The podcast industry has evolved from a niche medium to a serious revenue generator, with ad loads increasing from 7.9% to 10.9% of runtime since 2021 and per-hour advertising rates tripling to 6 cents per listener hour in 2024, creating both competitive pressure and significant expansion opportunities for local media. While podcasts compete for advertiser attention, established local media companies possess crucial advantages including existing advertiser relationships, community market knowledge, and content creation infrastructure that position them to capitalize on podcast monetization rather than lose market share. Smart local media operators are launching complementary podcast offerings that create premium advertising packages, extend audience engagement, and generate new revenue streams while leveraging their trusted local brand positioning. The key opportunity lies in integrating podcast strategies into existing business models to offer advertisers multi-platform campaigns that command higher rates than traditional single-format advertising.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the 2025 evolution of SEO, focused on securing brand citations in AI-generated answers from platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity, where only 2–7 sources are cited per query.
For media sales reps and agency pros, GEO is a new revenue channel—helping clients win high-intent leads, protect brand reputation, and outpace competitors in AI search results. Success requires a 10-step framework, including auditing current AI visibility, mapping real customer prompts, structuring AI-friendly content, optimizing technical signals, and building citation authority.
Local market case studies show GEO can quickly boost inquiries, reservations, and sales when executed with clear KPIs like visibility score, citation count, and positive sentiment. Reps who understand and pitch GEO now will position themselves as forward-thinking partners, securing long-term client trust before competitors catch on.

Direct mail is experiencing a remarkable resurgence in 2025, delivering an average ROI of $42 for every dollar spent while achieving response rates of 3.63%—significantly outperforming digital channels struggling with privacy regulations and ad fatigue. Eighty-two percent of marketing executives plan to increase direct mail investment this year, with modern campaigns leveraging AI-powered personalization and QR codes for attribution tracking that boost response rates by 63% when integrated with digital touchpoints. For local media sales representatives and agency professionals, this shift represents a significant opportunity to offer higher-value services, though success requires mastering new competencies in data strategy and attribution modeling. The convergence of digital advertising headwinds and direct mail's tangible advantages suggests this is a fundamental market realignment rather than a temporary trend, positioning early adopters to capture disproportionate value.

AM/FM radio remains the top media platform in America, reaching 9 in 10 adults weekly and dominating ad-supported audio listening across all age groups. Its evolution from traditional broadcast to digital streaming has expanded its accessibility across smartphones, smart speakers, and connected devices. Case studies show radio’s effectiveness in driving local event attendance, service calls, and tourism engagement through emotionally resonant and timely messaging. Media buyers praise radio’s trustworthiness and personal connection, especially through local hosts and curated content. When integrated with digital strategies like SEO, social media, and retargeting, radio becomes a powerful cross-platform tool for local advertisers and agencies.

Traditional media—radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, cable, and outdoor—continues to play a vital role in building brand awareness and trust, even as digital platforms dominate the advertising landscape. Despite the rise of programmatic and targeted digital ads, traditional channels offer unmatched transparency, broad reach, and credibility. Growing concerns over digital ad fraud, which costs advertisers billions annually through tactics like click fraud and domain spoofing, are prompting marketers to rebalance their media strategies. Leading brands are integrating traditional and digital media to create full-funnel campaigns that combine mass exposure with precision targeting. As younger audiences rediscover analog experiences, traditional media is proving its resilience and relevance in a hybrid advertising future.

Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z consumers are significantly more likely to pay attention to advertisements that incorporate humor or music they enjoy, presenting a major opportunity for local media sales teams and advertising agencies. Local advertisers have unique advantages in this space because they can tap into hyperlocal references, community inside jokes, and regional musical preferences that create authentic connections with Gen Z audiences. The key to success lies in creating "snackable, scroll-stopping creative" that feels genuine rather than trying too hard, while leveraging local radio stations' music expertise and community knowledge to craft memorable campaigns. With Gen Z's top concern being the economy, local businesses can address these worries through entertaining, music-forward campaigns that position them as accessible solutions while building long-term brand relationships.

New research reveals a striking paradox in retail AI adoption: while 97% of retailers plan to maintain or increase AI investments, only 11% feel fully prepared to deploy these tools at scale, creating enormous opportunities for local media sales professionals to serve as strategic AI implementation partners. The core barriers—fragmented customer data (58% of retailers), high perceived costs (46%), and limited technical expertise (35%)—are exactly the challenges that experienced local media professionals are uniquely positioned to solve for small and medium businesses. Retailers using unified customer data systems dramatically outperform others, using AI daily at twice the rate (60% vs. 29%) and in production environments nearly four times more often (35% vs. 9%). This represents a fundamental shift from selling advertising space to becoming AI strategy consultants who help clients consolidate data, automate marketing processes, and implement personalization at affordable scales. The businesses that will succeed aren't those with the most sophisticated technology, but those with the clearest implementation strategies and most practical approaches to measuring AI's impact on business outcomes.

