# Podcasters in India: Indian podcasts, formats and what brands should check

> Podcasters in India host interview, solo and story shows on audio apps and YouTube. How the formats differ, how a brand mention is bought and labelled, and what to check in an unscripted show before booking.

- Tag: Benchmarks
- Published: 14 Oct 2026
- Updated: 28 Oct 2026
- Reading time: 12 min
- By: Desk

![A paid label heard at the start, around each break and at the end of an episode: podcasters in India, vexo.club](https://media.vexo.club/media/podcasters-in-india-f9049583-1600x900.webp)

Podcasters in India are hosts who make interview, solo and story shows, heard on audio apps and watched on YouTube, and a brand books one for the attention of a listener who stays for a long conversation. This guide comes from vexo.club, an influencer marketing agency run from one desk in Delhi NCR, and it sorts podcasts by format, names a few from their own pages, and says what a brand checks before it puts a mention into an unscripted show.

The creators named here are public examples; none is a vexo.club creator unless marked as a roster creator.

It prints no listener or subscriber counts, no earnings and no chart positions, because charts move every week and a typed number is out of date by the time it is read. Public shows are named from their own pages, and none is a vexo.club creator. The roster holds no podcaster, and the desk says so below.

**In short: What to know before buying a podcast mention**

1. A podcast is bought for a host's voice and a listener's long attention, so the brief protects the show's tone before it asks for reach.
2. Shows are sorted by format, not rank: interviews, solo shows, stories, news briefs and company podcasts.
3. A paid mention in audio is announced at the beginning and at the end, and before and after every break, under ASCI's guidelines.
4. An unscripted show is a brand-safety question, because the guest can say what the brief never saw.

## Who are the top Indian podcasters?

There is no ranking worth printing. Lists differ by platform and week, and a podcast's count on one app is not the number on another. The useful grouping is by what a show does, and a few public shows give a sense of the range. Each is named from its own page, and none is a vexo.club creator.

- **The Seen and the Unseen.** The [About page](https://seenunseen.in/about/) says it is a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma, and that he is a writer and podcaster based in Mumbai. It evolved from looking at the unintended consequences of public policy into a deep-dive interview show.
- **The Prakhar Gupta Xperience.** The [About page](https://www.youtube.com/@ThePrakharGuptaXperience/about) describes a show that aims for "raw, thought-provoking dialogue", with "no scripts" and "no agendas", and gives an email address for business queries.
- **Misfit Humans.** The [About page](https://www.youtube.com/@MisfitHumans/about) says the podcast is hosted by Dhruv Athi and features conversations with people the show calls misfits, on personal growth, mental health, creativity and relationships.
- **Him-eesh Madaan.** The [About page](https://www.youtube.com/@HimeeshMadaan/about) describes a mindset coach whose channel also hosts a podcast, with guests from different industries.

**Figure: What a podcast mention buys**

![Quote card: a podcast is bought for a host’s voice and a listener’s long attention, podcasters in India](https://media.vexo.club/media/podcasters-in-india-host-voice-cfdcaac9.png)

The desk held back a few better-known podcast names after its brand-safety check, which reads current news and open legal matters on the day of writing and again before any booking. A name missing from this list is the result of that check, not an opinion on the creator. The grid below sorts the field by format.

**Figure: Kinds of podcast, and what each gives a brand**

|  | What the listener comes for | Check first |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interview shows | A long conversation with a guest | Who the guests are, and whether the host challenges them |
| Solo and essay shows | One voice and one argument | Whether the host's past views fit the brand |
| Story and narrative shows | A story told well, over many episodes | Whether the sponsor fits the mood of the story |
| News and business briefs | A short, regular update | Whether the placement is read by the host or an ad insert |
| Company and brand podcasts | The brand's own subject, in its own voice | Whether the guests and the sponsors are disclosed |

*A starting grid, not a ranking. The second column is the check most often skipped for that kind.*

## Which podcasts are popular in India, and where are they heard?

The same show can be an audio file, a video on YouTube and a set of clips on Instagram, and a brand mention appears differently in each. Charts for audio apps and for YouTube are published by the platforms themselves and change often, so the desk does not copy one. The questions that matter to a brand are where the show's listeners are, and how the mention reaches them.

