Making Thought Leadership Feel Human
Context
Energy Talks came to life because it was time for Petrofac’s people to be seen and heard as real experts in the energy services market.
Podcasts were everywhere in the sector, but most felt stiff, audio-only, and full of corporate speak. We saw a gap: what if we made something that actually showed the people behind the expertise, and let their personalities come through?
The Approach
The series centred on individual perspectives.
Instead of just talking about job titles or technical details, we dug into what Petrofac’s people actually believe, how they work, and where they see real change happening in the energy world.
We started with nothing: no budget, just an idea and a lot of determination. From strategy to filming to editing, we did it all ourselves. By making it video-first, every conversation stood out visually and could be easily shared across different channels.
From just five episodes, we created 77 pieces of content: full conversations, trailers, Reels, Shorts, LinkedIn snippets, you name it. Our own people got involved, sharing and championing the work, and a small paid campaign helped bring even more eyes to the main content hub.
What Changed
The pilot proved you don’t have to water down specialist conversations to get people to pay attention.
130,244 organic views across social media
7,967 website visits generated from £300 of Google Ads spend
77 content assets created from five episodes
34,156 trailer views
The work was later recognised with:
Silver, Best Portfolio Approach, Lens Awards 2024
The Human Effect
But the real shift wasn’t just in the numbers. Energy Talks changed how people at Petrofac thought about thought leadership itself.
People who’d never been on camera before started telling their stories with confidence. Their expertise came through as real, lived experience, and audiences finally got to see a more genuine, up-to-date voice from inside the company.
Because the pilot worked, leadership got behind it, and it became the start of a bigger digital content strategy. What started as a small experiment turned into a repeatable way to share expertise, build confidence, and get more value from every conversation.
A Quiet Note
Thought leadership only works when you let people sound like people. With the right format, even a handful of honest conversations can build trust that lasts.
