142. Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking Podcasting Strategy (and How You Can Use It For Your Online Marketing)

You don’t need to be famous to use Taylor Swift’s smartest marketing move. In this episode, I’m unpacking why the world’s biggest pop star chose podcasting to announce her new album, what that decision reveals about how people actually want to consume content in 2025, and how you can use this same strategy to boost trust, visibility, and results in your online marketing.

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This episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

Last week, Taylor Swift broke the Internet again. But this time, she didn't do it with a surprise album drop or record breaking ticket sales. She did it with a podcast. If you've been online at all this past week, you probably know that she chose to use a podcast to announce her new album. Not a social media post, not an awards show, not even a flashy music video. She went on a podcast, and 1.3 million people watched the episode premiere live. That's a new record for podcast viewership on YouTube. Hey there.

I'm Julia Levine, aka the podcast teacher, and you're listening to podcasting for Solopreneurs, the show that helps online business owners grow their podcast to get more listeners, leads and and sales. I had a different episode planned for today, but I had to interrupt the regularly scheduled program because this event is worth paying attention to. We are big fans of podcasting around here, and regardless of whether you're a Swiftie or you can't stand her, this move reveals something huge. Not only about Taylor's marketing genius, which she is, but about the power of podcasting in 2025. So why would the most influential pop star in the world choose this format? What does it say about how people want to consume content? And most importantly, what can you, as an online business owner, learn from this strategy? I am breaking it all down in this episode and showing you how you can use the same techniques in your own business. Taylor Swift could have made that album announcement anywhere. She could have gone live on Instagram. She could have shared the news during an award show, or she could have simply released a statement through her publicist.

The news would have traveled across the world and gone viral, regardless of how she did it. But she chose to do it on New Heights, the podcast that's co hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason. This was a strategic move and a powerful reminder of what podcasting makes possible. I'm diving into this today not because I'm a Swiftie and because this is a fun pop culture moment, but because this is something that can work for you, even if your audience is 100 people, not 100 million. Let's start by talking about creative control. While the podcast technically isn't hers, you just know that for this episode, Travis and Jason pretty much said, sure, whatever you want to all of her ideas, requests, backdrop, decorations, et cetera. And this is where things get interesting for us as business owners, because the exact same kind of creative freedom is available to you right now with a podcast. When you have your own show, you don't need to get approval from an editor or a platform algorithm.

You get to decide what gets said, what gets shared, and what gets spotlighted. There's a ton of speculation that the live stream glitch toward the end of the episode's premiere on YouTube wasn't actually a glitch at all, but one of Taylor's famous Easter eggs. That's something that she couldn't have done in a TV interview. Podcasting gives you space to experiment, to build tension, to drop hints, and to deliver moments that feel intentional, not rushed or reactive. One of the reasons that this podcast episode was such a phenomenon is because we didn't just get an album announcement. In fact, they only talked about the album for about 20 minutes of the 2 hour and 4 minute podcast episode. The episode was a full on heart to heart. I saw one TikTok creator who said, I can't believe Taylor just FaceTimed me for two hours.

Which is exactly what it felt like. She shared personal stories, she opened up about her music rights, the emotional moments on tour, and her relationship with the Kelsey's. She didn't sound like a superstar who was doing a promo spot. She sounded like a friend who was catching you up on her life. And that's what podcasting does best. It creates intimacy quickly. When someone listens to your voice in their ears, week by day after week, you're not just another piece of content. You're part of their routine.

Their commute to work, their daily walk, their chores around the house. And that builds a kind of connection that's hard to replicate with any other format. In my podcast Startup Academy, we focus a lot on this exact concept. How trust leads to sales, and how podcasting fast tracks that process. Because as a business owner, this is one of your biggest superpowers. Your audience starts to feel like they know you. They trust you. And when it's time to make an offer or launch something new, it doesn't feel like a pitch.

It feels like a recommendation from someone they already know and like. And here's the kicker. People are more likely to buy from someone they trust. Even if your offer isn't the lowest price or has the flashiest bonuses, they're buying into you, your method, your personality, not just the product or service that you're selling. I can't tell you how many times students have said, I feel like I already know you when they join one of my programs. Programs. And that's not an accident. That's what happens when podcasting is done.

Well, Taylor's fans didn't just walk away with a date for the album drop, they walked away feeling closer to her. And that connection is what makes people show up, share and stay invested. You too can create the kind of loyalty and trust that drives real results. And that is the heart of podcasting. It's not just about content, it's about connection. As I mentioned a few moments ago, the actual album announcement was a pretty small part of the entire episode. And by the time the album drop came up, it didn't feel like, okay, now we're shifting into promo mode. It just felt felt like a natural progression, a natural part of the story that she was telling.

And that is something you can absolutely borrow for your own podcast. When you weave your offers, your services and your announcements into a broader conversation, one that feels honest, helpful, aligned with your listeners needs and goals, then it doesn't sound like an ad. It sounds like you're sharing a helpful solution and your audience is way more likely to listen, remember and take action. So you can think about it in that your offer should be the logical next step in a conversation that you're already having. The key is the intention behind it. So when you make your offer a natural acceptance extension of the value that you're already giving, it lands better. It doesn't interrupt the flow, it just enhances the value. Taylor didn't sell her album.

She shared about it and that is what made all the difference. You can do the same. You just have to do it in your voice with your own magic. And I can't end this conversation without mentioning the additional content that came along with the episode. Before the episode even aired, Taylor used a clip from it to officially announce the album on social media. That clip went viral and guaranteed that people would show up for the full conversation. The podcast suddenly became the center of a much bigger, bigger moment. And that is the beauty of podcasting.

It doesn't have to start and end when the episode does. So one well crafted episode can turn into Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, quote graphics, newsletters, blog posts, et cetera. You can repurpose it. You can shift it into something a little bit different and you can use those things to drive traffic for weeks, months and years. Plus, podcasts have a long shelf life. Your content gets to keep working for you long after you have recorded it. This is one of my favorite things about podcasting, and that's a return on investment that most platforms just don't offer. This is how your podcast becomes the core of your content strategy.

So instead of chasing the algorithm every week on social media, you are building something that works for you long after you hit publish. Now I know you're not Taylor Swift, and that's okay. You don't need 1.3 million live viewers, you just need a message to share. And podcasting will give you the space to connect deeply with your audience, build real trust, and grow your business in a way that feels natural and aligned with you. You don't need a perfect setup or a huge following to get started. You just need a plan and a little support. And if you've been on the fence about starting a podcast, I I would love to help you launch one with ease and confidence. Head to thepodcastteacher.com academy to learn more about my Step by Step program and how we can get your voice out there.

Until next time, happy podcasting.