Study: Audio Creators Drive Trust and Influence

Radio and podcast hosts are emerging as powerful "voice-first influencers" in the creator economy, driving superior trust, engagement, and sales for advertisers through authenticity, according to Audacy's new State of Audio: The Creator Effect report.

Key findings show audio creator revenues have more than doubled since 2020, while radio listeners are 100% more likely to trust host recommendations than other influencer marketing. Additionally, 61% of audiences trust expert audio hosts over social media influencers, leading to higher rates of purchases, brand recommendations, and research prompted by host-read ads.

The study emphasizes audio's edge in building communities and fandoms—especially in sports programming—where local and team-focused hosts boost engagement and purchase intent. Notably, smaller and mid-sized podcasts often outperform larger ones in conversions, proving depth of connection trumps sheer audience size.

For brands, the report recommends long-term partnerships, host endorsements, and creative integrations over one-off campaigns to maximize loyalty and ROI, as audio creators expand into video, live events, and social platforms.

Download the full study from Audacy's website for detailed insights and data.