The signal that’s fueling a surge in digital audio is getting clearer. US podcasts are set to capture close to an additional $1 billion per year by 2029, according to EMARKETER’s December 2025 forecast.

• 65.0% of marketers plan to spend more in digital audio over the next year, according to a survey fielded by EMARKETER in collaboration with Amazon Ads.
• Two-thirds (67.0%) already have digital audio in their present mix, per the study.

“Unlocking digital audio as part of [advertisers’] full-funnel campaigns has demonstrated measurable impact on getting audiences to convert with their brand,” said Chris Conetta, director at Amazon DSP.

Fresh ears to digital audio’s impact

As the digital audio advertisers plan to up spending, the fact that many are early in their journey indicates there’s room to grow.

• Nearly 40.0% of advertisers have been using digital audio for two years or less, according to the EMARKETER/Amazon Ads survey.

Digital audio takes up a modest slice of many advertisers’ budgets, suggesting that advertisers are, in many cases, testing the channel before committing more dollars.

• Nearly half (46.0%) of advertisers commit between 1% and 10% of their ad budgets to digital audio, per the study.
• Another 21.0% invest between 11% and 20%.

Reaching customers across the funnel

Advertisers are using digital audio for objectives across the funnel.

• Brand awareness was the top goal for digital audio campaigns, with 68.0% citing it, according to the survey.
• Reaching new audiences came in second, with 48.0% naming this objective.

Some lower-funnel actions were a priority for over a quarter of advertisers, according to the EMARKETER/Amazon Ads study.

• 28.0% of advertisers cited driving traffic to retail or ecommerce destinations as an objective for digital audio campaigns.
• 27.0% cited direct responses toward sales/conversions as a campaign objective.

These digital audio campaigns help advertisers reach customers at key moments.

• 82.0% of advertisers said they think customers are most receptive to digital audio ads while commuting.
• 47.0% consider effective digital audio ads reaching customers who are at home.

Digital audio ad challenges

Advertisers see some challenges in digital audio, in part due to lack of awareness about available solutions.

• Over half (55.0%) of survey respondents cited difficulty in measuring ROI, the top response in the EMARKETER/Amazon Ads survey.
• 39.0% cited budget constraints.

Improved education about measurement solutions for digital audio advertisers is a likely factor for the channel’s continued growth.

“The number one challenge in digital audio is proving ROI,” said Conetta. “Amazon’s strength has always been connecting ad exposure to purchase behavior across the full funnel, and now we’re bringing that measurement advantage to audio.”

Read the full report here.

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