The Recommended Music Marketing Battle Plans
It's now time to create your music marketing battle plan now that you know:
Where you are in the music marketing lifecycle
Which ToneDen campaigns you should use
Why Spotify is important & how its algorithms work
We've included three example music marketing battle plans below.
Each music marketing battle plan includes:
A recommended total budget & duration
A visual outline of the campaigns you will want to create
Recommended campaigns for the pre-release & post-release stages
Recommended budgets & lengths for each campaign
You'll notice the Spotify Growth Playbook receives most of the budget across plans.
This is because we know its the best long-term strategy to build a sustainable source of streams for you.
The most sustainable growth occurs from marketing to your artist profile year-round. We do hope these examples help you build a following along the way!
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The music marketing lifecycle of a single lasts 30 days on average & has a recommended budget of $200:
Campaign | Budget | Budget % |
Spotify Growth Playbook | $150 | 75% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Pre-Save | $15 | 7.5% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Single | $35 | 13.5% |
If you have to go lower, $120 is the lowest we recommend ($90 for Spotify Growth Playbook).
The pre-release stage is about 7 days leading up to the single.
Activities during the pre-release stage include creating a Spotify Pre-Save campaign.
You would then promote your Spotify Pre-Save campaign to your existing fans. This is because existing fans are more likely to pre-save your track than completely new fans.
This would be done with a Facebook & Instagram Ads campaign.
The post-release stage is the 7 days leading after the single.
Activities during the post-release stage include creating a music smart link.
You would then promote your music smart link to new and existing fans with ads.
You'll want to run the Spotify Growth Playbook right from the start. The initial version will include one of your older songs. You would then swap out the creative for the new song once it's released.
​You can view a Google Sheets spreadsheet of the below recommendation here.​
Campaign Name | Campaign Description | ToneDen Feature | Targeting Used | Promotion Type | Stage | Budget | Campaign Length |
Pre-Save | Create a ToneDen Pre-Save. | ​Spotify Pre-Save​ | Core Fans | Free | Pre-Release | $0 | n/a |
Promoted Pre-Save | Promote your pre-save campaign to your existing fanbase with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | Core Fans | Paid Ads | Pre-Release | $15 | 7 Days |
FanLink | Create a landing page for your release that includes all music stores. | ​FanLink​ | New + Core Fans | Free | Post-Release | $0 | n/a |
Promoted FanLink | Promote your new release to new and existing fans with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | New + Core Fans | Paid Ads | Post-Release | $35 | 7 Days |
Spotify Growth Playbook | Send new fans to your Spotify artist profile to get more Spotify followers & streams. | ​Spotify Growth Playbook​ | New Fans | Paid Ads | All | $150 | 30 Days |
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The music marketing lifecycle of an EP lasts 90 days on average & has a recommended budget of $600:
Campaign | Budget | Budget % |
Spotify Growth Playbook | $450 | 75% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Pre-Save [Single] | $15 | 3% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Single | $35 | 6% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Pre-Save [EP] | $20 | 3% |
Facebook Ads to Promote EP | $80 | 13% |
The music battle plan for an EP is two music marketing lifecycles for a single put together. The marketing activities surrounding the EP release will receive more budget.
The first pre-release stage is about 7 days leading up to the single.
Activities during the pre-release stage include creating a Spotify Pre-Save campaign.
You would then promote your Spotify Pre-Save campaign to your existing fans. This is because existing fans are more likely to pre-save your track than completely new fans.
This would be done with a Facebook & Instagram Ads campaign.
The first post-release stage is the 7 days leading after the single.
Activities during the post-release stage include creating a music smart link.
You would then promote your music smart link to new and existing fans with ads.
The second pre-release stage is about 7 days leading up to the EP release.
Activities during the pre-release stage include creating a Spotify Pre-Save campaign for the EP.
You would then promote your Spotify Pre-Save campaign to your existing fans. This is because existing fans are more likely to pre-save your track than completely new fans.
The second post-release stage is the 7 days leading after the EP release.
Activities during the post-release stage include creating a music smart link for the EP.
You would then promote your music smart link to new and existing fans with ads.
You'll want to run the Spotify Growth Playbook right from the start. The initial version will include one of your older songs. You would then swap out the creative for the focus single on the EP once it's released.
