As audio consumption continues to rise, niche podcasts stand at the forefront of audience engagement, offering a more targeted and authentic approach than broad, one-size-fits-all media buys.

As the Acast Podcast Pulse 2024 report reveals, global podcast advertising spend continues to climb, surpassing $4 billion, driven by a growing demand for genuine brand integrations that resonate with specialized listener groups. Unlike traditional ad placements that can feel invasive or disconnected, effective niche podcast advertising speaks directly to listeners who share a specific set of interests, values, and objectives. This alignment can foster trust, improve ad recall, and deliver stronger ROI.

However, successfully identifying and partnering with these niche podcasts remains a key challenge for marketers. With thousands of shows competing for airtime, how do brands zero in on the right ones that align closely with their target audience? And once those podcasts are identified, what strategies ensure that the messaging feels natural, relevant, and impactful within those unique listening communities?

To explore these questions, we asked 15 industry experts for their best practices, from data-driven discovery tactics to crafting meaningful, host-read integrations. Below, they share actionable insights on pinpointing the perfect niche podcasts and maximizing advertising resonance for bigger results.

Daniel Sanchez, Co-Founder & CEO, Influencity

Brands should leverage data analytics to pinpoint niche podcasts that align with their target demographics. Analyzing listener profiles and engagement metrics allows you to single out shows that connect with your target audience. Crafting messages tailored to the podcast’s tone and content is key for delivering advertising that captivates and sparks genuine interest among listeners.

For smaller brands without access to advanced tools, there are simple yet effective strategies to narrow down your options. For instance, platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Trends provide basic insights into podcast popularity, audience demographics, and trending topics. Use these free resources to make informed choices about potential podcast partnerships.

Or you can simply spend time listening to episodes of potential podcasts to understand their tone, content, and audience engagement, looking for clues in the way hosts interact with their listeners and the types of brands they already promote. Another path you can take is directly reaching out to podcast hosts or creators directly, because many niche podcasts are run by passionate individuals who are open to collaborations and can provide insights about their audience.

Bill Hildebolt, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, gen.video

Working with podcasters is a great way to extend an influencer marketing campaign, especially in B2B or other niches where there’s deep expertise or passionate interest. That said, it can be hard to find the exact right podcasts to work with in a given niche as podcast names are often wildly unhelpful relative to what they are about. In a new sector, we try to ask consumers themselves but that’s usually just the first breadcrumb as we all have surprisingly limited windows of awareness. So from there, we start Googling “podcasts like X” and “best podcasts about Y.” 

Often what you can find is one or more of the podcast networks will write blog posts touting their own channels with reluctant nods to a few of what they perceive to be such obvious leaders that they can’t leave them out of the list, those are the ones we know are winners! On the back end, measuring fit and impact can be tricky as Apple and Spotify are mostly giving you listeners and downloads which are hard to translate. Good networks will give you post purchase advertiser favorability reports but those survey / sampling reports are not standard metrics in an influencer marketing framework and so hard for us to really trust. 

We end up focusing in two places:

1) we really scrutinize the listener demos to make sure we feel like we’re hitting the right audience,

2) where possible, picking podcasters that are streaming on YouTube so that we have something that overlaps with ‘traditional’ influencer marketing. Two specific things you get with podcasters on YouTube:

1) You might see some action in the comments but more likely you can just use the comments to further confirm audience fit.

2) You definitely want to ask them to put a link in the description. The CTR should actually be comparable to other influencer content because even though you might be just getting an ad read vs. a deeper integration, this is the only place this podcaster’s fans can click anything, so you should see that behavior manifesting in your favor & that’s when you know you’ve nailed it.

Dylan Conroy, Strategic Partnerships, Creators Buddy

Podcasts should always approach integrations from the perspective of authenticity. This is a buzz word but it’s important. Commercials on pods are painful, even host reads that we know are scripted and the host doesn’t really care about are easily tivoed past.

When a podcaster uses a product, loves it, puts it on the desk, talks about it organically when he’s not doing an ad, those are the ones that I pay attention to. A great example is Joe Rogin’s recent partnership with Origin fellow podcaster Jocko Willink’s made in america brand. I pay attention to these reads because I know Joe would use the product whether he got paid to talk about it or not.

