All The Angles S1 E12 Focus on Padel Content Creation

Modern sports now rely on third party content creators to grow recognition, drive fan engagement and entertain. Those who made a name for themselves early and who found a winning formula, have secured reputations, followings and relationships within the sport that are the envy of everyone else.

Two individuals who did just that in the last 5 or 6 years are Pablo Garcia of The 4th Set, and Sven Boele of Otro Nivel. While the first focuses more on the professional tour and players (both in Spanish and English), and the latter specialises in tongue-in-cheek coaching content for English-speaking amateurs, both have secured tens of millions of views on their respective channels.

In this week's episode, we discuss the viability, opportunities and challenges around building a padel content-creation brand and following.

Transcript

Introduction

Alex Inglot 0:05

Ladies and gentlemen, damas y Caballeros. Thank you for joining us for another episode of All The Angles, the business of padel podcast worldwide powered by the Hexagon Cup. This week, our mission is to give you, our audience, a unique insight into the world of content creation in and around professional padel as well as amateur padel. I'm joined this episode by two individuals who probably need very little introduction to those who follow the padel Ecosystem around the world. First of all, I have Sven Boele, who in a previous life, a high level player for Holland: playing in the world championships and the European championships. He's a padel instructor back in Holland, but he also launched Otro Nivel around 2019, which is now probably one of the leading international tuition podcasts in the padel space. It has about 51, 000 subscribers on YouTube; about 400 videos worth of content. But he also does other material with other sponsors as well. Okay. 34, 000 subscribers, and around 15 million views. And his Spanish one, which is obviously his primary. channel has another 172, 000 subscribers with about 687 videos worth of content and 18 million views. So both well established in the space with strong followings around the world. Before we get started, if you enjoy this episode or have benefited from previous.ones, please like, share, subscribe. It definitely helps. Without further ado, let's get started. Guys thank you for joining. I guess my first question is let's go right to the beginning. You both started your channels around 2019 Pablo your English one followed a few years later, but your Spanish one started around 2019. When you guys launched these channels was your objective to create a sustainable content business standing alone or what was the objective from the start

Sven Boele 2:14

Well, in my opinion, when I started to play padel in the Netherlands, we just didn't know what, we had to do, we did not know anything about padel. We just started to play and that was really fun. I just started to play a lot and I was just starting to get used to the walls to do a lot of training sessions, so I did a lot of one against one to learn to how to use the walls. Then I was selected to the Dutch team to play in the world cup. And then I came back and I thought, well, this is like a, a totally different world for me. So then I went to Spain to learn to play proper padel. And then because during the lockdown, I was in Spain, I started the channel with a lot of videos with German Schafer and, German could speak perfect English and he knew a lot about padel. So what I really wanted to do is to bring people to Spain to learn to play the real padel because that's what I experienced. That it was just completely different to the game that we play in the Netherlands. Because in the Netherlands we play so hard, so much before the glass, a lot of smashes. And so I was like well if I could show the real padel and can bring people to Spain to really see how padel is played. Because if they just play against somebody from Spain and they get their asses kicked, this is so much more worth than giving somebody one padel lesson. So then I was like, if I do videos about tips and tricks, because the only thing that I saw online were the videos of Danny Dios, which were super good. But I was like, yeah, well, I think we can tell in a different approach. And then the lockdown hit and then I really started to record more videos because that was the only thing I could do. So, I think it was created not to make money per se, because I didn't thought that would be possible, because padel was not so Big, if you make content in English during that time. Because the only one that was making the videos regularly was Sandy from the padel school in English. And I made a few videos and Sandy was like super early to contact me like, wow, this is really fun. And thank you for also making content. So then I was like, okay, nice. This is a nice community. If everybody helps each other. And it was finished and kind of, so we got a few, I think already 10, 000, 20, 000, 30, 000 videos, so it was like, well, let's do more because people really enjoy it. I don't know what it's

The Beginning (The 4th Set)

Alex Inglot 4:53

Did you, when you had the channel, did you feel like it was a marketing initiative for your coaching or that didn't really come into the equation? Got it. What about you, Pablo? Where did it all start? What was the vision? Was it to be this huge media empire or started off a little bit less ambitious?

