Podcast ads drove a median 2.23% website response rate in the first half of 2026, Magellan AI reported, with host-read spots and video shows outperforming other formats.
The company’s Q2 2026 Podcast Measurement Benchmark Report analyzed campaigns that ran from Jan. 1 through June 30. Response rate is defined as the share of unique reached listeners who later visited an advertiser’s website, measured with a 30-day lookback window.
Host-read ads posted a median response rate of 3.22%, compared with 2.09% for produced spots — a 54% gap.
Video podcasts also outperformed RSS-only shows, with a 2.05% median response rate versus 1.88%. On lead conversion, video podcasts recorded a 4.50% median rate against 2.57% for RSS-only programs, a 75% difference.
Among listeners who reached an advertiser site, the median lead conversion rate was 4.65% and the median purchase conversion rate was 3.98%. Leads included sign-ups, inquiries and registrations; purchases were completed transactions.
Podcast promotions converted new listeners at a median rate of 1.69%. Of those conversions, 55.5% returned for more than one episode, and nearly six in 10 occurred within the first seven days after exposure.
Magellan AI said the new report uses medians rather than the weighted averages in its Q1 report and covers six months instead of one quarter. Because of those differences, the company said the two reports are not directly comparable.