Olivia McNaughten, Senior Director, Product Marketing & Partnerships, GRIN

Niche podcasts offer brands a brilliant opportunity to reach highly engaged, specialized audiences, but the key to success lies in alignment. Brands should approach these opportunities as they would with influencer partnerships—focusing on authentic audience connections and shared values. Look for podcast hosts whose tone, topics, and community culture align well with your brand’s identity, and prioritize creative, host-read ads that feel like genuine endorsements rather than interruptions.

Danil Saliukov,  Co-Founder & CEO, Insense

We follow all key leaders in the space on LinkedIn, and whenever we see some featured podcasts with those guests, we explore the podcast website. Another way is when you become a guest of some podcasts that resonate with your audience, go and ask the host about recommendations. In the end of the day, it is test & learn process.

Chris Brown, Co-Founder & CEO, Glewee

To identify niche podcasts that align with your target audience, start by deeply understanding your customers. Learn their interests, behaviors, and where they consume content online because you are ultimately trying to meet them where they are digitally. Use tools that aggregate data from Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and others to find shows with audiences that match your brand’s focus.

For example, a fitness brand could target smaller fitness podcasts with highly engaged listeners, creating authentic connections while supporting the podcast’s growth. Ensure your advertising aligns with the podcast’s tone and values to resonate deeply with listeners and build trust effectively.

Surveying your customers, creating online polls, and reaching out to your audience directly to get first-hand feedback on their favorite podcasts will help you better understand if they like podcasts in the same space/niche as your brand or completely outside of it. Enough of this data will allow you to map out trends and begin identifying which of the podcasts are smaller in size but large in impact with brand value add potential!

Jeffrey Maganis, Co-Founder, Crowdcreate

Finding niche podcasts is simpler than people may think.

At Crowdcreate, we recommend our clients find the industry conference where their core targeted customer exists, then we ask them to genuinely network with the people there and ask ‘What podcasts do you follow and recommend for me to learn about <insert industry here>?’ These people will respond and give you a list of true highly influential people they trust. Many times, those podcasters are even in attendance at that industry conference, and people can give you a warm introduction to them.

Once the introduction is made, you would pitch them your business, or ask them how could you be a sponsor of their podcast for advertising purposes.

An example of this is how we curated a list of the top real estate podcasts for investors, our clients are investment funds that are looking to raise capital from investors. We’ve helped them successfully advertise on these podcasts. If anyone is interested in our podcast advertising agency services (https://crowdcreate.us/contact), please reach out to Crowdcreate.

Emily Blair Marcus, Founder, Emily Blair Media

Podcasts are the most streamed form of communication, which is a nuanced fact – while there can appear to be oversaturation, there are also a myriad of hyper-specific shows, and very targeted opportunities for both audiences and advertisers alike to find platforms that align with their interests.

Additionally, in the same way that micro-influencers can often create more impact than macro-influencers (who have less engagement and won’t drive as much ROI), podcasts that cover very specific focuses and have dedicated audiences may in turn yield more fruitful results for advertisers than a larger show.

Additionally, it’s crucial for advertisers to be creative, quick, and capture a listener’s attention from the getgo in order to avoid being skipped over. If advertisers select the right podcast that has a listenership who actually care about the ads being delivered to them, and feel confident that these recommendations sync up with their values, they are more likely to see tangible results.

Celeste Durve, Founder, VIPER

To find niche podcasts that align with your audience, start by really understanding who your audience is and what they care about. Then, focus on podcasts with loyal, engaged listeners who share those interests. It’s not about going big—it’s about finding the right fit. Look into demographics, engagement, and how connected the host is with their community.

For the ads to resonate, keep it authentic. Work with the hosts to make the messaging feel natural and conversational—like a genuine recommendation, not a pitch. When the audience trusts the host, they’ll trust your brand too.

Jade Watson, Founder & Executive Producer, SickBird Productions

To identify niche podcasts, brands should start by engaging in the online communities their audience trusts and collaborating with podcast networks or micro-influencers who understand those spaces. To ensure ads resonate, focus on authentic host-read spots, tailor messaging to the podcast’s tone, and provide genuine value—whether through exclusive offers, humor, or useful insights. Staying aligned with the show’s voice and values isn’t optional—it’s the key to making your message land.

Kailyn Lowry, Author and Podcast Host

To find niche podcasts, brands need to understand their audience and seek shows that align with their interests and values as well as those of their target market. Look at listener demographics, content themes, and social media of the podcast as well as the hosts. Align yourself with hosts that may already use your products or even a similar brand so they could speak to why they made the switch to your brand.

