Hi, I’m Steve Lynch
As soon as your band is any good, it’s not about being a musician anymore. Suddenly, you’re a business manager, booking agent, and marketing strategist—doing whatever it takes to keep the operation moving forward. For me, that meant promoting shows with $15 Google Ads, building DIY websites, and figuring out what made people show up. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked—and it sparked a passion for understanding what makes people engage and connect.
That scrappy, figure-it-out mindset has shaped everything I’ve done since. At Guitar Center, I grew the brand’s following to 4.8MM+ over my tenure, and in 2024 alone, drove over 70MM+ impressions, 20MM+ video views, and 1.6MM+ engagements—all through organic strategies.
Over the years, I’ve worn every hat in content creation and digital marketing—hauling gear, writing tweets, hosting on-camera interviews, and managing million-dollar paid budgets. I’ve interviewed icons like John Mayer, crafted campaigns that made real connections with audiences, and created videos that reached millions. Whether it’s finding ways to stretch a budget further or creating something that truly resonates, I focus on solutions that feel as impactful as they are effective.
At its core, my work is about bringing people together through stories that matter—whether sparking excitement with a 15-second clip or fostering meaningful engagement through a well-placed ad. If you’re ready to launch or scale your social strategy, let’s connect—check out my work below!
LATEST WORK
Baltimore Spirits Company’s "Blend Your Own Whiskey Tour" takes guests behind the scenes of distillation, offering tastings of signature spirits and the chance to craft a personalized whiskey blend. To drive tour bookings, I launched a targeted Meta advertising campaign following a comprehensive technical audit to ensure data integrity, including Meta Pixel and Google Tag implementation with custom conversion and reporting setup.
Starting with small test budgets in early 2024, I refined creative formats—video, photo, and influencer content—while optimizing targeting strategies based on performance insights. Gradual scaling through Q3 and Q4 led to 2,000+ tour bookings with a 10.1x return on ad spend.
PORTFOLIO PICKS
A decade at Guitar Center. Countless campaigns. Endless stories. But the examples below? These highlight work I’m most proud of—where strategy meets action and creativity sparks connection. As the leader of the social team, I didn’t just brief the vision—I brought it to life, collaborating with production, artist, and events teams and ensuring every idea was rooted in a deep understanding of the customer.
From developing original concepts to hosting live streams, conducting interviews, and rolling up my sleeves to shoot and edit, I was hands-on at every step. These projects taught me that the best work doesn’t just promote—it resonates. It sparks engagement, builds loyalty, and creates real value. Take a look—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Ben Harper, Lisa Loeb, Elise Trouw, Steve Poltz, and Molly Miller joined this celebration of Taylor’s 50 years of innovative guitar design with performances, interviews, and a historical discussion featuring co-founder Bob Taylor and CEO Andy Powers.
Nile Rodgers and his iconic Fender Strat, “The Hitmaker,” take center stage in this career-spanning interview. Featuring breakdowns of timeless riffs like “We Are Family” and “Like A Virgin,” along with behind-the-scenes stories of working with legends like David Bowie and Daft Punk, this event is a masterclass in musical genius.
This video series mirrors the customer journey as a protagonist envisions two versions of himself tied to the guitars he tries. Relatable and engaging, it invites viewers to visit the store, try instruments, and share their thoughts while increasing product awareness and consideration.
This series explores the "First, Best, and Next" guitars of well-known players, celebrating key milestones in a musician’s journey. Through relatable and aspirational storytelling, it connects with musicians while inspiring their next purchase—and even sparked copycat formats from competitors.
This seasonal series showcases fun, practical gift ideas, with me stepping in as a store associate to guide viewers. It builds product awareness among musicians while encouraging mentions and shares to gift-givers, sparking engagement and purchase intent.
Collaborating with artists and influencers is one of the most rewarding parts of my work, connecting musician-to-musician to showcase products in their unique styles. These videos expand the brand’s reach, captivate audiences, and spark awareness and consideration.
ARTIST COLLABS
Humor thrives on social, but timing is everything. One meme played off Oasis’ reunion buzz, humorously reporting a capo shortage for "Wonderwall" fans. Another reimagined the "big cup" trend with a GC twist—a cup full of guitar picks. Together, they drove millions of impressions, thousands of site visits, and genuine audience delight.
VIRAL MOMENTS
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Manager, Social Media & Content | Guitar Center Inc. Jul 2014 – Nov 2024
ORGANIC SOCIAL MANAGEMENT
Strategized and executed organic content campaigns, including new product introductions (NPIs), artist features, product demos, brand value propositions, and social engagement initiatives.
Developed and managed content calendars across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.
Oversaw copywriting, image production/selection, and video pre- and post-production to ensure consistent brand voice, visual identity, and authenticity.
Managed a team of two direct reports and collaborated cross-functionally with production, artist-relations, and events teams to deliver cohesive, impactful campaigns.
Monitored mentions and tags, engaging with audiences, responding to brand conversations, and promoting User-Generated Content (UGC) to foster a positive community.
Partnered with the Customer Experience Team to address and resolve customer complaints and manage negative mentions across social platforms.
Synthesized detailed performance reports and delivered comprehensive cross-channel analyses on KPIs, including impressions, video views, engagements, visits, orders, and revenue, enriched with algorithmic, cultural, and trend-driven insights.
Collaborated with internal stakeholders and external agencies to develop and manage the technical infrastructure for .com Meta Pixel implementation, .com-to-Meta product data feeds (enabling product-tagging and Shops functionality), and syncing 300 store-specific Facebook location pages.
PAID SOCIAL MANAGEMENT
Led paid campaigns ($1MM+ spend annually) across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, managing strategy, budgets, targeting, optimization, and reporting for simultaneous initiatives across two brands.
Strategized and optimized campaigns to meet a diverse set of objectives, including web purchase, web traffic, store visits, lessons lead generation, and event RSVPs.
Collaborated with .com developers to implement website pixels, set up custom events, and integrate dynamic product feeds for enhanced targeting and tracking.
Built and refined custom audiences and lookalike models based on CRM data, pixel insights, and social engagement actions to drive full-funnel prospecting, targeting and retargeting.
CONTENT CREATION
Led ideation and strategy to develop briefs, interview questions, shot lists, and storyboards for diverse content types, including long- and short-form videos, blogs, interviews, memes, and ads.
Oversaw post-production processes, shaping content for social channels and aligning with audience/algorithmic preferences.
Collaborated with artists and influencers to create self-filmed content promoting both brand and products.
Served as on-set producer and off-camera interviewer for long- and short-form video and photo shoots.
Appeared as on-camera talent for interviews, product demos, and industry events such as NAMM.
Served as producer, videographer, audio engineer and editor for short-form video.
Promotions & Content Coordinator Guitar Center Inc. Feb 2013 – Jul 2014
Updated promotional banners and links on the homepage and category pages of GuitarCenter.com.
Created coupon codes and configured discount parameters in backend transactional systems.
Conducted light coding to ensure smooth promotional integration across the site.
Assistant Manager / Sales Associate | Guitar Center Towson Dec 2007 – Feb 2013
Assisted thousands of customers in selecting the right musical gear by understanding their needs and recommending tailored solutions.
Helped manage day-to-day store operations, including overseeing sales staff, ensuring team performance, and maintaining excellent customer service standards.
Developed strong sales and customer service skills that informed future marketing and content strategies.
Guitar Instructor | Baltimore Guitar Lessons Dec 2007 – Feb 2013
Taught students of varying skill levels through personalized lesson plans focusing on chords, scales, music theory, and student-selected songs.
EDUCATION
B.S. Mass Communication (Advertising Concentration)
Minor: Electronic Media and Film
Towson University
Reach out!
Ready to collaborate? Share your info, and I’ll be in touch. Let’s make something great together.
What the heck is a lynchpin anyway?
/ˈlin(t)SHˌpin/
noun: lynchpin, linchpin
a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization.
"regular brushing is the linchpin of all good dental hygiene"
a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position.