Working in publicity thrillingly blends creativity and strategy. Campaign success hinges on crucial elements such as effective media placement, thoughtful strategy, timing and adaptability. No brand or personality leverages more effective public relations tactics than Taylor Swift.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, Swift’s Eras Tour generated over $10 billion in economic impact, and you can thank her PR team for most of that. Swift’s PR strategy uses values-based messaging to attract her existing audience and draw in new fans who share similar beliefs and ideals. The pop icon has gathered an army of fans, otherwise known as “Swifties,” by staying consistent with her messaging strategy, forging deep connections with her fans at the right time and continually evolving and adapting.
Just look at her effect on the NFL. The power of Swifties and the growth of the NFL’s public interest extends beyond PR professionals’ wildest dreams. NFL viewership surged with regular-season games, averaging 17.9 million viewers, a 7% increase from the previous year, hitting the highest mark since 2015 (18.1 million). A Morning Consult Brand Intelligence survey found similar results — Gen Z and millennial women’s opinions of the NFL rose 11% from 53%.
These severe metrics show how the “Swiftie Effect” has influenced everything from viewership to sales. Apex Marketing reports that Swift has effectively generated an additional $331.5 million in brand value for the Chiefs and NFL. However, the NFL is not the only one profiting from the Taylor Swift effect. Brands associated with Swift also benefit from her influence.
PR Lesson #1: Relationships Matter
Successful music publicity demands building relationships with not only your fans but other audiences as well. Well-written press releases and media pitches help tell your story, but your connections with the media outlets often determine whether a story gets picked up. Maintaining solid and genuine relationships with key players in the industry benefits the artist and your career. But it’s not just about media contacts — relationships with the artist, management, booking agents, venues and fans are equally vital. Trust, respect and communication must be present for a PR strategy to succeed. Relationships are currency in music publicity. The old adage “it’s not what you know but who you know” is true. I can’t tell you how often my relationship with a reporter has landed me the story over another source.
Social media also helps build and maintain relationships, especially with fanbases in the digital age. Taylor Swift uses these platforms to connect with her audience more personally with heartfelt Instagram posts and candid X interactions, providing glimpses into her life and values while making her fans feel part of her musical journey.
PR Lesson #2: Timing is Everything
Timing can make or break a campaign. Pitching a story when there’s too much happening in the news, failing to coordinate PR efforts for tours or releasing an album or single at the wrong time can lead to missed opportunities. Music — like many other industries — moves quickly, so your ability to deliver the right story at the right time can be the difference between letting rumors spread like wildfire or using communications tools and tactics like social media and exclusive interviews to counter harmful narratives. Aligning release schedules with media trends, marketing efforts and fan interest illuminates an artist’s visibility in the media.
Swift’s recent presidential candidate endorsement on social media was perfectly timed. Instead of responding to deepfake videos of her endorsing Donald Trump, Taylor Swift’s PR team chose to wait until after the debate to defend her false endorsement and to use her values-based messaging to take her stance on the 2024 presidential election. With this one carefully curated message on social media, Taylor Swift prompted over 400,000 people to visit the voter registration site Vote.gov following her endorsement of Kamala Harris. Talk about perfect timing.
PR Lesson #3: Adaptability and Flexibility are Key
The music industry constantly changes, and adjusting your approach can elevate your campaign. No matter how much planning goes into a PR campaign, things won’t always go as expected. Last-minute changes to the release date, a crisis or a misstep by an artist can throw everything off track. Think on your feet and adapt quickly, whether rewriting press materials, pivoting your PR strategy overnight, or enforcing and managing damage control when a crisis hits. Flexibility allows you to keep the artist’s public image intact, even in unpredictable situations.
Taylor Swift’s ability to adapt and evolve her strategy and musical genre ensures her music and messaging remains fresh — even when she rerecords old albums is what sets her apart. Adapting has allowed the pop star to maintain and even grow her relevance in an ever-changing industry, appealing to new generations while still speaking to her long-standing fans. Swift’s move to adapt to an unfair ownership situation and rerecord and rerelease her early albums is a genius decision — so much that it deserves its own blog entry.
Throughout my time as a publicist, I learned that the music industry can be unpredictable, but mastering these three PR lessons helped me effectively navigate the ever-evolving PR landscape. Not every (or, probably, any) client will have Taylor Swift-level success, but in “Andrea’s Version,” I can apply these learnings in any industry to help artists and brands thrive in the spotlight.
Ready to amplify your PR strategy?
Give us a shout!
