawdry news items of the week, the show is an overall good time filled with niche deep dives, trending gossip, and rabbit holes that you’ll enjoy getting lost in. This podcast has been recently acquired by Cloud10 and has already seen an uptick in DR advertisers with a strong female base. This is highly recommended for Gen Z and Millennial-skew clients, or anyone capitalizing on trending reality TV shows. Take the bait, and reel in another core performer at the link below. Get The Deal The Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be Network: Backyard Ventures / Monthly Downloads: 125k Wrestling has long been seen as an insular, fringe interest, but no one has told the modern WWE. Fueled by its inclusion on multiple streaming services and a push on social platforms like YouTube and TikTok, each week millions of viewers tune into its marquee shows to see their favorite personalities. This newest podcast opportunity is a simulcast that publishes on the WWE channel, reaching 110M subscribers, serving to update fans on the newest storylines, characters, costumes, and fight choreography. Hosts Sam Roberts and Megan Morant are long-time lovers of all things wrestling, as well as embedded, trusted personalities who have long been a part of the organization. The show is typically male leaning, with a 35-45 average demo. It’s perfect for any plan trying to reach those interested in Sports, Pop Culture, TV & Film, and Leisure. If ya smell what The Rock is cookin’, seek the link below for more information. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Amazon’s Podcasting Reorg Amazon announced the dismantling of its Wondery podcast studio on Monday, resulting in approximately 110 layoffs and the exit of Wondery CEO Jen Sargent. In a significant restructuring, Wondery’s award-winning narrative podcasts (like Dr. Death) will be integrated into Audible, while high-profile, creator-hosted podcasts such as Armchair Expert will remain under the Wondery brand but be managed by a new Creator Services team. If you follow Oxford Road on LinkedIn, you’ll know that we covered this news Monday. Our take: Amazon’s split may crystallize a broader trend in podcasting: personality-led podcasts (often in an interview format) prioritize video even if consumed as audio. Narrative-led shows, on the other hand, remain an audio-first craft. For video-led podcasts, advertisers will need to get used to fewer signals for measurement, at least until YouTube and other platforms agree to pixel-based attribution. Read More The End is Nigh for Howard Stern? The Sun Says So The US version of The Sun claims The Howard Stern Show is set to be canceled by the end of 2025, when Stern’s current $100 million/year contract expires. Unnamed sources cited in the piece say SiriusXM is unlikely to offer Stern a new deal that meets his financial expectations. If the show does end, SiriusXM could still acquire rights to Stern’s vast archives and library for future use. This is all very new, and we’ll wait for independent confirmation on this story, since The Sun isn’t widely regarded as a reliable source. If true, this is big news. And, expect high-demand episodes as longtime fans and advertisers rush to participate in Howard Stern’s remaining broadcasts. Read More Cumulus is Rumble(ing) Cumulus Media has announced a strategic partnership with Rumble to expand its reach into digital, video and podcast distribution. The deal will make Westwood One and Cumulus Podcast Network content available on Rumble’s platform. Cumulus executives framed the move as a way to tap into creator-driven media and diversify revenue while leaning on Rumble’s video infrastructure and growing audience base. Partnering with Rumble offers access to a fast‑growing, independent video ecosystem and the potential for new ad dollars. This is welcome news for a legacy radio company that has struggled financially and saw its stock delisted by NASDAQ earlier this year. Read More #SaveTheLiveReads The curiosity department heads—aka Design Better hosts Eli Woolery and Aaron Walter—really outdid themselves in this week’s #STLR with a masterclass (pun intended) on creativity, growth, and excellence. These two aren’t just reading copy—they’ve taken 20 classes on MasterClass and speak from real experience, which makes their excitement totally infectious. By name-dropping legends like David Carson, Joanna Gaines, and Sarah Blakely, they make the platform feel both inspiring and totally within reach. Their smooth shift from thoughtful insights to practical advice feels authentic, giving the ad real heart and substance. And the cherry on top? A special 15% off just for Design Better listeners—making this pitch not just motivating, but a total no-brainer. Listen Here Contact us for a Consultation  OXFORD In The News CAO Summit Proved Why Audio Still Reigns Supreme The 2025 CAO Summit may be behind us, but the buzz hasn’t dulled. This week’s LinkedIn reflections from industry leaders spotlight just how impactful the event was for the audio world—and why it’s quickly becoming a must-attend for brands, creators, and media innovators. Flight Story’s Christiana Brenton & Lily Taurau celebrated the summit as a catalyst for elevating industry dialogue—highlighting how moments like CAO create space for bold thought leadership and reinforce the need for open distribution in a fragmented landscape. Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez echoed the power of immersive storytelling to break through the noise. Branding Consultant Jaclyn Ruelle emphasized how branded audio can become true culture-shaping content when paired with talkability and strategic buzz. The CAO Summit didn’t just gather the best minds in audio—it inspired a renewed push toward smarter, bolder, and more integrated brand storytelling Read More If you’ve read this far, thank you! The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road. If you like our sometimes sassy, mostly informed POVs on the wonderful world of audio advertising, you should see what we do for our clients. Interested in seeing how we could help your business? Contact us at influencer@oxfordroad.com! Thank you to the team that puts The Influencer together each week: Rubi Mora – Media Roundtable & Ad Infinitum recap Spencer Semonson – Classifieds Neal Lucey – In Case You Missed It Hannah Lloyd – Save The Live Reads Editors: Kyle Jelinek Kristen Larson Haley Wies  

This week, we’re sharing one of the long-form interviews that helped create the What’s a Podcast? series. This edition of The Extended Interviews features one of the voices that helped build the podcast industry as we know it: Guy Raz. Dan Granger (CEO and Founder, Oxford Road) sits down with the creator of How I Built This to talk about “How We Built This”—i.e. how podcasting went from media exile to a mainstream power player—and what’s worth protecting as the lines between audio, video, and algorithm blur. This episode is an informative insight into the early phases that shaped the Podcast world as we know it today, straight from one of the faces on Podcast’s Mount Rushmore. The blueprint to greatness is as follows: “I wanted to make things that inspire people… and I found podcasting was the place to do that.” – Guy Raz (Creator, How I Built This) The Podcast Intimacy Advantage: here’s nothing else like it: just one voice in your ears, building a world in your mind. Guy explains why podcasting delivers connection and nuance in ways video can’t replicate, and why there will always be room for content that’s audio-first. Video is the Add-On, Not the Engine: Yes, he´s adapting to video. Yes, he shoots in-studio now. But the core of Guy’s show still works with eyes closed-by design. CAOs: don’t confuse the sizzle for the steak. From Gatekeepers to Garage Tinkerers: Guy reflects on the early days of podcasting, back when it felt like career exile, and why that scrappy, DIY spirit still matters today. You didn’t need permission to start then-you don’t need permission now-and that freedom is worth defending. In a moment of rapid evolution for the podcasting industry, Guy Raz offers a rare blend of creative insight and operational clarity on what’s worth preserving — and what’s ready for reinvention. This episode equips CAOs with the perspective they need to navigate shifting platforms, define standards, and protect the long-term value of an audio-first strategy. For more tips on creating your podcasting empire, click one of the links below to listen to the full episode.

