The news: Podcast ads are the most effective way to drive action through advertising across media types, per a new study from Sounds Profitable and Signal Hill Insights.

• The study found that 22% of monthly podcast listeners have made an immediate purchase after hearing an ad on a podcast in the past six months. Podcasts outperformed users of premium TV streaming services like Peacock and Netflix (13%), Instagram (13%), YouTube (12%), TikTok (5%), and users across media types in this category.
• Podcasts were also most effective at driving users to brands’ social media pages. Twenty-six percent took action after hearing a podcast ad, compared with 15% of Instagram users who took action after seeing an ad, 9% of YouTube users, and 8% of premium streaming viewers.
• Podcasts were most likely to get audiences to search for more information about a brand, with 27% of listeners taking this action compared with 13% of Instagram users, 11% on YouTube, and 9% of streaming viewers.

The podcast potential: Podcasts are shaping up to be a major driver of ad revenues as audiences for the medium surge.