I have a Twitter account, but I rarely look at it. I don’t teach anything about Twitter marketing (though the basic principles I use and teach apply there).
But even I can’t resist the story of Lil Nas X and how he became an (almost) overnight celebrity 140(+) characters at a time.
Enter Lil Nas X.
I’m not really a rap fan. Unless it’s “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. Back in the day, I could recite every word.
“Everybody go: Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn
You see, if your girl starts actin up, then you take her friend.”
Still love it. 😂😜💃
But this summer, everyone was singing “Old Town Road.” I’m pretty sure I was one of 5 people in the world who had not heard this song by July.
Until Lil Nas X landed on the cover of Time. In record time, I might add. Less than 9 months from his debut of “Old Town Road” on SoundCloud as a complete unknown to the cover of Time magazine. Unheard of.
How did he come from nowhere, overnight? (It’s never overnight, btw.)
He did it, almost exclusively, on Twitter.
Less than a year ago Montero Lamar Hill was a college dropout living on his sister’s couch in Atlanta, Georgia.
He was promoting comedy videos and his music on Instagram and Twitter but getting no real traction.
Last October he bought a “beat” off BeatStars from a Dutch guy named YoungKio for $30 and made a song. That song was “Old Town Road.” He released it independently on SoundCloud.
It got some traction on Twitter, so he kept it up. Lil Nas has a great sense of humor, so he started creating memes for Old Town Road. One after another…all day, every day.
He anonymously asked about his own song on Reddit. “What’s the name of that song that goes, “take my horse to the old town road?” The account has since been deleted, and the post archived but the comments tell the story of the “new marketing.”
He replied to Twitter stories by the hundreds always adding to his comments “…I made Old Town Road, by the way.” Social skills any marketing guru would be proud of.
The song went viral on the video-sharing platform Tik Tok. Everyone was doing their best cowboy impression of Lil Nas X and Old Town Road. #yeehaw
“Social media was one of the biggest factors in the song’s success. Social media is the biggest factor in every song’s success nowadays.” -Lil Nas X
But perhaps the biggest mover for the song was a social media controversy on Twitter. When Billboard decided that “Old Town Road” didn’t have enough “country music elements” to be listed on the Billboard Country Charts, it got the boot. This created a firestorm on Twitter. Which helped pushed the song to its meteoric rise. Thanks, Billboard!
Billy Ray Cyrus, a country legend (depending on how you look at it), put Billboard in its place on Twitter. He loved “Old Town Road.”
So he and Lil Nas X paired up. A snazzy video shoot, a little remix, and bam—no. 1 on the Hot 100 for 19 weeks and the first of what’s sure to be many awards (two MTV Music Video Awards including Song of the Year).
Billy Ray’s advice to Lil Nas? “Think like there is no box.” Amen, Billy Ray. Amen.
Lil Nas X decided he wanted to go viral, and he made it happen. He stayed focused like a laser beam. And he got a little help from his friends.
Time named him one of the 25 most influential people on the internet for his “global impact on social media” and “overall ability to drive news.”
“This is no accident. I’ve been pushin’ this hard.” -Lil Nas X
When Lil Nas X recorded this song, and up until the shooting of the music video, he had never been on a horse.
You can make whatever happen you want to have happen. And you can use social media to grow your business. If you don’t know how I’ll help you. We all get by with a little help from our friends.
Always behind you 1,000%-
Julia
PS – To get help all you have to do is click here.
