The Dirty Persuasion Secret Record Labels Use

As a DJ & marketer, I study the dance music space quite a lot.

In doing so, I stumbled upon a dirty marketing trick that record labels use to persuade people at wild scale.

It's so powerful that anyone trying to market & promote can actually use it to their advantage.

When done right, this makes selling much much easier.

Ready to discover what that is?

I'll tell you.

But first…

If you don't know what record labels are and what they do, here's the long story short.

They sign artists, promote their music, and help them "blow up."

Well, that's the tag-line.

But...what do they actually do?

I spent quite some time studying it.

In a world where every single musician can post on Tik Tok (and hope to blow up thanks to some viral moment), why do record labels still exist?

What do they do that's so powerful?

Turns out, many things.

But today, we're just going to focus on one, powerful secret.

That allows them to influence people from all over the world.

What am I talking about?

Fan accounts.

Here’s how it works.

You know those artist fan pages you find online?

A normal person would think that there is a naive teenager behind it.

Turns out, that's not exactly true.

Labels create “fan accounts” for the artists they’re pushing.

These accounts post nonstop praise.

👉🏻 “This is the track of the year!”

👉🏻 “Nobody’s doing it like [Artist Name] right now!”

👉🏻 “Can’t believe how underrated this guy is—absolute genius!”

And on and on.

To the average person, it looks like these accounts are run by superfans.

So the shameless promotion is justified.

It’s a fan-page of that artist…of course they're going to promote their stuff.

But in reality, it’s the label pulling the strings.

Genius? Probably.

But why do they actually do this?

Because they understand a truly powerful persuasion principle.

Not all promotion is created equal.

It’s one thing to say, “I’m good.”

It’s a completely different thing if someone else says...

“This guy is amazing.”

The latter is much more believable and, therefore, far more persuasive.

This principle doesn’t just apply to the music industry.

It’s human nature.

We trust recommendations, opinions, and validation from others FAR more than self-promotion.

❌ A restaurant telling you they’re “the best” feels like advertising.

✅ Your friend telling you it’s the best meal they’ve ever had? That feels like truth.

Marketers know this.

That’s why testimonials, case studies, and social proof are so effective.

But there's a true difference between what I'm talking about here and the mere use of testimonials.

One is rather passive.

You say 'Look, here's what John has to say about me'.

It works (better than no testimonials), but still, you're the one saying that.

You're the one talking. You're just showing what someone else is saying about you.

What I'm referring to is different.

Someone else is actively telling the world how good you are.

It's more active. And as a result, it works better.

Now, you might be wondering what this has to do with you and your biz.

Of course, I’m not saying you need to create fake accounts or manipulate people.

But here’s the real question.

How can you get someone ELSE to talk about you in a way that boosts your authority?

Because when people see others vouching for you, it instantly:

• Builds trust.

• Establishes credibility.

• Positions you as someone worth paying attention to.

And the best part?

It’s not about YOU promoting yourself.

Others do it for you.

Now, you want to know.

How to actually pull this off?

Again, unfortunately, there isn’t much knowledge on this topic.

Most 'gurus' will tell you to “ask for testimonials” and show them off.

And sure, that works to some extent.

But you know what works even better?

Convince someone else to talk about you.

Not in a generic, “Hey, check out Nick, he’s great” way.

But in a strategic, attractive way that makes people curious about you and what you do.

This is a dark persuasion secret that I’ve used to attract people who want to do business with me.

I don’t bombard people around me with testimonials or endless case studies.

Instead, I engineer ways to make other people talk about me...

On their platforms, in their circles, and in ways that feel organic and authentic.

If you say, “I’m good at what I do,” people might believe you.

If someone else says, “This guy is amazing,” it’s almost impossible NOT to believe them.

This principle becomes a superpower when you use it intentionally.

(In case you were wondering…yes - there are strategic ways of doing that. But that’s definitely a topic for another issue)

Anyways.

Here's the point I want you to understand.

When someone else praises you, it’s 100x more effective than you doing it yourself.

In other words…

Authority isn’t built by shouting into the void about how great you are.

It’s built by crafting the narrative around you...

And making sure other people are the ones telling the story.

So the question is.

Who’s talking about you, and what are they saying?

If you can control that, even just a little, you’ve unlocked one of the most powerful tools in marketing.

Just like record labels do.

Talk soon,

Nick

P.S. If you’ve ever wondered how some people seem to get praised out of nowhere, now you know. It’s not luck. It’s strategy.

P.P.S. If you ever see a fan account for me… well, you’ll know.