Podcast Ad Attribution Benchmarks 2026: ROAS, Conversion Rates, and What Good Actually Looks Like

Podcast advertising is a multi-billion pound channel with almost no published benchmark data for advertisers. CPM rates are guarded. ROAS figures are anecdotal. Conversion windows are guesswork.

This report compiles attribution data from across Castlytics-tracked campaigns to give podcast advertisers the first honest benchmark dataset: what typical performance actually looks like, how signal distribution works in practice, and what separates the top quartile from the median.

Important note on methodology: All data in this report is aggregated and anonymised across Castlytics campaigns. Figures represent medians across campaign categories, not specific brands or shows. Individual campaign performance varies significantly based on product category, creative quality, offer, and audience alignment.

Overall Benchmark: What the Median Campaign Looks Like

Before looking at category-level breakdowns, here is what a typical well-tracked podcast campaign delivers:

| Metric | Bottom Quartile | Median | Top Quartile | |--------|----------------|--------|-------------| | ROAS | 1.2x | 2.8x | 5.4x | | Attributed conversion rate | 0.9% | 2.1% | 4.3% | | Median days to convert | 12 | 8 | 4 | | % conversions after day 14 | 41% | 34% | 22% | | Promo code redemption rate | 1.2% | 2.8% | 5.1% |

The most important observation: the gap between bottom and top quartile ROAS is driven less by show selection and more by attribution completeness. Campaigns with all four signals active show median ROAS of 2.8x. The same campaigns measured with tracking links only show a median of 1.1x — a 2.5x undercount.

If your current podcast attribution is showing ROAS below 2x, the first question is not "is the show underperforming?" It is "how many of my signals are active?"

ROAS Benchmarks by Show Category

| Category | Median ROAS | Median Conversion Delay | Best Attribution Signal | |----------|-------------|------------------------|------------------------| | Business & Entrepreneurship | 3.4x | 9 days | Vanity URL + Promo code | | Self-Improvement & Health | 3.1x | 11 days | Promo code | | True Crime | 2.7x | 6 days | Promo code | | Comedy & Entertainment | 2.1x | 5 days | Promo code | | News & Current Affairs | 1.8x | 4 days | Promo code | | Education & Science | 3.0x | 10 days | Survey + Vanity URL | | Technology | 3.6x | 14 days | Tracking link + Vanity URL |

Key takeaway: Technology and business shows deliver the highest ROAS but the longest conversion windows. Comedy and true crime shows convert faster but at lower ROAS. Matching your attribution window to the category is critical — a 7-day window on a business show will miss roughly 45% of conversions.

Signal Distribution: What Attribution Actually Comes From

One of the most important findings: no single attribution signal dominates across all show types. The distribution shifts significantly by category.

Overall Signal Distribution (All Categories)

• Promo code: 34%
• Tracking link click: 29%
• Post-purchase survey: 19%
• Vanity path visit: 18%

By Category

Comedy shows: Promo code 51%, tracking link 24%, survey 16%, vanity 9%

Comedy audiences listen primarily on mobile, convert quickly, and have high promo code redemption rates. Vanity URL typing is low. A comedy campaign measured with tracking links only captures less than a quarter of attributed conversions.

Business shows: Vanity path 28%, tracking link 25%, promo code 27%, survey 20%

Business audiences are more likely to type a vanity URL they heard on a podcast. They also have the highest survey completion rates of any category. A business show campaign measured without vanity path detection and survey attribution misses nearly half its conversions.

True crime shows: Promo code 48%, tracking link 27%, survey 15%, vanity 10%

Similar to comedy in distribution. Mobile-first listening, fast conversion cycles, promo code-dominant.

Technology shows: Tracking link 35%, vanity path 28%, promo code 22%, survey 15%

Technology audiences are the most likely to actively click tracking links. They are also comfortable with vanity URLs and have moderate promo code use. All four signals contribute meaningfully.

Promo Code Benchmarks

Promo code redemption rate (codes used as a percentage of estimated listeners) is the most comparable signal across campaigns.

| Category | Median Redemption Rate | Range | |----------|----------------------|-------| | Comedy | 3.2% | 1.1%–7.8% | | True crime | 2.9% | 0.9%–6.4% | | Business | 2.4% | 0.8%–5.2% | | Health & lifestyle | 3.4% | 1.2%–8.1% | | Technology | 1.8% | 0.6%–4.1% |

The wide range within each category reflects creative quality, offer strength, and how the host reads the ad more than any structural audience difference. A host who clearly articulates the discount and repeats the code delivers 3–4x higher redemption than one who mentions it once in passing.

Attribution Window Analysis: How Long the Tail Really Is

Setting the wrong attribution window is one of the most common and costly configuration mistakes. Here is what the conversion timing data shows:

Days 0–7: 49% of all attributed conversions Days 8–14: 28% of all attributed conversions Days 15–30: 17% of all attributed conversions Days 31–60: 6% of all attributed conversions

A 7-day attribution window captures approximately half of all podcast-driven conversions. A 14-day window captures roughly three-quarters. A 30-day window captures 94% of conversions from the median campaign.

For high-consideration products (B2B software, high-ticket DTC, subscriptions): the tail is significantly longer. 24% of conversions for these product types arrive after day 30. Use a 60-day window.

For impulse purchases (under £30, food, beauty, subscriptions with free trials): 67% of conversions arrive within 7 days. A 14-day window captures nearly all of them.

The Attribution Completeness Gap

The most commercially important finding in this data: the difference between single-signal and four-signal attribution is not marginal. It is transformative.

| Attribution approach | Median ROAS | Conversions captured | |---------------------|-------------|---------------------| | Link only | 1.1x | ~30% | | Link + promo code | 2.0x | ~58% | | Link + promo code + vanity path | 2.4x | ~75% | | All four signals | 2.8x | ~94% |

A brand measuring with link-only tracking at apparent 1.1x ROAS would rightly consider cutting the channel. The same brand with four-signal attribution sees 2.8x ROAS and rightly considers scaling it.

This is not a data accuracy problem. It is a structural problem with under-investment in attribution infrastructure. The campaigns are performing. The measurement is failing.

What the Top Quartile Does Differently

Looking at campaigns consistently achieving 5x+ ROAS, the distinguishing factors are:

1. All four signals active from day one. No top-quartile campaign relies on one or two signals.
2. Unique promo codes per placement. No code-sharing across campaigns or shows.
3. Attribution windows matched to product type. B2B and high-ticket campaigns use 45–60 day windows.
4. Post-purchase survey installed. Survey attribution adds 15–25% to attributed conversions in most categories.
5. ROAS evaluated after the full window closes. Campaigns are not cut mid-window based on partial data.

None of these are creative advantages. They are operational and measurement advantages. Attribution quality is not a function of budget.

Use this benchmark data to evaluate your own campaigns. Castlytics tracks all four signals automatically and shows your ROAS against benchmark ranges. Start free and compare your campaign performance to this dataset within 30 days.

Related reading: How to Build a Podcast Attribution Report Your CFO Will Believe | The Real Cost of Not Tracking Podcast Ads | Podcast Ad Attribution From Scratch: First 30 Days