How to Use Spotify Pre-Save to Promote Your Music

A Spotify pre-save is a promotional tool in the form of a SmartLink that lets fans save yet-to-be-published music—a single or album—directly to their Spotify library. This ensures they can listen to it the moment it’s released.

Essentially, pre-saves are the digital streaming equivalent of pre-ordering physical music. By pre-saving your track, your fans will have it automatically appear in their liked tracks (it’ll save to their ‘Song’ or ‘Album’ list), ready to be listened to upon its release.

While they might forget about their favorite artist putting out new music, Spotify will kindly remind them that a release they’ve pre-saved is now available for listening.

What’s more, having your most loyal fans get instant access to your new music provides an immediate boost in streams, which, in return, may signal Spotify’s algorithm to promote your track further, potentially featuring it on playlists like Release Radar during release week. Greater exposure from algorithmic activities increases the chance of attracting new listeners and building momentum for your release.

It’s also important to note that while we’re talking specifically about Spotify pre-saves here (after all, they are most known for offering such a feature), other platforms, like Deezer, Amazon Music, or Apple Music, provide similar options (e.g., Apple Music’s ‘pre-adds’).

Additionally, some labels and digital distributors, such as iMusician, have developed their own tools to facilitate pre-saves across various platforms, broadening artists' reach and enhancing their Spotify promotion.

The primary goal and benefit of running a pre-save campaign is pushing the track on the platform the day it’s released. Once your music is available, all pre-saves automatically become ‘liked tracks,’ signaling to Spotify editors and the algorithm that your track is gaining traction (‘x number of users ‘liked’ the track’).

This increases the likelihood of the platform pushing your song to more listeners, which can then result in higher stream. Simply put, the more track pre-saves you get, the greater the potential impact on your track’s performance.

A pre-save page is also a powerful tool for generating awareness and excitement ahead of your music release. Not only will your fans be in the loop about your upcoming music, but it will also ensure they won’t miss it! They’ll be aware that your music will be ready and waiting for them the moment it becomes available,

Although pre-save links are accessible to everyone, the ability to listen to the newest track as soon as it drops ignites a feeling of exclusivity and hypes up your fans even more. This exclusivity enhances excitement, strengthens early engagement, and builds a closer connection between you and your audience.

Pre-save campaigns present an excellent opportunity for musicians to launch their music to an existing audience. Fans will be thrilled and won’t want to miss your release, while you’ll be pleased to know there are people who are already interested in listening ahead of time. It's kind of a win-win situation, isn't it?

Bear in mind that surprise releases, while exciting, often struggle to make a big impact, especially for independent artists in such a saturated market. With around 120,000 new tracks released on Spotify every day (almost one every second!), it’s crucial to stand out. Pre-save links will drive immediate action right upon your track’s release, boosting early listens and increasing the chance of your music gaining traction.

For artists, releasing new music can also feel immensely stressful and overwhelming. Knowing that you’ll launch it to an established, engaged crowd can ease the pressure and make you more confident about your work.

Additionally, pre-saves will not only drive immediate streams but can also lead to repeated listens. If your listeners are fond of your new track, they will likely keep it in their library, listen to it again, and even share it with others. This will help your music gain long-term visibility and enhance your overall presence on the streaming platform.

The magic of a pre-save campaign lies in its ability to drive ongoing engagement long after your track is released. Fans who love your new music will most likely push the repeat button repeatedly, keeping it in their library and returning to it over time. This consistent interaction helps sustain your track’s visibility and popularity.

The new track may also drive streams to your previously-released music, with fans getting more interested in your overall discography and including your other tracks to various playlists. As a result, this increased engagement not only attracts new listeners and potential fans but also plays a key role in how to make money on Spotify. And since more streams translate to greater revenue, pre-save pages don’t just have the opportunity to increase engagement—they also support your financial success on streaming platforms.

Driving listens and increasing the number of listeners and fans on streaming platforms may enhance your presence beyond streaming platforms. Fans who discover your music and become active are likely to look you up and follow you on different social media to stay connected and up-to-date.

This connection can also work both ways. By promoting the pre-save link on social media, you can direct your followers to your pre-save and eventually stream your track, driving immediate and sustained engagement.

One of the greatest things about the Spotify pre-save page is its versatility. As a link, you can promote it through any platform or marketing channel that fits your strategy. This can include social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, X, or YouTube or public relations efforts, such as press releases or digital and print publications. Either way, pre-save links provide a flexible and impactful way to connect with your audience.

To help musicians create pre-save pages for Spotify and Deezer seamlessly during the release process, iMusician has developed its own pre-save feature—as part of its Release Page tool—designed to boost your music’s success.

This pre-save link will become a central tool in your marketing strategy and allow you to effectively and professionally promote your music before, during, and after its release. It helps you grow your fan base, increase engagement, and sustain your streams and visibility across streaming platforms and social media.

A standout benefit of iMusician’s pre-save features is its ability to automatically transition. Unlike other pre-save features, iMusician automatically turns your pre-save link into a music smart link—a proper release page with all shops included—right on your release date. This means you only need to set up the link once! Fans simply click, pre-save, and listen.

This implies that all the effort you’ve put into promoting your pre-save link—whether that’s through social media or press releases—will remain effective after the release. The link remains the same, ensuring that even if someone clicks it after your track is live, they’ll be simply re-directed to your release page and won’t experience a broken link.

The iMusician’s pre-save page is available with all our subscriptions as part of our Release Page Pro—a promotional tool that streamlines your marketing efforts. With Release Page Pro, you can collect all your URLs in one place and gather pre-saves instantly, making it easier than ever for your fans to access and listen to your music.

What’s more, you can share your Release Page effortlessly across social media, via email, and with influencers, ensuring maximum reach. And best of all, even if your subscription ever changes, your Release Page will remain online forever, ready for fans to find and save your music anytime.

Creating a pre-save link with iMusician has never been easier!

1. Log into your iMusician’s Account. Don’t have an account? No worries. Create one for free.
2. Go through the track delivery process to upload your upcoming release. Not sure how? Explore our guide on how to upload music to Spotify.
3. Go to step 4: Extra Features. Opt for Artist Page Pro and preview your Artist Page Pro link.
4. Proceed to your payment. Once you complete your order, your Artist Page Pro smartlink will instantly be generated and sent to you.
5. Customize and activate your pre-save campaign. Go to the Library tab in your Dashboard and select Releases. Locate your track and access its Release Page. Turn on the "Get Pre-save Page" option.
6. Share your pre-save link. Once activated, your pre-save page is live! Share it across your promo and social channels so your fans can pre-save your upcoming track.

As explained before, once your release is live, your iMusician pre-save link will automatically transform into your Release Page in the form of a music smart link tool. This SmartLink directs your fans to all the platforms and stores where your music is available, providing a seamless way for them to listen.

Smart links have proven to be highly effective tools for music promotion, mostly because they make it simple and easy for listeners to access your music. With just one click, fans can find your work on their favorite platforms.

Whatever social media platforms you’re active on—from Facebook to X, TikTok to Instagram—you can share your Release Page link in your bio and post captions, tweets, or stories to drive engagement.

You can extend your reach by incorporating your smart link into other promotional channels. You can add it to your YouTube descriptions, newsletters, and email campaigns or use it in blog articles, Spotify playlists, press releases, and media features. Finally, you can include it in gated content and other materials you produce. The possibilities are immense!

For physical marketing efforts, you can generate your Release Page link as a QR code and add it to your printed press releases, advertisements, magazines, brochures, posters, or even your merch!