Platinum-Selling Country Star Recalls the Rejection That Made Him Go All-In on Social Media

Early in his career, Riley Green didn’t pay much attention to social media. Instead, he was framing houses during the day and playing at local bars on nights and weekends. When he started to gain some recognition, he got an offer to open for one of the biggest country stars of the 1990s. Unfortunately, that offer was rescinded almost immediately when they learned Green didn’t have much of a social media following.

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Earlier today, Green appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to talk about his life and career. During the conversation, he discussed the rejection and how it convinced him how important social media was to his budding career.

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Riley Green Loses a Gig Due to His Low Follower Count

Today, nearly everyone understands that social media is a big part of an artist’s life. For some, it’s a way to keep their fans engaged and their labels happy. Others build a fanbase on social platforms, which allows them to break into the business. According to Riley Green, social media was just as important a decade ago, even if the landscape looked a little different.

At first, Green didn’t realize he was blowing up. ”A guy called me from Birmingham. It was a venue called Iron City, they hold 1,300 people,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Man, there’s no way. Nobody will be there.’ He said, ‘Man, I keep hearing your name. Come down here and play it.’ Thirteen hundred people showed up. I had no clue anyone knew who I was,” he added.

After that night, Green was sure he was ready to step up his game. Then, he got a call that could have opened the door to take a big step forward. “I had a buddy who worked with Sam Hunt call me because he knew I did music. He said, ‘Man, we’ve got an offer to go open for Travis Tritt. We can’t do it. I’m gonna put your name in the hat.’ I was like, ‘That’d be great.’ Then, he called back and said, ‘Man, you don’t have enough followers on Facebook.’ I was like, ‘I don’t even have Facebook. What does that have to do with anything?” he recalled.

“Then, I realized social media was a big part of it and all that. So, I got all that stuff,” Green said.

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