Taylor Swift enters her radio era

Opinion

Taylor Swift chose to promote her new album on five UK radio stations. For a star who could have chosen any means, why choose radio?

Last week Taylor Swift did in-person interviews at five UK radio stations.

This might not sound like a big deal but prior to that, Taylor’s last interview (other than her fiancée’s podcast) was in 2023.

The world’s biggest pop star is highly selective about who she speaks to and the platforms she uses, so the fact that Taylor turned to UK radio for the exclusive interviews to launch her new album speaks volumes.

The question is, why radio?

Radio’s unique selling point

It’s pretty understandable why Taylor has developed such an elusive media profile.

Social media is rife with fake news stories about her friends, family and love life and many newspapers fill column inches with Swift based gossip. Plus, as one of the world’s most influential stars, she’s earned the right to choose only the platforms which are worth her time.

Even some of America’s biggest TV shows struggle to pull in big audiences, for example, Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show averages under 1.2 million views a show on US telly.

Radio, however, still reaches millions – every single day.

On Friday morning, when Taylor joined Hits Radio, Magic Radio, Capital, Heart and Radio 1 – she was speaking to an audience of 15m weekly listeners.

An audience who are in a positive mindset, and connected with live human moments.

Taylor, queen of the fan base, understands the power of tapping into the loyal audiences of some of the UK’s most loved broadcasters. This means it’s not just millions of people you’re reaching, it’s millions of people who are engaged in what they’re hearing.

In a fragmented media market, 15m is a huge figure – but the actual audience is even bigger.

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A safe place

Audio isn’t just what you hear in car and on your smart speaker in the kitchen: as of writing this on Friday afternoon, the social media clips that radio shows have put out from their interviews have reached millions of people around the world.

This is the modern definition of radio – interactive audio, brilliant visuals across socials, live events and interactive campaigns – a true multimedia platform.

Taylor isn’t alone in understanding radio’s power.

The world’s biggest superstars from Will Smith to Mariah Carey and Tom Cruise, frequently choose radio over TV shows, newspapers and influencers.

Radio is curated, regulated and produced by highly skilled and passionate people – sure, there are alternatives, but even those who can compete on reach (like high profile influencers) carry much greater risks to the star’s brand.

Everything Taylor, Will and Mariah see in audio rings true for advertisers too.

Yes, audio’s reach is enormous, but in a media landscape full of scepticism and mistrust – it’s a place that superstars and brands can feel safe.

Messages are delivered in an environment of positivity, where audiences want to be part of the conversation.

Media is becoming hostage to the algorithm, we’re pushed into individualistic silos and societal positivity is being replaced by cynicism.

Radio is a place where humans – on a mass scale – can just connect, so why wouldn’t Taylor choose radio?

George Butler is Bauer’s head of commercial marketing.