On this episode Jennifer speaks with Chris Stafford, the President & CEO of  WiSP Sports Inc. which was formed in 2015.  Chris is a veteran sport’s broadcaster and journalist with more than forty years experience covering international sports and has reported at Olympic Games, World and European Championships and World Cups. Chris leads a team of women from around the world that produce and host 25 different podcasts reaching a global audience with more than 760 episodes covering all women’s sports and topics.

WiSP Sports tells the stories of sportswomen with integrity and respect while promoting gender equality, diversity, fairness and access. We celebrate women’s achievements both in and out of competition through articles, video, blogs and podcasts. As thought leaders we are shifting the narrative from a mainstream perspective of women in sport by enabling women to tell their own stories without bias.

 

Chris' Podcasting Smarter Tips: 

You want you guests to say, "Wow, I forgot we were recording!". 

Chris passed on the mainstream sports and focused on the fringe sports that weren't getting their stories heard, and whose followers were hungry for the attention. 

Chris was able to find a lot of knowledgable atheletes who made perfect podcast talent for her network. 

While interviewing atheletes, she would often find talented hosts for her shows. 

Chris describes herself as the narrow end of the funnel and still does the production for all the shows in the Wisp Network. 

As they've grown, they have developed partnerships and co-productions with relative organizations which helps with attracting sponsors. 

Although, Wisp began two years ago, Chris wanted to build a robust website with quality content and a large audience before approaching sponsors. So, they just recently started getting sponsorships. 

Chris has a business plan, but it is always evolving so she has to shift as opportunities,  technology, and trends change unexpectedly. 

It's hard to be patient when she sees the potential for the network. She would like a show for every female sport on the network. 

Keep your antenna out or you might miss an opportunity! 

The more visable and reliable you are, the more credibility you will achieve

Twitter is her best social media platform--this is where they get the conversations going

Do your research on the content you are planning and be familiar with your competition 

Know your topics and book great guests

Know your voice--what it is capable of and how it changes throughout the day

 

 

Chris' hypothetical podcast about her life: "She Tried" 

Chris' fantasy podcaster: Martina Navratilova

 

You can listen to Wisp Radio on Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher.