We analyzed $1.6 billion in podcast ads. Here’s what actually drives ROI.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Protecting Human Connection: Audio’s ROI, AI Slop, & Netflix Moves

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.