On the latest episode of JaneWallStreet Presents: At The Table, a biweekly podcast exploring the intersection of sports, media and finance through the lens of (mostly) female decision-makers, JaneWallStreet Executive Chair Deirdre Lester sits down with Jomboy Media CEO Courtney Hirsch.

In this 50-minute conversation, the two surface and talk through a multitude of actionable insights, including:

Build Big, Not Broad

Jomboy initially viewed local expansion as the obvious path to scale. The idea was to replicate their most popular podcast, Talkin’ Yanks, across every MLB club and New York’s other pro teams. But that model necessitated a heavier advertising load that would degrade the listener experience. The company ultimately chose to go in a different direction.

“We pretty quickly realized that it was better for us to build national brands and national IP. …In order to make a local podcast network work, [we] would've had to put, like, nine ads in a show and have a show for every single market, and we didn't really want to do that to our community. We wanted the content experience to be good…we only wanted [to have] ~three advertisers per hour-long show, which is really unheard of in the podcast industry. [But] in order to do that, we needed to make these podcasts big. And to make them big, we needed to build national brands,” Hirsch said. “So, we took Talkin’ Yanks, which is still the number two baseball podcast in the world, and built Talkin’ Baseball… It was much easier to bring in these blue-chip brands knowing that [we are] speaking to a national audience, and that we'd [have] fewer shows with major scale and major impact than a long tail of 60 different shows that aren't as big.” 

Trust Travels Off-Platform

Jomboy is capable of providing reach and impressions. The company produces ~5,000 videos/month across 14 creators. But advertisers can find eyeballs elsewhere. Its true value is in its ability to deliver access to a platform that cannot be bought: the group text.

“When [I ask] our major brand sponsors, ‘Why did you decide to go all in with us and invest with us for one, two years?’ They say, ‘I asked my sports fans, what content is getting sent in your group chats with your friends, your text messages?’ And they're like, ‘Jomboy always comes up.’ That's what's driving the conversation,” Hirsch said. “When someone takes a piece of your content and they like it [or] comment on a [social] platform [that is one thing. But when] they're taking it off platform [and] into private text messages with their friends and family, and they're associating themselves with [the company], that's the trust that brands want to get in on.”

Create New On-Ramps to Fandom

Jomboy’s value to MLB extends beyond engaging the league’s existing audience. Its unique content and voice serve as a casual entry point for people who may not yet consider themselves to be fans of the sport. And it's showing to be a viable on-ramp to sustained fandom.

“Yes, [our programming is] great for [current] fans, but what moves the needle for [MLB] in a bigger way is [our ability to] create new fans,” Hirsch said. “Someone [outside the existing fanbase] sees a clip on social media, they watch an eight-minute breakdown, [then] they watch another breakdown. [Now,] they're interested, they're curious. They start to tune in to content on specific teams, and that's one fan that the league didn't have yesterday... this [cycle] is happening over and over again.”

📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JaneWallStreet Presents: At The Table on August 27.

Catch previous episodes of At The Table, including our sit-down with LOVB Chief Growth Officer Stephanie Alger, former Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Global Head of Sports Julie Souza, Head of Fubo Sports Network & Fubo Studios Pamela Duckworth, former Barstool Sports CEO & Mule Media Co-Founder Erika Badan, ATHLOS Acting President Kayla Green, former CEO of CBS News Wendy McMahon, A-Rod Corp Chief Business Officer & Minnesota Timberwolves Chief Strategy Officer Kelly Laferriere, Rasenberger Media Founder & President Cathy Rasenberger, and AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel.

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In the latest episode, The Sports Advisors talk local sports media.

We explore how the competing models are expected to affect team finances, reshape the buying and selling of local inventory, the role of emerging technology—and whether centralization is ultimately the inevitable end state across the NHL, MLB & NBA.

📺 Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page. 
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

As always, you can connect with a member of the JohnWallStreet Advisory team by sending a note to [email protected]. In fact, we encourage it!