Podcasters are most successful when they build a meaningful relationship with their audience. But that takes trust, judging by Acast’s Podcast Pulse 2025.
The study found that journalists and podcasters are equal when it comes to trust — each is trusted by 33% of consumers considering a purchase. YouTubers
are next (31%), influencers (28%) and celebrities (25%).
In addition, 75% do not consider podcasters to be influencers. Yet 84% admit a podcaster has changed their
mind about something they once believed, and 70% say a recommendation from a podcaster has led them to consider a brand they had never heard of.
The results also show that 79% of
listeners say podcasts are personal, like a one-to-one conversation. And 55% rank the podcast audio as higher than social media (25%) for forging a deep relationship.
Listeners rank the
podcast audio feed (55%) significantly higher than social media (15%) for forging the deepest relationship. But 46% interact with fans on social media platforms.
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As for the
type of podcast, 40% of the respondents mostly listen to podcasts, although they sometimes watch video podcasts. Another 27% listen or watch audio and video podcasts equally, while 17% watch video
podcasts only, while 12% mostly watch video, but sometimes listen to audio podcasts.
Differentology polled more than 2,500 podcast listeners across nine markets (USA, UK,
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Norway and Sweden).