To grow your music, your goal for a new release is to be heard by a wide audience of listeners.
Tens of thousands of tracks are released every day on streaming platforms and the competition is tough.
That’s why building a great promotion strategy is the first step to reaching the ears of fans and industry professionals.
But before you get started with music promotion you’ll need a digital distribution plan to get your tracks on streaming services. After all, you need your music to be available for listeners to stream online.
With distribution out of the way, you can focus on the last step of the process, efficient music promotion.
Here are six music industry strategies to help you make the most out of your single release.
1. Promote your release before the launch date
You’re probably excited to talk about your next music release—and you should be! You’ll need to plan the promotion of your single ahead of time.
The best advice is to treat the release of your musical project like an event. One helpful strategy is to create a release checklist to keep track of your key tasks.
That list should include frequent posts on your social media channels in advance of your release date. A single post isn’t enough notice for all your followers to keep your release in mind.
Instead, post regularly before launch to make sure your listeners are engaged with your new material on day one.
Post regularly before launch to make sure your listeners are engaged with your new material on day one.
To make it even more effective you should create different content for each channel to reach the widest possible audience. This could mean music videos, social media countdowns and other types of posts.
Remember to reach out to press and radio stations about two weeks before the release of your music so you can do a quick follow up right before the big date.
Finally, it’s important to start promoting a single before the release date to boost your stats on streaming platforms from day one.
Sharing a pre-save link with your pre-release promotional content will help ensure that.
2. Expand your community of fans on social networks
A strong presence on social media can boost a release and even kickstart a musical career.
Social media allows you to communicate directly with your fans. Think of it like putting a face on the music.
Staying active on important platforms like Instagram and TikTok will help you reach new potential fans through shares, comments, hashtags and other social features.
The key to success is to focus on sharing engaging content. This way the algorithm will push your posts to more users if the first viewers engage with it.
Using ads on Instagram and Facebook can also hep to grow your fan base, but in many cases posting great organic content is just as good.
Hot tip: Your fans are your most engaged followers on social media. It means you can reach out to them for help getting more visibility on platforms like Instagram. Actions like favoriting your account can lead to more interactions with your content. Just be careful not to spam your followers too often or too aggressively.
TikTok can also give musicians terrific results when it comes to building a fan base. Don’t take it too seriously, just try and post regularly, even when you’re not releasing music. Test content like live sessions, music video extracts, behind the scenes, or even just up acapella singing… Your account could take off randomly and exponentially!
3. Contact media outlets to get press coverage
In addition to your posts on social media, it’s worth reaching out to traditional music press to cover your release.
While it may seem like you’ll get the best results from reaching out to as many as possible, it’s better to target your press outreach carefully for the biggest impact.
Make an effort to reach out the correct way and only contact outlets that are appropriate. For example, don’t waste your time emailing hip-hop blogs if you play heavy metal. Aim for well-known publications that cover up-and-coming artists in your niche.
A strong presence on social media can boost a release and even kickstart a musical career.
And even if you don’t get a post on their main accounts, there may be other benefits the traditional press can help with.
Many blogs and magazines have built influential channels on Youtube, social media and Spotify. Getting support from the press can sometimes come with a post on their playlists or socials.
Luckily, you don’t need to land name-brand publications to boost your recognition in the industry. Targeting niche blogs and webzines with a dedicated audience can often earn you more fans than a mainstream media outlet.
Targeting niche blogs and webzines with a dedicated audience can often earn you more fans than a mainstream media outlet.
In the end, good press coverage helps you gain visibility and credibility with listeners but also with music industry professionals who are on the lookout.
Coverage in a recognizable publication is a perfect boost for your EPK as you apply to festivals and pitch music to curators. It’s how you open doors for your next releases as you progress in your career.
Hot tip: When you release new music, you may want to test the response from listeners in other countries. On Groover, artists can get in touch with independent blogs, journalists and channels all around the world. Groover helps you get guaranteed listens, valuable feedback and press coverage when curators connect with your music.
4. Maximize your chances to get posted on playlists
Playlists are one of the most effective ways to promote any new release.
Planning your release ahead of time allows you to pitch your single directly to Spotify’s editorial team through Spotify for Artists. Even though it’s notoriously hard to get in, it’s worth it for every artist to submit.
Hot tip: Make sure to pitch your release on Spotify For Artists more than 7 days before its actual release date. This way your track will appear in the ‘Release Radar’ playlists of your Spotify followers.
Despite the power of Spotify’s branded playlists, you shouldn’t forget about third party playlists on Spotify.
These playlists are curated by independent users on the platform and sometimes have a huge following.
Even small playlists can have a massive impact on your streams, if they have high engagement. These will they’ll also help trigger algorithmic playlists such as Weekly Discoveries to include your track.
You’ll most likely find the curator’s contact information directly in the playlist description on Spotify. Otherwise you can try to find their contact information on social media or their website to submit your music.
The ‘Discovered On’ section of similar artists is often a great way for artists to scout relevant third party playlists. To expand your horizons of similar artists, don’t hesitate to check the ‘Fans also like’ section of your own Spotify profile, and then check out the ‘Discovered On’ sections of those artists’ profiles.
You can use Groover to contact Spotify and Apple Music playlist curators among a selection of more than 500 playlist curators, get your music heard and receive guaranteed feedback within a week, plus the possibility to get added to the impactful playlists.
Even small playlists can have a massive impact on your streams, if they have high engagement.
5. Get your music played on the radio
Radio airplay is still very relevant for promoting music releases. To maximize your chances of getting your track played on the radio, you’ll need a radio edit of your song to send to radio stations.
To make things easy for your contacts, include a Spotify or Youtube link along with your files in the required format. You’ll find that information available on the stations website if they publish guidelines for submission.
Remember that online radio stations are a good stepping stone in your strategy to eventually reach bigger FM stations.
6. Build a team to grow your music promotion strategy
Releasing music is the perfect opportunity build your professional community and get music industry insiders interested in your project.
Whether you’re looking for a label, a manager, a booker, or any other type of support, some professionals in the music industry will respond to the exposure you’ve gotten on your own.
If they like your music and there’s something going on around your music project, you have a better chance of attracting the right people to work with you and help you push your music project further.
And they’ll ultimately become your best ally when it comes to promoting a single. Find your future manager, label or booker through Groover! More than 500 deals have been signed from connections made on the platform since its creation 3 years ago.
Feeling inspired? Releasing music shouldn’t be a hassle. Prepare your release promotion strategy and incorporate our tips for a comprehensive mix of digital and traditional coverage.
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