What do Doja Cat and Lorde have in common? Besides being musicians, both artists are using their voices to engage fans beyond their music, with audio messages sent straight to their devotee’s phones.
Welcome to the new era of fan engagement, where personal voice notes sent via SMS and WhatsApp aren’t just cool, but wildly effective.
If you’ve ever wondered how to take fan engagement to the next level, you’re in the right place. This isn’t about marketing noise. It’s about real connection. And yes, serious ROI.
Whether it’s from an indie artist or major Hollywood feature, audio messages are a huge hit with communities of passionate fans. We’re here to make it ridiculously easy to turn a simple voice memo into real connection. The kind that creates buzz, drives off-the-chart engagement, sells out shows, and moves massive crowds to action.
Fans don’t want to feel like spectators. They want access. They want to feel special. They want to feel like part of something real.
Social media might keep them informed, but it’s still one-to-many content built for the masses. Text, on the other hand, feels custom. It gives fans a direct line to the artist, where every message feels like it was made just for them.
That connection becomes even deeper with audio. It’s personal, warm, and feels authentic. Voice content is having a major moment, especially among Gen Z, with 84% using voice memos regularly. It’s time to engage your fans like they want to be engaged.
Picture this: a voice memo pops into a fan’s phone - unfiltered, direct, and perfectly timed. For one fan, it’s a teaser for a special release. For another, it’s an invitation to a pop-up in their city. That’s the power of SMS and voice messaging: two-way conversations that capture fan preferences and turn them into personalized moments.
And it works. Artists using audio in their campaigns are seeing click rates soar, often above 90%.
Lorde (212-921-8323) shared a three-minute voice memo to fans after Coachella, teasing a whole new era of her career. The audio was sent via SMS and WhatsApp to her closest fans - an exclusive experience that felt more like a personal reveal than a promo. This wasn’t marketing fluff. It was real connection that made fans feel like insiders, not just followers.
Doja Cat (747-246-7262) launched the Vie Hotline ahead of her "Jealous Type" release, inviting fans to call in and explore a custom, branching voicemail experience. The hotline delivered on-brand relationship advice that hinted at the theme of her upcoming album. Along the way, fans unlocked links to new singles, music videos, and a limited-edition autographed vinyl, keeping her most loyal fans looped in and hyped up.
Ghostbusters (516-718-8727) shared their number on social media, inviting fans to call in and report ghost sightings ahead of Halloween. An in-world, fan-driven experience that blurred the line between fiction and reality, pulling fans straight into the storyline.
The Accountant 2 (878-222-8682) sequel with Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, utilized a unique in-world voice and SMS campaign to engage fans and build anticipation for its 2025 release. The film saw massive fan engagement and ultimately delivered an impressive $103.2 million at the global box office, later becoming Amazon MGM’s second most-watched title of all time.
Godzilla X Kong: Supernova (240-MON-ARCH) by Monsterverse called on fans to report Titan sightings by dialing its number. This immersive campaign was set to create early buzz and fan engagement, building anticipation well ahead of the film’s release.
These are just a few examples of how creative, immersive audio experiences are turning casual fans into active participants. Whether it’s a simple voice note or a fully custom branching voicemail, these activations are designed to feel both deeply personal and undeniably memorable.
Once you understand what your fans care about, and how to segment them based on their disclosed data, here are a few ways to make voice memos feel truly special:
We’ve seen the most successful artists do all of the above and build superfans in the process.
Want in?
Demo the Community Experience and see just how easy it is to start engaging your fans like you know them.