Press play: How Audible’s Sophia Gottfried amplifies employee stories worth sharing

Sophia Gottfried, internal communicator at Audible, shapes employee communications and advises executives on strategic messaging. Gottfried’s experience spans TIME’s social media team and award-winning journalism in New Jersey, bringing her storytelling expertise to connecting Audible’s global workforce with the company’s culture and mission. 

What inspired your transition from journalism to internal communications, and how has your background shaped your approach to engaging employees at Audible?

My first job after college was at a daily regional newspaper in New Jersey, which is where I grew up. I was an editorial assistant, and then a features reporter at The Bergen Record. I learned so much and I’m so grateful for my colleagues and editors there! I always say that job was basically J-school for me. That’s how I ended up at Audible and working in internal communications – a colleague of mine from the newspaper had begun working at Audible (which is also headquartered in New Jersey!) and thought I’d be a good fit for an open role.

I was working at TIME on their audience engagement team at the time. When I got offered the position, I thought, ‘Why not take this opportunity and see where it goes?’ That willingness to take a chance and learn a different set of skills has been extremely rewarding!

My journalism background has absolutely shaped my work in communications. I see our employee communications as part of a larger narrative that I can translate highly technical information in an easy-to-understand, compelling fashion. And there’s nothing like working at a daily print publication to make you comfortable with deadlines, changing priorities, breaking news, and writing on the fly!  

With Audible’s focus on storytelling, how do you bring that same storytelling magic into your work to keep employees inspired and connected to the company’s mission?

I love what Audible does so much – whenever I meet people and tell them where I work, they are so excited to share what they’re listening to and when they like to listen. That reverence for storytelling and storytellers is also central to the culture here (and people who work at Audible love to swap listening recommendations, too! Our Audible Editors are always spot on).

Our company’s People Principles include being imaginative, drawing inspiration from culture and technology, and surprising and delighting our customers, so we try to connect our employees to those whenever possible.

As a company of audio entertainment fans, I think our employees enjoy receiving information in creative ways. That could be audio updates from our CEO Bob Carrigan (with a splash of banjo playing here and there!), video messages from some of our talent or jumping into the world of our brand campaign via pop-up in-office photobooths.

What advice would you give to communicators looking to work closely with executives on strategy while maintaining authenticity in messaging?

As a journalist, you have your own style and point of view. But every outlet has its distinct tone and format, too, so you have to be able to write within that framework. That’s how I think about working with executives – I have a point of view as a communicator, but working with each leader’s unique personality, style, and goals is essential.

I would also suggest that communicators not be afraid to have leaders show their personality or share a little about themselves via messaging if they’re game to do so. For example, in an end-of-year note, add a sentence about a family tradition or plans for the holiday. We’re all people, and our business is a testament to that it’s human nature to be curious and care about other people’s stories. 

How do you create a sense of community across Audible’s global teams, especially in a hybrid or remote work environment?

Speaking of caring about other people’s stories, our internal employee Q+As, day in the life, get to know you, what teams are up to, type pieces are really popular. I think everyone is curious about the day-to-day of their colleagues across the world, and I try to lean into that in my work.

This year, we also launched our first-ever global brand marketing campaign. We also released several tentpole titles in multiple marketplaces and languages! Having everyone rally around these huge cross-functional efforts and successes is another fun way to stay connected.

What’s a favorite audio story or podcast you’ve discovered through Audible that you think everyone should listen to?

I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, but I mostly read fiction until joining Audible. I listen to a lot more non-fiction and memoirs now. I think my favorite listen-to-date is “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb. It’s a memoir about a Hollywood producer-turned-med-school-student-turned-therapist who seeks therapy herself during a life crisis. She also lets us in on her experience with treating four very different therapy patients. I could not put my headphones down once I started this one. It’s funny, heartbreaking and thought-provoking.

As an avid traveler, what’s the most surprising or inspiring place you’ve visited, and how has it influenced your perspective as a communicator?

This is such a hard question! I’ve been to many inspiring, interesting places, but I would have to say my trip to the Transylvania region of Romania last summer.

It was incredibly beautiful and diverse – vast fields of sunflowers, jagged, dramatic mountains, misty lakes forests and cobblestone-lined university towns. I didn’t know what to expect or know of anyone who had been there, so it was an exercise in taking a bit of a risk and staying present, curious and open-minded. All of which are qualities I think every good communicator has!

Sophia Gottfried is a speaker at Ragan’s upcoming Employee Communications 101 Virtual Conference on Thursday, Jan. 30th. Attend from wherever you are for more insights into employee communications and strategic messaging.

Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn.