Podcast advertising saw a notable spike in May, with BetterHelp leading all advertisers in monthly spend – a move that coincided with Mental Health Awareness Month. According to new data from Magellan AI, the online therapy platform spent $5.82 million, targeting listeners primarily through comedy content.
The surge in spend aligns with a broader industry trend of using timely awareness campaigns to drive brand engagement across audio platforms.
Amazon and Unilever followed closely behind with $5.77 million and $5.14 million in spending, respectively, rounding out the top three. Most top 10 advertisers in May increased their spend over April, with notable growth from Shopify, Toyota, and State Farm. However, DraftKings and Quince pulled back.
Sports remained the dominant podcast genre, drawing ad dollars from brands such as FanDuel, Toyota, and T-Mobile, while Quince joined BetterHelp in investments in comedy and society & culture programming.
On the “Top Movers & Shakers” list, McDonald’s made the largest month-over-month gain, increasing its podcast ad spend 333% to $2.65 million. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Colgate, AbbVie, and Ticketmaster also posted sharp increases, signaling growing brand interest in leveraging podcasts for scaled, high-intent reach.
