Your next single release should be the biggest moment of your career to date. Whether or not that turns out to be the case is entirely up to you.
In the streaming era, singles matter as much — if not more — than albums. A single song can determine whether or not someone gives the rest of your music a chance, if they see you on tour, or if they ever think of you again. You have one chance to convert listeners, and most of the time that chance is the first thirty-seconds (or less) of any song you choose to promote.
With this in mind, it is very important that you treat each single release as if it is the biggest thing to ever happen. Your singles should be events that are promoted heavily and celebrated thoroughly. Everyone should know you have a new song, even if they don’t get around to streaming the track themselves.
Thanks to our pal Jesea Lee from High Road Publicity, we now have a seven-step guide to maximizing the value of a single release. Check it out:
Set a release date with enough lead time!
Most artists don’t have enough content to fill two months of promotion for a single song. Maybe you’re the exception, but generally speaking, four to six weeks is an ideal timeframe to promote new music. That allows you time to make sure everyone who cares about your career and many who don’t are made aware of your plans.
Create a Spotify pre-save campaign.
Streaming is king, so you might as well bow down and acknowledge the reign Spotify has over the music business. Pre-saves ensure people don’t forget your new music is released, and they only take a few minutes to create. SmartURL is a tool which allows you to create different geo-redirect links for music & more. It is completely free, although some features are restricted to registered users only (registration is free!). SmartURL has a tool called ‘Pivot’, which will allow you to put all of your URL links into one landing page, such as iTunes/ Google/Amazon/Spotify, etc, and your fans can then choose their favorite service and be redirected to it. If you’re looking to only set up a pre-save, there is a specific ‘Pre-Save’ tool. This is open to registered users. To set up a pre-save on Spotify you’ll need the URI of your release.
Other pre-save link generators exist. Find the service that best meets your needs and use it.
Update your Spotify profile.
When your new single comes out, and the world is finally paying attention, how will people know who you are and what you’re all about? Spotify profiles can feel sparse at first, but you can make the most of them by adding thoughtful bios, tour dates, and plenty of pictures for your fans to enjoy. If you have the budget, please consider hiring someone to help create a bio and other content for your page.
Submit for Official Spotify Playlist Consideration and Release Radar.
Playlists are the new mixtapes. Placement on popular playlists can turn unknown musicians into viral sensations overnight, sell tickets, and get people talking about your music. Spotify has a great tool for playlist submission that will get your song in front of curators who oversee some of the platform’s most popular playlists. Here’s how it works:
- Log in or sign up to Spotify for Artists using a desktop computer.
- On the ‘Home’ section, click ‘Get Started’ next to the music you’d like to submit.
- If it’s an album or EP, choose one release to submit.
- Complete the playlist submission form, giving as much information as possible about the track.
Reach Out to Press and Independent Playlists
You know what is louder than you screaming into the void known as internet about your new material? Dozens of people screaming into the void about your new material.
Haulix is used by thousands of artists to reach tastemakers in all corners of the world with fully-customizable promo pages that compliment the music being shared. You can sign up today for a one-month trial, upload your contacts, and immediately begin promoting your music to people in positions of influence throughout the industry.
If you need help finding independent playlist curators, try this post or this one.
Tease on socials.
Your creativity outside of writing and recording will likely determine how much traction your new single receives online, especially from people unfamiliar with your work. Create and share teaser clips, video clips, memes, song lyrics, behind the track information, and anything else you can think of to promote the song’s upcoming release. If you need help coming up with content ideas, especially if you have a limited budget, we recommend learning from artists like Heart Attack Man and Hot Mulligan. Both bands keep their names circulating throughout their music scene without needing to constantly release polished music videos or studio tracks. Just be yourself (in the most creative way possible).
Prepare your release day social posts
The last thing you want to happen on release day is to find yourself scrambling for content. At least five days in advance of your single release, take time to craft a series of social media posts that are unique to each of your channels. Know what you’re going to post to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as when you’re going to post it. That way, when the day comes, you can focus all your energy on engaging with listeners in real time.