Audio advertising is undergoing a creative renaissance, offering unmatched personalization, speed, and scale that other media channels struggle to replicate. With the ability to produce and deploy hundreds of tailored ad variations in real time, brands are using audio to connect with audiences through contextually relevant, hyper-local messaging. Trusted voices like radio hosts and podcast personalities amplify this impact, turning ads into authentic conversations. Case studies from industries like sports betting and telecom show measurable results — from app downloads to increased foot traffic — driven by audio’s creative agility. For advertisers, this signals a broader shift: in a crowded media landscape, intimacy and adaptability are the new competitive edge.

Google’s shift from traditional search results to AI Overviews marks a fundamental change in how users consume information—moving from active synthesis to passive reception. This evolution raises concerns about the erosion of critical thinking and the loss of intellectual curiosity, as users increasingly rely on AI-generated summaries instead of evaluating sources themselves. For local media sales professionals and ad agency teams, this trend underscores the need to create campaigns that re-engage audiences through interaction, storytelling, and local relevance. While AI can serve as a powerful assistant, its design encourages effortless consumption, which may weaken deeper cognitive engagement over time. The challenge ahead is to use AI strategically while preserving the human capacity for questioning, discovery, and thoughtful media experiences.

Rare Beauty launched a groundbreaking scratch-and-sniff billboard campaign in New York City to promote its first fragrance, blending traditional out-of-home advertising with geogated mobile sampling via Shopify’s Shop app. This innovative approach allows passersby to experience the scent and request a free sample by scanning a QR code, turning static media into an interactive, trackable experience. The campaign highlights how sensory engagement and digital integration can drive product trials and social sharing, especially among Gen Z consumers. Local media sellers and ad agencies can draw inspiration from this strategy to create tactile, tech-enabled campaigns that connect physical presence with digital action. Ultimately, Rare Beauty’s activation demonstrates how out-of-home media can evolve into immersive brand experiences that deliver measurable results.

Podcasting has rapidly grown into a mainstream media channel, with over 135 million monthly U.S. listeners and more than 5 million active shows worldwide. A June 2025 study by Sounds Profitable and Signal Hill Insights found that podcast ads outperform other media in driving consumer action, with 22% of listeners making immediate purchases and high rates of promo code use, brand searches, and social engagement. The personal, trust-based nature of podcast ads makes them especially effective across diverse product categories. Local media outlets—radio, TV, newspapers, and magazines—can extend their advertising offerings by integrating podcasting into their content and sales strategies. As consumer behavior shifts, podcasting offers a high-conversion, high-engagement opportunity that traditional media can no longer afford to overlook.

New research reveals that podcast audiences are significantly larger than download metrics indicate due to "co-listening"—with 16-30% of consumption happening in group settings, particularly on smart TVs where families gather together. This hidden audience multiplier creates unprecedented opportunities for local media companies (newspapers, radio, TV, magazines) to command premium podcast advertising rates by leveraging their decades of community trust and credibility that anonymous digital creators cannot match. Local media brands can position their podcasts as reaching entire households rather than individual listeners, justifying higher CPMs through their unique combination of trusted voices, professional production quality, and deep community integration that drives superior advertising effectiveness. The co-listening phenomenon transforms podcasting from individual consumption to shared household experiences, strongly favoring established local media brands that can offer advertisers authentic community connections and household penetration at premium value.

Geotargeting has become a dominant strategy in advertising, with 87% of marketers now using it—creating a major opportunity for radio to compete with digital platforms. Thanks to new FCC rules, stations can now use FM boosters and technologies like ZoneCasting to deliver localized ads to specific neighborhoods. Advertiser interest in radio geotargeting has more than doubled since 2020, with 39% saying it makes them more likely to increase radio spending. Tools like Xperi’s DTS AutoStage now provide in-car listening data, helping stations show advertisers exactly where their audiences are tuning in. Together, these innovations position local radio to offer precision, relevance, and measurable ROI—making it a powerful tool for location-based marketing.

Big Tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Meta are increasingly investing in traditional media—such as newspapers, radio, and TV—to build trust, reach broader audiences, and manage their reputations. Apple uses full-page print ads to promote privacy, Amazon advertises on local radio to support hiring, and Google sponsors public radio to enhance brand credibility. Despite their dominance in digital advertising, these companies recognize the unique value of traditional media’s trust, attention, and community connection. Local media outlets can leverage this trend by emphasizing their credibility, loyal audiences, and hyper-local reach. If Big Tech sees value in traditional media, local advertisers should too.

Realtor.com’s “Unpacking the Mover Mindset” reveals that movers are a high-value audience, making major purchase decisions within 90 days of relocating and showing increased openness to new brands and services. Local media outlets are uniquely positioned to connect advertisers with movers through trusted, community-based messaging. The Media Audit profiles newcomers and their media exposure. The Realtor.com report identifies three key phases of the mover journey—pre-move, move week, and post-move—and four mover personas, each with distinct needs and behaviors. Media sellers can capitalize on this by offering targeted ad packages, welcome guides, and geo-targeted campaigns aligned with mover timing and mindset. By leveraging these insights, local media can drive meaningful results for advertisers and deepen their role as essential partners in the community.