Taylor Swift’s Substack Strategy: 10 Moves To Grow Your Audience Faster Than A Swiftie Ticket Queue
Spoiler: Your newsletter can have eras too. What her marketing genius can teach online writers.
I picked up There’s Nothing Like This from Harvard Business editor Kevin Evers at the Frankfurt Book Fair a few weeks back and oh. my. god.
I underlined.
I gasped.
I whispered “holy marketing genius” while eating gluten free pretzels.
Taylor is famous because she understands humans. Attention. Story. Timing. Culture. Identity. Relationship.
And every online writer building an audience and growing a newsletter today can learn from her.
So today you’re getting:
Swift Strategy Playbook: 10 Marketing Moves You Can Steal
Use these for your Substack growth, your brand identity, your content rhythm, and yes, even your Substack Notes.
And if you’re reading this while listening to Ophelia and imagining what color friendship bracelet you’d wear to the Kelce-Swift wedding… you’re in the right place, my friend.
👉 Black Friday Weekend is live and everything is 50% OFF
Your newsletter deserves Swift-level obsession.
Myke the internet scream your name!
Online Writing Club membership + Substack course 50% OFF
Substack Notes Bootcamp 57% OFF for $129 instead of $299 + payment plan
Founding members also get access to Patrick’s brand new Substack Notes Scheduler so you can batch, schedule and repurpose Notes like a pro.
If you’re serious about growing your audience, this is the moment.
Alright. Let’s talk Taylor. Oh and psst… according to some insiders, Taylor Swift will soon also write on Substack.
1. Start With a Vision, Not Permission
Taylor was 13 walking into Nashville boardrooms with 15 (!) finished songs and a clear idea of her audience.
Everyone told her the audience didn’t exist.
She made the audience appear.
Your Move:
Don’t wait for proof. Write for the audience you want.
Name them. Talk to them again and again until they find you.
2. Know Your Category… Then Break It
Country music was a tight culture with strict rules.
But Taylor blended tradition with novelty. Old country chord patterns + a teenage POV + a title named after a famous singer.
Predictable and surprising.
Safe and disruptive.
Your Move:
Your Substack shouldn’t be chaos.
Find:
One thing people already love
One twist no one else is doing
3. Treat Fans Like Participants, Not Followers
Swifties decode. Predict. Participate.
Easter eggs. Colors. Inside jokes. Rituals.
Your Move:
Build participation cues:
Repeated phrases
Running jokes
Rituals in Notes
Secret handshakes for paid readers
Fandom is built on identity.