Before you start: six weeks or more out
- Finish the master and the artwork.
- Upload the release to your distributor with a release date at least four weeks away. More lead time gives you more time for pre-saves and for playlist pitching.
- Ask your distributor to set up a pre-order on Apple Music / iTunes if they offer it, so listeners can pre-add.
- Note the release’s ISRC codes and UPC from your distributor; you will need them for registrations. (What they are.)
Four weeks out: set up
- Pitch an unreleased track to Spotify’s editors from Spotify for Artists, if you have access. Spotify asks for this ahead of release day; check its current guidance for how far ahead.
- Create a Spotify Countdown Page if the release qualifies (new albums and EPs), or copy your distributor’s pre-save link. (Spotify pre-save explained.)
- Make your release page: paste the pre-save link, set the release date, check the services. (How.)
- Turn on the sign-up form so fans can ask for a release-day email.
- Put the release page link in your bios, or feature the release at the top of your artist page.
- Connect your Meta Pixel and TikTok Pixel if you will run ads, and test that events arrive.
- Plan your content: what you post each week, and which clips you will use.
Three to two weeks out: announce
- Announce the release with the artwork and date. Link the release page.
- Post a teaser: a snippet, a hook, the making-of.
- Email your fan list, if you have one, with the pre-save link.
- Send the release to blogs, radio and curators who cover your genre, with a private listening link and the release page.
- If you run ads, start small to see which posts lead to clicks through to Spotify and Apple Music.
Release week
- Post every day or two. A countdown story with a link sticker works well.
- Check the release page on your phone, from inside Instagram and TikTok.
- The day before: a final reminder with the link.
- Prepare release-day posts in advance.
Release day
- Check the release page: the buttons should lead to the release on each service. listenthru switches them by itself as each service lists the release, checking every hour, so some may switch later in the day.
- Listeners who asked for a reminder get their email automatically; so do confirmed fans who chose to hear about new releases.
- Post on every platform with the same link, tagged per place.
- Thank people who shared it, and share their posts.
- If you have a Spotify Countdown Page, Spotify notifies people who pre-saved.
The first two weeks after
- Read the sources in Insights: which posts, bios, ads and QR codes led to the most clicks through to a service. Do more of what worked.
- Shift ad budget to the posts with the best click-through rate.
- Post new angles: live versions, a lyric video, fan reactions, a behind-the-scenes clip.
- Pitch the released track to independent playlist curators.
- Email your fans again with something new, not just the same link.
Only two weeks? A shorter version
If the release date is close, keep the order and drop the extras:
- Make the release page today with whatever link you have — a pre-save link, or the Spotify or Apple Music link once it is out — and set the release date.
- Turn on release-day reminders and put the link in your bios.
- Announce once with the artwork and date, post one teaser, and post again the day before.
- On release day, post with the same link everywhere and check the page on your phone.
- Afterwards, read the sources and do more of what worked.
One to three months after
- Compare this release with your last one: visits, clicks through to services and click-through rate.
- Note what you would do earlier next time.
- Keep the release page link in your bio until the next release takes its place, or feature the next pre-save on your artist page.
- Start the next release’s six-weeks-out list.
Questions
How far in advance should I upload my release?
At least four weeks before release day gives time for pre-saves, pre-adds and editorial pitching. Check your distributor’s and Spotify’s current recommendations, which can be longer.
Do I need a pre-save campaign for a single?
It helps but is not essential. Even for a single, a release page with a pre-save link and release-day reminders gives you one link to share from the announcement onwards.
What should I measure after release?
Clicks through to each service and where they came from, alongside the streams each service shows you. A smart link counts clicks, not streams.
When should I start ads?
Many artists start small in the weeks before release to learn which posts work, then spend more around release day on the best ones.