David Shands, the Atlanta-based entrepreneur behind the Social Proof Podcast, says he has earned more than $10 million (£7.9 million) from podcasting over six years. He made the claim during a live recording of The Dept., a podcast hosted by fellow entrepreneur Omar, where he also argued that most people entering the space are approaching it the wrong way.
The remarks land against a backdrop of sustained industry growth. US podcast advertising revenue rose 17.6% in 2025 to reach $2.9 billion (£2.3 billion), up from $105.7 million (£83.5 million) a decade earlier, according to the IAB and PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report published in April 2026. The figure represents actual reported revenue, not a projection, making it one of the most concrete measures of how the medium has scaled.
