(You don’t need to post it if you don’t want to, or post it when the time is right if rn you only want to enjoy the release and talk about that)
Hi there and greetings from Europe. I just want to give my opinion as someone who works in the field overseeing an artist with a strategic relationship. Maybe this will help the ones that are blindly believing this nonsense. It is a standard practice for the team to ensure continued visibility for the other party, particularly around key moments such as releases or major announcements. We want to keep the story warm. That means the team will drop evidence at the right moment. A lot of the photos or videos people see aren’t new at all; they were taken days ago, sometimes weeks ago. They’re just posted later, on purpose, so the artist stays in the spotlight and their name keeps circulating online and in the press. Fans are a big part of it. Certain fan accounts are chosen, sometimes encouraged, sometimes paid, to post this stuff and make it look organic. It feels spontaneous to the public, but it’s actually very timed, even more during releases /announcements because because if you keep the two names linked, attention naturally transfers. One trends, the other benefits. On top of that, there’s rumor-fueling. Things like “they’re engaged,” “they want kids,” “they’re moving in together,” “this is real love” get pushed out. Not to confirm anything but just to get people talking, speculating, emotionally invested. Once fans start imagining a future, the relationship feels more “serious,” and the media keeps running with it. So yeah, as long as people are talking, the strategy is working.
As for pap pics, the pap agency is not chasing them, they are invited. The team gives them a heads-up like “they’ll be out for coffee,” “they’re leaving this place,” “they’ll walk this route.” The timing and location are chosen because it’s safe, visible, and easy to sell as a casual sighting. Starbucks, sidewalks, hotel entrances, places that scream enjoying the normal life. The artists involved show up, walk together, grab coffee, maybe smile, maybe look “caught off guard,” and that’s it. Ten minutes later, they’re gone separately.
The hotels/ accommodations are also controlled. They are not sharing rooms, they might stay at the same hotel but different floors, different rooms. Even different hotels most of the time. As long as there’s a photo that day, arriving together, leaving together, grabbing coffee, the story continues. The public fills in the rest on their own opinions.
PR relationships aren’t about spending time together. They’re about being seen together just enough to keep the narrative believable. At some point, the relationship stops living with the artists and starts living with the audience. And their teams know fans are way more believable than press releases.
So yeah… sometimes we even encourage the artists to engage selectively with fans who ask for photos. Not in a creepy way, more like a quiet understanding. A fan asks for a picture or video, the artist agrees but that will never be posted. In exchange for that, what the fan will post will be a story time (because they were asked to in order to receive the pic/video). They might be money compensated too, or given access to future shows/backstage.
So even if there’s a photo or video that never sees the light of day, the story does. And once the story is out there, it spreads on its own. Other fans pick it up, media picks it up, suddenly it’s confirmed without anyone official ever saying a word. That’s kind of the whole strategy: we don’t need proof, we just need enough people convinced they saw it.It’s about keeping the illusion warm, believable, and alive just long enough to serve its purpose.
Sorry for the long text btw.
Ty so much for your ask 🫶🏻
