Podcast advertising is maturing and fast.
At Podcast Movement Evolutions in Chicago, the Libsyn team was featured across multiple sessions spanning analytics, international growth, and video strategy. Among them, several standout sessions from the Libsyn Ads team tackled some of the most urgent questions in the space: How do you measure success? Where does video fit? What makes a campaign scale without sacrificing listener trust?
Here’s what we learned from the podcast advertising industry’s sharpest voices on stage, including Libsyn Ads’ Brooke Collins, Karen White, Anthony Savelli, and Stephen Pickens, alongside buyers and leaders from Veritone One, Ad Results, and ADOPTER Media.
1. Targeting, Attribution, and Attention Still Win
Engagement is the edge
“Listening to a podcast is a super intentional act,” said Brooke Collins, National Sales Director at Libsyn Ads. With 90% of listeners tuning in to most or all of an episode, podcast ads benefit from long-form, undivided attention, something few other channels can match.
Targeting is precise—and protects your brand
Libsyn Ads works with buyers to align on geographic, demographic, behavioral, or contextual targeting. As Karen White, Director of Ad Operations at Libsyn Ads, explained, “we’re able to make optimizations on the fly” to make sure every campaign reaches the right people in the right content, safely and effectively.
Measurement is proactive—and performance-driven
Around 90% of campaigns are using some sort of third-party attribution. From pixel deployment to real-time KPI tracking, measurement is built in—not bolted on. White and Collins emphasized that attribution isn’t just reporting, it’s what enables smart pivots, creative swaps, and optimizations that deliver results
Key takeaway: Podcast advertising isn’t ambient noise. When paired with intentional targeting and data-driven execution, it’s a high-performance channel built to deliver.
2. Relationships, Transparency, and the Future of Buying
Trust the process—real relationships protect performance
Relationships are essential but they aren’t the strategy. Taylor Bradbury (Ad Results) and Bart Roselli (Veritone One) emphasized that media buys must be performance-led, not preference-based. EVP of Sales at Libsyn Ads, Stephen Pickens echoed that effective relationships come from understanding goals deeply and proposing solutions that actually serve them.
Opening the industry builds a stronger marketplace
Podcasting was once a gated space especially for advertisers. Adam McNeil (ADOPTER Media) and Pickens highlighted how sharing insights and educating new buyers is helping the space scale. Transparency, not gatekeeping, is what grows the ecosystem.
Ad load isn’t just a numbers game, it’s a trust issue
Oversaturation with ads may offer short-term gain, but it drives down performance. Bradbury, Roselli, and Pickens agreed: cluttered episodes damage the listener experience and reduce ROI. Sustainable monetization depends on respecting audience attention.
Run of Network (RON) campaigns can deliver reach with the right control
RON placements—ads delivered across many shows within a network—can scale fast. But as McNeil noted, success comes when there’s control: visibility into show-level performance, the ability to optimize, and the right tech stack. Pickens added that RON also helps smaller shows monetize, supporting broader ecosystem growth.
Key takeaway: Transparency, trust, and care for the audience are the real drivers of long-term success—for advertisers, agencies, and publishers alike.
3. Video Is Expanding Podcast Advertising’s Reach
Simulcast is scaling—fast
“Simulcast revenues grew 650% over the past four years,” said Anthony Savelli, EVP of Sales at Libsyn Ads. What began as bonus inventory is now a core component of many campaigns. Video is helping podcasting reach new audiences, without losing the intimacy of audio.
YouTube brings additive reach with real engagement
Pickens pointed out that YouTube’s recommendation engine and searchability help podcasts surface beyond their base audience. Savelli emphasized that video adds creative value too, through visuals, links, and on-screen calls to action that extend the message and the shelf life.
The living room is becoming a powerful place for podcast ads
Connected TV (CTV) is turning podcast episodes into lean-back content. Pickens shared that although CTV viewers may be a smaller group, they account for significantly more watch time. As Savelli noted, this opens up high-value, often older demographics for advertisers.
Key takeaway: Video doesn’t compete with audio, it extends it. The best campaigns don’t choose one format. They build for both.
The Libsyn Ads Perspective
Across all three sessions, one theme came through clearly: Podcast advertising is no longer niche—it’s strategic, scalable, and ready to deliver.
But with that growth comes responsibility. Whether it’s optimizing for performance, managing ad load, or building stronger creative across video and audio, the brands and platforms that succeed will be those who respect the medium and the listener in equal measure.
If you’re ready to build smarter, more effective podcast ad campaigns, the Libsyn Ads team is here to help. Talk to our team today.