Pablo Garcia 5:38

First of all, thank you, Alex, for having us. I'm sorry because of my voice. I'm not in the best conditions. Well, my story is kind of similar to Sven, but quite different as well. So I was doing my last year of bachelor, the double bachelor in business administration and marketing. Thank you So I always wanted to somehow enter the sports industry. I mean, as I'm Spanish, probably you are thinking about football. I was thinking too, but since 2014, something like that, I fell in love with padel so hard that in 2019, when I was doing my last year of bachelor, I wanted to join somehow the padel industry. What was the problem that I didn't know someone in the industry? I didn't be a good player. so. It was quite hard because padel at that time, even in Spain, it was super small. So the only idea that I had to create value to myself, it was to create videos. Because at that moment, Paquito and Lebron joined as a pair and no one was talking about that. There was just one YouTube channel creating content in Spanish that was Manu Martín. Everything was related to how to play padel, how to do a volley, a bandeja, whatever. So, I was more into these kind of players are going to play together and no one is going to talk about this. So, I created my first video about that. The video got around 20k views, something like that. So, I was, actually I remember that I was watching the Australian Open, Nadal versus Federer, back in that time. And I saw the YouTube Studio app and suddenly I got 10K views or something like that, like one week after. So I was, Oh my God, I live close to Madrid, but in a town that has 27, 000 I mean, so I was thinking, Oh my God, almost half of my town is watching my video. Oh, since then I tried to create more content just to see what happens like to spend, I don't know. I didn't have any kind of strategy, any kind of goal. Just to somehow enter to work in the padel industry. And fortunately, it suddenly happened. I started working in Hook. Hook is a racket brand. They sponsor Mariana Mad, the former coach of Lebron and Galan. I've been there for one year. Um, then I did my master's. I entered to work in the football industry as well, but I mean, at some point I decided to bet everything on the content creation side of my life. So that's somehow my career.

The Development of a Brand/Content Strategy

Alex Inglot 8:18

And so you guys came in, you had an idea of what you wanted to do, but it was fairly narrow. And now, obviously, I think, both of you have diversified the kind of content that you guys create. Obviously, it's still rooted, like Sven, yours is still very much rooted in tuition and learning and, skills. Whereas Pablo, similar to how you started, it's much more about the people, the players, the tour, but there is elements of coaching. When did you guys decide that you wanted to add strings to your bow or add elements to your core proposition? How did you develop that strategy? Because also there's an issue of tone of voice, right? Sven, yours is kind of light hearted. quite jokey. Obviously there's a lot to be learnt, but a lot of the original content was very serious and very technical, whereas yours is playful and technical. And Pablo, yours is also quite informal. You're not trying to create like a studio environment where it's really formal and you need to worry about what you're gonna say. You want people in their natural environment talking as if they're talking to a good friend that they've known for a long time. Obviously by now they do know you for a long time, but I'm assuming that you guys didn't start with this idea of I'm going to do this kind of content that in one year I'm going to do that content that in 18 months I'm going to diversify to this content and my tone of voice is this and my proposition is that. Do you feel like you guys have had to formalize your approach to your content over time? Pablo, obviously you added the English later on, but apart from that how did you road map or develop your proposition?

Pablo Garcia 9:51

I mean, actually I don't have a clear answer because I don't remember at what point I think that I did a strategy, like a proper strategy that I'm going to do this or whatever, whatever. But I. I always had some ideas. For example, this year I had a clear idea that I wanted to do like the training five days with Agustin Tapia in the Knox Fitter Academy as we have signed with Knox as a sponsor. So these are more like isolated ideas. More than a nice strategy. And that is something that worries me a lot because I always try to create a straight highway for my life, but it's always like course and course and so I can say that I have a clear strategy. I have some good ideas in my opinion for the next season, for example, for the next year, but I don't have an extra day. So I'll explain if you can help me. I'm here because I have ideas, but not on a strategy. That's my resume. Like

Alex Inglot 12:20

And are there times when you guys do something and it unexpectedly does really well, or something unexpectedly does really badly? Pablo, have you had an idea where you're like, Whoa, that went a lot better than I expected in terms of views and responses? Or indeed the opposite. Something where you thought this idea, I think it's going to be really great. And you've done it. And just the views haven't backed it up.

