“What’s the best way for independent artists to market a new single?”: Our February QOTM!
What’s the best way for independent artists to market a new single?
Kelsy says:
“Give yourself at least 2 months of lead time! I see a lot of independent artists release music with a week or two of promo time, which is like starting a marathon five miles behind the starting line. I always recommend artists get their single set up for distribution at least 6 weeks ahead of the release date. This will leave time for any possible distribution issues to be ironed out, as well as time to start promoting! Having some promo content around the song ready to go at least a few weeks before the release date will also make your life a whole lot easier. Focus on building buzz and interest in the music and establish why people will want to hear it, versus simply sharing the news. Set out your overall release promo schedule to be around 8 weeks total, with the release date somewhere in between. There is technically no steadfast rule, but it takes time to create buzz and interest - on average a listener needs to see something 7 TIMES before they’ll act on it!”
Tori says:
“Of course each strategy will look differently for each artist and for each single, but there are some general rules of thumbs that I would recommend:
Start at least two months ahead by listing everything that needs to get done before you release your song (upload single to distributor, select specific release date, post on social media, etc).
Build out a content calendar for at least the 21 days before release and a few weeks after. Be specific and plan when to film and post. Be sure to film multiple pieces of content in one day, so that you don’t have to create content multiple times a week.
Set up a way to collect emails so you can send exclusives to your biggest fans.
Begin promoting at least 21 days before release. Keep momentum going for a week or two after release with creative (not spammy) content. It’s important to know that marketing doesn’t stop on release day!”
If you want a more detailed answer on this, reach out to Kelzana here to see how we can create a tailored release strategy designed to meet your goals!