3 PR moves you can steal from band’s breakthrough

Like one-quarter of America, I know a kid down the street who formed a garage band right after high school.

That was the beginning, middle and end of the story . . . until everything changed last weekend.

Here’s the play-by-play, including 3 PR lessons you can steal from their breakthrough.

Opening act

My neighbor Jacob and his friends named their band Poolhouse. They’ve played some local shows, run positive-message assemblies at schools, and some of their TikToks even broke 10k views. Early last month, they uploaded their latest single to Spotify. I think it – as the kids say – slaps, but for a few weeks, only Poolhouse diehards knew it existed.

The plot twist

Enter Rachel – an aspiring TikToker whose own clips rarely left the triple digits. Spotify’s algorithm somehow serves her the new song. She flips on the camera, gushes that it’s “the next Teenage Dirtbag,” and tosses in unsolicited production notes.

Her video detonates: 2 million views and counting. Wheatus (yes, the real Teenage Dirtbag guys) drops a compliment. R&B star Muni Long invites Rachel to her songwriting workshop. Jacob’s mom posts an earnest “thanks” and gets 20,000 hearts.

Poolhouse reposts the track and tags Rachel. That’s Jacob on lead vocals – Buddy-the-Elf voice: “I KNOW HIM!”

Boom – half a million views of their own. Spotify’s official TikTok account comments.

Now they’re teasing “Rachel’s Version” of the single. Suddenly there’s a storyline, not just a song drop.

3 PR riffs you can shred immediately

1. Invite the critique – then act on it
   Welcoming Rachel’s “here’s how I’d remix it” feedback makes Poolhouse look collaborative, not fragile. Audiences love bands (and brands) that listen in public.
2. Make the process the headline
   “New single out” is a yawn. “Fan remixes our track, blows up her own channel, and we re-release it” is a narrative arc. Reminds me of when Aflac turned its plush-duck cancer-research fundraiser from routine CSR into news by letting pediatric cancer patients design the next duck.
3. Ride momentum while the amps are hot
   Poolhouse didn’t have to worry about label approval – they teased “Rachel’s Version” within days. Even if your organization isn’t as nimble as an indie band, push to act fast to maximize attention.

I’m absurdly proud of this micro-assist in fanning Jacob’s viral flame. Yes, I had to google Muni Long, but when Poolhouse plays Coachella someday, remember I was the uncool neighbor who tipped you off first.

And if you do entertainment PR, this could be a fun little nugget to share with one of your influencer/creator/journalist friends while it’s still climbing the viral ladder.

P.S. Apparently I’m a sucker for mining PR lessons from music collabs – here’s my breakdown of Lil Nas X using Billy Ray Cyrus to propel his “Old Town Road” juggernaut.