For ads to resonate, authenticity is key. Work with the host to integrate the product naturally into conversations—listeners trust them. Give the host loose guidelines to follow as they know how to communicate with their audience the best. The stricter the creative guidelines, the more inauthentic the read will be.

Daria Belova, Marketing & PR Director, HypeFactory

I’d say know your audience. Its interests go beyond just your brand. Each buyer persona has a unique area of interest that could be considered when looking for a niche to participate in. Identify related niches that appeal to your potential buyers and align with your brand. For example, for an AI-powered marketing agency focused on fashion and retail, the relevant niche wouldn’t just be marketing, but also technology, data analytics, as well as the fashion and retail sectors.

To gauge how well the message resonated with listeners, I’d recommend paying attention to feedback on social media, and monitor engagement with podcast announcements on the company’s platforms. For paid placements, I recommend using a UTM tag on the link to your platforms, which can be attached to the podcast episode. This will help you track traffic to your website or social media, allowing you to assess the level of audience’s interest and involvement in your message within the specific niche.

Connor Begley, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, CreatorIQ

When identifying niche podcasts and podcast creators to put your advertising or partnership resources behind, many creator marketing strategies apply—especially discovery, multi-platform approach, and brand suitability.

When looking for relevant podcasts, consider the demographics and psychographics of your target audience, and use relevant keywords to search for podcasts you think might fit. Bonus points if those podcast creators have engaged audiences on multiple platforms, like Spotify, YouTube, and their own social channels. Video clips of podcasts and behind-the-scenes have become super popular on TikTok and Instagram, giving podcast creators multiple channels to build followings on. And don’t be deterred by seemingly lower follower counts: nano- and micro-influencers can often have deeper relationships and stronger engagement rates than larger-scale creators, which means a more attentive audience for advertisers, too.

And finally, understand who the creator is and what they stand for. Researching the podcasts’ audiences is important, but by also focusing on the creator themselves, you can find people who align with your brand’s mission and values. And be sure to consider what topics you consider to be tolerable or not for your brand to advertise next to. With many podcasts touching on political or NSFW topics, brands advertising on podcasts should be prepared for some risk. It’s ultimately up to each brand to determine what’s safe and suitable for their podcaster partnerships, and to apply those filters as due diligence during the creator discovery phase.

Michael Berkowitz, Partner, Head of Talent, Greenlight Group

Brands looking to identify niche podcasts should certainly leverage data-driven tools that analyze audience demographics and interests. That said, brands should not only focus on the surface level statistics, but look in depth to find podcasts where the host’s values and tone naturally align with their own. Cultural fit and narrative synergy should be prioritized, and this requires human insight.

Brands should be looking to work hand-in-hand with the right podcasts to create tailored messaging that resonates deeply with listeners and fosters genuine connection. The advertisement should feel less like a sales pitch and more like a conversation that adds value to the listener’s experience. This is in the best interest of the brands, podcasters, and audience members, allowing for a positive sum game to be played.

Doug Landers, Managing Partner, Greenlight Group

When working with niche podcasts, brands should be thinking about the unique offer they can give to that audience. I see so many brands decide they’re going to spend money on a niche creator – podcast or otherwise – because they want to test the waters before deploying a larger budget or because their budget is just limited in general and they want to capture the power of a super engaged but small audience.

The mistake I see brands make is not allowing the creator/podcast the opportunity to bring something of unique value to their audience. If you, as a brand, are spending time finding and engaging with this super niche audience, it’s worth spending a little extra time to construct something unique that you, in partnership with that creator, can offer that audience – maybe that’s a unique discount code, freemium offer etc.

If you give that audience the same 15% or 20% discount code that you’ve given every other creator/podcast you’ve worked with, you’re basically signalling to the audience that you didn’t really pay attention to who they are and what they care about. They are one of many. Come with unique value.

If you’re looking for a niche podcast to partner with as a brand, look for a challenger. Look for an underdog. There are a number of great tools out there to help brands sort for certain levels of engagement, or certain following levels. But, generally speaking, what a brand should be looking for is a podcast that has a unique voice that is in some way challenging an existing dominant narrative or shedding light on a narrative that has not been previously given a voice. These are the podcasts where you’ll find a hyper engaged audience that cares and, if done right, will care about your brand.