Podcast Ad Spending Rebounds 15% In August As Mint Mobile Takes No. 1.

Podcast advertising bounced higher in August as most of the medium’s biggest advertisers increased their investment, while a new No. 1 emerged and ChatGPT made a splashy debut among the top spenders.

New data from Podscribe shows the top 10 podcast advertisers spent a combined $34 million in August, up 15.3% from $29.5 million in July. Eight of the 10 advertisers increased their spending month-to-month, making August a considerably stronger month after spending softened in July.

Mint Mobile took over the No. 1 position with $4.9 million in estimated podcast ad spending, up 14% from July. It marks the first time this year that Mint Mobile has topped Podscribe’s monthly ranking after finishing second in both June and July. The wireless brand advertised across 1,435 shows, with News its leading genre and 21% of its ads host-read.

The change at the top ended Shopify’s four-month run at No. 1. Shopify dropped to fifth as its spending declined 23% to $3.6 million, its second consecutive monthly pullback after spending $5.7 million in June and $4.6 million in July. But Shopify’s decline was more than offset by gains elsewhere.

Quince jumped 19% to $4.8 million, moving into second place and finishing just $100,000 behind Mint Mobile. BetterHelp increased spending 15% to $4.6 million to rank third. Both continued to lean heavily on the format that helped build podcast advertising: 87% of Quince’s ads and 83% of BetterHelp’s were host-read.

Amazon made another significant move, increasing podcast spending 51% to $4.2 million and climbing from sixth to fourth. That follows a 99% increase in July, when Amazon spent $2.8 million. Its August campaign reached 1,646 shows, although only 19% of the ads were host-read.

The most dramatic arrival, however, came from ChatGPT. It entered the top 10 at No. 7 with $3 million in estimated spending. The campaign ran across 914 shows, with Sports the leading genre and just 10% of the ads host-read. 

Wayfair remained sixth despite spending falling 9% to $3 million. SimpliSafe returned to the top 10 at No. 8 after an 80% increase to $2.1 million, followed by PrizePicks, which boosted spending 45% to $1.9 million. McDonald’s rounded out the rankings at $1.9 million, up 13%.

The turnover pushed State Farm, Squarespace and Toyota out of the top 10 after all three appeared in July.

August also reversed some of the softness evident a month earlier. After top-10 spending fell in July, the August increase not only recovered that decline but pushed spending above June’s level. The August total was also the strongest since March, when the top 10 spent $45.6 million.

The Podscribe analysis shows Sports remained the most common destination for those dollars. Five of August’s top 10 advertisers — Amazon, Shopify, ChatGPT, PrizePicks and McDonald’s — counted sports as their leading show genre. Mint Mobile and SimpliSafe favored news, while Quince remained focused on Society & Culture and BetterHelp leaned into Comedy content.

The host-read numbers also show just how differently major marketers are using podcasts. PrizePicks remained at one extreme, with 93% of its ads host-read, followed by Quince at 87% and BetterHelp at 83%. At the other end, McDonald’s was at 7%, ChatGPT at 10%, SimpliSafe at 15% and Mint Mobile at 21%.