Key takeaways from ‘Mystery Mondays’ story:
- Bella launched "Mystery Mondays" eight years ago, inspired by her studies in criminology and psychology and has built a reputation for empathetic storytelling consistently focusing on victims and their families.
- Within six months of bringing the show to Spotify, the show reached a monthly audience of 500,000.
- Consumption time on Spotify tripled from February to March, then doubled again from March to September 2025.
- Bella reports that she earns almost twice as much on Spotify as on YouTube, despite being on Spotify for only 10 months versus 10 years on YouTube.
- One episode that got 350,000 views on YouTube reached 1.7 million views on Spotify.
- For Bella, increased revenue from Spotify also allows her to better support the causes she covers, directing proceeds toward petitions, GoFundMe campaigns, and donations related to the cases she features.
Watch our conversation with Bella:
From true crime consumer to creator
Bella Fiori, already an established beauty and fashion creator, began her path to true crime eight years ago, rooted in a fascination that would eventually transform into a thriving business.
I think what drew me to true crime, and it might sound a little cliché, is when I was young, I used to watch a lot of ‘Law & Order: SVU.’
That early fascination grew into something deeper.
"I've always been intrigued by the minds of people who are capable of doing the things that they do. It's a position where you can't put yourself in those shoes, and so you really just want to try and understand it."
During her university years studying criminology and psychology, that curiosity found a new outlet. Bella launched "Mystery Mondays" in 2017—turning her fascination with crime into her own investigative storytelling.
Unlike her beauty and fashion content, this new venture came with unique ethical considerations. For Bella, creating true crime content comes with a responsibility that extends far beyond entertainment.
True crime is obviously a really sensitive subject. So I think it's important to approach it by always talking about and remembering the victims first before anything else.
While she didn't know what to expect, initial feedback showed that her authentic, empathetic approach immediately resonated with audiences.
"The first episode got a great response, and I was very excited about it because I didn't know how it was going to go," she says.
Why showing beats telling
Bella started “Mystery Mondays” as a video show because video allows creators to show rather than just tell — a crucial distinction when covering complex cases.
"For example, I'm working on a case right now where there's a lot of emails involved and a lot of conversations involved, and it would be a 10-hour-long video if I read every single one," Bella explains.
With video, she says, “you can just put it on the screen for people to maybe pause and read it and see it themselves."
The visual element also helps with context and geography. Bella often puts maps on screen when discussing locations, especially when distances between places are essential to understanding a case.
But perhaps most importantly, video brings an emotional connection that pure audio may not match. Bella explains that seeing people's faces brings emotion to the story and helps viewers understand and feel more deeply connected to the cases she covers.
Taking the leap to Spotify
When Bella decided to bring "Mystery Mondays" to Spotify about 10 months ago, she didn’t know what to expect.
"I was honestly prepared for it to not go well. I was like, I am so glad that people can't see what's happening behind the scenes in case it totally tanks," she says.
But any worries proved completely unfounded.
Within six months of putting the show on Spotify, it reached a monthly audience of 500,000, which is crazy to think about. It's mind-blowing.
And the growth didn't stop there. After launching in January, consumption time tripled from February to March, then doubled again from March to September.
Bella wasn't just reaching more people, she found she was reaching completely different people. While her audience is overwhelmingly female on other platforms, Spotify told a different story. "On YouTube, I have maybe 2% male followers, but on Spotify I have over 20%."
The differences went beyond demographics.
The audience on Spotify seems to watch for a lot longer as well. People on Spotify watch almost the whole video, which is nice.
The platform also offered her audience a uninterrupted viewing experience. Through Spotify's Partner Program, Premium users in the markets where the program is available see reduced ads, creating what Bella describes as "a more seamless watching experience."
Cross-platform growth uncovered
Bella had been building her presence on other platforms for a decade, steadily growing her audience and revenue. But within less than a year of joining Spotify, she was seeing numbers that dwarfed her established platform.
I have one video on YouTube that maybe got 350,000 views, and then on Spotify it got 1.7 million views for that same video.
The revenue difference was equally striking.
I've been doing YouTube for 10 years, but I've been doing Spotify now for maybe 10 months, and I'm earning, some months, more than double what I am on YouTube.
More importantly, this success had a ripple effect across her entire business.
Spotify has actually helped my YouTube. It's helped my Instagram. It's done its own thing. So it's really been the best thing that I could have done for "Mystery Mondays.
For Bella, increased revenue also allows her to better support the causes she covers, directing proceeds toward petitions, GoFundMe campaigns, and donations related to the cases she features
Time to investigate video on Spotify
Bella's experience shows that bringing an established show to a new platform can help unlock completely unexpected audiences and revenue streams.
Her advice for creators looking to grow on Spotify is straightforward: Lead with video. As for timing, Bella's recommendation is simple:
"My advice for anybody wanting to join the Spotify Partner Program is do it now. Don't wait."
If you're already building an audience with your content, video on Spotify might be your next strategic move.
Get started with video on Spotify
Results achieved by individual creators may not be typical of all creators.