Social media is one of the most effective channels for promoting music and reaching new audiences. Across platforms, you can turn listeners into fans by weaving your narrative through videos, photos, blogs, and live streams. If you’re looking for ways to promote your upcoming music on social media, this blog provides you with a checklist of all the assets you need to get started.
Choose your social media platforms
A strong, consistent presence on one or two platforms is far more effective than being stretched thin across many. What’s more, no single platform dominates music discovery for every demographic.
Choose one or two platforms that best align with your goals, content style, and strengths:
- YouTube: Best for long-form content like music videos, vlogs, and live performances. Also supports short-form content via YouTube Shorts.
- Instagram: Ideal for visually driven content, including photos, Reels (short-form videos), Stories, and live streams. Great for dynamic brand building across content formats.
- TikTok: Designed for short-form, trend-based video content. Great for reaching new audiences quickly and encouraging engagement through challenges or sounds.
- X (formerly Twitter) or Bluesky: Best for real-time updates, quick thoughts, text-based content, and fan engagement through polls and replies.
You might also research where your artist peers are most active (where are they promoting their music, upcoming shows, and merch?) and see where your fans tend to discover and discuss music.
For emerging musicians, social media is often most effective when it mirrors real music scenes and communities that you’re a part of – so seek out where those interactions are happening.
Optimize your social media profiles
Whether you just created a profile or you’ve used it for some time, it’s helpful to update everything ahead of a release.
- Update your profile photo and/or banner with high-res photos
- Archive old, time-sensitive content
- Update any links to your website, streaming profiles, and concert tickets
For even more tips to improve your profiles, check out our social media makeover.
Social Media Promotion Checklist
Once you’ve chosen platforms and updated your profiles, it’s time to compile promotional assets.
The only thing more important than preparing your assets is time. Set your release date to four to six weeks in the future to allow plenty of time for promotion.
Prepare general assets
Before you begin your rollout, gather and organize key promotional assets. These will serve as the foundation for your content across platforms.
Cover art
Your cover art is the visual anchor of your release — but avoid overusing it. Keep your feed fresh by creating variations:
- Mockups: CD, vinyl, or cassette formats
- Visual riffs: Related imagery or alternate treatments
- Zoom-ins: Cropped or detailed views of the design
- Behind-the-scenes: Footage or photos of the design process
Artist and Merch Photos
Schedule a professional photoshoot that reflects your brand and the mood of your release. Use moodboards and visual references to align with your photographer on the concepts.
Capture high quality photos of your merch as well in a variety of setups: modeled, artfully arranged, or digitally mocked up.
Long-form video
Great for deep engagement and storytelling, long-form video is an opportunity to immerse your fans in your world. Options include:
- Official music video
- Full or partial live performance
- Mini-documentary about your release
- Behind-the-scenes compilation
- Private performance for fans
Short-form Video
These quick, scroll-friendly clips can be created in advance or captured on the fly, but prepare at least a few core assets such as the following:
- Visualizer: A stylized loop or animation capturing your song’s mood
- The Hook: A 15-30 second clip of the chorus or catchiest moment
- Artist Intro: A short “meet the artist” or “what this song means” video
- Behind the Scenes: Studio sessions, gear setups, casual moments
- Live Clip: A powerful crowd moment or performance highlight
Additional key assets
- Updated EPK: Include a short bio, press quotes, hi-res photos, and release details
- Caption copy: It can be helpful to draft your release announcement copy ahead of time, being sure to credit and tag any writers, engineers, producers, and others who assisted with your release.
- Updated Website: Feature your new release front and center, with easy navigation to merch, shows, and streaming links. If your cover art features different colors or moods than your website has, consider a reskin.
- Promotional Link: A smart link or landing page with pre-saves, stream links, and social follow buttons. CD Baby members can set up a Spotify pre-save link through Show.Co.
- Merch Photos: Clean, high-quality shots of any merch you’ll be promoting or bundling with your release
Organize your key assets
Keep your assets organized in digital folders and provide your team and collaborators with access. You can also use this folder to share with the press for promotion, but you might want to create a separate folder for their needs.
Set goals
You can stay focused and evaluate your progress by setting goals around your promotion. Some objective metrics you can use include:
- Email list signups
- Pre-saves/adds/orders
- Social media metrics (followers, average likes, shares, etc).
- Press placements
- Streams
Plan your posts for a release campaign
Here’s a sample timeline for a 6-week release campaign — 4 weeks leading up to your release and 2 weeks of post-release momentum. Adjust the timeline based on your own planning, goals, and bandwidth.
Week 1: Announce
Announce your release across all platforms through media that will stay visible on your profile like videos, photos, and micro-blogs — then cross-post your announcement to temporary formats like Stories.
Within your announcement, include a clear release date and a strong call to action (pre-save, pre-order, etc.) complete with a link.
If your audience hasn’t heard a demo or performance of the song, consider posting a short-form video with the hook of the song and all the announcement details.
Make a plan to reach 100 pre-saves on your next release using our detailed guide.
Week 2: Build hype
Share another teaser of the song in a short-form video. Aim for this clip to reach new followers with an introductory caption that entices them to click through to your profile. Experiment with different video concepts and post multiple times per week to test engagement.
For your current followers, plan daily countdown posts over temporary media like stories and clarify the time until release in the captions of permanent media.
Drop merch that fans can pre-save! Post high-res photos of items with a link to your online merch store or have fans DM orders and track them in a spreadsheet.
Week 3: Develop your narrative
Create a carousel with behind-the-scenes content or photoshoot highlights with some caption copy about the story behind your release.
Continue experimenting with short-form video content that ties your new music to your artist story — from live clips to behind-the-scenes clips — give visitors a chance to get to know you beyond the music. Creating this content is easiest when you document your creative process, noting stories and recording footage for future use.
Week 4: Drive deeper engagement
Post a short-form video that’s more personal and engaging for fans who are already interested: an artist intro clip or a snippet of a private performance of the song and invite visitors to engage with the post – sharing, commenting, tagging friends, etc.
Pin successful content to your timeline so that first-time visitors to your profile see it first — this is especially helpful if it’s an intro clip that orients a visitor to who you are, the music you make, and what content they can expect from your profile.
Release Day: Celebrate
Announce that your release is live! Reuse your single cover and include all relevant links in your bio. Thank your collaborators, tag everyone involved, and use strong calls to action to drive streams, shares, and playlisting.
Post-Release Week 1: Build community
Keep the energy going by encouraging your fans to engage with and share your new release. Ask them to add the track to their personal playlists and share it on their socials — then reshare their posts.
Use interactive tools like question boxes, polls, and Q&As to drive deeper engagement. You might ask fans about their favorite lyrics, where they first heard the song, or what the song reminds them of! This creates a two-way connection that helps convert casual listeners into loyal fans.
Post-Release Week 2: Retain momentum
As buzz from the release begins to level out, keep attention on your music by sharing any wins — whether it’s being added to playlists, reaching streaming milestones, or receiving positive press.
Then begin teasing what’s next: an upcoming show, music video, merch drop, or future release.
Put it into practice
Ready to start on your next release? A growing community of two million independent artists like you trust CD Baby to deliver their music to over 150 streaming platforms around the world. Submit your next release at least four weeks in the future and start planning your social media campaign with this guide.