The Advertising Landscape: Trust and Attention report from Sounds Profitable reveals effective reach for media buyers across platforms by exploring trust and attention rates. Key findings include:

• 80% of most active listeners trust the ads they hear on podcasts

• Podcast voices are trusted more than any form of traditional or social media

• Attentiveness to podcast ads is equal among men and women

Boston, MA – June 4, 2025 – Sounds Profitable, the trade association for the podcasting industry, today released The Advertising Landscape: Trust and Attention report, which reveals that podcast advertising boasts an 86% ad recall rate among its most active users. Notably, podcasting’s ad recall rate is the highest of any media platform, surpassing traditional media like TV, radio, and social media. 

As the largest public study of podcasting and advertising in the US, The Advertising Landscape: Trust and Attention report by Sounds Profitable includes insights from more than 5,000 adults across the country. The study focused on the most active users across 22 different ad-supported platforms, defined as those who engage daily with their chosen media (“primes”).

The report also unveils that podcasting defies gender barriers for brands among prime users, as 86% of male consumers and 85% of female consumers recall an ad after hearing it on a podcast. This outperforms all other tested media in both recall rates as well as in gender disparity. For example, among the most active AM/FM radio users, 86% of male listeners and 75% of female listeners recalled an ad after hearing it on the medium, revealing an 11-point gender gap. Similarly, YouTube revealed a five-point gender gap among its most active users with 78% of males and 73% females recalling an ad after exposure. Reddit saw the greatest gender disparity in recall for its most active users at 24 points with 73% of male users and just 49% of female users recalling an ad after exposure.

“Podcasting undoubtedly leads the US media landscape in effective reach for media buyers. Not only does the medium lead in recall among the most active users, it also succeeds in breaking down gender barriers for advertisers – which is unprecedented compared to most other media,” said Tom Webster, Partner at Sounds Profitable. “Beyond recall, podcasting also claims high levels of trust among audiences and particularly among audiences from marginalized groups.”

According to the report, consumers trust the voices they encounter on podcasts more than any form of traditional or social media. The report also found that trust in podcasting content and advertising transcends all divides across age, gender, and race. 

In fact, among prime users, trust in podcasting is highest with those ages 35 – 54 and is the most trusted media platform for those over 55. Also looking at these active users, 51% of Black audiences trust the ads they hear on podcasts. These findings are consistent among Hispanic/Latino and Asian audiences, of which 49% and 46% trust the voices they hear on podcasts, respectively.

Download the full report here.

METHODOLOGY

The Advertising Landscape is based on a survey of over 5,000 Americans, ages 18+, weighted to US Census Data. The survey was conducted by SIgnal Hill Insights, and published in partnership with American Public Media, BetterHelp, ESPN Podcasts, Media Bodies, NPR, and Sirius XM Podcast Network. 

Download the full report here.

ABOUT SOUNDS PROFITABLE

Sounds Profitable is a trade organization representing the leading companies in audio and podcasting. Boasting industry leading research, an influential newsletter with 10,000 subscribers around the world and a podcast on the latest developments in the key news of the audio world. Sounds Profitable addresses the most critical insights on the business of podcasting with its 200 partners and growing. With the goal of providing perceptive content from its experts – and a diverse collection of the brightest minds in podcasting – Sounds Profitable ensures that everyone in the industry is set on a clear path to more listeners and revenue from their amazing shows. For more information, please visit soundsprofitable.com and follow along on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/sounds-profitable.

For media enquiries, contact:

Molly DeMellier or Sarah Jackson, Email: molly@sundazepr.com / sarah@sundazepr.com