True crime podcasts are delivering efficient advertising results, but many brands are not fully committing to the genre according to new data from Oxford Road.
The company’s ORBIT rankings, based on more than $1.6 billion in campaign spend across over 500 advertisers, shows the genre sits within the top 20% for ad efficiency despite already attracting significant investment.
The findings suggest advertisers are limiting their potential by testing only a small number of shows rather than exploring the range of formats available within true crime, which includes investigative series, companion shows and paranormal crossovers.
Across more than 65 genres analysed, true crime ranks second only to comedy for overall ad spend, yet performance varies widely depending on format and audience connection.
Oxford Road says concerns around brand safety continue to influence buying decisions, particularly for shows with darker or paranormal themes. This caution can reduce competition and keep advertising rates lower, even where audience engagement is high.
The rankings highlight legacy broadcast titles such as Cold Case Files, 20 20 and I Survived as strong entry points for advertisers.
These programmes benefit from established recognition and audience trust, which can make them easier for brands to justify internally.
Companion format shows also stand out, with around a third of the top performers using a more personal, host driven style.
Oxford Road advises that these should be treated differently in media buying, with more flexibility given to host read ads to improve effectiveness.
Olivia Gerving, Strategic Operation Specialist at Oxford Road, said: “The shows I love are not interchangeable, and neither are the audiences. ORBIT finally gives advertisers a framework that reflects how listeners actually behave.”
The ORBIT system measures campaign outcomes including customer acquisition costs and return on ad spend, using data across podcasting, streaming audio, radio and video.
Oxford Road plans to release further rankings each month covering additional genres and markets.
