Why Brands Are Investing Beyond Podcast Downloads with Ricardo Neto of Acast

What if the most valuable podcast audience is not listening to one of the biggest shows?

Podcast advertising has traditionally been driven by scale, with major brands concentrating their budgets on the largest and most recognizable podcasts. But highly engaged niche audiences, creator-led communities and influence across multiple platforms are creating new opportunities for both brands and podcasters.

In this episode of PodBiz, Ricardo Neto, Managing Director of US Sales at Acast, explains how brands are evaluating creators beyond RSS downloads. Podcast hosts are increasingly building influence across YouTube, social media, video, live events and branded experiences, giving advertisers more ways to reach their audiences and creators more ways to monetize their work.

Ricardo also shares why smaller shows can sometimes generate deeper engagement, how authentic brand relationships can grow from a host-read ad into a much larger partnership and why podcasting’s open ecosystem remains important as the industry expands.

As Ricardo puts it:

“We’re evaluating influence and we’re working with creators that maybe we wouldn’t have in the past based on the size of their RSS, but they have really strong socials, really strong YouTube.”
Here are some insightful moments within the episode:

• Why major brands are investing more meaningfully in podcast advertising
• How Acast evaluates creators across RSS, social media and YouTube
• Why niche audiences can be more engaged than audiences of larger shows
• How brand safety and suitability tools are helping more advertisers enter podcasting
• Why creator partnerships can grow from host reads into branded content, events and tour sponsorships
• How video gives podcasters access to content and video budgets
• Why podcast listeners will increasingly move between audio and video
• How authentic brand partnerships can motivate audiences to take action
• Why curiosity matters as podcasting continues to evolve
• What Acast looks for when hiring multiplatform podcast sales professionals

About Ricardo Neto

Ricardo Neto is the Managing Director of US Sales at Acast, where he works with brands, agencies and creators to develop podcast advertising and omnichannel partnerships.

Before joining Acast, Ricardo worked at Spotify during a period of significant investment and expansion within podcasting. His experience spans digital audio, podcast advertising, creator partnerships and the New York advertising industry.

Episode Chapters

(01:27) Where is the money in podcasting?

(03:58) Defining the podcast-first creator

(06:47) Measuring influence beyond RSS downloads

(09:58) Why audience fit matters more than size

(11:13) Brand safety and suitability in podcast advertising

(14:00) Why niche podcast audiences drive engagement

(16:03) Moving advertisers beyond vanity buying

(19:14) Growing host reads into larger brand partnerships

(20:33) Ricardo’s journey from Spotify to Acast

(24:38) Competing for video and content budgets

(27:59) Protecting the open podcast ecosystem

(30:00) How listeners move between audio and video

(32:08) Why the podcast industry remains collaborative

(34:27) Helping creators build sustainable careers

(37:11) How loyal audiences support podcast advertisers

(38:36) Simplifying omnichannel creator campaigns

(40:20) Staying curious as the industry changes

(44:02) How sales teams work directly with creators

(46:00) Building a multiplatform podcast sales team

(49:06) The future of omnichannel podcasting

Some Additional PodBiz Buzz...“The data says that people are more engaged with smaller shows than they are with big shows.”“At the end of the day, everything comes down to authenticity.”“This channel moves audiences to action.”“Everyone can access the rails, which is really, really important.”“The toothpaste is out of the tube. It’s going to continue to be omni (channel.)"

PodBiz is the podcast about the business of podcasting. Hosted by industry veterans Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan, the show features conversations with creators, executives, and platform leaders to answer one question: Where’s the money in podcasting?

Each episode dives into monetization strategy, adtech, branded content, IP development, and audience growth. Guests include leaders from Acast, Captivate, Crooked Media, Buzzsprout, True Native Media, Podfest, and more.

Learn more: njbmedia.co | thepodhouseproductions.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.