The problem with measurement in podcast advertising
Last updated 14.06.25
According to the most recent IAB State Of Audio Report, 47% of media buyers still believe the biggest barrier for increased investment in podcast advertising is the inability to measure effectively.
Second biggest barrier is ‘Evidence of effectiveness’ at 45%. However, as every campaign we’ve ever done has proved, this is a complete myth.
A year after writing this article on exactly how tracking and measurement in podcast advertising works, there are still brands missing out on the incredible opportunities in the podcast medium, either because of lack of understanding from them / their agency, or because it is too much effort to do properly.
So what are the main barriers for these brands or agencies?
The podcast space is still fragmented
To ensure you have the most effective podcast media plan you should be briefing multiple different networks every and publishers every campaign, ensuring you’re getting the absolute best the medium has to offer your brand and target audience.
However, this poses problems for measurement as each of these networks may use different tracking partners. Some may charge you or have minimum spends for tracking. As an agency or brand, getting tracking information, displayed and calculated differently, is probably more effort than it’s worth.
Now, mid-way through 2025, many podcasters are distributing their content across YouTube and Spotify video too. This adds another layer of complexity as there is no way to distribute ads from one centralised tech platform.
It is still possible to measure and track everything despite this, but it involves more manual labour and more time.
Agencies are trying to compare apples with oranges
I have read agency leaders citing there needs to be a way to measure all audio the same. The CRA & Triton have since announced an Audio ID.
No doubt this will make the lives of the agency and their programmatic partners easier but there’s a big problem.
The value of a host-read ad is different to a 30 second ad in a podcast. The value of a 30 second mid-roll ad is different to a 30 second post-roll ad, or even a 30 second mid-roll ad in the second slot.
All of these are also different to a 30 second ad you’re forced to listen to via music streaming or digital radio.
Each of these different channels within audio are also consumed differently by different demographics, which have a different value for some brands vs others.
Not only this, many brands we’ve spoken to have said that their agency bases the success of their campaign purely on the reach and how cheap they can get the CPMs, rather than tangible results such as website conversions, leads and purchases.
This thinking is exactly why NordVPN chose to make Earmax their podcast advertising partner in Australia and you can read this article on podcasts driving consideration & conversions for more on that.
Programmatic media buying
We currently don’t do any programmatic buying but as far as I understand many large media agencies and brands like to buy their media through a programmatic trading partner.
This way all their buying, from search & social, TVC and digital audio, is in one place, along with the reports provided.
Of course I understand why anyone would want to work in this way, but it exacerbates the issues with fragmentation and misleading measurement metrics, leaving increased opportunity for wastage.
Summary & solution
In summary, the problem is not the channel or tech, it’s the people in charge of buying it.
If you’re thinking about podcasts as a long-term channel for your brand, find the right tracking partner, invest in tracking & reporting in detail for every campaign, and use the findings to continuously optimise your podcast advertising strategy.