Sally Lawrence.
The audio landscape is evolving at a rapid pace, we saw lots of good news stories come off the back of the HEARD conference recently and the IAB’s 2025 Audio Summit was no different. The main takeaway is that the audio industry is at an inflection point.
The IAB has just released its 2025 State of the Nation report which reveals that digital audio investment is growing, however not at the same pace as consumption. We’re still talking about measurement challenges, and we’ll still be talking about it next year, but for me the most interesting thing that came out of the summit was the role of digital audio in the creator economy and how the once clear boundaries between podcasting and influencer marketing are disappearing.
Historically, podcasting has been treated as a standalone medium – an intimate, audio-first format that builds unmatched connections with audiences. But we’re now living in a world where creators aren’t just podcasters, there are many facets to their brand.
Video is now becoming an assumed extension to podcasting, with platforms like YouTube and Instagram serving as distribution channels for the podcast content, as well as an additional revenue stream. More video means more opportunities for brands when it comes to things like product and brand placements on the screen, but it also raises questions around what the convergence of video and audio in this space means.
Successful and modern podcasters don’t just record in a studio anymore and push the feed to their podcast distributor, they have videographers in the studio capturing the content, whether that’s an interview or them talking for an hour. This content is then cut up for social and pushed out to YouTube to reach those who were never going to engage with the audio format alone.
Creators like Joe Rogan are a great example here, proving that podcasting’s most powerful growth driver is video. Audiences have such an admiration for the talent, they tune in for more than just the conversation, they want to see the expressions, the reactions and how the hosts engage. Rogan started as a podcaster and one would argue that he is so much more than that now, but his roots have given him a level of credibility and trust amongst his followers that extends far beyond admiration. People believe what he believes, they feel how he feels, you only have to look at the impact he had in the US election last year to see this.
For brands, this shift is significant. Advertisers are being forced to reconsider their budget distributions across podcasts, influencers and digital video as the lines become increasingly blurred. A media buy that traditionally ran across podcast sponsorships, YouTube pre rolls and social now needs to be seen as a holistic and cohesive strategy.
Platforms are evolving in line with this trend. This can be seen with YouTube’s tactics to push more into podcasting distribution, whereas social platforms like Instagram and TikTok are being used to amplify more snackable formats of podcast content, driving discoverability in ways that traditional audio platforms cannot.
What’s Next?
This era of convergence will continue, and brands need to embrace it. Digital audio may play a role in a more niche buy but it’s important to look at opportunities that lean into the whole ecosystem across podcasts, video content and influencer partnerships.
There is a real opportunity for brands to immerse themselves into the worlds of the creator’s audiences, in an authentic, meaningful and unique way. The good news is that not many brands are leveraging all the touchpoints effectively, or in a way that fully reflects the power of these mediums, so strike while the iron is hot and make your brand a case study for the 2026 Audio Summit.
The winners will be those that can seamlessly integrate across the platforms, understanding how to connect in this new era. It’s not about audio versus video, but about meeting audiences wherever they are, however they choose to engage.
Sally Lawrence, Executive Director- Media, Enigma