The Podcast Study 2026 Reveals the Power of Trust, Hosts, and New Revenue Opportunities

Hal Rood, Partner at Strategic Solutions Research, and Tim Bronsil, Owner and CEO of Point-To-Point Marketing, have just left the stage at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit after presenting the first public findings from The Podcast Study 2026.

In just ten minutes, Rood and Bronsil shared a series of findings pointing to one central idea: podcasting has achieved scale, but trust may be its most important differentiator. The relationship between a host, or a familiar and trusted voice, and the audience influences where listeners spend their time, how they react to advertising, what they remember, and even what they may be willing to pay for.

The Podcast Study 2026 surveyed 1,205 podcast consumers in a nationally representative study designed to examine podcast consumption, advertising effectiveness, monetization, discovery, loyalty, and the evolving relationship between hosts and audiences. Crooked Media, NPR, and PRX are co-sponsors of the research.

Among the findings revealed at the Summit:

• 82% say the host is a big part of, or the only reason for, listening to their favorite podcast.
• 88% spend at least half of their podcast listening time with one favorite podcast.
• Host endorsements have a measurable impact beyond the original ad exposure. 57% say they are more likely to remember the brand, 55% are more likely to notice the ad again, 44% are more likely to trust the ad, and 41% are more likely to consider buying the product.
• 45% are at least somewhat likely to pay for a subscription tier that removes all advertising except host-read ads. About half of the audience would pay $3 to $5 per month for that type of offering, presenting an intriguing new revenue opportunity built around advertising delivered by the voices that listeners value.
• 75% would welcome or accept interest-targeted advertising in exchange for keeping podcasts free.
• Even as 45% perceive more advertising than a year ago, 46% say the current ad load is acceptable or that they could tolerate more.
• Email remains a largely untapped extension of the relationship. Among podcast listeners who do not currently receive podcast emails, 64% say they would sign up or that it would depend on the offer.

The findings presented on stage reinforced the theme of this year’s presentation, “The Podcast Study 2026: Buying Trust, Not Just Reach.” Rather than viewing the podcast opportunity simply as another way to accumulate impressions, the data suggests that brands, publishers, and creators have opportunities to build around a relationship that audiences have already chosen to establish.

Rood explained, “Every podcaster is asking how to turn audience into revenue. This study tracks the entire engagement funnel: discovery, loyalty, and the point where a follower becomes a Superfan, so producers can stop guessing. The findings we shared today are only the beginning, and I’m excited that The Podcast Study will again provide a unique look at how to move the industry forward.”

“We had ten minutes today to share some of the headlines, but there is far too much in this research to stop there,” added Bronsil. “The relationship with the host, or a familiar and trusted voice like NPR utilizes, shows up again and again in listening, advertising effectiveness, willingness to pay, and opportunities beyond the episode. There are actionable ideas here for publishers, advertisers, and creators, and now we want to take the time to explore what the data really means.”

To take the findings deeper and make the research available to the broader industry, Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing will host four free webinars in the coming weeks:

• September 22, 2026: The Host and the Power of Trust
• October 6, 2026: Advertising Without Breaking the Relationship
• October 13, 2026: Beyond the Pre-Roll
• October 20, 2026: What Radio Can Learn from The Podcast Study 2026

Each session will move beyond the initial Summit headlines to explore additional findings, implications, and actionable opportunities from the research. The first three webinars will focus on the podcast industry, while the October 20 presentation will bring together the findings most relevant to broadcasters, personalities, programmers, sellers, and advertisers.

Registration for all four free webinars is available now.

The webinar series continues the commitment from Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing to make the findings, insights, and actionable takeaways from The Podcast Study 2026 available to the industry.

Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing also thank Crooked Media, NPR, and PRX for their support as co-sponsors of The Podcast Study 2026 and for helping make this important national research possible.