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Sophie Hind: Managing Director at Voiceworks Sport

Sophie Hind interview

GENERAL INTERVIEW

Sophie Hind: Managing Director at Voiceworks Sport

Voiceworks Sport is a collective of sport audio experts that enable sports brands to engage more deeply with fans and reach new audiences. The organisation works with rights holders and brands to develop game-changing audio strategies and production execution. Founded in 2018, Voiceworks Sport is headed up by MD Sophie Hind, who has twenty years of audio experience spanning roles at the likes of Global, LBC and Capital. The business is backed by Communicorp UK and works with some of the biggest international brands in sport including The FA, Paralympics GB and EuroLeague Basketball.

We caught up with Sophie to learn how she works with clients, uniting fans through content and why she loves working in audio.

What do you personally like about audio and podcasting?

For me, audio and podcasting are just so intimate and unique. The first-person communication style is different to any other media; the way the brain processes audio contributes to an incredibly strong relationship between audience and broadcaster. With podcasts, this is amplified even more. Think about the power of consuming podcast content: headphones, alone, directed straight into the listeners ears.

What I love the most is the unstuffy, unscripted, authentic nature of many different genres in podcasting. You genuinely feel like you are part of a two-way conversation with the host compared to watching or listening to other types of broadcast content. Being able to consume content using your senses and building an image of what that audio “looks like” using your own brain is hugely powerful.

I also think it’s a hugely flexible and accessible medium, and that’s really important. The flexibility of podcasting gives space for niche topics that wouldn’t have a platform elsewhere. It’s also much faster and cheaper to create audio compared to other types of media.

What do you consider when taking on a new project or client?

We always start with the client’s overarching communication or marketing objectives. Once we understand what a client is trying to achieve and why, we can get moving with our creative response. For example, if it’s a sport related project, are we targeting existing fans or engaging with new fans globally? What can we do that’s different? Audio solutions and podcasting are limitless tools and should build on existing content strategy – not just try and replicate what’s already available out there!

The bottom line is, we are unlocking the power of audio to engage more deeply with fans and reach new audiences, so clear strategy is super important for any project.

Then comes all of the elements that make up brilliant podcasts, from hosts and presenters to guests, audio branding, distribution, and marketing of the content. In many instances we are also working with integrating a commercial partner, and the Voiceworks team is made up of experts with plenty of commercial radio experience, which gives an invaluable steer on strategy.

As a company you seem very fan focused, but we’ve seen that sports fans can sometimes be very polarised when it comes to content, coverage, social issues. Is this something you have to keep in mind with your role?

Rights holders do face a challenge, there’s no doubt about it. How can they create an authentic and interesting product, while also creating content that avoids criticism of the team, manager, or players when (on occasion) it might be warranted?

The solution is thinking more broadly and using audio as a way of uniting fans by delivering content that isn’t already being served to them elsewhere. Podcasting is a freer form, so we can really shake up the game in that sense.

We look to cater for everyone, that’s a benefit of podcasting – limitless bandwidth for content, which means that no niche needs to remain unserved. We welcome all perspectives that are respectful to others, and of course is suitable for our brand and sponsors.

Both the audio industry and the sports industry have a big gender disparity, and yet podcasting is proven to serve audiences that have been undervalued in other media. Do you think audio is well placed to engage these audiences?

I really do believe that audio is a safe space to find “your tribe” – be that gender related, sport related or any other niche you may have. It’s an ocean of opportunity that is accessible to everyone and can go a long way in engaging underrepresented groups.

Podcasting is a great place to redress the imbalances we see elsewhere but there is definitely still a way to go. That being said, there are no commissioners to say yes or no to an idea, unlike other forms of broadcast media. This allows podcasters to be more daring and creative in their choice of topic, which means that podcasting can go a long way in connecting like-minded audiences across the world.

If you have access to a USB, mic, and internet you are free to experiment with podcasting – it really can be that easy. This gives the space for many people to try out their ideas as the entry levels are low in comparison, to say, making a film.

Podcasting also has much more parity across all genders. In terms of sport, what could have been just one sentence on a national sports radio station can become a whole podcast series delving deeper into, say women’s football, with a super engaged audience.

There are some interesting stats out there that show just how well-placed audio is to engage underrepresented audiences. The recent Sounds Profitable Creators Survey found that podcast creators are still overwhelmingly male; however, there is far less bias towards white men than in traditional media because of the lower barrier to entry. What’s really interesting is that the podcasting space is far more ethnically diverse than the population. The theory is that those who aren’t seeing/hearing themselves represented in popular culture are creating their own media and filling the void, which is testament to how inclusive and accessible the medium is.

What is something you haven’t tried with Voiceworks Sport yet but would like to?

We are all, obviously, huge sports fans here at Voiceworks Sports and live sport audio is a great opportunity for us. Beyond this, owning the audio rights to global events would be incredible.

We’ve done a lot of work on short form audio content delivered via smart speakers but want to really crack the code of how to improve discoverability and user experience via voice. There’s so much opportunity within audio and the market is constantly evolving, so we’re heading in the right direction with all the exciting future projects that lay ahead.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in your role?

That’s the golden question… I’d say think big, have a clear plan, and move fast.

When we launched Voiceworks Sport, the Sport Social Podcast Network wasn’t even in our roadmap, but we saw an opportunity which married perfectly with our knowledge of creating great audio, audio technology and how to integrate commercial partners into content. Many rights holders are now putting audio in the ‘must have’ instead of ‘nice to have’ box, which just goes to show how audio really is a secret weapon waiting to be unleashed, and that gives us the momentum to go even bigger and better.

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