**Figure: One podcast, three places a brand mention lives**

|  | Audio on podcast apps | Video on YouTube | Clips on Instagram |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| How a listener finds it | Search and recommendation inside the app | Search, recommendation and the host's subscribers | The feed, as a short clip of one moment |
| How the mention appears | Read or played in the audio | Said on camera, and shown on screen | Inside a clip, or in a separate reel |
| How delivery is verified | A report from the host's hosting service | The channel's own analytics | The account's own insights |
| Where the label sits | Announced in the audio itself | Said aloud and shown near the start | On the clip, with the platform's tool |
| Best for | A steady listener who stays for the whole episode | A viewer who wants the face and the room | A moment that travels beyond the show |

*Most shows are in more than one place. The brief says which copy it is buying.*

## How does ASCI apply to a podcast mention?

A paid mention in a podcast is advertising, and it is labelled in a way a listener can hear. ASCI's [influencer guidelines](https://www.ascionline.in/social/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ASCI-Influencer-Guidelines.pdf) say that in audio media the disclosure must be clearly announced at the beginning and at the end of the audio, and before and after every break taken in between. For a video of two minutes or more, the label stays for the whole section in which the brand is mentioned. Disclosures are likely to be missed if they appear only in a bio, at the end of a post, or anywhere that needs a click on "more", so a line in the show notes does not do the work alone.

**Figure: Labelling a paid mention in a podcast**

| Do | Don’t | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Announce the paid mention at the beginning and at the end of the audio | Leave it only in the show notes |  |
| Repeat it before and after every break taken in between | Say it once and assume it carries through the episode |  |
| On video, say it aloud and show it for the whole section where the brand is named | Put it on screen for a moment and take it off |  |
| Use the platform's own paid-partnership tool as well, where one exists | Treat the tool as a replacement for the host's own words |  |

*Written from ASCI's influencer guidelines. A free product, a perk or an agreement to post counts as a connection as much as money does.*

If the podcast talks about health or finance, the host's qualifications are called out at the beginning of the advertising content, as the same guidelines require, and an unqualified host does not give advice on those categories. [ASCI disclosure for brands](https://vexo.club/blog/asci-disclosure-rules-for-brands) sets out who labels what and who checks.

**Figure: Where ASCI wants a paid mention announced in audio**

![Timeline of where ASCI expects a paid podcast mention announced: the start, every break, the end, podcasters in India](https://media.vexo.club/media/podcasters-in-india-audio-label-78dec729.png)

## How do brands work with Indian podcasters?

There are four usual ways in, and each buys something different. A host-read mention uses the host's voice, a guest appearance puts a person from the brand in the conversation, a custom series gives the brand its own episodes, and a clip package reuses a moment on other platforms. The desk's guide to [YouTube integration or a dedicated video](https://vexo.club/blog/youtube-integration-or-dedicated-video) covers the video side, and the studio pillar on the [services page](https://vexo.club/services) lists podcast editing among its sound and music work.

**Figure: Ways a brand appears in a podcast, and what to watch**

|  | A brand fits when | Watch for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Host-read mention | The product suits the host's own routine | A script that reads as an advert and not the host |
| Guest appearance | The brand has a person with something to say | A conversation that becomes a pitch |
| Custom series | The brand wants a subject of its own | Who owns the episodes and the audio files |
| Clips on other platforms | A moment will travel on its own | Rights to cut and reuse the guest's words |

*The way in follows what the brand wants the listener to do.*

## What is the brand-safety risk in an unscripted show?

An unscripted show can go anywhere, and a brand is placed next to it: a remark can draw police complaints, and an episode's claims can be contested long after it airs. The desk takes no side in such matters. It treats the risk as the reason a brand reads the host's recent episodes, and the guests, before the mention is booked.

**Figure: An unscripted podcast for a brand**

*Strengths*

- A listener who stays for a whole conversation
- A host's voice carries the mention
- The same episode can run on audio, video and clips

*Weaknesses*

- A guest can say what the brief never saw
- A mention cannot be edited out of an episode once it is live
- Delivery is reported in different ways on different apps

**A good fit for a patient brand with a story to tell. A poor fit for one that needs control of every minute.**

## Which podcasters are on the vexo.club roster?

None. No roster record lists a podcast, so the desk names no roster creator as a podcaster. A podcast placement is cast to the brief, with audience fit stated per show before any rate, and the creators on the [roster](https://vexo.club/roster) are a different kind of booking: video and Instagram creators whose profiles say what they make. If a brief wants a roster creator to appear as a guest, the desk takes the request to them and asks what they will say.

The shows named above that have a YouTube channel are in one table. They are named from their own pages, and none is a vexo.club creator.

**Figure: Podcast channels named in this guide**

| Channel | Category | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [The Seen and the Unseen](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdb70s_KLErbXcjxjhCFb1g) | Interview podcast |  |
| [The Prakhar Gupta Xperience](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHOKvQW2N4kLVhKYn2bvF7A) | Conversation podcast |  |
| [Misfit Humans](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRKZnV3mUfkHNbIxDH0LfyA) | Conversation podcast |  |
| [Him-eesh Madaan](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQDF0x18Xe6RZayvod99zA) | Mindset coaching |  |

*A YouTube count leaves out a show's audio audience. Listed in the order named, not ranked.*

## How is a podcast sponsorship run?

The brand approves facts and the label, and the host keeps the words. The order protects both sides: the host hears the brief before recording, and the brand hears the episode before it goes live where the contract allows.

