It could be easy to dismiss Taylor Swift as just a pop star. But that would be a $570 million mistake.
Swift’s 10th studio album, “Midnights,” was released Friday. It quickly became the best-selling album of 2022, breaking the biggest sales week for an album—a record previously held by Swift. The album also broke the Spotify, Apple, and Amazon records for the most-streamed album in a single day.
Those numbers aren’t a fluke: The 32-year-old artist is one of the most successful songwriters of all time. Like you, she’s a professional. Here are a few ways you can use Swift’s business savvy in your own career:
Create a Buzz
When Swift accepted Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards for “All Too Well: A Short Film,” she knew the world was watching. She took the opportunity to announce to her fans, “I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand-new album comes out Oct. 21. And I will tell you more at midnight.”
Her follow-up post on Instagram racked up more than 8 million likes. She would continue to drop hints about the album’s content for the next three months—keeping the internet abuzz.
In contrast, the tax and legal fields can be publicity and promotion shy. There is a sentiment, still prevalent in some firms, that, as was put forth in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, “advertising is said to tarnish the dignified public image of the profession.” Bates argued that once “the client perceives that the lawyer is motivated by profit, his confidence that the attorney is acting out of a commitment to the client’s welfare is jeopardized.” But the Supreme Court felt otherwise, writing, “At its core, the argument presumes that attorneys must conceal from themselves and from their clients the real-life fact that lawyers earn their livelihood at the bar.”
Even if profit isn’t the sole motivation for tax and legal professionals, money keeps the lights on. And clients will only come your way if they know how to find you. What Swift does—and does well—is create and control her business narrative from the beginning. Creating your own buzz means that you can tell the story that you want potential clients to know about your business.
Don’t Be Afraid to Name-Drop
One of my favorite tracks on the “Midnights” album is “Snow on the Beach,” featuring Lana Del Rey. One of the lyrics references another musical icon, Janet Jackson, with Swift singing, “But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet, I’m all for you like Janet.” It’s a direct nod to Jackson’s single, “All for You,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 2001.
Jackson subsequently filmed herself listening to the track and posted her reaction to her 1.3 million TikTok followers. The verdict? She captioned the video, “I LUV it @Taylor Swift #lanadelray 😘😘😘 #snowonthebeach #taylorswift” while telling her viewers, “It’s nice, it’s nice.”
That moment might feel small, but it made a significant impact. Here’s why: Jackson isn’t Swift’s competition—she’s her inspiration. The reference shows both awareness and humility for those who have come before—and opens up potentially new audiences for both Swift and Jackson. It’s a win-win.
No matter your level, name recognition is essential. Sharing that you’ve worked with or have been inspired by a respected person in your field can expand your network and potential client base. You can always learn from someone who has prepared more returns or handled more cases, so pay attention to who is making news in the profession, and when you find that person who inspires you, don’t be afraid to reach out and name-drop a little.
Try Something New
Swift’s new album debuted at midnight Friday. But if you were willing to watch a few hours of NFL action, you could get a sneak peek even earlier. The announcement came via Instagram, teasing, “If you tune in to the Thursday Night Football game on Amazon Prime, I’m going to be showing a first look at the secret projects that I have been working on very hard for a very long time getting ready for the ‘Midnights’ album. And you would see it before the ‘Midnights’ album came out. So, meet me there?”
My daughters voluntarily watched football that evening. Granted, they were not converts, with my oldest texting me, “Football takes too long. Why did three minutes take ten minutes?” But, importantly, she kept watching.
The announcement and interlude were out of the ordinary for Swift. She could have simply dropped the new album at midnight on social media. But she took a chance on a new platform with a potentially new audience, and the world noticed.
Doing things the same way typically means you’ll get the same result. And there’s something exciting about doing things differently. That could be something simple, like dipping your toe into social or something more complex, such as learning a new area of focus like cryptocurrency or sales tax. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Deliver More Than Expected
For months, Swift teased her fans about the tracks on “Midnights,” carefully crafted to represent “the stories of 13 sleepless nights” scattered throughout her life. And she delivered.
A few hours after the release of the album, she announced she had written other songs. She said, “I’m calling them 3am tracks… So it’s 3am and I’m giving them to you now.” And with that, she released an additional seven songs. There were no prior announcements or expectations. Fans were thrilled.
You rarely hear clients complain that a tax professional saved them too much or presented a winning case. Complaints are generally tied to expectations. They’re delivered when clients believed they’d actually pay “pennies on the dollar” to the IRS or receive Employee Retention Credits in the hundreds of thousands and got… much less. Or when phone calls and emails aren’t returned.
Set expectations by communicating, “This is what and how I intend to deliver.” Don’t over-promise. But if you can do something more—that surprise win or extra deduction—you’ve wowed the client.
Over-delivering also can be something other than a production or a huge win. It can be a note you passed along to remember a birthday or other significant moment, those end-of-the-year chocolates you send out as a thank you, or a client newsletter to let them know what’s happening in the tax world. More doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be more.
Stand Out
There’s a lot of noise competing for our time and attention these days. That’s true for clients and potential clients. It’s not enough to simply be good at your job—you need to stand out. So, as you think about how to grow your career, consider taking a note or two from Swift—success is something she knows all too well.
This is a regular column from Kelly Phillips Erb, the Taxgirl. Erb offers commentary on the latest in tax news, tax law, and tax policy. Look for Erb’s column every week from Bloomberg Tax and follow her on Twitter at @taxgirl.
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