How did podcast advertising used to look? Getting a host-read ad on the right podcast was the gold standard. You found a host your audience trusted, bought a placement, and let the relationship carry the message. Simple. Effective. And by the way, still one of the best things you can do in advertising. Ads were a separate add-on to the show — a clearly defined unit that sat between content segments.

Now, the best podcast advertising sounds like the show itself. Creators are innovating with in-content activations that let brands become part of the story.

Hosts are very open to thinking outside a typical ad read. In-content integrations are the next stage where brands can activate fun, un-skippable, high-engagement partnerships. Here’s what it looks like when brands stop interrupting the episode and start living inside it.

TOTAL AUDIO: DRAYMOND GREEN X BETTER HELP

The podcast builds the trust. Radio builds the scale. Total audio takes a host relationship that’s already working and scales it across radio — so the same voice that earns loyalty on the pod reaches a massive unduplicated audience beyond the feed. 

The BetterHelp campaign originally activated inside Draymond’s podcast, then carried his voice across streaming radio, making him an authentic voice of the BetterHelp brand at scale.

IN-CONTENT CUSTOM SEGMENT: HEART STARTS POUNDING X AURA FRAMES

Forget interrupting the episode — these branded segments live inside the world of the show itself. They’re playful, cinematic, and creative.

Kaelyn Moore’s Heart Starts Pounding podcast shares horrors, hauntings, and mysteries that will have you on the edge of your seat. To complement the show’s spooky nature, the Aura Frames segment was dramatic and story-led, built to feel like content rather than a commercial.

SOCIAL EXTENSIONS: SOFIA WITH AN F X DAVIDS BRIDAL

The strongest social integrations don’t feel like brand mentions; they feel like the host’s actual life. The ad lives where the fans already are, like Instagram and TikTok.

Sofia Franklyn doesn’t do subtle. Her audience, the “sloots”, follow her everywhere, and they follow her closely. When she started talking about her engagement, they wanted every detail. That’s when David’s Bridal showed up. Not with a scripted mention, but woven into the story already being told. Wedding content on the podcast. Dress options on Instagram. The branded content lived where her fans already were.

PRODUCT REVIEWS: THE RECAP SHOW X PELOTON

The most convincing endorsements come from a host who tried the product.

Tobin Heath and Christen Press bring exactly that kind of credibility as former U.S. women’s national soccer stars who cover fitness, food, and life off the pitch on The RECAP Show. Their expertise makes them a natural match for lifestyle brands such as Peloton. In addition to traditional spots, the pair went further, trying Peloton yoga and sharing the humbling results. That kind of firsthand honesty turns a listener into a customer.

THEMATIC SEGMENT: UNPAUSED X MIDI HEALTH

A thematic segment ties a brand directly to the subject matter listeners already want to hear. Done well, the brand becomes part of the solution the audience is seeking.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver was already answering the questions her audience was too shy to ask. Midi Health’s custom “Midi Pause” segment showed up exactly when listeners were already leaning in. The brand didn’t crash the conversation. It joined one that was already happening.

FULL EPISODE TAKEOVER: ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE X MACY’S

With a branded episode, brands get to go big and take over the whole show. It offers total ownership, complete brand immersion, and zero competition for attention.

Macy’s full-episode buy of Aspire with Emma Grede is the boldest move in the playbook. This is for the serious partner brands that want more than a cameo.

VIDEO BRANDING & PRODUCT PLACEMENT: FLY ON THE WALL X 5-HOUR ENERGY

Video integrations put the product on screen inside the episode, extending the brand integration beyond audio.

Dana Carvey’s credibility as a high-energy performer made him a natural fit for 5-hour Energy drink. The campaign put the product on-screen in authentic video integrations, which were then clipped and amplified across social channels.

Our friend Dan Granger, CEO and Founder of Oxford Road put it best, “The best integrations don’t interrupt the show — they become a part of it. It works because it’s native to the host, and so much more than a scripted read.”

Experienced podcast advertisers are letting the host build the story for their brand with in-content activations. They understand that the best-performing ads sound like the show. So they develop custom content built for the format instead of dropping in a generic script, and let the hosts bring the brand into their world on their own terms.

For more examples of custom podcast campaigns, check out Audacy’s State of Audio: The New Rules of Podcast Advertising.

Content includes exerpts from State of Audio.