How to Create Hype Before Releasing New Music

So how can you prepare for your release date and make sure your music reaches far and wide on day one?

Whether you're releasing a single, album or EP, let’s dive into some of the ways to help give your release a better chance of success in the run-up to your release date...

Upload early

The earlier you upload your music to your distributor, the more time you’ll have to make the most of all the advice below and run a successful promo campaign in the lead-up to your drop release.

We’d recommend uploading at least 4-6 weeks before your planned release date.

It’s not unheard of for artists to upload their tracks months in advance. You could even make a release plan for the entire year, uploading multiple releases due to drop across 12 months or more.

Pitch for playlists

Once your release is in Spotify’s system, you can pitch it directly to their official playlists editors.

You can do the pitching through Spotify for Artists, but you’ll want to do it well in advance of your release date. At least a couple of weeks before.

Spotify’s editors get pitched thousands of tracks every week, so make sure they have time to hear and consider yours.

Learn more about pitching for Spotify playlists with Spotify for Artists.

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Share your pre-save link

Pre-save links and pre-orders can make a big difference to your release day stream and download numbers.

Not only that, but the algorithm on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music notices when users pre-save your music, boosting your chances of landing on algorithmic playlists like Release Radar and Discover Weekly.

Learn more about accessing & promoting pre-save links.

Create social media teasers

Give your fans and followers a taste of your new release before it drops! Posting a 15 second snippet of your track or a sneak peak at your album artwork across social media is a great way to whet their appetite.

You can use software like Adobe Premiere and After Effects to create awesome video teasers. You could start by creating an mp4 video clip, laying a part of your finished audio (maybe the track's hook?) over your artwork.

You can get creative with how you format your snippets or artwork. Make use of the different features that platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Twitter have to offer. Polls, reels, stories and more. All of these will engage your audience and create excitement and conversations around your upcoming release.

Update your profiles

Make sure your social media and streaming platform profiles are all up-to-date with your latest artwork and press shots.

Update your header images to plug your upcoming tracks and pin your pre-save links to the top of your profile. Some artists even change their name on Twitter to the name of their next release and when it drops!

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Secure press coverage

A good PR campaign in the run up to release day can help a track achieve even more momentum and reach an audience that might otherwise miss it.

Upload your release as a private Soundcloud link or unlisted YouTube video and send it out to all the music blogs and journos you can find a couple of weeks before your release.

Learn more about sending your music to blogs & getting press coverage.

Make a music video

Making a music video to publish alongside your new release is a great way to maximise the hype and catch the attention of not only fans, but press and media alike.

With the rise of visual based platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, viral videos and video marketing has never been more advantageous for promoting your music. Why? That's easy. Videos are immersive, engaging and they can add tangiblility to your music for listeners to view and share with others.

While this may seem like a challenge for independent artists, it really doesn't need to be. There's plenty of things you can do it to make a great music video on a DIY budget. And oftentimes, some of the best music videos out there have come from very little. So off you go -lights, camera, action.

Plus you can make money from uploading your video to Vevo. Find out more.

Organise events

Now that the world has opened back up again since the pandemic, live shows are now back on the cards and seeing heavy attendance. Why not put on a release show to celebrate your new track and create a buzz among your fans?

Depending on where you are the world, live in-person gigs could still be a bit tricky to organise. So make use of live streaming events. There are plenty of ways to organise a live streamed performance and reach fans without leaving your home.

Learn more about live streaming your music.