Creator Fans Trust Their Podcast Hosts Like Friends, SmithGeiger Research Finds

Creator-hosted shows have grown from a niche corner of media into a regular habit for a lot of people. That growth has left a lot of brands asking the same question. Follower counts and views tell you how many people a creator can reach, but they say very little about whether those people will actually listen when a brand shows up.

That question sits at the center of Brand Building in the Creator Age, a new study from SmithGeiger Group commissioned by Wondery, an Amazon company. Released October 14, the research surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults who regularly watch or listen to a creator-hosted podcast or digital series. It looks closely at how these fans engage with their favorite shows, what earns their trust, and how they respond when brands show up consistently versus only once.

We were proud to partner with Wondery on this work. Here is a look at some of what the study found.

These audiences arrive already invested

One of the first things that stood out is how much familiarity fans bring with them. Eight in 10 surveyed fans were already familiar with the host of their favorite show before they ever tuned in, and nearly half considered themselves fans. On average, they tune in to four to five creator shows on a regular basis, and more than six in 10 have been tuning in to their favorite for at least a year.

That history turns into routine. 93% of surveyed fans say they look forward to new episodes as much as they look forward to their favorite TV show, and nearly three in four feel these shows match their personal interests better than serialized programming does.

How they tune in is more fluid than many people assume. Video is often where fans first discover a show, and 45% say they choose to watch so they can see the host’s reactions. Audio still has a clear place too. 70% move between watching and listening depending on what their day looks like, whether that’s a commute, chores, or a moment away from screens.

Clips play a big role in keeping all of this going. 95% of fans who watched clips say they took some kind of action afterward, and clips were the top source of show discovery, nearly twice as effective as word of mouth. For existing fans, one in three use clips to keep up when they don’t have time for a full episode.

Trust that feels like friendship

The host is the reason people keep coming back. Nine in 10 surveyed fans say the host is the leading reason they tune in, and over time that relationship starts to feel personal. 85% say the host of their favorite creator show feels like a friend, and 81% trust that host as much as or more than their actual friends.

That kind of trust changes how fans feel about advertising in the shows they love. 76% say they don’t mind hearing ads in their favorite creator show when those ads help support the host. Nearly two-thirds say they trust the host over any brand message on its own, which helps explain why a host’s endorsement carries so much weight.

The way that endorsement is delivered matters, though. Fans say a recommendation feels most authentic when the creator explains how they actually use a product and why they picked it over other options. Overall, 78% of surveyed fans say they feel more confident buying a product the creator has endorsed.

Wondery also shared a separate Nielsen brand lift meta-analysis alongside the survey, covering more than two dozen of its own campaigns. In that analysis, ads rated above the norm for authenticity delivered significantly higher lifts in familiarity, affinity, and purchase intent than ads rated as inauthentic.

Consistency is what makes a partnership feel real

If trust is what makes these audiences valuable, consistency is what keeps that trust intact. In their open-ended responses, fans described a clear difference between brands that feel like genuine partners and brands that show up for a single ad read and disappear.

A one-time mention can actually work against a brand. Half of surveyed fans say that when a brand is mentioned once and never again, it signals the creator may not really like the product. That skepticism runs higher among younger audiences, reaching 59% of Gen Z and 54% of Millennials.

Repeated presence tells a very different story. Seven in 10 fans say a brand appearing across multiple episodes feels like a real partnership between the brand and the creator. When that happens, 70% say they’re more likely to trust the brand, 68% see it as more premium, and 67% are more likely to try it.

The effect carries well beyond the show itself. Two in three fans say that when they come across a brand partner in daily life, they connect it back to the creator or series that mentioned it. And while more than half can name a brand they heard on their favorite show, no single ad format stood out in driving that recall, which points to the value of showing up across channels over time.

The conversation keeps going after the episode ends

For many fans, the show is just one part of a bigger relationship with the host. Surveyed fans follow their favorite creator across an average of five touchpoints beyond the show, including the show’s social accounts, the host’s other media appearances, and livestreams.

These shows also give people something to talk about. 45% of surveyed fans say moments and interviews from creator shows fuel their conversations at work and online. The moments that travel furthest tend to be the ones that feel real and unscripted, spark a debate, or share an inside joke that makes sense to the show’s community.

Underneath all of this is a strong sense of belonging. 87% of fans say their favorite show makes them feel like part of a community of people who share their interests. That community wants more ways to show up, too. Nearly three in five have attended or want to attend a live creator event, and 55% have bought or would like to buy merchandise tied to the host or show.

What it means for brands

Taken together, the findings point to a simple idea. Creator-hosted audiences come in with familiarity, build trust over time, and gather around a shared community. Brands that want to earn a place in that world tend to do best when they show up the same way the creators do, consistently and across the places their audiences already spend time.

You can read the full report, Brand Building in the Creator Age, on Wondery’s site.

Read the full report