From reach to relevance: The new era of podcast advertising is here

Podcast advertising can no longer be ignored. It has become a strategic priority for brands seeking to connect with engaged, niche audiences. According to Edison Research’s 'The Infinite Dial UK 2025', 51% of UK adults aged 16 and over have listened to or watched a podcast in the past month, representing an estimated 25 million people. This marks a significant rise from previous years and highlights the medium’s growing reach and influence. But this growth is not just about reach; it's about relevance.

As personal data becomes harder to access and listeners' expectations around privacy intensify, brands are turning to intelligent, respectful targeting. A new generation of podcast-focused strategies is reshaping how advertisers show up, combining personalisation with trust and precision with privacy.

Moving beyond demographics to behaviour-based targeting

One of the most effective modern strategies draws on content consumption signals and behavioural data to build audience segments based on genuine interests and intent. Rather than relying on broad demographics, brands can now target listeners according to how they engage with content, without needing personal identifiers.

A good example is Predictive Audiences, a partnership with Comscore that maps content consumption behaviours across hundreds of audience personas. This allows advertisers to reach podcast listeners based on affinities like TV genres, gaming habits, or life stages such as expectant parents or new homeowners, all without relying on cookies.

This predictive, privacy-compliant approach has enabled major retailers to achieve measurable outcomes, including driving millions of in-store visits through tailored podcast ads.

From show-level to episode-level relevance

Knowing who your audience is only solves part of the equation. The next layer of relevance comes from understanding what the listener is engaging with in the moment. Podcast content can vary widely from episode to episode, and advertisers can now match their messaging to the specific topics being discussed.

With tools such as automated transcription and language analysis, advertisers can identify key themes and place their messages within episodes that align with relevant subject matter. For example, an online car retailer targeted family podcasts that explored conversations about staycations and road trips. A quick service restaurant brand focused on podcast episodes discussing listeners’ favourite Friday night takeaways and post-gym cheat meals. This ensures ads appear in moments where they naturally add value.

This technology can also recognise tone and sentiment within phrases, reducing the risk of ads being placed alongside unsafe or inflammatory content.

Rethinking demographics in a privacy-first world

Demographic insights remain valuable, but traditional data collection methods are becoming more limited due to regulation and platform changes. New solutions now use device signals and probabilistic models to infer characteristics such as age or gender, without tracking or identifying individual users.

One example is sonar demographics, a privacy-first solution enhanced by partnerships such as NumberEight. Sonar uses first-party data from direct integrations, on-device signals and AI-based modelling to create demographic attributes like age and gender. This enables advertisers to deliver relevant and respectful messages while remaining fully compliant.

As a result, advertisers can build effective campaigns aimed at target audiences without relying on cookies or invasive data practices. The outcome is scalable, compliant targeting that preserves both performance and user trust.

Reflecting the audience through cultural relevance

Representation is not just good ethics - it's a good strategy. After Generation Y, ethnic minority groups are the most frequent weekly consumers of podcasts, with 41% listening. Among Black listeners, that figure is even higher, at 60% in the UK. Diverse audiences are among the most loyal and influential in podcasting, and many listeners actively seek out content that reflects their culture, identity and values.

With 5.6 trillion US dollars in spending power, multicultural audiences are essential for today’s advertisers. Digital audio is a key channel where these listeners connect with their culture, their communities and each other. Their engagement is at an all-time high.

Through DE&I targeting, brands can reach these audiences with tailored segments built around language, genre, location and cultural behaviour. By leveraging premium content from diverse publishers and layering in behavioural or mood data, advertisers can craft campaigns that are both culturally authentic and emotionally resonant. For example, Spanish-language ads during lifestyle podcasts or partnerships with Black creators not only show respect but also increase engagement and conversion.

Relevance that respects the listener

Podcast targeting is less about narrowing reach and more about deepening relevance. 

With smart segmentation and culturally aware, privacy-first tools, brands can personalise in a respectful way. Podcasts offer a trusted and intimate space where relevance and resonance go hand in hand. 

Now is the time to match context with consent and make brand stories truly welcome.