Sports on Social with Robyn from The GIST

What's it like to be leading the charge in an industry?

In the latest edition of The Zap, I chat with Robyn Pearson from The GIST , who’s been a key player in helping bring women’s sports under a much-needed spotlight.?

We dive into how she has quarterbacked her Social Media Manager role like a pro in the intense world of sports media, from covering global events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup to building an inclusive community of sports fans in North America.?

Kaley Ross: Robyn, I’m so excited to chat to you. I’ve followed The GIST for years, I believe since you started managing the social accounts.?

Let’s start at the beginning—what inspired you to pursue a marketing career, and how did that journey begin?

Robyn Pearson: Well, it’s been a wild and unexpected ride! I studied Commerce at Queen's University, knowing I wanted to be in business but unsure which part exactly. Once I got into it, I quickly realized that finance and accounting weren’t for me, but I loved marketing. I shifted my focus there and, at the same time, started freelance work in photography, videography, and social media content creation through my company, Smooth Studios.

After graduating, I gave full-time content creation a shot, long before TikTok was a thing. I was doing behind-the-scenes work while balancing part-time gigs, including a role at Steam Whistle Brewing. I was promoted to general manager just before the pandemic, but once the world shut down, being in the service industry became increasingly difficult.?

At that point, I asked for changes at work, and when they didn’t happen, I realized it was time to pivot.

I’d been following The GIST for a couple of years, and when a part-time social media role popped up in 2021, I thought, "Why not? I love sports, I understand social media, and I have a knack for design." I started part-time, went full-time in September that same year, and I’ve never looked back.

KR: That’s such an interesting path, and it seems like everything aligned for you to land your dream role.?

Speaking of alignment, was there a moment that felt particularly serendipitous in your journey?

RP: Honestly, it was probably my fiancée pushing me to apply for the job. I remember seeing the opening at The GIST and thinking, “I’d love to do that, but it’s part-time, it’s risky.”?

My fiancée was like, “Isn’t this exactly what you’ve always wanted? You love sports, social media, and you’re great at it—go for it!”?

She really gave me the nudge I needed, and looking back, I couldn’t imagine not saying yes. My life would be so different right now.

KR: I love it when you truly feel like something is for you and follow your intuition with it—I’ve had a few job opportunities I’ve landed that felt that way.?

Over the last few years, has there been a particularly challenging moment in your career at The GIST?

RP: Managing a social media community is hard, especially when you’re trying to please everyone.?

The challenge is balancing everything—news, branding, strategy, growth—while also dealing with online negativity. When we cover LGBTQ+ issues in sports or support women’s sports, we get hit with a lot of hate comments.?

But our community makes it worthwhile. We get messages from people saying, “We see you, we support you,” and that really helps on the tough days.

KR: I can imagine. Social media can be brutal sometimes, especially when you need to handle the brand reputation and still go through all the negative comments.?

In sports, there’s so many stories happening so fast. How do you stay on top of everything, especially while juggling all social media responsibilities, from design to copy to managing the overall brand?

RP: We’re lucky that The GIST is a cyclical, newsletter-first company, so I know that content is coming from our amazing writers four times a week. My job is to make that content visually appealing and social-friendly.?

In between, I prioritize breaking news—if something big happens, like Serena Williams retiring, that jumps to the top of my list.?

Next in line is branded content, which is crucial because it’s how we make money. If we’re working with Nike, for example, I need to create content that promotes their products or athletes.?

From there, it’s all about strategy, long-term planning, and assisting with the growth side of the business.

KR: I love The GIST’s branding—it’s feminine, accessible, and fun. How did you develop that unique approach to sports media?

RP: The whole brand of The GIST is about being your witty, sports-obsessed BFF. We aim to make sports news digestible and fun.?

Of course, there are serious stories we cover, like legal issues or scandals, but when the news isn’t heavy, we like to keep it light with memes and shareable content.?

We want our audience to get “the gist” of a story at a glance, without needing to read a ton of articles.

KR: I see The GIST a lot in my Insta feed—it feels fresh, especially compared to other sports outlets.?

Even compared to the ESPN women's account - even though it’s an account dedicated to women’s sports, I hardly engage with it.?

I find The GIST so much more approachable.?

RP: I think it’s the female perspective. Our entire content team is made up of women and non-binary folks, and that lens really shows through.?

So much of the sports media world is still run by men, and while that’s slowly changing, we bring a different voice.?

It’s also about inclusivity—covering both men’s and women’s sports, and creating a space where people can get all the top stories without following 10 different accounts.

KR: It definitely shows. There’s a certain “stickiness” to The GIST that feels intentional with an emphasis on community building. It’s very welcoming.?

When it comes to major sporting events, I can only imagine the madness behind the scenes and how wild it would be for you—especially with the different time zones and all the action happening at once.?

How do you and your team manage that kind of 24/7 chaos?

RP: Well, there’s a team of two—myself and Jessica Aldo, who was our first hire. We did bring on two coordinators after the Olympics, but during those crazy moments, it was just the two of us.?

KR: That’s amazing! Just two people handling all of that?

RP: Yeah, exactly. It’s all about communication. We’ve got the TV on, Twitter open, and Slack going constantly.?

It’s like, “I’ve got this medal story,” and Jessica’s like, “Okay, I’ll take that one.” We’re constantly bouncing ideas back and forth, dividing the stories, and figuring out who’s posting what.

During something like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, it’s non-stop. Everything else gets put on pause. I even set up an out-of-office reply during the Olympics, telling people, “Unless this is urgent, you won’t hear from me for two weeks.” Our priority is delivering the content to our audience, and that takes all of our attention.

KR: I can’t even imagine! It must feel like a two-week sprint, mentally and physically.

RP: Oh, it absolutely is! After the Olympics, I took a much-needed vacation. But it’s exciting too. There’s so much adrenaline, especially when you’re invested in a particular event.?

I was so into the Women’s Beach Volleyball games, because I knew our audience was buzzing about it. That’s what makes it fun—you feel connected to the fans.

KR: What are your thoughts on the future of women’s sports? There’s so much growth happening right now, such as the growth of the WNBA (so excited Toronto is getting a team, yay!) and the newly launched PWSL league— it feels like we’re on the tipping-point of it going even more mainstream with coverage.

RP: The future is definitely bright, and the key has been exposure. The last few years have been about getting women’s sports in front of more eyes. It starts with media exposure—getting more leagues to secure strong broadcast deals. That exposure leads to brand partnerships, which brings in revenue, and then you see more teams, more opportunities for fans to engage.

KR: That makes so much sense. It’s all about visibility.

RP: Exactly. Even with the shift to social media and younger generations watching highlights instead of full games, it’s all good for the sport.?

You’ve got people on social media sharing clips of athletes like Caitlin Clark, and suddenly, men’s basketball fans—who’ve never posted a WNBA clip in their lives—are sharing women’s sports highlights. That’s the next step: treating women’s sports the same as men’s, without needing to add “women’s” in front of it. Just sports.

KR: Yes! I just got shivers. That’s such a powerful vision.

So, you’ve been climbing this career mountain, and I can tell you’re really connected to the mission of promoting women’s sports.?

What are you most proud of, and what’s next for you?

RP: Honestly, I’m most proud of the growth we’ve seen. When I started at The GIST, our USA account had fewer than 100,000 followers, and now we’re at 215,000.?

TikTok went from 5,000 to 187,000.?

Seeing that growth has been incredible, but the best part is knowing that I’ve contributed to the overall growth of women’s sports.

KR: That’s huge!

RP: It really is. And I think The GIST has become more recognized as a staple in the women’s sports space. It feels good to know that the work we’re doing is making a difference.?

Even my friends are like, “You have the coolest job!” And honestly? I agree. I get to make memes, create content, travel to amazing events—if you’d told me five years ago this would be my life, I wouldn’t have believed you.

KR: Love it.?

So, what’s your vision for the future?

RP: I see a long-term future with The GIST. The company has been great about setting up development plans for me, and as we continue to grow, I can see myself stepping into more leadership roles.?

I know I’ll always be in women’s sports—it’s such an incredible community, and I don’t think I’ll ever leave it. This is where I belong.

KR: You really do have the coolest job!

Robyn thank you so much for chatting with me, this has been so fun and I’m stoked to see you grow and keep following The GIST for my sports updates.

RP: If there’s an opportunity to talk about women's sports and the growth of the game, then sign me up.??

I'll always make time to help get The GIST’s mission and voice out there.