Branded Podcast Made Them More Favorable Towards Brand Say 61% of Listeners

Leading audio-focused market research firm Signal Hill Insights announces the release of the 2025 Benchmark Report: Branded Podcasts. Based upon survey responses from more than 15,000 podcast listeners, this is the industry’s only research report that taps into honest audience reactions and opinions of branded podcasts and the brands that produced them.

This second annual report reveals benchmarks for key metrics that brands want their podcasts to drive. A few highlights from Signal Hill Insights’ research show that:

• 61% of branded podcast listeners say an episode made them somewhat or much more favorable toward the brand, delivering a “halo effect” for the sponsor.
• After hearing an episode, 75% of listeners agreed that it kept their attention for the entire time.
• And 63% of listeners say they would probably or definitely recommend the podcast.

While benchmarks provide a yardstick for comparing performance, the 2025 Benchmark Report digs into how podcasts accomplish this return on investment. Because podcasts are a deeply engaging, opt-in medium, branded podcasts need to deliver what audiences want and need in order to enhance their opinion of the brand, along with earning their attention and recommendation. The report analyzes the key drivers – features and qualities of the podcasts themselves – that result in positive audience response.

“Our research in the 2025 Benchmark Report clearly demonstrates that branded podcasts continue to deliver return on investment for brands,” said Signal Hill Insights President Paul Riismandel. “It’s important for those brands to understand how their shows stack up. But we think data becomes much more valuable when used to explain why branded podcasts generate ROI, and we leverage the evidence to show how to meet and exceed those benchmarks.”

Using case-studies of successful real-world branded podcasts, the Signal Hill Insights 2025 Benchmark Report: Branded Podcasts shares concrete tips on how to identify an audience’s needs, along with verbatim listener feedback that clearly illustrate the qualities that listeners value and find engaging and entertaining.

The 2025 Benchmark Report: Branded Podcasts is available to download at: https://signalhillinsights.com/2025-branded-podcast-benchmarks-report