Planning your next release? CD Baby provides you with tips, inspiration, and strategies from our top artists as they reflect on recent and upcoming releases of their own.
This month, we spoke with pop-soul, singer-songwriter, and social media creator Olivia King from Warwick, Rhode Island. With over 450,000 followers across social platforms and more than 10 million streams on Spotify, Olivia has built a devout fanbase (her “Kweens”) with whom she shares her journeys in faith, fertility, and daily life.
Three release tips from Olivia King
Olivia’s latest single, “Grace” is her second faith-based release and follows her experience navigating a difficult fertility journey.
Here are three key ways Olivia promoted the single.
1. Engage your fans in exciting ways
Olivia empowers her fans by letting them vote on every aspect of her release — from her outfit in the cover art to the song title.
What you can learn
Empower your fans and make them feel involved in a community around your music. Whether it’s a celebratory release show, a fan group chat, or a poll about release and merch details – giving your fans a voice can turn them into powerful advocates for your music.
2. Balance promo with behind-the-scenes content
Olivia shares real-time life updates including her fertility journey, which has strengthened her connection with fans and provided therapeutic value.
What you can learn
It’s expected that in the lead-up to a release, you’re focused on promotion. But don’t let valuable behind-the-scenes content and general life updates fall by the wayside. Sharing moments with fans can drive deeper engagement and build relationships, especially if your stories relate to your music.
3. Drive fan engagement with DM prompts and giveaways
Olivia set up an automated chat flow to automatically send a pre-save link to fans who commented “Grace” on any of her social media posts. Fans who commented were then entered to win a mystery box from Olivia.
What you can learn
There’s really two tactics at work here. First, increase your engagement on posts by prompting your fans to save, share, or comment. Second, gamify your call to action by running a giveaway or a contest.
Join over 2 million artists like Olivia King
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