Spin To Win #21: The Future Of Spin To Win (I Promise This Is Good)
I think I've finally settled on what I want things to look like.
This is the first result when I typed in music in Substack’s stock image search.
I kicked off this newsletter a couple of months ago, basically on a whim. I’d gone away with my girlfriend, and while there, I decided that I wanted to give self-publishing another crack. During COVID, I ran a blog for about 18 months, publishing on what is now my website that I use as a portfolio. I contemplated going back to that blog, but instead settled on Substack — in part because I wanted the directness of being in people’s inboxes, and partly because I thought it’d be easier to monetise a Substack.
On both counts, I think I was right.
I’m at a bit of a crossroads now, though — because this newsletter’s taken over pitching to other publications, and in truth, I’m getting itchy feet. My last byline was for the Guardian back in June, and I do plan on getting back to pitching… at some point, sooner rather than later. I still want to crack some international bylines, and I’d love to write another piece for the Guardian, so my self-imposed break will end at some point.
In the meantime, though, I’ve been thinking about how to ensure this newsletter remains interesting. Running any sort of publication entirely based on data is a perilous exercise. However, looking back, the newsletters that get the most engagement are the ones with industry interviews, and ones featuring my assorted thoughts on things. Both of which, happily, are my favourite types of newsletters. So, I’m doubling down on those going forward. From time to time, there will be Q&As with artists, but these will be structured around a theme, rather than a new release. Happy to leave that to other publications.
However, I also do want to continue with artist conversations about new releases — but rather than writing these in a Q&A format, I’m looking to write a feature a month. Initially, these will be Australian artists, but I am looking to go back to writing about both Australian and international music — I think the sweet spot will be 1x Australian artist feature and 1x international artist feature a month.
This brings me to my other point: the benefit of being a paid subscriber, and an ask (if you can) to subscribe, or to recommend the newsletter to someone. I’m currently 4 subscribers away from my goal to kick off artist features — and if all things go well, I already know which artist I want to interview for the first one (they happen to have a double album dropping in October). My goal with this newsletter has been, is, and will continue to be to prove that self-publishing as a music journalist is sustainable, and that you can get access to the same calibre of artists that you’d get with a publication — and so far, I think that’s working.
When you take out a paid subscription to the newsletter, you’ll get exclusive access to the transcripts from these interviews — which solves one of my longest-running gripes with music journalism. All too often, I’ll interview someone for a publication, have a wonderful chat, and then end up leaving some great stuff on the cutting room floor. This way, I give you a tangible benefit for subscribing, and I get to share entire interviews — it’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Of course, I’m still always plotting more paid benefits, and if you’ve got any ideas, please reach out. Regularly scheduled programming will resume next week, but I wanted to give you an insight into where my mind is at with Spin To Win. And before you ask, yes, writing a newsletter edition entirely about the future of said newsletter is very self-indulgent. But hey, that’s what you signed up for, right?
Sounds good, Ben! Keen to follow along with this next chapter!