Obtained a launch arising and don’t know the place to start with promotion? As an impartial artist, you is perhaps a one-person advertising and marketing staff with a laundry-list of to-do’s — from claiming your profiles on streaming platforms and driving pre-saves to reserving launch reveals and promoting merch. However you’ve obtained this.
We created a 30-day plan that can assist you accomplish extra within the leadup to your launch day. This information organizes ways and asset growth into key phases that can assist you keep targeted and construct strategically. Able to dive in?
Key Takeaways
Give your self time. Set your launch date at the very least 4 weeks out while you submit for distribution. That offers you adequate runway to interact your fanbase and construct anticipation.
Launch on a Friday. It’s the trade customary, which may place you greatest for press protection and new launch playlists.
Publish day by day, optimize as you go. Constant posting retains you in good standing with the algorithm, however your closing two weeks main right into a launch ought to deal with changing followers to drive actual motion (pre-saves, ticket gross sales, pre-orders, and so forth.) — and that requires utilizing the content material codecs that you simply’ve observed resonate most. Want inspiration to start out? Listed here are 10 methods to authentically promote your music on-line.
Adapt this plan to your wants. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to music promotion; your fanbase greatest. Use this information as your day by day to-do checklist, however belief your individual judgment on subjective calls like what content material to submit or how typically to launch your music. For those who really feel caught, we’ve linked assets all through the information that can assist you alongside the way in which.
Evaluate your launch earlier than submitting
One final notice: Earlier than you submit music for distribution, verify your cowl artwork meets platform necessities, your audio is mastered, your cut up sheet is finalized, you maintain the rights to distribute your music, and your metadata is correct. Observe every step of the distribution course of fastidiously and assessment your launch particulars earlier than submitting — that helps guarantee your launch goes reside precisely and on time.
Days 1-5: Put together for promotion
Along with your music submitted at the very least 4 weeks out, begin constructing out the hyperlinks you’ll want to advertise your music throughout channels and let your followers know new music is on the way in which.
- Day 1: Create a pre-save hyperlink utilizing Present.co (should you’re a CD Child artist) and add your music to a non-public streaming hyperlink (e.g. Bandcamp, Pattern, or SoundCloud) to share with trade journalists
- Day 2: Write a press launch and create an inventory of 10-15 press targets then pitch the press
- Day 3: Create a touchdown web page to your music with HearNow
- Day 4: Schedule a launch day gig or listening celebration to have a good time your new music
- Day 5: Publish your cowl artwork and announce your launch date on social media
Days 6-10: Generate visible content material
When you’ve laid the groundwork for promotion, begin producing the visible content material you want. From artist photoshoots and looping movies to occasion posters and merch.
- Day 6: Construct a temper board to seize the feel and appear of your launch and schedule a photoshoot. Make sure to convey a photographer to seize behind-the-scenes b-roll
- Day 7: Pitch your music to editorial playlists on streaming platforms
- Day 8: Create video content material for Spotify Canvas and Apple Music Album Movement Artwork utilizing CDB Video Creator
- Day 9: Declare your profiles on streaming platforms. (Study easy methods to declare your profiles on Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and different high platforms.)
- Day 10: Create a poster to your launch present or listening celebration
Days 11-15: Refresh your profiles
As new belongings come collectively, use them to replace your presence throughout socials, streaming, and owned channels.
Days 16-20: Construct anticipation
By now, your profiles needs to be release-ready. It’s time to drive new followers to your channels. On high of day by day posting, be certain you may have the next coated:
- Day 16: Announce your launch present or listening celebration and begin driving ticket gross sales or RSVPs
- Day 17: Begin or guarantee you may have the channels to continue to grow your electronic mail checklist. Add in any emails of followers who pre-saved your music
- Day 18: Launch a giveaway to incentivize followers to pre-save the observe
- Day 19: Share a reside efficiency of the observe
- Day 20: Put together images for a day by day countdown on social media
Days 21-25: Drive engagement
Preserve posting day by day, however as launch day nears, get strategic — you’ll need to focus your launch day content material on codecs and ideas that resonate most together with your viewers. Use posts this week to drive motion: pre-saves, ticket gross sales, merch pre-orders.
- Day 21: Evaluate the previous few weeks of content material, establish what carried out greatest, and repurpose it for boosted posts or Meta adverts
- Day 22: Print and submit flyers with QR codes linking to your launch present
- Day 23: Begin your day by day countdown on social media and pair every picture with a narrative
- Day 24: Ship an electronic mail blast to your followers reminding them you may have any music on the way in which
- Day 25: Attain out to native tastemakers, blogs, and different artists to construct assist and cross-promotion. (Take a look at our ideas for networking as an impartial artist.)
Days 26-30: Ace your launch day
With lower than every week to go, line up your promotion for the large day — draft posts, comply with up on and ensure press, and double-check each profile you personal is updated.
- Day 26: Draft your release-day social posts. Tag and thank collaborators within the captions.
- Day 27: Construct a Spotify Artist Playlist that includes comparable artists
- Day 28: Verify release-day premieres out of your press pitches and plan the way you’ll share them on social media
- Day 29: Guarantee you may have prime quality images of merch choices to offer followers a method to assist you past streams
- Day 30: It’s launch day. Observe our full launch day guidelines for all the pieces it’s best to do to interact your followers
Launch your music with CD Child
Over two million artists around the globe belief CD Child to launch their music. A trusted chief in impartial distribution since 1998, CD Child distributes to over 150 platforms worldwide beginning at simply $9.99 per single and $14.99 per album — with no annual charges. Create a free CD Child account to get began.