Releasing an album is a special moment that brings a lot of satisfaction. However, promoting a release is more complex, as promotional campaigns are quite different from making music. Fortunately, streaming services offer practical tools to get your audience excited about your new release. Currently, one of the best ways to promote an upcoming release is through a pre-save campaign.
What is a pre save Campaign?
A pre-save campaign is a promotional tactic used to generate interest and engage the audience even before a single or album is released. Typically, an artist conducts a pre-save campaign to encourage fans to pre-save an album on specific streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal… Before the scheduled release date.
Why Are pre saves So Important?
Algorithm-based streaming platforms rely heavily on data and measurable engagement. Essentially, platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer pay great attention to how many people listen to your track, for how long, and how frequently. Early engagement is crucial as it signals to the algorithm that your track is important and entertaining to many people. This is a well-known factor that helps your tracks get featured in algorithmic recommendations and high-traffic playlists.
How to Run a pre save Campaign on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Tidal
To successfully run a pre-save campaign, here is a detailed step-by-step guide.
1. Distribute Your Music
The first step in promoting a digital release is to distribute your music through Wiseband.
It is extremely important to have a well-thought-out plan. We recommend setting a release date well in advance of submitting your tracks – about 2 to 4 weeks. Having a special release date is key to planning your pre-save campaign backward from the release day. Additionally, it ensures that your release comes out at a specific time or day.
2. Claim Your Profile on Each Platform
To run an effective pre-save campaign, you need to claim and verify your profiles on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Tidal. Your fans likely won’t be able to pre-save your album or see a preview if you haven’t verified your profiles on these platforms.
Fortunately, many distribution services are preferred partners of these platforms, which makes it easier to quickly verify your artist profiles and gain all the benefits that come with verification.
3. Obtain URIs for Your Releases
URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) for Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Tidal are unique identifiers that allow your track to be identified within each platform for a pre-save campaign, even if the track is not yet public. You can obtain them from your artist profiles on each platform once your track is approved for release.
To obtain a URI, follow these steps:
- Access your artist profile on the relevant platform.
- Find your track once it is approved for release.
- Click on the share menu button and copy the URI to your clipboard.
Or ask our team 🙂
4. Customize Your Landing Pages
Once all your information is correctly entered, the chosen tool will generate a landing page and a link for you. This landing page is where fans can pre-save your album to their library and access your music immediately on the release day.
You can customize this page by adding images of your album and an artist banner in the background. If you want to customize how your URL looks when shared with fans on social media, you can set the appearance settings of your URL.
5. Generate Social Media Posts
Create buzz around your upcoming release. Think carefully about how you want to present your new music to your fans. One or two Instagram posts aren’t really enough, and spamming your fans with repetitive announcements isn’t a great idea either.
You need to create a compelling story about your music and your personality as an artist. Spend some time developing a mood board for your release. The album cover, colors, typography, narrative, symbolism: everything you use for your release is very important for capturing your fans’ attention.
6. Build an Email List
Email lists are a great way to keep your fans engaged. Consider adding an email list to your marketing plan if you haven’t already. There couldn’t be a better group of people to send a pre-save link to than those devoted fans who have asked you to keep them updated on your news!
7. Post on Your Website
If you don’t have an artist website, you should definitely consider it. Having a dedicated online space that you control allows for many practical uses and applications. One application is using your website as a space to talk about your upcoming music and offer fans the opportunity to pre-save your next release.
8. Mention It in Your Press Release
Getting press coverage before an album release is huge for getting your tracks in front of a whole new audience who may not yet be familiar with your music. So, if you’re planning a promo blitz about your new release, don’t forget to include a link to your pre-save page. This is another great opportunity to increase your chances of getting more pre-saves before release day.
Benefits of Pre-Saves for Artists and Fans
Pre-save campaigns offer several benefits, both for artists and fans.
Benefits for Artists
- Increased Engagement: Pre-saves help create anticipation and engagement before the album’s release.
- Favorable Algorithms: A high number of pre-saves indicates to the streaming platforms’ algorithms that your music is important, increasing your chances of being recommended and appearing in popular playlists.
- Fan Data: You can collect valuable data on your fans, such as their email addresses and listening habits, which can help refine your future marketing strategies.
- Increased Visibility: A well-run pre-save campaign can help you gain media coverage and attract new fans.
Benefits for Fans
- Immediate Access: Fans are guaranteed that the new music will be automatically added to their library or playlist as soon as it is released.
- Stay Updated: They can be among the first to listen to the new music and share it with their network, making them feel special and included in the artist’s community.
Practical Tips for a Successful Pre-Save Campaign
Here are some practical tips to maximize the effectiveness of your pre-save campaign:
- Use Attractive Visuals: Ensure that the visuals you use to promote your campaign are appealing and well represent your artistic brand.
- Tell a Story: Use your social media posts to tell the story behind your new music. This can include teasers, behind-the-scenes production moments, or personal anecdotes.
- Engage Your Fans: Get your fans involved by asking them to share the pre-save link, organizing contests, or offering exclusives to those who pre-save.
- Coordinate Your Promotional Efforts: Make sure all your promotional platforms (website, social media, newsletter, press releases) work together to maximize your campaign’s reach.
- Analyze the Results: After the release, analyze the results of your pre-save campaign to understand what worked well and what can be improved for the next time.
Conclusion
Your pre-save campaign is just one part of a broader promotional strategy, but it is an incredibly useful tool to have in your marketing arsenal. The next time you release a track, make sure to get your URIs on all streaming platforms so you can run your own pre-save campaign and maximize fan engagement before release day.
By using these tips, you can turn your music release into an anticipated and successful event, attracting the attention of your fans and streaming algorithms. Get ready to see your music climb into playlists and recommendations thanks to a well-executed pre-save campaign on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Tidal.
