What Taylor Swift Can Teach Cities About Capturing Hearts ❤️‍🔥(and Attention)

At Oh, hi! Communications, we help local governments build trust through storytelling, digital strategy, and meaningful engagement—bridging the gap between public service and public connection. From city hall to social feeds, we equip teams to communicate clearly, creatively, and with heart.

This month, we’re proud to be supported by Orlo, the digital engagement platform built for the public sector. From social media management and archiving to AI insights and customer service management, Orlo helps teams streamline communications, stay responsive, and build public trust—whether it’s crisis comms or everyday updates.

Learn more at orlo.tech.

This week on the, Oh, hi! Stories podcast, I sat down with my sister Andie, fellow marketer and Swiftie, to talk about Taylor Swift’s new album rollout and her first-ever podcast appearance. But between the laughter (and the Ticketmaster trauma bonding), a truth kept surfacing:

Taylor Swift isn’t just an artist. She’s a master communicator who knows exactly how to build trust, anticipation, and loyalty. And cities? We could and should be taking notes.

Why should government care what Taylor does?

Because she moves millions. Instantly. And not just to buy tickets. She moves them to care, to talk, to share, to show up. That’s the dream for any public agency trying to connect with its residents.

And yet, many cities are still stuck pushing one-way updates while the most influential storyteller of our time is giving us a free case study in cultural momentum.

Andie and I talk about it in this clip from the podcast:

❤️‍🔥 3 Swift Strategies Cities Should Steal

1️⃣ Control the narrative before someone else does.
Taylor doesn’t wait for others to tell her story. She crafts it, drops Easter eggs, and makes fans feel part of the reveal. Cities can do the same: share updates proactively, explain decisions in plain language, and keep residents in the loop before rumors fill the gap.

2️⃣ Turn your audience into co-marketers.
Swifties decode clues, create content, and spread her message faster than any ad campaign could. Your residents can do this too when they feel heard, valued, and proud of where they live. Give them stories and visuals worth sharing.

3️⃣ Build moments people can’t stop talking about.
Every Taylor release feels like an event because she layers surprise and connection. Imagine a city announcing a new park with a behind-the-scenes video, a local artist performance, and a “first look” for residents. That’s how you create belonging.

Try This

• Pick one project—a road improvement, a community event, a policy change. Map out three touchpoints to share the story: one before, one during, one after.
  

• Add a “co-marketer” moment: invite residents to submit photos, ideas, or captions you can feature.
  

• Track engagement and repeat what works.

If Taylor can get 1.6M likes in minutes without opening her comments, your city can make an impact too by leading with connection, not just content.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Online

Thanks for tuning in,

—Dana

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