**Figure: How a podcast mention is run**

1. Brief · The product, the facts that must be right and the topics off limits
2. History check · Recent episodes, guests and current news, read on the day
3. Contract · Placement, label wording, usage and a clause for episodes pulled later
4. Record · The mention read in the host's words, with the label announced
5. Review · The label heard, the claim true, the report read against the check

*The host keeps their voice. The brand keeps the facts and the label.*

**Figure: Who holds what in a podcast sponsorship**

![Two columns: the brand approves the facts and the label; the host keeps the words and delivery, podcast sponsorship in India](https://media.vexo.club/media/podcasters-in-india-brand-and-host-43636832.png)

## What should a brand check before booking a podcaster?

Check who listens, what the host has said before, and what the guests are likely to say. The audience method is in [how to check an influencer's audience before you pay](https://vexo.club/blog/checking-an-influencers-audience). A podcast adds a wrinkle: a download or a view is not a person, so the check asks for the host's own hosting and channel reports, and reads them against the brief.

**Figure: Before a podcast mention is booked**

- Current news and open legal matters about the host, searched on the day
- Recent episodes and guests, listened to, not summarised
- Audience geography, age and language, from the host's own reports
- Where the show is heard: audio, video, clips
- The ASCI label wording, and where it is announced
- What happens to the mention if an episode is pulled
- Usage rights in writing: where the audio and clips may run, and for how long

*Seven lines. The first is read again on the day of recording.*

Usage is the line that quietly breaks budgets, so [usage rights](https://vexo.club/blog/usage-rights) is worth reading before the contract, and [creator whitelisting explained](https://vexo.club/blog/creator-whitelisting-explained) covers running a clip as an ad. To brief a podcast placement, [send the desk a brief](https://vexo.club/contact), and for a brief centred on Mumbai, where the host of The Seen and the Unseen is based, the desk's [page for Mumbai](https://vexo.club/influencer-marketing-company/mumbai) describes how a brief is run.

## Questions brands ask

**Who are the top podcasters in India?** No source settles it, and charts change every week on every platform. A brand is better served by the format, the audience and the check than by a rank. The desk names a few public shows from their own pages, and none has a recorded relationship with vexo.club.

**Which Indian podcasts can a brand sponsor?** Any whose host agrees and whose recent episodes pass the check. The desk takes a brief, reads the show, and says whether it fits. It names no show as available, because availability is the host's to confirm.

**Does a podcast ad need an ASCI label?** Yes, when there is a material connection: money, a free product, a perk or an agreement to post. In audio the label is announced at the beginning and at the end and around every break, and on video it is said and shown.

**Can a brand be a guest on a podcast?** Yes. A guest appearance is a different purchase from a mention, and it is still labelled when it is paid. The brief decides what the guest will say, the host decides the questions, and the contract says who owns the episode.

**Does the vexo.club roster have podcasters?** No. No roster record lists a podcast, so the desk does not describe any roster creator as one. A podcast placement is a separate booking, cast to the brief.

## Sources.

1. [seenunseen.in/about](https://seenunseen.in/about/)
2. [youtube.com/@ThePrakharGuptaXperience/about](https://www.youtube.com/@ThePrakharGuptaXperience/about)
3. [youtube.com/@MisfitHumans/about](https://www.youtube.com/@MisfitHumans/about)
4. [youtube.com/@HimeeshMadaan/about](https://www.youtube.com/@HimeeshMadaan/about)
5. [influencer guidelines](https://www.ascionline.in/social/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ASCI-Influencer-Guidelines.pdf): ascionline.in

## Related.

- [Influencer marketing across India](https://vexo.club/influencer-marketing-company)
- [Fashion influencers in India: formats, cities and what a brand checks](https://vexo.club/blog/fashion-influencers-india)
- [Indian vloggers on YouTube: daily vloggers, vlog formats and how brands book them](https://vexo.club/blog/indian-vloggers-youtube)
- [Gaming YouTubers in India: Indian gamers, esports and what brands must check](https://vexo.club/blog/gaming-youtubers-india)

## Cite this page.

Podcasters in India: Indian podcasts, formats and what brands should check. vexo.club, published 14 Oct 2026, updated 28 Oct 2026. https://vexo.club/blog/podcasters-in-india

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Source: https://vexo.club/blog/podcasters-in-india