Profiled - HOWL blog - The online music, fashion and culture magazine

An interview with Shaun Mooney Editor-in-Chief of online music, fashion and culture magazine HOWL

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there at HOWL?

Shaun Mooney (SM): My name is Shaun Mooney. I?m the founder and Editor-in-Chief of HOWL, an online music, fashion and culture magazine.

SMP : Briefly, tell us about HOWL. What is it and what does it cover?

SM: We scour the internet and the world around us for stuff we enjoy writing about and stuff we think you would enjoy. We aim to bring you the latest in music news, including new album releases and reviews, live music reviews and everything you need to stay plugged in. We also feature the latest fashion trends, art and photography, not to mention coverage of gigs and events from across the UK.

SMP: What was the most challenging part of building on the blogs presence in digital environments (including social media)?

SM: As an experienced SEO copywriter and web marketer, actually getting visitors wasn?t too hard in the beginning. However, the thing all web editors have to face with visits from search results is a high bounce rate. If somebody searched for something to get to your page, chances are they found what they were looking for and don?t want to stay on the page.

We then later used Yet Another Related Posts plugin (YARP), to generate similar posts a visitor might like, to keep them clicking around the site. This has improved the bounce rate dramatically.

Getting Likes and followers has been slow but steady. We try to get #ff and retweets where we can can though, to increase visibility. We use Hoot Suite to save time and keep our messages consistent. It would be nice to spend more time promoting via social media, but as a small team each with day jobs, the time we do get to ourselves we spend writing!

SMP: Who are your target audience and why?

SM: Our target audience are young people, just like us, with an interest in indie music and fashion. Each of our editors owns a specific section of the website, although we may crossover now and again. I strongly believe that if you enjoy a topic, it shows when you write, making for good editorial. In fact, I wouldn?t even say good. Brilliant, even. None of our editors or contributors are paid, we all do it because we love it.

SMP: How did you initially attract users to your blog, and how do you do it now?

SM: Initially, I shared news of HOWL via my company?s intranet, promoted it on my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts, and started emailing PRs right away. PRs, especially in music, fashion and culture, are always looking for ?the next big thing?. We have had tremendous support from agencies like Public Eye and Ooh Brilliant.

The relationship between PR and journalist has always been a rickety one. PRs seem to have taken a different approach to bloggers though: they know we?re paid next to nothing, if anything, and do what we do because we love it. They are more than happy to arrange time with their talent though, and then give us a retweet when the article goes live.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far?

SM: The low moments for me have definitely been this Christmas time just gone. The team worked really hard putting together some articles for the Christmas period, and because of a mix of my busy schedule, job hunting and ill health, those posts haven?t gone live yet. I feel quite guilty, but actually the guys have been really good, offering to proof each others posts and set them live.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?

SM: I think by far and away interviewing bands and artists that I am not-so-secretly a massive fan of. Summer Camp were simply lovely. We still tweet now and again. I?m so happy that they have found massive success. They are particularly loved in the blogosphere (is it still okay to say blogosphere?), so it?s nice to know that HOWL contributed to that success a teeny, tiny bit.

Ghostpoet was also a massive high for me. James from Ooh Brilliant stressed himself out negotiating with the tour manager a time, but in the end I got to sit down in a green room with Obaro and it was just so humbling.  For a Mercury Prize nominated artist, he?s just happy to be doing what he is doing. No hint of an ego whatsoever.

SMP: What do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities?

SM: Our biggest challenge is probably keeping a constant flow of content coming out of the site. However, everyone one at HOWL has a pretty demanding day job already. I keep saying this, but if I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is buy a lovely, modern office with a garden (I would have a take-your-dog-to-work policy, naturally) and hire all of the editors as paid staff.

SMP: What are the next moves for HOWL in terms of social media?

SM: Looking at our analytics, Facebook and Twitter continue to be the biggest sources of traffic. I am sure there is a massive opportunity there. Just look at Vice and Shortlist ? they have very healthy social media channels, and reap the rewards in terms of audience engagement because of it. It would be good to spend more time on this, but any time we get we are usually writing or editing!

SMP: What?s the next big step for social media / networks in general and what sort of impact does this have on the way you blog?

SM: I think Twitter brand pages will be something major once they come to the UK, as they will probably increase the amount of engagement users make with a page, much in the same way Facebook brand pages currently do. I still think Facebook lead the way in that respect though, as custom XHTML tabs provide so much cool functionality like f-commerce and competitions, polls etc.

SMP: You don?t have a Google+ account.  Is that going to change (If yes, why? If not, why not?)

SM: We played around with Google+ which didn?t really seem to reap much benefit at all, besides getting an A rated backlink. LinkedIn is the wrong audience for us too. I think Facebook and Twitter will continue to serve us well, as they have the heaviest uptake for our audience.

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media and technology throughout 2012?

SM: As  mobile continues to lead the way, I imagine we?ll get a ton more visits from smart phones and tablets in 2012. Optimising HOWL for mobile was important for us from the get go, which is really easy to set up using WordPress plugins.

The new Twitter and Facebook apps are also really exciting both as a brand/website, and for audiences/consumers. It?s even easier to connect with people now, especially with the Twitter integration that came with the last iOS update too.

SMP: Best way to contact you and HOWL?

SM: Give us a like on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. We?ll always say hello! If you?re a music label or PR, we also have a DropBox on our contact page you can submit music for review.


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

SM: Chicken sandwich, in a poppy seed loaf with Reggae Reggae sauce (gotta love that sauce).

SMP: What?s your favourite Christmas food and pudding?

SM: Pigs In Blankets by far, by the fistful. I am a chocolate fiend so Yule Log for pud!

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

SM: Nothing major, but literally the good thing I did for someone was to console my friend who is splitting up with her fiancée and moving out.

SMP: How many hours to you work a week?

SM: 37.5 in my role as a web marketing account manager, and then as many as I can on HOWL. This usually means weekends too!

SMP: If you weren?t running HOWL what would you be doing?

SM: I have absolutely no idea. Probably another blog to be honest! I love to write about music and fashion? There was talk with a PR friend of mine a little while ago about starting a vintage fashion label, and hosting some events to promote it. Might have to follow that one up actually?

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

SM: I haven?t been on holiday for years. If you would like to fix this for me @rigbissimo, please let me know!

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

SM: Tea! The kitchen is my first port of call. Then I?ll check my diary and sort out what needs to be done that day with my team. Then I brace myself!

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

SM: Either to fly, to leapfrog pesky commutes, or the ability to not require sleep. Think of how much you could get done!

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