Hi there! Welcome back to On Brand - your weekly dose of actionable strategies and insights to grow & monetize your personal brand.

Hi to Swifties and non-Swifties alike!

You probably saw the news about a new album. I think Taylor Swift is a business genius and I'm not the only one - Harvard Business Review says she should be studied alongside Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos as a business mastermind.

I love nothing more than extracting lessons for creators and small business owners from other industries, and this is a prime example of someone who is top 1% in her field. 

So what can we learn from Taylor and apply to your business?

If you've ever wondered how she gets people so obsessed (and how you can too), this one's for you.

Let's break it down.

In this issue:

• 💻 ICYM: Interesting things from the internet

• 📷 In your marketing showgirl era

• 🍒 Free resources for your brand

Interesting things from last week

The best things we’ve read, watched and listened to.

• The “Most Days” Theory that will feel like a warm hug for all my overachievers out there.

• If you love pop culture, you need to listen to the Shameless podcast (this is my comfort podcast and my day gets 10x better when they publish a new episode).

• This incredible video on how to remember everything you learn. 

Alright, Pop business studies 101 is in session! Let’s break down how Taylor Swift became one of the biggest superstars and business moguls of our generation.

The vulnerability that sells billions

She perfected the art of being the biggest superstar in the world while still feeling like your goofy friend.

Vulnerability always sells more than perfection. When someone shares personal or embarrassing details, we interpret it as honesty. People who take social risks by being vulnerable are typically more trustworthy - we assume someone wouldn't share messy details unless they were being genuine.

Taylor is just one of the girls while living the most extraordinary, unrelatable life. This creates psychological closeness and much stronger relationships than aspiration-based marketing.

What she does:

• Writes about specific fights with boyfriends

• Talks openly about her body image struggles

• Shares anxiety and career struggles publicly

Your action this week: Share one "messy middle" moment from your journey. Not the polished success story - the real, human moment that shows your audience you're just like them, figuring it out as you go.

The "Eras" framework: Multiple entry points

Taylor is the master of the rebrand - she created the "eras" identity system that lets her evolve while keeping every fan.

Each era gives fans a different identity to tap into and allows her to move through different life stages without losing anyone. No matter what you're going through, there's an era for it.

The genius:

• "I'm in my reputation era" = feeling defensive/empowered

• "I'm in my folklore era" = introspective/artistic

• "I'm in my lover era" = happy/romantic

Instead of targeting one demographic, she offers emotional entry points for people at every life stage. A 16-year-old discovering first love AND a 35-year-old going through divorce can both find "their" Taylor Swift era. Her brand grows with you instead of you growing out of it.

Your action this week: Map out your own evolution phases. What are the different "eras" of your expertise or journey? Give your audience vocabulary to describe where they are in their own growth.

Generic specificity: The storytelling secret

Taylor's songs feel like your personal diary even though they're about her life.

She transforms universal emotions by putting them in vivid detail, making you think: "This is exactly what I was feeling."

What she does:

• Universal themes: Heartbreak, growth, betrayal, empowerment

• Specific details: "Your buzz cut and my hair bleached," "autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place"

• Creates vivid mental scenes that trigger your own memories

The psychology behind it:

When you listen to her songs, you're being transported into an emotional experience that feels like your own life. She might have written about Jake Gyllenhaal but you had a shitty high-school boyfriend that acted the same way.

Mirror neurons fire - these brain cells make you feel her emotions while pulling from your own experiences

Emotions intensify - you experience the pain and joy more deeply

This makes her songs incredibly addictive. You keep coming back to relive those emotional memories.

Your action this week: Take your next story and add three specific, vivid details that will help your audience paint a picture in their mind of when something similar happened to them.

Building superfans: Identity vs. community

Taylor created the ultimate fan identity - being a Swiftie became part of who you are.

When people say "I AM a Swiftie" instead of "I like Taylor Swift," her brand becomes part of their identity. This creates the strongest loyalty because criticizing Taylor feels like a personal attack.

Swifties spot each other through friendship bracelets, era-specific clothing, inside jokes, and instant connection with other fans.

Being a Swiftie is more about belonging than it is about music. When your brand becomes someone's identity, they become your biggest defenders.

The psychology of belonging:

A strong community creates a strong identity. Research shows genuine brand communities require three specific markers: consciousness of kind (feeling connected to other fans even as strangers), shared rituals (activities that bond the group), and moral responsibility (defending the brand and helping fellow community members).

Your action this week: Create one shared ritual or inside reference that only your audience will understand. This could be a phrase, a weekly tradition, or a way of responding to your content that makes them feel like insiders.

Give it up to the undisputed queen of marketing.

Taylor Swift figured out how to make her personal brand feel like a universal truth that somehow also feels uniquely personal to each fan.

She's not just selling music - she's selling identity, community, purpose, and belonging.

The lesson for all of us? When your brand becomes part of someone's identity instead of just something they like, you create the kind of loyalty that builds actual empires.

We’ve created free tools to help you level up your personal brand this year. Grab both of them below.

Obsession-Worthy Brand Guide

Your blueprint for a personal brand that connects and converts. Downloaded 3,000+ times and rated 5 stars, it helps you show up with clarity so your content actually lands.

On-Demand Personal Brand Strategist

Get a powerful ChatGPT prompt + five follow-ups to clarify your positioning, grow your audience, and create content that drives results. 

That’s it for this week.

As always, thanks for being here! What era are you in? Hit reply and let me know - I read every single email.

The Girls Club Team 

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