Taylor Swift Unleashes First Single From New Album
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami) - After fueling anticipation all week, Taylor Swift has released the first single "Look What You Made Me Do" from her new album "Reputation."
It's the 27-year old pop superstar's first new song in three years and already has more than four million views online.
Swift herself has a 'reputation' not only as a supremely successful artist, but as someone who knows how to promote her work on social media. That was never more clear than this week.
Swift teased the release by taking dramatic steps on her social media accounts earlier this week using snake imagery. After scrubbing her accounts completely clean, she posted eerie images of a snake's tail on Monday, then its body on Tuesday, and finally its snarling head with fangs bared on Wednesday.
The mystery helped fuel fan anticipation for the final big reveal of her new single.
"She takes a very personal approach to it. And I have been told, she's got the keys. She's the only one who uses her Twitter, her Instagram," said Los Angeles Times pop music writer Randy Lewis.
Those keys unlock a huge treasure-trove of loyal Taylor Swift fans. More than 70-million followers on Facebook, 85-million-plus on Twitter, and on Instagram - Swift has 102 million global followers.
Zainub Amir, 21, is a mega-fan hand-picked by the star's team to oversee a Swift-related Twitter account.
Three years ago Swift mined her social media accounts to find super-fans to join her at secret "listening parties" for her previous album, "1989" which Amir attended.
"She actually creates a friendship and most celebrities just say "hi" and "bye" real quick and forget to have that genuine moment with a fan," said Amir.
Swift explained this approach to CBS This Morning host Gayle King in 2014.
"I love to do little things that allow them to know that I always have my finger on the pulse of what they want," she said.
Waseem Kahn, who manages artists' social media accounts, said Swift's personal connection has been key in her marketing success.
"When Taylor engages with her audience, it's not for a move to sell CD's, it's not from a move to sell streams. It's genuinely, 'I care about you'," he said.
"Reputation" comes out in November.