Taylor Swift's PR Tactics Will Never Go Out of Style
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift is a mastermind at songwriting and an accomplished singer. However, not many commend the artist’s fantastic PR strategies. As Swift kicks off her sixth sold-out headlining tour, The Eras Tour, we should note the public relations tactics she used to launch herself to where she is today. Whether you’re a student, a PR professional, or a pop star, there is much to learn from Miss Swift.
Tactic 1: Intentionality
Outside of performing, one thing Swift is known for is her use of cryptic clues, hidden messages, and easter eggs in her music, music videos, social media posts, and formerly in CD lyric booklets. These hints create many fan theories that swarm social media, which in turn leads to more buzz about Swift. Swift’s intentional hints make her fans feel connected on a personal level. This is because they feel as though they play a part in the release of her albums, and the secret messages provide more insight into Swift.
Everything Swift does has intention behind it, whether it’s realized now or months later. In PR, every move we make should have a specialized purpose and meaning. Like Swift, the best campaigns have intention behind them: they know their audience, have a clear-cut strategy, and generate awareness that sparks action. Just like her, we should communicate with intention in our work.
Image sourced from E! News.
Tactic 2: Connecting with her audience
Swift is also stellar at connecting with her audience. Although she’s the highest-paid female entertainer in the world, her songs have an incomparable level of relatability. Swift’s lyrics connect fans with each other and the singer. Swift is also known for making her relationship with her audience a priority.
During the 1989 era, Swift began holding secret sessions with fans. The singer would take time to find dedicated fans on social media, specifically ones that never had the chance to meet her in person, and would have her team invite them to these top-secret events. The secret sessions took place a few weeks before the album’s release in the singer's different homes or hotel rooms. Swift would then play the album for superfans before anyone else. The sessions included cookies baked by Taylor Swift, picture taking, and the artist speaking about her inspirations behind the album. Swift would also call fans by name and bring up certain details she had seen on their social media. Although secret sessions have been put on hold due to the pandemic, Swift still connects with her fans through social media. She never forgets about her audience and interacts with them often. Swift is often seen liking and commenting on fans’ social media posts across all platforms. However, Swift takes it a step further.
During the height of the pandemic, the singer sent a Georgia frontline nurse a care package of merchandise, including t-shirts, candles, a blanket, a notebook, and a champagne glass. Swift also donated $13,000 to two mothers struggling financially due to the pandemic.
Swift’s lyrics and her care for her fans reach a different level that many other artists cannot achieve. These factors connect her deeply with her audience while giving her a fantastic image in the public eye. Swift is great at connecting with her audience because she genuinely cares about them. As PR professionals, we should always have our audience at the front of our minds. We should try to connect with our audience as well as Swift has with hers.
Image by John Shearer/Getty Images, sourced from CNN.
Tactic 3: Reinvention/brand identity for eras
Swift is known for her ability to reinvent herself. The singer is currently on The Eras Tour, a tour performing all ten of her albums. Fans refer to her albums as “eras” due to the distinct identity each album has. For example, the 1989 era celebrated Swift’s youth and freedom. She had transformed into a global popstar, sporting a bob, sequins, white sunglasses, polka dots, red lipstick, and nails. The Reputation era was the opposite, born from the gossip and rumors swarming her. In case you are unfamiliar with the situation, Kanye West released a song called “Famous” back in February 2016, with some very disrespectful lyrics about Swift. A few weeks after the songs release, Swift indirectly referenced West’s remark towards her in “Famous” during her Grammy’s acceptance speech. In July 2016, an episode of the show Keeping Up with the Kardashians addressed the situation between West and Swift. This was when Kim Kardashian came in to defend her then husband, posting videos of an edited phone call between West and Swift on her Snapchat story to make it seem as though Swift approved of the lyrics. Although Swift quickly defended herself, this did not stop a barrage of hate coming her way from media, fans of Kardashian and West, and online trolls. Her comments quickly filled up with snake emojis, as this is what Kim Kardashian posted in reference to Swift claiming she had not approved of West’s “Famous” lyric. Almost a year after the feud with Kardashian and West, Swift announced her sixth studio album Reputation, along with videos of snakes on her instagram. Instead of her usual colorful look, the singer wore lots of black, snake symbols, knee-high black boots, and dark lips. In the video for “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift stands atop a mountain of herself in past eras, declaring the “old Taylor dead” in the lyrics. For The Eras Tour, fans dress as these versions of Swift and inside jokes from past eras.
Images by Getty Images, sourced from Entertainment Weekly.
Swift is a mastermind at creating a brand identity for herself and her albums. When fans think of an album, different images and symbols immediately fill their heads. The 1989 and Reputation eras were very different from each other but still led to success. The distinct identity she gives herself and her albums allowed Swift to go on a tour dedicated to singing through her eras at the age of 33. Having a consistent brand identity leads to differentiation, awareness, and loyalty. Similar to Swift, we should have consistent branding across all platforms regarding our work.
Taylor Swift is known for her singing and songwriting skills and being one of the most successful female performers of our time. As future PR professionals, we should be taking note of the tactics she has used to launch herself to where she is today.
About Livi
Livi Holliday is a sophomore pursuing a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. This is Livi’s first year in the major and her first year involved with GrandPR and PRSSA. She is an Account Executive for GrandPR. Livi is very interested in all parts of the field, especially writing and social media content creation and management. She hopes to one day work as a copywriter or social media manager for a cosmetics company. In her free time, Livi enjoys attending group fitness classes, going to Happy Cat Cafe, and spending time with friends and pets.