Pablo Garcia 12:41

sure. I mean, probably it's been, can't tell any more examples. But in my case, the one that I mentioned before, the experience like training in the NFA, in the next feature Academy. I expect it to be a good idea, but not as good as it was. Because every video got more than a 100, 000 views; Many comments. It was the first time that we do like a kind of a blog format. We were doing it live, somehow. Actually, I remember your comment, Alex, that I need to find a way to train, play matches and whatever, and don't work until 1 a. m. Just to have the content ready for the next day. That was one of the best ideas that we have this year. And for example, one that didn't go as well as I expected was also with Tapia, for example. An idea that we launch two weeks ago, something like that. That, with the launch of the new 80 10 rackets, the Rack, we've been in Barcelona the day that Tapia recorded the. So we did an idea to see the rackets for the first time. Somehow like a review, but at the same time, a mystery box. And that video got around 50, 000 views. But somehow I expected more because it, I mean, it's, it's Tapia. Uh, so, I mean, at the end you have like a balance.

The Impact of Tone of Voice

The Impact of Padel's Global Growth

Alex Inglot 14:08

And you spent and do you find that there's a variation to how silly you are in the video? So, for example, do you find that the more tongue in cheek you are in the video in terms of the tone and the jokes and the delivery? Does that raise their views or lower the views? Do you have a sense of that? Yeah, so we'll come to the economics but, what do you guys feel about the future for your specific channels? There's obviously an understanding that in the last four or five years, padel has really accelerated at a ridiculous rate And you've probably noticed that with your views you've noticed that with the approaches of sponsors, as you said the professionalism around the events, perhaps even the bureaucracy, but do you guys feel like an urge to Really take advantage of that growth. Do you feel like okay I need to do more. I need to grow my markets. I need to come up with more ideas. I need to create more content. Do you guys feel a surge or an urge to do more with what you've got? Or actually you're like, that was never the reason. And actually I'm doing what I'm doing. If it's getting more views, great. If it's not, it's not. I want to keep doing what I'm doing. As you said, spend kind of, I want to keep it a bit more honest to the original vision. How do you guys react to the growth of the industry in the last few years and what it means for your particular channels.

Pablo Garcia 18:58

do. I do. I'm kind of obsessed with it. I mean, for example, this season, this year, I had it clear that I wanted to be in as many Premier Padel tournaments as possible. But now in October, I figured out that it was so hard to maintain the level, and also at the same time that to create content at the tournaments is not as easy as I thought, or I mean, or at least we don't have the proper approach to it. So now we are thinking about to pivot that idea and do something different. But yes, for sure, I'm quite upset with the idea of creating more content but not just for the numbers or for the views or whatever. Because I have so many different ideas that no one is doing it or someone is doing it, but in somehow that I can do it better. That I want to do more and more and more and more, so that's my approach. So I want to do more, but not for the views, not for that. Just to create, create, create,

Alex Inglot 20:02

You don't want to do a French language or Italian language channel.

Pablo Garcia 20:05

for the AI. To implement on YouTube. Because Sven, you probably know, Alex, that YouTube is implemented the automatic translator with AI that my voice sounds the same in French or German or whatever. And you don't have to implement the subtitle. So that will be an amazing idea

Alex Inglot 20:25

Yeah, when I started doing this, there were a lot of people saying, why don't you do it in Spanish as well my Spanish is not good enough and they're like, we'll just get someone else to read it. And I was like, I feel similar to what you're saying, Pablo, I feel like AI is just around the corner. But if I do it now, it's going to look really bad, especially when you've got Spanish speakers who are answering in English and then get dubbed over by someone else in Spanish. It just feels like something's wrong if I'm doing that. But, uh, what about you, Sven? And Pablo, do you find it frustrating kind of creating the content twice? I, I, I,

Pablo Garcia 21:39

yeah. yeah, for sure. Every day I'm thinking about when the fucking AI will arrive in YouTube, because for example we do the post tournament analysis. So, what I do is to write the script in Spanish, translate it to English, recording myself in Spanish, recording myself in English, editing the video in Spanish, editing the video in English. Obviously it's not twice the work because once you have the Spanish video done, you just need to proper edit the English one, but you have 80 percent of the work done. But anyways, I mean, it's so frustrating. But honestly, I do it with all my love if you want to say it like that, because you see the comments of people that cannot understand anything if I were not there. So that's, my salary. Many people like recognize me to thank you for translate an interview with LeBron, after the match, because we didn't get what LeBron said or what LeBron did on that match. So for example, in Doha, Qatar, no one knew what happened there if you were not there as I was, or if you were not able to speak Spanish. So, badly to evolve in that sense so much.

Alex Inglot 22:57

100 percent because you,