Life Got Busy. New content offers and more!

Man! This week alone I got some cool offers in my inbox. Let's talk about them.

Hello friends! How’s your week going? Splendid I hope! Let’s chat about some things.

Wrestling Fiction Novel Substack Chat Idea!

I feel like I have to mention my story over and over again just as a refresher, but I’ll keep it short. This newsletter is all about wrestling and soon I’ll be introducing wrestling fiction in the Substack Chat section only and embed the links as reminders to read the wrestling fiction chats as that will be the introduction to my novel.

Here’s the thing. Think of the Substack Chat for the Wrestling Fiction Novel I’m dying to create and bring to life since 2018 as a way of introducing scenes, settings, characters, dialogue, and fleshing out things for a story. The story isn’t written. Well, it’s been written but I stop, lose hope and focus, and my brain is like: nope, not this direction. The first chapters of the first draft were dark themed. Of course, the novel isn’t going to be rainbow and sunshine. The main genre is mystery, and the story point is: Who killed the main character’s father?

So, the Substack Chat was created by Substack for writers (and readers if enabled) to create a private group chat spaces to discuss anything. I want to implement an experiment session with the Substack Chat to help me think about my wrestling novel.

Does this sound cool? Are you interested in it? Do you have the Substack Chat app? I really would love the encouragement. I would love to create buzz around it too and get more wrestling fans to sign up to the newsletter.

I’m also on Substack Notes. Substack Notes is like Twitter with no ADs and a great place to connect with other writers and readers and open up more collaborations. I’ve been enjoying Substack Notes so far. However, it is a little difficult to connect with others and have conversations about wrestling since I know so much and am super passionate about wrestling. I’m trying to switch up my approach for Substack Notes.

I’m on Millions.co!

Millions reached out to me and liked my content and gave me another platform to explore a new audience. Millions was created by Bruce Buffer and others to help bring athletes and now content creators closer to their fans. I’m allowed to go live on Millions which I did as a test. I’m allowed to sell merch and create some personalized videos for anyone. This is offer came to me as a complete surprise and I’m grateful for all the opportunities.

Follow me on Millions for livestreams, merch, and personalized videos! Please share this link with others you think would be interested!

https://millions.co/marie-shadows-wrestling

I’m on Cameo too!

Cameo also reached out to me a day later of the Million.co offer. I set up my profile on Cameo. If you don’t know about Cameo, this is app designed to request a personalized video from your favorite celebrity, personality, and others. I joined and will make you a personalized video about anything. I’m excited for new things!

Follow me on Cameo and start requesting videos! It could be for you or anyone!

https://www.cameo.com/marie_shadows

Substack Subscriptions and Referrals

Let’s talk about money. I know. It’s not popular but hear me out. For the longest, I have paid subscriptions on but haven’t pushed it because I’m afriad - I’m scared. I’m scared no one is going to actually subscribe. For the most part, there is a lot of free content.

Wrestling news will not change - that will always be free.

When Substack had the Writers Meet Up here in NYC I had a good talk with Katie. I said that I keep my podcast episodes free because I want EVERYONE to listen to it. I want everyone to hear my opinions, my analysis, and more about wrestling and hopefully respond to it via a comment or something. It’s to create discussion. If you don’t agree with something, alright, let me know why respectfully. Am I thinking about putting my podcast behind a paywall - no. I just can’t bring myself to do so.

However, for things that take a while to produce and create such as vlogs - video content - interviews, and other things - I believe those should be behind a paywall. That takes time and effort to create. I want those projects to be as smooth and near perfect as possible.

But I feel like my confidence isn’t there to stand on what I want to do and what I deliver as paid content. I understand that money is tight as well. I understand that you don’t like ADs or someone selling to you. I get all that. But if you rock with the content and possibly learning from it, a little support goes a long way. I’m not asking to be super rich but comfortable to the point of buying the essentials and traveling to my wrestling events for commentary gigs and making more connections so I can sign a contract. I know that it’s seems like a fool’s dream, but I’ve survived this long, and you’ve been with me for so long, I’m just asking to continue to take this chance with me.

My problem is not sticking with what I want because I’m concerned about your support and how best to accommodate you because I think empathy goes along a way. Others on Substack seem to have it figured out while I’m here like: how do I break through, stay confident, and create things people are interested in that pertains to wrestling, and so much more.

So first general question:
1. How do we feel about Substack Subscriptions?

Wrestling content is so saturated but luckily, I don’t write false news articles or expose wrestlers lives and I try my hardest to bring the best analytical content while also doing vlogging and interviewing, and much more.

2. What’s your definition of “value” when it comes to content creation?

3. What do you want to learn about in wrestling?

4. Let’s be honest, what would you pay for? No options to click, let me hear it from your mind.

Substack also has referrals. A referral is a perfect way to help spread the word about the Squared Circle Society so we can grow together. The more referrals, the better the prize. Still figuring out the prizes.

Subscribing to the Squared Circle Society will help me travel more to create more content for everyone to enjoy. With your help, we’ll be able to host more stuff and completely be a cool community within the wrestling community.

If we haven’t spoken yet, I’d love to hear your thoughts through a reply. I know my regulars and what they think already but I try my best and hardest and put so much pressure on myself to make sure that the community is alive, well, vibrant, and we’re still here because we love dreamers, doers, passions, and wrestling all together.

I can say this now that come November, I would like to do a Full Gear Challenge.

I can also say that I’ll be working on the 2024 Wrestling Planner and other journal like books.

I can say that I have a lot of work to do and upload.

Sometimes I just want to brainstorm. Sometimes I just want different ideas to enter the room. I say it all the time: Substack can be whatever you want it to be. There’s no rules. Yet, I worry about what you guys think when my content goes silent and cold, and engagement is down. Yes, I follow the numbers. Yes, I’m being honest with you all, right now. Yes, content creation is hard.

Life is crazy. I’m thankful for the opportunities. I’m thankful for you reading this. I don’t ask the right questions. All that I do isn’t a hobby. It’s a business. A business for me to feel comfortable enough to survive. All I want to do is survive and not cheat anyone out of money through a dirt sheet manner. I’m here to change the game and change the game I did. I’m here to survive so I can travel and put my experiences on display for everyone here that rocks with me in this newsletter and create new ideas - maybe opportunity. Aside from wrestling content, I’d love to open up a publishing company. But who knows.

It’s about to rain today and maybe I’m spilling all this because it’s been building and just needed to say so. I’m bad with sharing my feelings and thoughts pertaining to money and helping out the content because so many people would be quick to judge and say: get a real job - as if full time content creation from video making, livestreaming, podcasting, getting AD deals, and more and putting it together in a creative way isn’t a job or tangible. Not everyone sits on their hands and claims to be a creative and happens to never produce a single thing, you know? People actually do the work.

Why am I doubting myself? Maybe because I need to let this go in writing form. I’m not apologizing.

I attended a webinar yesterday on how to get podcast sponsorships and most of them time, I’m like how does that help a wrestling podcast? Maybe that’s bothering me…?

I’m going to continue to create and learn along the way like I do every day and I’ll get to a comfortable place in this freelance of a world that no book can prepare you for undertaking such a scary venture such as content creation when the world has let everyone know: you must be a cog in the machine.

Well fuck that. Let me be a cog in your happiness machine, friend. Let me entertain you, inspire you (somehow), teach you.

Thank you for reading all this, and hopefully we can talk ideas or I’ll answer your questions - or anything.

Marie