How Hayley Williams Built A Verified, Contactable Fanbase Through Her Tour Pre-sale

Marketing

Hayley Williams used Openstage Ticket Unlocks to launch a verified fan pre-sale for her biggest solo tour to date. The campaign sold out marquee markets, triggered second shows, and grew her direct fan ecosystem by 11x, all while keeping tickets in the hands of real fans.

THE HAYLEY WILLIAMS SHOW

Fresh off her completely sold-out Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party…tour, Hayley was ready for her biggest headline tour yet. But the goal wasn’t just to sell it out. She wanted tickets in the hands of real fans, kept away from scalpers and bots, and to deepen the direct fan relationships she started building with the Ego Death tour. To do it, anyone who wanted a ticket had to come through Hayley’s front door.


HOW SHE DID IT

Rather than announcing the full tour at once, Hayley's team built anticipation across three consecutive days, teasing São Paulo, the Hollywood Bowl (LA), and Forest Hills Stadium (NYC) one at a time, each with its own 48-hour registration window. Fans registered directly through Hayley’s fully branded, Windows 95-inspired flows with email and SMS verification, then received personalized unlock codes that let them access the invite-only sales at Ticketmaster and AEG. Openstage filtered out tens of thousands of bots through multi-layered protection before a single code was issued. Fans who had previously registered for her Ego Death underplay shows were recognized and fast-tracked, bypassing reverification - a small detail that delivered a smooth, fan-aware experience. Two weeks later, the full 24-date tour launched on the same model, with transfer restrictions keeping tickets where they belonged.


THE RESULTS

All three marquee markets sold out in pre-sale. Second shows were added and sold through before the public ever had a chance. But the real win wasn't the sell-outs. It was what Hayley walked away with: a verified, contactable fanbase that's hers. Fans who were rewarded for loyalty felt it. And every new fan who came in through her front door is now part of her world.

  • Only 7% of tickets hit the secondary market

  • 48% growth in contactable fans

  • 54% increase in fan location data

  • 71% growth in SMS-verified fans


GROW FROM INSIDE OUT

Since launching with Openstage in late 2025, Hayley Williams has grown her direct fan ecosystem by more than 11x by building from the inside out: turning ticket demand into direct fan relationships that continue long after the tour ends.


Image: Zachary Gray

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