While most musicians do not dream about making TikToks or putting together an effective promotional strategy, it is a necessary part of being a professional musician. In an age where some experts are alleging 100K+ uploads to Spotify every day, finding a way to make yourself stand out and excel in the music industry is no easy feat.
Fortunately, we've put together a comprehensive guide on how to promote a song before release so that you can give your music the best possible chance to shine once it has reached streaming platforms. We'll share some essential pre-release music promotional strategies below, as well as answer some commonly asked questions surrounding promoting new music.
Why Should I Promote a Song Before Its Release?
You need to promote your song before release to ensure that your track has the best chance of reaching your target audience. There is more music than ever on music streaming platforms, and without a reestablished wider audience, you need to help music fans discover and connect with your music by creating awareness for your upcoming release.
Through the power of music videos, social media, and potential music blogs and radio stations as discussed below, you can give your music release the best chance of landing on the right ears once its been dropped.
What Do I Need Before I Start Promoting the Song?
Here are the key ingredients all independent artists need to start promoting their upcoming releases:
- Presave Link: A presave link allows fans to automatically save the song to their libraries ahead of a release date. This way, when the track drops, it will theoretically be easier for fans to find your music which can certainly help you catch the attention of streaming platforms' algorithms.
- Campaign Plan: You need a basic strategy behind the rollout of your song based on what is authentic to your audience. Does your audience like music videos? Instructional tutorials? Behind the scenes content? Start planning and create assets to add to the lore of your release.
- An Ideal Promotion Window: You need time to create hype and pitch music to music bloggers and curators. You should leave, at the bare minimum, at least two weeks between when you upload your song and release it to give you ample time to promote your art as needed.
8 Ways to Promote a Song Before Release
Promoting your music ahead of time can help your track shine when it reaches the likes of Spotify and Apple Music. Here are a couple of ways you can promote your song before its release.
Video Teasers and Snippets
Ideally, you'll have a music video ready to go to drop on release day. Music videos are an excellent way to communicate that you're invested to industry professionals and audiences, plus they're a bunch of fun! Start the hype for your release by sharing a teaser of your song or music video, paired with a link to your song's presave.
Show the Process
The best kind of pre release promotion shows the power of a piece of art, rather than blatantly spelling out the concept to fans. Show your listeners what went into making your upcoming release whether that's the song itself, music video, or even the assets that add to the world of this release. Gain exposure by showing your work.
Create a Presave Contest
Get your fans involved in some friendly competition by offering incentives for presaves - this could be a coupon towards discounted merchandise, an early listen to your song, or exclusive content in exchange for their support. Something as simple as a presave raffle can help generate buzz and reward your fans through pre release promotion.
Reach Out to Blogs and Playlist Curators with a Press Release
The power of radio stations and the electronic press kit has certainly dwindled with the changes in the music landscape, however, their influence is still felt, even if some of that curation has translated to Spotify playlist curation. Put together a basic press release you can send to blogs and curators showcasing your song, cover art, and any other assets (like a music video) that are a part of your release rollout. You can find these contacts directly through the "Contact" page of popular blog websites or using services like Submithub.
Be Consistent on Social Media Platforms
It's vital to keep your audience up to date on what you're working on as a musician. Your social media outlets will serve as the primary driver of your presave link, so its important to promote music on your channels regularly. Whether you're showcasing behind the scenes content, music video snippets, or more personal vlogs, keep posting and engaging on socials to stay a part of the conversation.
Have a Release Date Event
Create excitement around your release by putting together an event where your community can connect IRL. This could be a release-day party, listening session, or even an artist talk where you answer questions behind the process of making the record. Make entry free other than requesting your fans to presave your song.
Consider Mashups and Remixes
One way to promote your music to new audiences is to mash-up your track with a song that others are already more familiar with. You can also just share other artists that your music is similar to in order to help listeners get a sense of what you're building. Consider collaborating with other artists on a remix if you know anyone who DJs or produces music. Finding ways to integrate other artists into your process, even if it's past the release date can be a great way to cross-pollinate audiences over the course of your music career.
Pitch to Spotify
You can pitch one unreleased song to Spotify playlist editors at a time, so long as you meet the necessary requirements as listed by Spotify for Artists . Most people recommend pitching your song at least two weeks in advance. There is no guarantee that you'll get your music noticed, however pitching your music through Spotify's pitching tool ensures that your music automatically gets added to your listener's "Release Radar" which is great for getting your new song out to listeners.
Should I Promote My Song After the Release Date?
In short, yes! Although it's tempting to lessen your focus following release date, you should be reminding your audience (and future fans) of your music long after release day. This can be through social posts, live concerts, networking, and putting out new music.
Creating and releasing a music video is another great way to continue the experience of the music for your fans even if it's been months since you've released your track. Today's music landscape is unique in that songs can become popular long after their initial debut, so it's essential to keep up the momentum.
Music Promotion FAQs
Are you gearing up to release your first song on streaming, social media platforms and beyond? Use these commonly asked questions and answers to help guide your strategy:
Is it better to promote song before or after release?
The best answer for this is, both! Many musicians mistakenly think that music promotion is linear, i.e. one concentrated promotion period will be the silver bullet that they need to send their song to the masses. In reality, it's much more complex, but the best way to get ears to your song is to talk about it on a regular basis.
How do I promote my upcoming song?
We showcase 8 ways to promote your upcoming song above but with all strategies, it's critical to consistently post content and genuinely connect with your audience. Being a musician requires consistent, repeated effort to get your music heard and appreciated.
How do you hype a song release?
There are several ways you can bring hype to a song release whether that's building anticipation across social media platforms, showing the behind-the-scenes process, or creating a release day event. When it comes to effective song promotion, the most important factors are 1) being consistent and 2) being authentic with your delivery.
What do you say when promoting a song?
What you say when you promote a song depends on your brand and the context of your content. Although, the best kind of promotional content shows, rather than tells, a viewer what they should or should not feel. We outline several strategies for promoting your music ahead of your release day above.
A solid pre-release campaign can help you bring traction to your song; however, remember that it's not the end-all-be-all. Effective music promotion is a continuous process that should be sustained long after your release date. It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes the best way to promote your past work is to continue putting out amazing music that draws eyes and ears to your catalog. Have fun rolling out your latest release and enjoy the excitement that comes with putting out your next track.
