What is the timeline for releasing a song?
Plan on about four weeks between finishing a track and releasing it. The earliest tasks land around four weeks out, the Spotify editorial pitch goes in about three weeks before release (Spotify recommends at least seven days, and three to four weeks gives the best chance), artwork and pre-save setup follow, and the promotion work continues for several weeks after release day.
| When | Task | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks before | Verify metadata and credits | Confirm song title, artist name, featured artists, songwriters, producers, and genre tags are correct in your distributor dashboard. |
| 4 weeks before | Finalize cover art | Ensure cover art is 3000x3000px, RGB, and looks good at thumbnail size. Upload to distributor if not already done. |
| 4 weeks before | Create Spotify Canvas | Design a 3-8 second looping video for Spotify Canvas. Use a clip from your visualizer or a subtle animation of your cover art. This increases stream time and saves. |
| 4 weeks before | Prepare audio assets | Create hook clip (7-15 sec), extended hook (30-45 sec), instrumental, and slowed/reverb version. These power your entire content campaign. |
| 4 weeks before | Create visualizer video | Build a looping visual paired to your hook clip. This is your primary content piece for social media. |
| 3 weeks before | Submit to Spotify editorial playlists | Pitch via Spotify for Artists. Include genre, mood, instruments, and a compelling story. Spotify recommends 7+ days before release, but 3-4 weeks gives you the best chance. |
| 3 weeks before | Start independent playlist outreach | Identify 20-30 relevant independent playlists. Use SubmitHub, Groover, or direct outreach. Focus on playlists that match your genre and energy. |
| 3 weeks before | Send press release to blogs & press | Reach out to music blogs, online magazines, and local press. Include a press release, streaming link (when live), and high-res press photo. |
| 3 weeks before | Begin creator outreach | Identify 15-20 content creators whose audience matches your music. Send value-framed DMs offering your track for their content. Start engaging with their posts now. |
| 2 weeks before | Set up pre-save campaign | Create a pre-save link using your distributor or a service like Feature.fm / Linkfire. Pre-saves directly influence Spotify algorithmic playlisting. |
| 2 weeks before | Batch-create release content | Film/create all content for the release campaign: teaser clips, process reveals, origin story, hook tease, vulnerability post. Aim for 10-15 pieces. |
| 2 weeks before | Promote pre-save link | Share pre-save link across all platforms. Add to bio links. Post Stories with swipe-up. Every pre-save counts toward day-one algorithmic signals. |
| 2 weeks before | Pre-write all captions and hooks | Write captions for every planned post. Open with strong first lines. Schedule everything so release week is execution, not creation. |
| 2 weeks before | Post first teaser | Share a 5-second clip of the hook with minimal context. Build curiosity. Text overlay: "Something's coming." No release date yet. |
| Release week | Post process reveal | Share a layer-by-layer DAW build or production process clip. Show how the track was constructed. This content type performs well across all platforms. |
| Release week | Announce release date | Reveal the release date publicly. Share cover art. Push pre-save link hard. This is the moment anticipation becomes concrete. |
| Release week | Post countdown content | Share countdown posts or Stories in the final days. "3 days." "Tomorrow." Keep it simple and build tension. |
| Release day | Post release announcement | It's out. Share across all platforms with streaming links. Pin the post. This is your highest-energy post of the cycle. |
| Release day | Stories/status blitz | Post to Instagram Stories, WhatsApp status, Facebook Stories throughout the day. Use the music sticker to tag the track on Spotify. |
| Release day | Engage with every comment and DM | Reply to everyone who engages with your release posts. This boosts algorithmic reach and builds genuine connections. |
| 1 day after | Post reaction/engagement content | "What genre would you call this?" or "Rate this beat 1-10." Drive comments and engagement to boost algorithmic reach. |
| 2 days after | Follow up with creators | Follow up with creators who showed interest. Share the release link. Offer stems or alternate versions for their content. |
| 2 days after | 48-hour metrics check | Check Spotify for Artists: streams, saves, playlist adds. Check social metrics: views, shares, saves. Note what content performed best. |
| 3 days after | Post alternate version | Share the slowed/reverb version, instrumental, or a remix as fresh content. Each version is a new opportunity for discovery. |
| 5 days after | Second wave content push | New visual treatment of the hook with different text overlay. Behind-the-scenes content. Different angle on the same track. |
| 7 days after | Week 1 performance review | Review first-week numbers. Compare to previous releases. Identify which content drove the most saves and streams. |
| 8 days after | Double down on what worked | Create more content in the style/format that performed best in week 1. If a TikTok went semi-viral, make 3 more like it. |
| 14 days after | Throwback re-engagement post | "This track is 2 weeks old and I'm still obsessed." Re-engage your audience with the release. Not every follower saw it the first time. |
7 further tasks apply to some releases only: a few are specific to EPs and albums, and the rest appear based on your answers, such as not having submitted to a distributor yet.