​You can view a Google Sheets spreadsheet of the below recommendation here.​
Campaign Name | Campaign Description | ToneDen Feature | Targeting Used | Promotion Type | Stage | Budget | Campaign Length |
[Single] Pre-Save | Create a ToneDen Pre-Save for your single. | ​Spotify Pre-Save​ | Core Fans | Free | Pre-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Single] Promoted Pre-Save | Promote your pre-save campaign to your existing fanbase with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | Core Fans | Paid Ads | Pre-Release | $15 | 7 Days |
[Single] FanLink | Create a landing page for your release that includes all music stores. | ​FanLink​ | New + Core Fans | Free | Post-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Single] Promoted FanLink | Promote your new release to new and existing fans with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | New + Core Fans | Paid Ads | Post-Release | $35 | 7 Days |
[EP] Pre-Save | Create a ToneDen Pre-Save for your EP. | ​Spotify Pre-Save​ | Core Fans | Free | Pre-Release | $0 | n/a |
[EP] Promoted Pre-Save | Promote your pre-save campaign to your existing fanbase with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | Core Fans | Paid Ads | Pre-Release | $20 | 7 Days |
[EP] FanLink | Create a landing page for your EP that includes all music stores. | ​FanLink​ | New + Core Fans | Free | Post-Release | $0 | n/a |
[EP] Promoted FanLink | Promote your EP to new and existing fans with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | New + Core Fans | Paid Ads | Post-Release | $80 | 7 Days |
Spotify Growth Playbook | Send new fans to your Spotify artist profile to get more Spotify followers & streams. | ​Spotify Growth Playbook​ | New Fans | Paid Ads | All | $450 | 90 Days |
The music marketing lifecycle of an album lasts 90 days on average & has a recommended budget of $600:
Campaign | Budget | Budget % |
Spotify Growth Playbook | $450 | 75% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Pre-Save [Single 1] | $15 | 3% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Single 1 | $25 | 4% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Pre-Save [Single 2] | $15 | 3% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Single 2 | $25 | 4% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Pre-Save [Album] | $15 | 3% |
Facebook Ads to Promote Album | $55 | 9% |
The music battle plan for an album is three music marketing lifecycles for a single put together. The marketing activities surrounding the album release will receive more budget.
The first pre-release stage is about 7 days leading up to the first single.
Activities during the pre-release stage include creating a Spotify Pre-Save campaign.
You would then promote your Spotify Pre-Save campaign to your existing fans. This is because existing fans are more likely to pre-save your track than completely new fans.
This would be done with a Facebook & Instagram Ads campaign.
The first post-release stage is the 7 days leading after the first single.
Activities during the post-release stage include creating a music smart link.
You would then promote your music smart link to new and existing fans with ads.
The second pre-release stage is about 7 days leading up to the second single release.
Activities during the pre-release stage include creating a Spotify Pre-Save campaign for the second single.
You would then promote your Spotify Pre-Save campaign to your existing fans. This is because existing fans are more likely to pre-save your track than completely new fans.
The second post-release stage is the 7 days leading after the second single release.
Activities during the post-release stage include creating a music smart link for the second single.
You would then promote your music smart link to new and existing fans with ads.
The third pre-release stage is about 7 days leading up to the album release.
Activities during the pre-release stage include creating a Spotify Pre-Save campaign for the album.
You would then promote your Spotify Pre-Save campaign to your existing fans. This is because existing fans are more likely to pre-save your track than completely new fans.
The third post-release stage is the 7 days after the album release.
Activities during the post-release stage include creating a music smart link for the album.
You would then promote your music smart link to new and existing fans with ads.
You'll want to run the Spotify Growth Playbook right from the start. The initial version will include one of your older songs. You would then swap out the creative for the focus single on the EP once it's released.
​You can view a Google Sheets spreadsheet of the below recommendation here.​
Campaign Name | Campaign Description | ToneDen Feature | Targeting Used | Promotion Type | Stage | Budget | Campaign Length |
[Single] Pre-Save | Create a ToneDen Pre-Save for your single. | ​Spotify Pre-Save​ | Core Fans | Free | Pre-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Single] Promoted Pre-Save | Promote your pre-save campaign to your existing fanbase with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | Core Fans | Paid Ads | Pre-Release | $15 | 7 Days |
[Single] FanLink | Create a landing page for your release that includes all music stores. | ​FanLink​ | New + Core Fans | Free | Post-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Single] Promoted FanLink | Promote your new release to new and existing fans with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | New + Core Fans | Paid Ads | Post-Release | $35 | 7 Days |
[Single 2] Pre-Save | Create a ToneDen Pre-Save for your 2nd single. | ​Spotify Pre-Save​ | Core Fans | Free | Pre-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Single 2] Promoted Pre-Save | Promote your pre-save for your 2nd single to your existing fanbase with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | Core Fans | Paid Ads | Pre-Release | $15 | 7 Days |
[Single 2] FanLink | Create a landing page for your 2nd single that includes all music stores. | ​FanLink​ | New + Core Fans | Free | Post-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Single 2] Promoted FanLink | Promote your 2nd single to new and existing fans with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | New + Core Fans | Paid Ads | Post-Release | $35 | 7 Days |
[Album] Pre-Save | Create a ToneDen Pre-Save for your album. | ​Spotify Pre-Save​ | Core Fans | Free | Pre-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Album] Promoted Pre-Save | Promote your pre-save for your album to your existing fanbase with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | Core Fans | Paid Ads | Pre-Release | $20 | 7 Days |
[Album] FanLink | Create a landing page for your album that includes all music stores. | ​FanLink​ | New + Core Fans | Free | Post-Release | $0 | n/a |
[Album] Promoted FanLink | Promote your album to new and existing fans with Facebook & Instagram Ads. | ​Facebook Ads​ | New + Core Fans | Paid Ads | Post-Release | $80 | 7 Days |
Spotify Growth Playbook | Send new fans to your Spotify artist profile to get more Spotify followers & streams. | ​Spotify Growth Playbook​ | New Fans | Paid Ads | All | $450 | 90 Days |
We hope the above plans help you with your next release!
Giving your single, EP, or album the attention it deserves is critical. It's not something that only deserves attention for a 30, 60, or 90 day period of time.
The best way to market your music is year-round, and the next part of the guide runs you through some best practices:
