What Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl Teaches Small Business Owners About UGC
What Taylor Does Best
When Taylor Swift drops an album, it’s never just an album. With Life of a Showgirl, the internet was buzzing for weeks before release day. Swifties everywhere were creating countdown posts, sharing Easter egg theories, planning outfits, and making playlists… All before they’d even heard a track!
That’s not coincidence. That’s user-generated content (UGC) at its finest. And if you’re a female founded small business owner trying to grow on Instagram, there’s a powerful lesson here for you.
So What is UGC?
UGC (user-generated content) is when your audience creates content about your brand. Perhaps Insta posts, reviews, stories, even memes. It’s social proof at scale. Instead of you shouting about your business, your customers do it for you. Your most loyal followers are the people who are going to do this. Which is why Instagram Coaches like myself will remind you to not just make content that reaches new people, but to build a community with those people already following you.
How Taylor Swift Does It
Taylor doesn’t need to beg fans to post about her. Why? Because she involves them in the story long before the launch.
•Anticipation: Easter eggs, hidden clues, mysterious posts.
•Participation: Fans trade friendship bracelets, share theories, and feel like part of the journey.
•Community: Swifties connect with each other, not just Taylor, and that connection fuels the content.
By the time a new album drops, the internet is already flooded with UGC. Taylor doesn’t need to promote every moment: her fans are doing it for her.
Why UGC Matters for Your Small Business
As a fellow female small business owner, UGC can:
Grow your followers organically (people trust recommendations from peers. It’s why every business on the planet wants your review on their website, or on Google – BTW if we’ve worked together you can leave your rave review here! 😉)
Build credibility and trust (reviews and real-life use beat a polished ad)
Drive sales (social proof is often the final push someone needs to buy – have you ever looked at the Amazon reviews and read one so good you think, yep I’m in and add to basket before you blink!)
How to Spark UGC in Your Business
You don’t need a stadium tour or chart-topping album to create UGC. Try this:
Creating anticipation before a product/service launch (teasers, sneak peeks, behind the scenes)
Giving your customers something worth sharing (a branded packaging touch, a unique experience, a fun challenge – I love the challenge one. You could do something like: whoever posts the best picture of one of our products this weekend gets a £25 voucher off their next purchase. Whoever posts the funniest picture of our coffee gets free drinks all day Saturday…)
Making your community feel involved (polls, Q&As, naming competitions, feature shoutouts)
Conclusion:
If Taylor can get millions of Swifties to post content weeks before her album drops, you can definitely get your audience to share about your business. UGC isn’t about being a superstar; it’s about sparking excitement and making your community feel like part of the story.
Ready to turn your followers into your own hype team? Let’s make it happen. And if you’re thinking, how can I best do this for my business, drop me a line here.
I got you,
Suze 🫶🏽
AKA #swiftieoverfifty
Category: Insta Tips, Marketing