I hear folks in the podcast industry – from podcasters and publishers to advertisers and buyers – say all the time that they’re “data driven.” I don’t doubt this to be true, but what I think they really mean to say is that they’re “research driven.” Data isn’t just there. It needs to be gathered,
Research Is More than Just Data – 4 Ways Research Drives Return in Podcasting Read More »
In 2023, when YouTube established its beachhead as the most-used podcast platform, the Signal Hill Insights team measured brand lift for exactly zero video podcasts that year. Just a year later, in 2024, video was included in 24% of our podcast studies. Responding to the clear needs of the marketplace, in April 2025 we formally
New Benchmarks Compare Brand Lift Between Audio and Video Podcast Ads, and More Read More »
Advertising Week New York packed the house this year — especially inside the Podcast Zone, where Sounds Profitable hosted two full days of sessions that were, quite literally, standing-room only. Our observation from the panels, and from that leaning-in audience of buyers, planners, marketers and creators in the house, is that podcasting isn’t waiting for
Attribution & Brand Lift: Two Great Methods that Measure Better Together “We’re only focused on conversions.” “Sales are our only KPI.” “Attribution moves the needle.” These are things I’ve heard over and over again talking to agencies and brands about their podcast and digital audio ad metrics. It’s usually during a conversation where they’re explaining
Attribution & Brand Lift: Two Great Methods that Measure Better Together Read More »
The growing prominence of YouTube in podcasting dominates industry conversations today. And for good reason. It changes much of how we all think about a “podcast.” At Signal Hill Insights, we’ve had a front row seat to watch the growth of YouTube as a podcast platform over the past six years. We first identified its
I have a simple question: How do you learn what audiences think about your podcast, video, branded content or ad campaign? Here’s the simple answer: You ask them. That’s not just simple, but so logical and straightforward you’d think we could stop there. So, why am I writing about it? First, it still surprises me
Four Ways to Use Audience Surveys for Podcasts, Video, Ads and Branded Content Read More »
Let me ask you a question: What comes right before action? Here’s my answer: Intent. When we’re evaluating the effectiveness of a podcasting or streaming audio advertising campaign, a lot of attention gets paid to attributable actions. Did an ad drive someone to visit a website, download something, install an app or finally make a
Why Marketers Need to Measure Consumer Intent Read More »
Advertising Week NYC is in full effect, and I’m on the ground taking it all in as we publish. Going into this week I couldn’t miss Digiday’s “Guide to What’s In and Out” at the event, especially this proclamation: In Resurgence of brand building OutFocus on performance marketing That’s music to my ears, and prompts me
Podcast Advertising Trends: Branding is “In” Read More »
Every podcast – and podcast ad campaign – needs a North Star, a guiding light that sets it apart and gives it its reason for being. It starts with a clear understanding of how the podcast serves the needs and motivations of its listeners. What are the hot buttons that drive listeners to consume podcasts?
Listener Motivations Pave the Way to Podcast Growth and Ad Effectiveness Read More »
FM Radio in the 70s I lived among the dinosaurs. My career in audio started just as FM radio was catching fire, grabbing audience share from AM radio. Those were heady times. Station owners were turning their FM signals over to 20-somethings because “the kids will know what to do with it.” Mostly, we knew
You Should Care How Listeners Feel About Your Podcast Ads Read More »