In 2020, we plunged head first into a global pandemic, requiring severe changes in how we conducted our daily lives. People took up new hobbies in isolation, but despite not knowing if she’d ever play another live show for her fans (dubbed Swifties), Taylor Swift doubled down on her existing superpowers–making music and delighting her fans.

It was a subtle flex when she talked about writing her sister albums Folklore and Evermore from the stage of her beloved Eras Tour which wrapped up December 8 in Vancouver. The 2020 albums were both surprise drops that she started working on within days of the pandemic.

Her productivity and a new, but familiar sound shocked and enraptured Swifties. It also attracted new listeners with a mature sound that felt achingly appropriate for the time. Listening was like wrapping up in a cozy cardigan fresh out of the dryer when you are shivering. It brought hope and something to be excited about during a dark, confusing time for so many of us.

Taylor didn’t just rinse and repeat what she did on her previous album, Lover, which she was planning to tour in 2020 and had to cancel. She simply could not keep going as planned, likely promoting what would have been a 2020 summer hit that started with “Fever dream high in the quiet of the night, You know that I caught it.” That would simply not work.

Within weeks of the world shutting down, she had to be mourning the Lover Fest tour that never came to pass and the connection with her Swifties IRL, but instead she channeled her energy into exploring new sounds and songwriting styles with new producers and collaborators. So much of her work had been famously autobiographical, and she decided to take up writing about fictional characters she had developed in her suddenly ample spare time.

It resonated to say the absolute least. She won awards, put out another award-winning album, Midnights, sold out a worldwide tour, produced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, and reclaimed her original work — Fearless, Speak Now, Red and 1989 — through her Taylor’s Version rerecording project all along the way. Her merch is constantly selling out on her website to the point that her label had to recalibrate her entire e-commerce strategy and fulfillment mid tour. People camped out in the freezing cold and rain for books and vinyls. Geologists reported mini earthquakes during multiple shows from the rhythmic cheering and dancing. An entire app was created to help fans track her outfits and surprise songs for points, prizes and bragging rights. And we’re not even going to get started on her romance a certain pro footballer. There really is a niche for every type of fan. What a time to be a Swiftie.

As the final confetti fell to the ground for the record-breaking Eras Tour, I started reflecting upon my own journey of becoming a Swiftie. I’ll save that storytime for another day. But I’ll say, Folklore and Evermore accelerated my self acceptance and launched me into new levels of admiration for Taylor that goes beyond the music or the fashion of it all. I’m also in the business of media, audience, product and marketing. To witness to the spectacle and cultural phenomenon of Taylor Swift the last couple of years has been truly enchanting.

But how does she do it? She jokingly claims she puts narcotics in all of her songs, but in reality, I know it’s an army of people with an aligned strategy, self-awareness and ability to continue to connect with fans as they have grow older, shifted platforms and started making money.

From her meticulously crafted albums to her cinematic music videos, Taylor knows and delivers high-quality, consistent work that her community has come to expect.

In the behind the scenes video above, you can see how deeply involved she is in the final product and the attention to detail drives her success. Having the right team + a clear vision + in-depth knowledge of your audience = work feels less like work and more like an on-going growth and learning loop.

Takeaway: Invest in creating valuable and high-quality features and products that your audience wants, can trust and be proud to support. Work with the best teammates, facilitate teamwork and align to a vision.

Taylor supports causes her fans care about, including disaster relief, education, LGBTQ+ rights, and voter registration, showing that she uses her influence for good.

Takeaway: Go deeper with your community. You may think you know what they care about, but you can continue to learn and find authentic ways to give back, reflecting that you/your brand don’t view them as a generic “user.” Bring humanity and goodwill to your engagement efforts.

Taylor’s career has spanned 20 years, and she’s continued to invest in her owned platforms and ride third-party platform trends.

She’s experimented with Myspace and Tumblr as she was growing her audience because those were the tools they were using, too. She posted vlogs on YouTube. She went live on Instagram. She’s on TikTok and X.

She used those third party platforms and stayed attune to trends to engage with her target audience and share what she was interested in or working on. But since the beginning, she had a website. More recently, her team launched a microsite to extend the exploration and engagement with her eras.

Takeaway: Most companies need to own their own destiny but stay relevant and meet audiences where they are. You’ll never control the algorithm of a third party platform, so you have to stay mindful that those companies have their own goals and likely those don’t align with your own. That doesn’t mean avoid them.

If you have the resources, you can make the most of those tools assuming they can help you achieve your goals. This is all rooted in having a long-term vision for your core platform, often a website, and continuing to make that platform better.

But you can and should tap into third party platforms that resonate with your audience to harness what they are really good at, continue to listen and engage with your audience and introduce yourself to new people. But don’t center your entire strategy on someone else’s platform. Experiment with a small percentage of available time.

Over the years, Taylor’s work started to stack up and fans began to associate albums with specific colors. Then they also placed albums into the structure of a house known as the Lover House. She pays tribute to these concepts and has fully embraced them.

When it came time for her to tour, and she decided to package all of her work together as The Eras Tour, those connections created something new entirely. And whether these connections were intentional or not just adds to the lore. But taking her entire catalog and bringing it together was clearly a brilliant business decision.

Takeaway: It’s really easy to get silo’ed into individual products, campaigns or teams. Goals and KPIs can be restrictive in our ability to truly take a step back and reflect on the vision set forth by those who paved the way for our businesses (maybe it’s you!).

Are there opportunities to create linkages in your branding, product and audience engagement efforts that tie back to the roots of your business?

Tap into longterm employees and audience for pearls of wisdom, history and the untold stories. These could lead to little tweaks that are imperceptible to your audience, but they could be inspirational and provide an opportunity to design a unique experience unlike anyone else. This can be tough in KPI driven environments with annual, quarterly and monthly goals, but nostalgia is powerful.

Taylor’s storytelling extends beyond her music to her branding, creating a narrative that fans feel deeply integrated into.

Takeaway: Use storytelling to connect emotionally with your audience and give them a sense of belonging in your journey.

Taylor Swift’s success in audience building is rooted in her genuine care for her fans and her ability to foster meaningful connections. By using these principles, your brand or an individual can create a thriving, engaged community.