CoHost Releases Annual Report on the State of Podcast Agencies in 2026
The third edition of the State of Podcast Agencies is built from a survey of 50 podcast agencies around the world. Agencies remain “small but strategic” with 76% of respondents operating with fewer than 10 employees, but serving clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 brands. A quote from CoHost CEO Fatima Zaidi:
“Podcasting is no longer experimental. Agencies are being asked to deliver measurable results and ROI, not just creative audio. This year’s report reflects a shift toward data-driven decision-making, strategic repurposing, and deeper integration of podcasting into the broader marketing mix.”
Key findings include full service becoming the norm, as agencies largely handle every step of the podcast ad lifecycle. Audio continues to outperform, with 35% of agencies saying audio-only formats deliver stronger performance than video. ROI and analytics remain a key desire, as agencies express wanting better attribution tools, listener data, and metrics beyond the download.
Podcast Movement Evolutions Unveils First Wave of SXSW Talent
Podcast Movement is coming to SXSW and we’ve got the first wave of featured talent for the conference. As a reminder, PME is taking place March 13 – 15th at Sky Box on 6th Street in Austin, TX. Attendance is free but building capacity is a natural limitation, so pre-registration is encouraged. This year’s lineup includes John MrBallen Allen, a live recording of Table Read performing a script by director Dani Hanks, and a live episode of Scaleable. This year also features the debut of the Discovery Track, a special series of 50 minute sponsored panel sessions following ten minute spotlight talks designed to give attendees more opportunities to quickly discover new perspectives in the business of podcasting.
To that note of new perspectives, this week Dr. Byron Green-Calisch, EVP of Culture & Inclusion at PRX, appeared on the Sounds Profitable newsletter. He writes about his experience working with Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement to build out new guidelines for promoting equity and diversity in the podcast conference space.
As The Creators 2025 shows, multicultural creators are outpacing white podcast creators in starting podcasts by up to 2x, yet the stages and platforms don’t represent that. To reflect the diversity of podcasting, it’s on the business side to build an equitable and inclusive space, a space where attendees can see themselves represented on stage and welcomed into the space.
From thoughtful panel selection, to physically building accessibility into environments so something as simple as an executive in a wheelchair feels welcome at a conference instead of a nuisance who requires special attention any time they wish to participate. As Dr. Green-Calisch says: equity has to be built and nurtured.
Common practice in advertising is for brands to focus on the “age of acquisition,” targeting consumers from the age of 12 to 24 in hopes of instilling brand awareness that will translate into consistent purchase in adulthood. Over the course of a year Signal Hill Insights has been testing brand health measurements for ten top podcast advertisers as part of Triton Digital’s Demos+ survey of monthly podcast consumers. In that time, SHI finds the age group most likely to recall a podcast ad from the top advertisers chosen were consumers aged 35-44. A quote from the article:
“This profile becomes clearer when we look at their consumer behaviours. 18% plan to buy life insurance in the next year, 22% plan to purchase home or auto insurance or switch providers, and 23% plan to switch wireless providers – more than in any other age group in the monthly podcast audience. Further underlining the nesting instinct, 40% plan to undertake a home improvement project in the coming year, a rate just barely exceeded by the 42% of those aged 45 – 54.”
While there is utility to younger demographics, Riismandel presents the not-oft-discussed 35-44 cohort as what they are: adults likely to have stable jobs focusing on buying houses, starting families, planning for the future. They’re also 42% more likely to be an executive or in the C-suite of a company/47% more likely to be a senior decision-maker at their job, making them particularly attractive to B2B brands.
A short but important one for any readers who are also Podcast Academy members: The Ambies 2026 nominations are live and voting is now open for TPA members. The deadline is Thursday, February 5th and winners will be announced Monday, February 23rd at On Air Fest in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
As for the rest of the news…
- The Podcast Show London has announced their 2026 international advisory board, as well as details on submitting to be a speaker. Sounds Profitable will be in attendance, sponsoring the brand stage and hosting a badge pickup happy hour from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19th. Tom Webster will also be giving a keynote presentation debuting brand new global data. See you there!
- AdvertisingWeek brings on DAX US president Brian Conlan outlines five actionable steps that any brand, regardless of size or budget, can use to more effectively employ mid-tier creators
- Inside Radio covers Podscribe’s live webinar discussing data from their Performance Benchmark for Q4 2025.
- Digiday has a new profile of Goalhanger and a look at how their video podcasting strategy has been executed.
- The Podcast Host looks at recent Sounds Profitable data on how 1 in 3 people who try making podcasts end up quitting, comparing it to their Independent Podcaster Survey to find the top reasons why people drop out.