This special edition of Media Roundtable offers a front-row seat to our third annual CAO Summit, held at the stunning Terranea Resort. Hosted by Giles Martin (EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) and featuring guests Alia Smith (Associate Manager, Acquisition, Boll & Branch), Megan Smith (Director of Media Strategy, Tecovas), and Oxford Road’s own James Ingrassia (EVP, Client Services), the episode captured the insights, inspiration, community—and gorgeous sunsets—that defined this year’s event. The team is talking: Hosts Know Their Audience Best, Industry-First Simulcast Measurement, Breakout Sessions FTW, and more. Let’s jump in. “The best of everything you can really ask for.” – Alia Smith (Associate Manager, Acquisition, Boll & Branch) Hosts Know Their Audiences… Better Than Brands Do?: Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO) and Ben Shapiro (Founder, The Daily Wire) headlined night one of CAO with a fireside chat and a powerful reminder: podcasters who build their platforms from the ground up really know their audience. Our CAO guests were struck by their passion, selectivity, and authenticity when endorsing products—and Alia especially appreciated Ben’s live shoutout to Boll & Branch! What really struck the panel was the similarities in approach, despite their inherent differences. Breaking Ground on Simulcast Measurement: A new case study from Oxford Road and MIDG Media introduced a first-of-its-kind measurement for YouTube podcast campaigns. Our guests discussed the implications for visual-first audio storytelling, especially for high-touch, visual products like bedding and apparel. Keep your eyes peeled for the case study, coming soon to an inbox near you. Real Conversations, Valuable Connections: Multiple guests praised the summit’s “zero-pitch” policy. What emerged instead was real conversations between brands, creators, and strategists about what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next. No pitches—just sunsets, celebration, and connection. Megan called this year’s event “comfortable, like being with friends.” It’s what made the CAO summit work, and what makes gathering in-person so important, especially in the age of remote work and Zooms. Whether you attended this year or are keeping up from afar, this episode is your insider’s pass to the most intimate, insightful, and strategic audio marketing gathering of the year. Check out the full episode to get the scoop. The Classifieds Make It First. Make It Better Later. Network: Soundrise / Monthly Downloads: 40k The phrase “it’s never too late” is common, but the act of beginning is a long, arduous one. This is the problem that Radiotopia podcast host Alex Sujong Laughlin aims to dissect in her newest podcast, Try Hard. Launching on 7/28, this interesting new opportunity comes from the same team as the immensely popular show Normal Gossip. Each episode will detail Alex’s efforts to help someone try something new and follow through until they reach their goal. Whether they’re trying to learn a simple trick or begin their journey into an expert skill, Alex will detail the highs and lows, the hurdles they have to overcome, and the inner turmoil that has traditionally held them back. This would be perfect for those who find success on shows that lean into lifelong learning and self-improvement. Just do your best and click below to test into this offering. Get The Deal Spoiler: There Isn’t One Network: SiriusXM Podcasts / Monthly Downloads: 500k Stephanie Soo is not a new name in podcasting, but this is her newest podcast with the fine folks at SiriusXM Podcasts. Soo grew her brand as a Mukbang YouTuber, but has pivoted to true crime in recent years, setting herself apart by providing unbiased opinions and commentary. Moral Of The Story takes a different approach from her usual content, covering pop culture, internet trends, influencer drama, and whatever else Soo wants to ponder. Recent episodes have covered Chinese and Korean reality TV shows, as well as the top-of-mind scandals sweeping social media. For those who are already a fan of Soo, or those who wanted to join her fandom but don’t enjoy true crime, this proves to be a great avenue. This is a surefire opportunity for advertisers looking to reach young female professionals with a love of deep-dive commentary on YouTube. For a twist in your story, click the link below to read along. Get The Deal In Case You Missed It Amazon’s Audio Math Equals Success Amazon, a company that measures everything, recently turned to audio to boost Prime Day sales. The conclusion? AM/FM radio advertising significantly boosted Amazon Prime Day 2025 sales, helping drive $23.8 billion in spending. A Quantilope study found 53% of radio listeners made a purchase, outperforming music streaming and podcast audiences. Radio ads also had strong recall, with 46% of listeners remembering hearing Amazon messages and 70% reporting they would visit Amazon or search for deals after exposure. This piece comes on the heels of a Westwood One Audio Active Group analysis which also highlighted the role of audio in driving Prime Day sales. Marketers, take a page from this playbook by prioritizing performance-driven radio buys to drive online conversions. Read More Pinpointing with Local Radio ZoneCasting™ technology lets FM radio stations deliver up to three minutes of hyper-local content per hour by using synchronized boosters, which has been approved by the FCC. This enables geotargeted ads without relying on consumer data, making radio more competitive with digital platforms. Early campaigns in markets like San Francisco, San Jose, and Jackson, MS have shown success with localized ads and traffic updates. Radio can now support hyper-local targeting, making it viable for brands with limited footprints or for multi-location retailers that want to reach specific neighborhoods without wasting spend. Read More Patience Please: 3 Minutes to Tune In Reported by Sounds Profitable and originally spotlighted by James Crid