How to

create
the
perfect
release
plan
H O W TO C R E AT E T H E P E R F E C T R E L E A S E P L A N

As musicians, we
know how exciting it
is to finish a song and
want to share it with
the world right away.
But we also know that having an effective
release plan is the surest way to set
yourself up for success. Whether you’re
dropping your first track or your third LP,
creating a practical, feasible plan should
always be your goal. Remember, your
release day should be a celebration, not
a day to stress over all the things you
missed. The following tips will help you
create an effective release plan – each
and every time.

S O N G T R A D R . CO M 2
H O W TO C R E AT E T H E P E R F E C T R E L E A S E P L A N

Establishing deadlines for key tasks will ensure

you’re not scrambling at the last minute. Here
is a timeline of important dates that will help
you stay on track:

Finalize your artist bio and other visual assets – you need
90
days before
these to secure press coverage, create hype on social
media, and update your profile on streaming platforms.

Identify the outlets you want to be featured on and start

85
days before
pitching for coverage. Many editors have their emails in
their Twitter bio.

45
days before
Sign up for a distribution service where you can license,
distribute and monetize your music, all in one place.

Upload your music to the streaming platforms (DSPs) – this

30
days before
will allow you plenty of time to pitch to playlists. You can
do this directly from your Spotify for Artists account.

Organize your smart links, including your song link

14
days before
and your #linkinbio (Linktree and Linkfire are two great
options for artists).

1
day before
Prepare and schedule social posts to ensure you
get the most coverage.

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H O W TO C R E AT E T H E P E R F E C T R E L E A S E P L A N

On release day:

Verify your music

is live on all the
streaming platforms.

Reshare posts from

your excited fans on
your Instagram Stories.

Sit back and enjoy

the good vibes.

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Later.com analyzed over 35 million feed posts

and determined that these are the best and
worst times to post on Instagram each day:

M o n d ay T u e s d ay W e d n e s d ay T h u r s d ay F r i d ay S at u r d ay S u n d ay
best times

5am 5am
6am 6am 6am 6am 6am
M o n d ay T u e s d ay W e d n e s d ay T h u r s d ay F r i d ay S at u r d ay S u n d ay
worst times

9am
10am
1pm
2pm 4pm
8pm
11pm
If you know the location of your audience, you can schedule
your posts accordingly to have the ultimate impact.

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H O W TO C R E AT E T H E P E R F E C T R E L E A S E P L A N

Here are eight tips

to make your release plan
more effective

Find out who your audience is and how to

connect with them directly. If you’ve already
released music, you can use demographic data
from the DSPs or your distributor to create a
targeted marketing campaign on social media.
Establish a small budget and start preparing
promoted posts to maximize your reach.

Create a Spotify Canvas. This is the best way

to make your tracks more visually appealing
within the Spotify app and stand out when
fans share your music to Instagram stories. A
Canvas is a short, silent, eight-second video
loop similar to a GIF. Learn how to make an
engaging Spotify Canvas for free.

S O N G T R A D R . CO M 6
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Along with pitching to playlists from your

Spotify for Artists account, you should identify
3rd party playlist curators that create playlists
your music might be a good fit for. Reach out
to those curators via email or a service like
SubmitHub – however, be sure to avoid any
“pay for play” schemes that could get you
flagged for artificial streaming.

Identify trends or challenges on TikTok

that are not already tied to a sound. Then,
once you’ve released your music into the
world, create a TikTok using your music and
encourage your fans to do the same and tag
you. Make sure to comment and respond to
their videos.

Be active on social media before, during, and

after your release. Come up with a social media
plan and mark critical dates on a calendar. It’s
much easier to schedule content in advance
than to think of ideas on the spot.

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H O W TO C R E AT E T H E P E R F E C T R E L E A S E P L A N

Make sure your metadata is accurate and

recorded somewhere. You should always know
where to find your ISRC and Universal Product
Code (UPC) at a moment’s notice, as these will
ensure you get paid correctly. Learn how to
obtain an ISRC code for free.

Licensing your music into film, TV, advertising,

and other media is a great way to make extra
revenue. You should always upload stems,
cut downs, and instrumentals to use for sync
licensing along with the final mix you want your
distributor to deliver to the streaming platforms.

If you wrote the song yourself, you have created a

composition (as well as a sound recording). That
composition has value too. You should register
all unique and original works with a Performing
Rights Organization (PRO) like ASCAP or BMI,
as well as the Harry Fox Agency and the
Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC)
to ensure you get all the money owed to you.
And don’t forget to register your recording with
SoundExchange.

S O N G T R A D R . CO M 8
Ready to start
planning your
next release?
Learn how Songtradr can help
simplify the distribution process

s o n g t r a d r. c o m