✊ Introducing: The Cost of Attention In Podcasting: Audio vs Video Report


Hi friends,

Earlier this year, I, along with the team at Lower Street published the 3rd annual Podcast Marketing Trends Report.

In addition to the typical growth and marketing benchmarks, this year’s report featured a substantial new section exploring how podcast creators are using video—and how it's impacting their growth.

But while putting the report together, it became clear there was too much to explore on the topic of video to cram into the already hefty report.

Specifically, Harry Morton, my friend and the Founder of Lower Street had a big, juicy question that had been bugging him for ages.

One he wondered if we could get to the bottom of together.

The question?

What is the cost of acquiring an hour of audience attention for audio vs video shows?

The thinking was this:

  1. Video platforms offer plenty of upside in terms of additional discoverability...
  2. But video shows often cost (substantially) more time and money to produce.

So in short: Is investing in a video podcast worth it?

Needless to say, I was captivated by this question.

And it turned out, we already had all the data we needed to get an answer.

Which brings us to today, where after another round of number crunching, discernment, and design, I’m excited to publish The Cost of Attention in Podcasting: Audio vs Video report.

In the report, we share our findings on how much it costs to acquire attention via each show format, along with a bevy of fascinating insights we uncovered along the way, including:

  • The average cost per hour of audience attention for each format
  • Total plays per episode (audio-only vs audio + video combined)
  • Total monthly podcast consumption time
  • Annual revenue
  • Production budgets
  • Time spent producing each episode
  • Team size
  • Show purpose & target outcomes
  • Attributable client acquisition
  • Average Lifetime Customer Value (LTV)
  • Cross-platform audience sizes
  • And more

In putting this report together, I’ve found my own thinking about the Great Audio-Video Podcasting Debate shift based on what the data uncovered.

My hope is that it helps you think about your show format choices in a more nuanced way as well.

Because in the end, my takeaway is that the data provides validation for both show formats.

Check out the report here:

The Cost of Attention In Podcasting: Audio vs Video

Oh, and one more thing.

I put a ton of time and effort into these reports, which I intentionally choose not to gate behind a paywall or email opt in.

My goal is to make this data as accessible as possible.

But in order to do that, I could use your help.

Which leads me to both a request, and a bribe.

First, the request:

If you have a friend, colleague or cohost who would find the report useful, forward this email or share the link to the report with them personally.

Second, the bribe:

In early December, I’ll be running a two-part annual strategy workshop for my private clients. The workshop will consist of two 2.5 hour sessions, with guided prompts, group discussion, and feedback from me.

In the first session, we’ll look back on 2025 and diagnose the issues that are currently keeping your business and show stuck.

In the second, we’ll take those insights and develop a clear, focused strategy for what to cut, refine, and double down on in 2026—from product to ops to marketing, sales, and personal life.

There is no way to purchase access to this workshop.

But…

If you’re willing to share the report more broadly, I’ll add you to the private invite list.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Share the report in a community, Subreddit, forum, email list, etc of people that would find the report genuinely useful (ie. podcasters, marketers, entrepreneurs, creators, etc)
  2. Email me a screenshot of your post
  3. I’ll add you to the invite list.

No pressure or expectation.

But if you’re willing to help, I truly, truly appreciate it.

Stay Scrappy,

PS. Starting next week, I'm going to be making a series of special offers on every single product and service I have—from standalone courses, to the PMA Membership, to 1:1 coaching and audits.

I’m calling it the Black Friday Blitz.

Here’s how it’s gonna work:

  • Starting Monday, November 10th, I’m going to roll out three consecutive limited-time offers, the final of which will wrap up Wednesday, November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving.
  • The first offer will be the best deal I’ve ever offered in terms of value for money.
  • The final offer will be the most expensive thing I’ve ever offered.
  • The in-between offer is just right if you've been thinking of joining the PMA Membership but need a little extra incentive.

Here’s a nifty little graphic I made to see how it’s all going to play out.

There will be a limited number of each offer available as follows:

  1. Workshop Bundle (100 Available)
  2. PMA Membership Offer (10 Available)
  3. ??? (???)

I have no idea if running these offers is a good idea.

And I have no idea how long these quantities will last.

But given that the deals will be going out to the 10,000 growth-focused podcasters who read this newsletter, my guess is not long.

If you're interested, it might be worth setting an alarm.

Thanks for being a PMA Member!

Jump into the community and let us know what you need help with... or if this issue sparked a question you'd love to discuss further!

Reply anytime, I love hearing from you!

🤘 This email was crafted by a human (that’s me), for a human (that’s you) 🤘