Audio vs video podcast ads: audio converts better

If you've been steering your podcast ad strategy toward video because "everyone's on YouTube," pause. A new cross-campaign analysis says audio is still the conversion engine - and video is lagging more than most sponsors realize.

That gap matters. It's the difference between clients renewing at higher budgets, or quietly ghosting your inbox.

What happened

Two podcast ad firms, Oxford Road and Podscribe, analyzed more than a thousand campaigns spanning over a hundred brands. Their topline: campaigns targeting audio-only listeners beat "simulcast" plans that bundled video views. On average, a YouTube view drove fewer purchases per impression - roughly 20% less effective - than an audio download.

Why the delta? The authors point to three forces. First, audio listeners tend to be "leaned-in" (headphones, commute, gym), so host-reads land deeper. Second, YouTube's massive, global audience creates more opportunities for mistargeting when you're selling to specific geos or niches. Third, audio audiences are trained to use promo codes and vanity URLs; video viewers, especially on connected TVs, are more passive and less likely to convert in-session.

All of this sits on top of a measurement gap. Video podcast ad tracking is still awkward: walled gardens, cross-device behaviors (CTV to phone), and the scarcity of standardized podcast attribution on video platforms. Brands have poured money into video features this past year - dynamic ad products, better targeting, and a surge in TV-based podcast viewing - but the tooling to prove last-mile sales lags behind audio's well-worn promo-code playbook.

Why creators should care

If you're bundling audio and video impressions into one CPM, you might be undervaluing the thing that's actually converting (audio) and overpromising on the thing that looks shiny but sells less (video). That affects renewals, pricing power, and how you design your show flow.

Audio is your direct-response workhorse. Video is reach, brand lift, and top-of-funnel. Treat them the same and you'll lose twice: soft conversions and confused sponsors. Industry research still shows YouTube as the most-used podcast destination in the U.S., and connected TV viewing keeps climbing - fantastic for awareness. But awareness doesn't equal attribution without the right creative and tracking.

Bundle for convenience, not for math. If one channel converts 20% worse per impression, let the pricing - and the creative - reflect that.

The mentor take

Creators who win in 2025 won't abandon video; they'll stage-manage it. Audio gets the clear, code-driven, verbally repeated CTA. Video gets on-screen cues, pinned links, and retargeting. You sell audio against ROAS and CAC. You sell video against reach and brand lift. And you stop letting one muddy the other in reporting.

Make the buyer's job easy: "Here's what audio will sell this month. Here's what video will make famous. Here's how we'll prove both."

What to do next

Split your tracking by channel. Use unique vanity domains and promo codes for audio (spoken twice, spelled once). For video, use short on-screen links, pinned comments, end screens, and QR overlays; tag UTMs uniquely. Don't recycle the same code across both.
Package and price separately. Sell audio host-reads (baked-in or dynamically inserted) as performance inventory. Sell video reads and placements as awareness/consideration with view-through and brand-lift goals. Different KPIs, different rates.
Adapt the creative for lean-back video. Assume viewers are on TV. Keep a lower-third with the offer visible for 8-10 seconds, say the brand and keyword they can search, and show the product. If you have shopping/affiliate tools on-platform, use them.
Protect audio's conversion edge. If you simulcast, place the strongest purchase CTA in the audio read, not just the video description. Consider feed-first audio drops, bonus minis, or mid-roll exclusives that give sponsors a reason to keep investing in the RSS side.
Upgrade measurement. Run geo holdout tests, add post-purchase "How did you hear about us?" surveys, and ask brands to track assisted conversions from video (view-through, remarketing). Use IAB-compliant podcast measurement for audio and agree on a blended model for video.