20+ ways to turn one release into a content goldmine
Image credit: Jon Tyson
Maximise every single release by transforming a single song into loads of opportunities, with these creative content ideas.
You’ve poured your heart into a new song. But in today’s crowded world, the release day is just the beginning. How do you turn that single track into a full-blown event that captivates fans and builds unstoppable momentum
Building content around your new song doesn’t just promote that new release but builds the world of you as an artist. With multiple social media platforms to choose from, potential audiences of millions, and new and unique tools for content creation the opportunity to expand your reach is huge.
This guide will show you how to transform one song into a wealth of content, ensuring your music gets the attention it deserves.
Tease your upcoming single
A new song is an event and that’s something to get excited about. Capitalise on that excitement to build hype with your fans and to produce a bunch of content that gets people’s attention before the song is even out.
By teasing your new song you give people a taster whilst leaving them wanting more. This is a powerful promotional tool, not just for making people aware of your upcoming release but for making them feel like they need to hear the rest of the song after getting just a taste.
If you have a music video then that is perfect, as you can cut out snippets of both the audio and visuals for a really enticing tease. However, if you do not have music video visuals then don’t fret – simply come up with some fresh and unique visuals to pair your music with.
Why do you want to add visuals to your song teasers? Audiences engage more when there is something visual to interact with. A photo is good but video is even better as moving image engages audiences on a deeper level.
Think about the aesthetic that your new song has in the sound or the lyrical content. Try to produce video that will match that vibe. For example, if your song has a nostalgic sound then you could explore a sepia-style colour filter that adds artificial age to your content.
Don’t be afraid to create different-looking content to tease the song in different ways. This can especially work for teasing different parts of the song which may have different vibes. It may also help to reach different audiences who attach to a different style.
Content ideas for song teasers:
- YouTube Shorts/Instagram Reels/TikTok:
- Music video snippets
- Custom videos set to song snippets
- Moving text revealing the release date
- Get creative:
- A silent video of you mouthing the lyrics to create intrigue
- Instrumental snippets that tease the song without revealing all the ingredients
- Show the project in music software, offering a glimpse of what to expect whilst getting people hyped as to what it could sound like
- Instagram and Facebook:
- Share the cover art
- Take promo photos to share with captions about your new single
- Share behind-the-scenes footage that tease song elements
- Make a post with details about your new single and what it means
- Update your profile images to match your new release’s vibe
- Website:
- Add a banner announcing your single and release date
- Use a countdown timer to get fans hyped
- Music platforms:
- Upload your music in advance so that your single is ready to go live on release day
- Take advantage of Pre-Saves to allow fans to add your music to their library ready for the release date
- Spotify recently added countdown pages for new releases, see if you’re eligible
Release day promotion for your new single
The day has finally come to unleash your single on the world and watch the streams roll in. With a proper release plan, your single should be ready to go live automatically on your chosen platforms on the big day.
This means that it’s time to start sharing. You want to let everyone know across the platforms you use (social media, website, email marketing) that your new song is out and where to stream it.
With listeners on all sorts of different platforms, it can be difficult to easily send people to your song’s page in one post. That’s where products like PUSH.fm‘s Smart Links come to the rescue. Use Smart Links to collect URLs to your song across different digital platforms on one handy, shareable page.
Smart Links allow you to share one link on Facebook, your website, and anywhere else. From that page, listeners can then easily choose and head to the streaming service that they use to listen to your music.
With your music now live, it’s also time to release any conjoined material. Drop the music video to coincide with the release date of the song itself. If you have bonus materials, like digital lyric booklets or behind the scenes content, you can consider releasing these as well to give more reasons for fans to share and get interested.
Another fantastic tool from PUSH.fm allows you to build plays on your song in return for that exclusive content, creating new superfans. Use Reward Links to offer up exclusive content like your lyrics, BTS, and more in exchange for a track save, follow, and more on the top music services.
Content ideas for release day:
- YouTube Shorts/Instagram Reels/TikTok:
- A music video snippet, lyric video, or short custom video set to your new song: Caption or on-text video announcing that your new song is out now
- Add a link to your new song to your profile
- Instagram and Facebook:
- Share the link to your new song with the album art and a caption announcing that is out now
- Share the music video or a preview with a link to the full video
- Update your profile images to reflect your new release’s aesthetic
- Facebook, YouTube, and more
- Go live with a release day livestream that allows the fans to come and join you in celebration, building excitement for the moment the song drops. Listening together you can then enjoy watching fans react in real-time
- Website:
- Add your music video to the home page
- Add a link to where to stream/buy your music on the front page
- Add a clickable, branded banner for your new single
- Music platforms:
- Bring your song to life with a Spotify Canvas looping video
- Update your profile images to match your new release aesthetic
- Highlight your new release on your profiles with features like Spotify’s Artist Pick
Keep they hype rolling after the release
The big day has come and gone but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep the hype rolling. In fact, the weeks after your release can be the best time to work on capitalising on engagement to get it snowballing.
After the release is the perfect time to take advantage of short video platforms and multi-platform content ideas. This is when you can look at viral potential like trends and start taking fans deeper inside your song to build the lore and expand on your artist world.
It’s also a great time to think about playing live shows, after a new release. When all of the hype is being built around your new music it’s the best time to get people excited about seeing you live. Generally, this would work best for new album releases but if you’re building a lot of hype over a new single you likely have a big new release coming up to coincide with a potential tour.
A new release is also a great time to start thinking about what else you can sell. Look into merchandise, your fans want to represent their love of you with clothing and accessories. Merchandise is a fantastic source of extra revenue and new releases are a great excuse to promote new merch.
Content ideas for after the release day
- YouTube Shorts/Instagram Reels/TikTok:
- Try to start a trend using your song: Come up with a unique dance set your new single or an easily recreated joke – make sure it’s something that can easily be recreated by fans and ensure your music is uploaded to the libraries of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok so that fans can use your song
- Release content that builds the world of your song: Lyric explanations, behind the scenes recording the song, and how the music video was made are great examples that build interest around your release
- Post an instrumental version of your song into content libraries and then encourage fans to duet or remix your song with their own vocals or even their own lyrics
- Instagram and Facebook:
- Posting fairly regularly after the single will keep your traction rolling. This doesn’t necessarily need to relate to your single, it can be general updates about touring or recording etc. Keeping an active profile keeps fans engaged and increases the potential for shares
- YouTube:
- Do a deep-dive into how your song was made. Showing the special sauce that went into creating your song can build a new appreciation for your work and send listeners back to your song to discover bits they might have missed and now hear with a new context
- Website:
- Make sure to add tour updates and consider building a shop section where you can sell physical copies of your music and merchandise
- Off the internet:
- Boost your revenues with new merch drops: Clothing, accessories, stickers, and physical copies of your music are all great ways to earn extra money whilst giving the fans what they want
- Play live to earn extra money from the tickets and potentially reach new fans who come to your concerts out of interest or with a friend
Build the blueprint for every release
Turning one song into a month of content might seem daunting, but it’s the most powerful way to make your music count. Use this guide as your blueprint. Plan your teasers, schedule your release day posts, and brainstorm your post-release content before you even think about hitting ‘upload’.
A great song deserves a great strategy. Once you have both, RouteNote is here to help you execute, delivering your music to the world’s top platforms for free. Start planning today, and make your next release your biggest one yet.