Beyoncé: Queen of Found Content

The secret to connecting with audiences? Ask Bey.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Beyonce’s new album is a party. You can’t help but dance to it. No matter who you are. Especially the track “CUFF IT”, which just might be the greatest pre-game song ever recorded.

Want proof? Just go to TikTok. Or Instagram Reels. Or anywhere else people are uploading content to the internet. The search term #cuffitchallenge had 147 million views on TikTok as of this writing. It was begun by two friends, Maycee (@macysteele) and Kaitlyn (@ogpartyhardy26), who were (what else?) pre-gaming and dancing to the song. They uploaded the dance with the hashtag and the video went viral. Others followed and added their own unique personalities to it. The official TikTok sound for “CUFF IT” now has been used in over 354,000 videos.

And now Beyoncé – being a smart, modern marketer – has jumped in. Last week, she chose 25 of her favorite #cuffitchallenge posts for an Instagram guide called “Cuff It Picks” including videos posted by a wide range of fans from all walks of life, from wedding parties and pediatric surgeons to celebrities and professional dancers. She even tagged everyone, giving an added thrill to her fans. Here’s a fan-created video showing all of Bey’s picks together with the song. Beyoncé- Cuff It Season | Cuff It Instagram Picks : Bey Co-sign Compilation

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Every brand is more powerful when it’s picked up by fans and played back to us.

Beyoncé- Cuff It Season | Cuff It Instagram Picks : Bey Co-sign Compilation

Maybe having to actually look your audience in the eyes on the road just makes live entertainers more aware of the power of Found Content. After all, musicians have been embracing and innovating the medium since before the fan club was invented. Pharrell famously did a crowdsourced version of the music video for Happy back in 2014. And the Beastie Boys gave camcorders to 50 audience members at a sold out Madison Square Garden show way back in 2004, ultimately making a fan-generated concert film called Awesome; I F***ing Shot That!. (The cameras were returned the next day for a full refund. How’s that for low-budget?)

by Tom Christmann

So be like Beyoncé. Make listening in and playing along with your audience part of your Found Content strategy. If you need some help figuring out what your Found Content Strategy should be, schedule a call with a Catch+Release curator.

In the end, every brand (even Bey herself) is more powerful when it’s picked up by fans and played back to us. It’s proof. It’s social proof that people are loving the music (or widgets) we make. And then there’s only one thing left to do.
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Get up and dance.