True Crime Podcasts Deliver New Moms and Massive ROAS for Rebel

Take a look at any podcast chart. Better yet, open your go-to podcast app. Chances are, you’re going to see a lot of true crime shows. The genre is undeniably popular, yet many brands remain cautious about advertising on true crime shows—even as brand suitability tools improve.

That caution overlooks a valuable opportunity. The audience is highly engaged and predominantly female. Most listeners are open to brand presence on true crime podcasts: 62% of podcast audiences 18 and up say true crime podcast ads don’t affect brand perception while 22% associate brands that advertise in the genre with positive attributes like “interesting,” “relevant,” and “edgy.” And only 5% of adult podcast fans report negative impressions.

This case study highlights how an online retailer successfully leveraged true crime podcasts to reach women and new moms, achieving exceptional results.

The challenge

Rebel, a fast-growing e-commerce marketplace offering discounted name-brand home, baby, and lifestyle products, was looking to expand beyond its core performance channels. Historically, the brand had focused its media investment on search and social platforms, leaving audio largely untapped.

Break through in the US market

As a Canadian company that entered the US in 2022 and rebranded in early 2025, Rebel was in a critical growth phase. The brand needed to:

• Increase awareness among US consumers

• Drive efficient customer acquisition

• Test new channels that could deliver both brand impact and measurable performance

Reach high-value audiences

To resonate with Rebel’s priority audience—female consumers 18 and up, particularly new and expecting mothers—the brand needed a targeted, contextually relevant approach. The challenge was identifying a channel that could authentically connect with this audience while also driving lower-funnel results, not just awareness.

The solution

We introduced Rebel to podcast advertising, marking the brand’s first foray into audio. The strategy combined:

• Host-read ads on a true crime podcast for authenticity and trust

• Network announcer reads on other true crime shows as well as other audience-aligned genres for scale and efficiency

Precision targeting with contextual alignment

The campaign leveraged our Podcast Select option, targeting women and new moms, aligning messaging with content environments that resonate deeply with this audience.

Notably, the plan included true crime podcasts—a genre often overlooked by family-focused brands, but one that has proven engagement with female listeners. This strategic alignment helped maximize both reach and relevance.

Measurement and attribution

To ensure performance visibility, the campaign leveraged ArtsAI attribution, enabling:

• Daily tracking of site visits and purchases

• Clear measurement of return on ad spend (ROAS)

• Insight into both immediate and residual campaign impact

The results

Rebel’s first podcast campaign drove exceptional results, delivering a total of 423% ROAS. 1 The campaign outperformed expectations for a channel often considered upper-funnel and content that some brands hesitate to invest in:

• 9,298 site visits driven during the campaign 1

• 1,171 purchases attributed to podcast ads 1

Sustained impact beyond the campaign

Even after the campaign ended, Rebel continued to see meaningful results the following month:

• 1,077 additional site visits 1

• 169 incremental purchases 1

The continued impact after campaign exposure demonstrates the lasting influence of podcast advertising, reinforcing its value as both a performance and brand-building channel.

What began as a test evolved into proof that true crime content and podcast advertising can deliver measurable lower-funnel outcomes. 

We did it for them. We can do it for you. Let’s talk.

What more lower-funnel impact?