| Area | Check | Weight | Rough time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Your final master is uploaded to your distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, etc.) with the correct release date set. | 5 of 5 | 30 min |
| Distribution | Song title, artist name, featured artists, songwriters, producers, genre, and ISRC codes are all correct. | 5 of 5 | 15 min |
| Distribution | Your release date is locked in your distributor dashboard. Ideally 3-4 weeks from now to allow time for editorial review. Use the Release Planner to reverse-engineer your timeline. | 5 of 5 | 5 min |
| Distribution | A single link (Linkfire, Feature.fm, or similar) that routes listeners to their preferred streaming platform. | 3 of 5 | 15 min |
| Assets & Branding | 3000x3000px, RGB, looks good at thumbnail size. Uploaded to your distributor. | 5 of 5 | 60 min |
| Assets & Branding | A 3-8 second looping video for Spotify. Increases stream time and save rate. | 2 of 5 | 45 min |
| Assets & Branding | Hook clip (7-15 sec), extended hook (30-45 sec) for social content. These power your entire content campaign. | 4 of 5 | 30 min |
| Assets & Branding | A visual paired to your music for social media: a looping visualizer, lyric video, or full music video. | 3 of 5 | 120 min |
| Assets & Branding | At least 2-3 high-res photos of yourself for press, playlist curators, and social media. | 2 of 5 | 120 min |
| Editorial & Playlists | Pitched via Spotify for Artists at least 7 days before release (ideally 3-4 weeks). Include genre, mood, and a compelling story. The Pitch Writer can help you draft it. | 5 of 5 | 30 min |
| Editorial & Playlists | Reached out to 15-30 relevant independent playlists via SubmitHub, Groover, or direct outreach. | 4 of 5 | 90 min |
| Content & Social | At least 10 pieces of content ready: teaser clips, process reveals, hook teasers, countdown posts, release announcement. The Content Engine generates a full batch of ideas from your sound. | 4 of 5 | 180 min |
| Content & Social | Captions written for every planned post. First lines are the most important. The Caption Writer generates platform-ready captions from your track details. | 3 of 5 | 60 min |
| Content & Social | Pre-save link created and shared. Pre-saves directly influence Spotify algorithmic playlisting on release day. | 5 of 5 | 20 min |
| Content & Social | Bio, profile photo, and links updated across all platforms to reflect the upcoming release. | 2 of 5 | 15 min |
| Promotion & Outreach | Sent press releases or pitches to relevant music blogs, online magazines, and local press. The Press Release Generator drafts a ready-to-send release for you. | 3 of 5 | 90 min |
| Promotion & Outreach | Identified and messaged 10-20 content creators whose audience matches your music. Creator Outreach generates personalized messages for each one. | 3 of 5 | 60 min |
| Promotion & Outreach | Your email subscribers know about the upcoming release. If you don't have a list yet, mark as N/A. | 2 of 5 | 20 min |
| Legal & Admin | If this is a collaboration, all contributors have agreed on ownership splits and it's documented in writing. The Split Sheet Generator creates a signable document. | 4 of 5 | 30 min |
| Legal & Admin | Every contributor (writers, producers, featured artists, engineers) is credited correctly in your distributor metadata. | 4 of 5 | 15 min |
Weight is how much a missing item costs you, not how long it takes.
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