Outside Interactive uses BeyondWords to scale ElevenLabs voices across multiple titles
Outside Interactive now uses BeyondWords to deliver ElevenLabs narration across multiple editorial titles, including Outside Online, Velo, and Backpacker.
Once an article is published, an audio version can be generated and embedded with BeyondWords, so subscribers can listen on the move or read and listen simultaneously.
Quality voices for quality journalism
After reviewing a range of AI voice providers, Outside gravitated toward ElevenLabs voices for their quality and realism. For a brand built on immersive, human-led storytelling, anything less wouldn’t cut it.
Rachel Risko, Lead Product Manager at Outside, explains: “Our long-form features are crafted pieces of journalism—they deserve narration that sounds natural and engaging, not robotic. ElevenLabs produces voices that can carry the emotional weight of a 5,000-word adventure narrative without listener fatigue.
“When someone's on a long trail run listening to one of our stories, the voice needs to feel like a companion, not a machine.”
You can listen to an extract of one of Outside’s audio articles below:
“It's the kind of immersive, character-driven narrative that works beautifully in audio,” says Risko.
Adopting ElevenLabs, without the complexity
ElevenLabs set the benchmark for voice quality, but Outside knew building the surrounding infrastructure—from CMS integration to the audio player—would be complex and time-consuming.
That’s when they discovered BeyondWords.
BeyondWords allows Outside to use ElevenLabs voices as part of an automated publishing workflow.
After a simple, one-time setup of the WordPress plugin and a dedicated project for each title, audio versions are created and embedded into articles.
There are no extra steps for editors, and minimal engineering overhead. So, Outside can scale ElevenLabs audio without disrupting existing workflows.
Using audio to drive subscriptions
Audio plays a direct role in Outside’s subscription strategy, offered as one of the many exclusive benefits to Outside+ subscribers.
For non-subscribers, the BeyondWords Player displays a “Subscribe to listen” prompt.
Clicking play takes readers to the sign-up page, where audio is positioned as a premium benefit.
For subscribers, the audio player displays a “Listen and enjoy this subscriber-only benefit” message that reinforces exclusivity.
By giving subscribers flexibility in how they consume content, Outside can foster engagement habits that increase satisfaction and reduce churn.
Outside also uses audio to support its brand identity. With a mission to help people get outdoors, the company believes that time outside is transformational and essential to human health, happiness, and connection—for everyone. By turning its editorial content into a premium listening experience, this allows their audience to enjoy the stories that inspire them while on the go.
“Our readers are active people—they're out hiking, running, driving to trailheads, or commuting to their next adventure. Audio lets them engage with our long-form storytelling during moments when reading isn't practical,” explains Risko.
“It's about meeting our audience where they are: in motion, outdoors, living the lifestyle we celebrate.”
Add ElevenLabs narration to your publication
Want to offer high-quality AI narration without building and maintaining an audio stack?
BeyondWords lets you deploy ElevenLabs voices through a fully automated, publisher-ready workflow—across websites, apps, and feeds.
