One of the best things about what we’ve crafted here at The Honey POP is that truly, this team is made up of such incredibly talented people with a clear vision and endless drive. Madison Murray is one of those people! As her peers, we get to see Madison’s drive and talent constantly, and with From Followers To Fans, Madison is sharing that on a large scale with all of you! If you’re a fan with hopes of breaking into the industry, or someone who wants a deeper understanding of the industry, or if you’re an artist, or a member of an artist’s team, there are gems of wisdom in this book for everyone!
We chatted with Madison all about From Followers To Fans, we hope you enjoy!
Get Madison’’s book here!
Hi Madison! We can’t wait to dive into all things From Followers To Fans! Before we do, can you share with the readers a bit about your voice as an author?
Hi Hailey, thank you so much for having me! I’m Madison Murray and I’m a music blogger and promoter/marketer, taking my experiences in the industry in those roles and also as a lifelong fangirl to help artists build their fandoms in a meaningful way. Through my online content and my debut book, From Followers To Fans, I want artists to feel like I’m less of an insider telling them what to do and more like their music marketing bestie making things feel more approachable and possible for them.
Your relationship with writing about pop culture has spanned many years, when was it that you came to the realization that what you were learning could be formatted this way as a guide for people in the industry, or anyone interested in the industry to read?
Yes! Writing about pop culture has opened up so many doors for me and helped me learn a lot more about the industry from various different sides. As I connected with more artists through my writing and social media, I learned just how confusing the process around promoting their work can be if they don’t have someone guiding them, especially if they don’t have the resources to hire someone like a manager or publicist. There are free resources out there like articles and social media posts, but I felt that having something that goes into more depth without feeling like you’re drowning in information could be a lot more impactful.
A big theme in From Followers To Fans surrounds utilizing social media in a way that feels honest yet strategic, what forms of social media do you find to be the easiest for artists to accomplish that on?
I’d say Instagram and TikTok overall since there are so many music lovers on both platforms ready and willing to hear new things! There are also so many different features that let you show up in different ways – for example, if you’re not feeling up to a feed post on a certain day, you could do a quick story instead.
At the beginning of the book you talk about how you started the process back in 2022, was there any thought process you had back at the beginning of the creative process on the subject that has changed or evolved over the last four years?
Yes, it was a long time coming! I described the original version of the book as feeling like an “instruction manual” in the new intro, kind of just listing out information without making it feel engaging or unique. I dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome at the time and thought that the only way I could really be trusted as an expert was to sound more formal, which I’ve since learned is very inaccurate. In a way, that mirrors how the original draft had some fairly generic advice that didn’t encourage the artists reading it to focus on adding their unique voice and experiences to it. It’s important to offer your own personal view and feel confident in what you have to present to the world in the way only you can!
One of the things we really loved throughout the book was the moments where you left room for a ‘fill-in’ for the reader to put the words of advice into action right away, where did you come up with that idea?
Thank you so much! I knew fairly early in the process that I wanted to make something interactive so that the information in the book could really stick with artists reading it and they could feel more ready to apply it to their own careers. Each chapter of the book has its own worksheet section based on that chapter’s main themes and takeaways, ranging from some personal reflection questions to templates for artists to keep track of contacts for bloggers they might want to reach out to. Especially when so much of our industry is digital, I think having an interactive moment helps it feel more tangible, and I’m so glad that this seems to be a lot of people’s favorite part of the book! I had a lot of fun putting those pages together.
For years “Fangirl” has been used as an insult, something to make fun of fans who are passionate about an artist, a band, a show, etc, for you, what have you found to be at the heart of being a “fangirl” that makes it such a powerful tool in this industry?
It has, and it’s so unfair! Fangirls are some of the most passionate people out there, and really pour their hearts into the things they do. They truly care and understand what can make others care about something, whether it’s a new music release or something outside of the industry. Being a part of The Honey POP and working so closely with our team (fully made up of fans) has really proven that for me. A lot of us have gotten recognition from, or even interviewed, some of our favorite artists, and we’ve received a lot of compliments from artists and their teams on our work because of how much passion we put in.
If a rising artist were to be reading this right now, and you could highlight one thing for them from this book that you see as holy grail information, what would it be?
One of my favorite ideas within the book is that you shouldn’t view your social media pages as billboards. It makes it so much harder to connect with an artist as both a fan and someone in the industry if their whole feed is release announcements or requests to pre-save something! For example, an artist’s Instagram is often one of the first places I look when I’m coming up with interview questions or doing research for a review. In those moments, I’m ideally looking for posts that show off their personality or the meaning behind their art, not just announcements or release info. The social media-focused chapter in the book includes a mock weekly posting schedule to give real examples of how artists can make a song release week, which is infamously very Billboard-y for a lot of people, feel more personal and interesting.
Once again Madison, thank you for chatting all things From Followers To Fans with us! Before we let you go, is there anything you’re currently working on that readers can look forward to diving into?
Thank you so much again, Hailey! I’ve always admired your passion for writing and uplifting new voices at THP, and it’s such an honor to be on the other side of that for this Q&A. Throughout 2026, I hope to get From Followers To Fans to more musicians who want to build their fandoms online, and hopefully roll out artist services like consulting calls and more one-on-one, personalized help! And, of course, I’ll be discussing some of my favorite music on The Honey POP <3
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We would love to hear from you! What do you think of our interview with Madison Murray? Let us know by commenting below or by tweeting @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!
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