“Vanity metrics are dead.”

I don’t think anyone would be surprised if I said this was heard on stage at a podcasting event. But in this case these words came out of the mouth of Sara Badler, Chief Advertising Officer, North America for The Guardian, at Branded Content Days NYC 2026. The event brought together hundreds of content studio professionals and brand marketers to exchange ideas and inspiration.

Badler was a panelist for a session called, “Branded Content, Brand Outcomes: How Content Studios Can Deliver What Clients Want in the Age of AI.” In the world of branded podcasts vanity metrics usually mean leaning too hard on download counts, instead of measuring actual impact. It’s similar for the broader world of branded content, where vanity metrics overemphasize things like impressions and page views. As Badler put it, “I haven’t heard someone say they need 50% viewability anymore.”

Instead, brands should focus on clearly defining who they want to reach. As Caitlin O’Neill,

Director of Corporate Communications at IBM, put it, the choice of media partner and channel, “is not about the most eyeballs, but the right eyeballs.” And, I might add, earholes.

A publisher’s brand studio “has power in trust from its audience,” added David Lopez-Rotzetter, Senior Vice President at specialist media publisher, Future PLC. Certainly sounds similar to what gets said about the power of podcasts and podcast hosts, doesn’t it?

This was the second NYC edition of Branded Content Days, organized by the Denmark-based Native Advertising Institute. I attended last year’s event and came back again because I see value in bridging the world of digital audio and podcasting with the broader branded content universe. I think there are lessons podcast studios can learn from those working across print, digital and events. 

At the same time, while podcasts have earned their place in the content marketer’s toolbox, I get the impression that many studios and brands aren’t exposed to much of the insights and best practices found within the podcast industry’s community. Teaming up with Roger Nairn of JAR Podcast Solutions and JAR alum Liz Hames of Open Studio, we set out to import some of that knowledge. 

A Case Study in Effective Branded Podcasts

In a session titled, “The Audience Comes First: Data-Driven Best Practices for Branded Podcasts” we presented a case study on You’ll Hear It, a branded podcast series from the online jazz lessons platform Open Studio.  The Signal Hill Insights team surveyed the podcast’s audience for a branded podcast lift study, which helped to clarify why the show works well for the brand, underlining the efficacy of its approach. 

For instance, despite having a very light brand touch – the only mentions in the 90 to 120 minute episodes were the hosts saying You’ll Hear It, “is brought to you by OpenStudio.com for all your jazz lesson needs” – the podcast drove remarkable lift in unaided brand awareness. When asked, “When you think of online learning resources for musicians, which ones first come to mind?” 58% of the engaged audience listed Open Studio, without prompting. By comparison, nobody mentioned the brand from the demographically matched control cell of respondents who watch similar music content on YouTube, but not You’ll Hear It. 

The takeaway is that the association is very sticky because the audience really likes the content. 92% of the audience said they “love” the show, and the remaining 8% still said they “like” it.

Stay tuned for more findings and takeaways in a forthcoming case study report and webinar.

Navigating Risk and Change 

Panelists from Morgan Stanley, National Post publisher Postmedia, and communications agency Burson Global shared, “Tips for Navigating Risk and Change in Turbulent Times.” Podcasters and their partner brands often find themselves navigating a constantly changing news and information environment. 

One tip from Morgan Stanley Head of Digital Content Jamie Roô is to “stay in your lane,” not needing to comment on everything, while also developing a “rapid response” process to be ready when it’s time to address an issue.

As moderator Robin Bennefield stressed, knowing your lane will help “lean into your expertise and what your audience trusts you for.”

That can mean sticking to your core values, as Burson SVP Natasha Whitling emphasized. Don’t stop the values-based work, but consider what and how to share. 

Postmedia Executive Producer Leah Bjornson observed that while there’s often a desire to be first to offer answers, there’s a “huge responsibility to offer the correct information.”

Opportunities for All Podcasts, Not Just Branded Podcasts

This is just a snapshot of the event’s diverse experience and expertise that’s relevant to podcast publishers across the board, not just branded podcast studios. 

The Signal Hill Insights team is hearing, seeing, and measuring so many inventive and creative brand integrations with existing podcasts and networks that share a close kindship with the types of branded content from the publisher content studios seen on stage at Branded Content Days, like USA Today, New York Times, Business Insider, and BBC Studios, just to name a few. 

NAI founder Jesper Laursen shared encouraging data from the forthcoming State of Native Advertising & Branded Content report. Globally, the overall sector experienced 18% year-over-year growth in 2025, and similar growth seems to be on the horizon for 2026. Podcasting, digital audio and creator-driven media are already part of this trend, and there are opportunities for more collaboration and progress.