In the panels, presentations, hallway discussions, and even over cocktails, a few recurring themes emerged during Podcast Movement 2025 that revealed an industry ready to mature beyond its adolescent phase and signal a shift in balancing podcasting as both an art and a business. Here are some takeaways we believe will help define success in the months ahead.

Rethinking Podcast Measurement: A New Era of Data Transparency

First, we’d like to think that our own Paul Riismandel and Triton Digital’s Daryl Battaglia shared one of the biggest eye (and ear) openers of the conference! Their panel unveiled an important upgrade to the time-honored Triton Ranker. With Signal Hill Insights surveying thousands, and Triton measuring downloads, working together was “like how peanut butter and chocolate make a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup,” Paul explained scientifically.

Specifically, the upgraded Ranker now enables greater filtering for audience segments—from parents to auto-intenders—and pinpoints the shows that over-index for them. Results can also be examined by network or genre, making it easier to build packages of shows for programmatic buys. Another big change is that the Ranker now reflects the top 200 shows. That’s critical since we discovered that focusing on just the top 50 biggest podcasts reaches just 49% of podcast listeners, while tapping shows ranked 51 and beyond achieves nearly 85% reach.

As Daryl emphasized, the goal is to grow marketing opportunities beyond the biggest shows and make audience insights broadly accessible to buyers and planners. (Another reason the tool is available for free.) 

Tech, Data, and the Need for Education

Apropos the improved Triton tool one of the conference’s recurring themes was pairing advances in technology and data with experimentation and education. Brian Conlan from the Digital Ad Exchange (DAX) reminded attendees that “there’s more tech available now for brands to test and learn than ever.” His colleague Jennifer Louie Oon encouraged both creators and publishers to embrace the tech and data options available. “It will help ultimately lead to the best match.” Other panels emphasized that education—across creators, buyers, and brands—has become as essential to podcasting as the technology powering it. 

Still, while more can be more, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Stephanie Andrews of Quill Inc. explained, “there’s so much data that it’s hard to know what to pay attention to. That’s where AI will come into play.” When evaluating a podcast’s performance she stressed balancing automated insights with proactive audience input—polls asking about desired guests, meeting listeners on their preferred social platforms.

Libsyn‘s Christopher Avello agreed, urging creators to “look objectively at why people may drop off” during episodes by examining listen-through metrics. One movie podcast discovered its recurring news roundup—content the hosts thought added value—was actually where audiences abandoned the show. Removing it improved completion rates and made episodes more evergreen.

That panel was unanimous on another point: data is only as useful as the human layer applied to it. Hosts must do good ad reads and “be as excited about those as their content.” That passion makes all the metrics meaningful. As Tamara Nelson of Barometer said on another panel, “brands are spending too much money these days to base a buy on vibes,” recommending a framework of aligning content, verifying authenticity, and continuously measuring performance. In short: data matters, but relationships and trust carry the weight.

Patience and The Human Touch as a Strategic Advantage

The “Secure the Renewal” panel underscored this balance. Renewal conversations—whether with a network or a sponsor—require reframing expectations around podcast timelines, which can differ greatly from other media. Brands expecting immediate sales spikes often misunderstand the medium. Michelle Xu of Pod People put it plainly: “it takes time to build trust.” Keith Mounsey of iHeartMedia added, “understanding and communicating that it may be a slow burn of ramp up is key,” and advised capturing audience feedback on “what they think of your actual content” as a success metric that aids renewal.

The advice was clear: conclude every campaign with a comprehensive wrap report that incorporates diverse metrics to help illustrate real engagement beyond surface numbers. Adding positive reviews and subjective impressions helps balance data-driven renewal conversations with actionable audience insights. 

Collaboration Over Competition

Of course, the human touch also involves human nature, which can spark competitive instincts that actually can work against industry growth. From the “Unlikely Alliances” panel, it was clear that collaboration is emerging as an antidote to fragmentation. Alan Abdine of YMH Studios pointed to the need for trust and transparency, while QCODE Media’s Steve Wilson emphasized the value of cross-promotional thinking: “Taylor Swift going on the Kelce Brothers show, even though it’s not one of our shows, is a win for everyone.”

For listeners, the landscape can feel splintered. For the industry, partnerships that bridge silos can simplify the experience and grow the pie for all. 

Looking Ahead: Energy and a Future Built Together

Arielle Nissenblatt and Lauren Passell are trusted advocates for podcast creators, and they teamed up for a rapid-fire keynote of ten tangible tips for podcasters in just 20 minutes—with a referee on hand to keep them on point. Some reminders for the very leaned-in audience echoed earlier panels. 

The keynoters emphasized how collaborating lets podcasters do feed and promo swaps that can mutually grow audiences.  Beyond download numbers, metrics like listen-through rates, audience demographic shifts, and newsletter or social engagement can reflect real value. So do listeners and fans who buy merchandise, attend live shows, and support creators on Patreon. 

That kind of energy and forward momentum was evident in the biggest headline of the conference itself: the announced merger of Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable. As newly named President of Podcast Movement, Barletta made clear that the merger means the future of the conference will balance creator, industry and advertiser needs, with a renewed focus on both content and measurement. Sounds like the balancing act that the panels and practitioners of podcasting at Podcast Movement 2025 were promoting, and, perhaps even more, are craving.