“The devil works hard, but Taylor Swift’s publicist works harder.” If you’ve ever delved into the Taylor Swift fan side of Twitter, you’ve seen people say this before. Whether you’re a Swiftie or cringe at the sound of a Taylor Swift song, you must respect her as a businesswoman. I mean, have you SEEN those ticket prices for her tour? Let’s talk about what sets her apart from all of the other pop stars.
If you didn’t watch Taylor Swift’s Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, you might not have heard of her publicist, Tree Paine. It’s clear that Taylor appreciates the power of PR (which we LOVE about her). Tree Paine is featured in parts of the film as one of Swift's confidants. She has obviously played a big role in Swift’s personal and professional career. Whether it be a breakup or celebrity feud, Paine and her client, Miss.Swift, always seems to always have the right approach.
So what is this approach exactly? Fan interaction is a big reason. Fans are always invited to be part of the release process every time Swift drops a new album. For the most recent album drop, Midnights, Swift posted a TikTok of her using a bingo roller cage to reveal the track titles. She rolled out a series of videos called “Midnights Mayhem With Me,” until each song title was posted. Swift knows how dedicated her fans are, so she made sure to leave clues for them in each of the videos. This successfully kept her fans engaged, resulting in her most successful album drop yet.
Not to mention that Swift takes it upon herself to comment on fans’ posts and stalk their accounts. What other celebrity is doing this?
You can also check out Tree Paine’s Tumblr, where she interacts with fans and posts memes. A celebrity publicist interacting with their fans is sort of genius! This takes forming a bond with your target audience to the next level. We respect it.
So it doesn’t really matter if you think Swift only sings about breakups. When it comes down to it, she's a kickass businesswoman and knows how to keep the public engaged.
Not all of us PR pros can be BFFs with Taylor Swift, but there’s a lot to be learned from this dynamic duo. We can’t say we party with celebs like Tree Paine does, but we can promise PR expertise from a team of seasoned professionals. Let’s talk!