Why six weeks (not two, not two months)
Two weeks is a scramble; two months is drag. Six weeks gives you enough runway for editorial submissions, presave momentum, content shooting, curator outreach, and a real launch week without the campaign feeling stale before the song hits. Every week below has one job. Do that one job. Skip the noise.
Week 6 — Lock the assets
Before this week ends, you should have: final master, final artwork (all three sizes), 15s teaser cut, 30s teaser cut, one vertical performance video, three photos, and a written one-sentence pitch. If any of these are still in progress, push the release date, don’t compress the campaign.
Week 5 — Editorial submissions
Submit to Spotify editorial through Spotify for Artists. Apple Music editorial through Apple Music for Artists. Amazon, Pandora, TIDAL if you have those accounts. Deadline for editorial is typically four full weeks before release — miss it and you lose the biggest lever you have.
Your pitch should include: the story of the song, the audience you think will respond, the city where you’re strongest, and one hook that gives an editor something to feel. Don’t oversell. Editors read hundreds of these per week.
Week 4 — Presave campaign launches
Choose a presave platform (Feature.fm, Hypeddit, Show.co — pick one). Build the link. Push it in every channel: email, socials, DMs to friends. The goal isn’t the presaves themselves — it’s the algorithmic signal Spotify reads when a track has a queued audience on release day.
Post the presave link at least twice per week. Different creative each time.
Week 3 — Content sprint
Shoot everything now. You’ll thank yourself later. Minimum:
- 3 vertical performance clips (different rooms, different outfits, same track)
- 2 behind-the-scenes clips (“making of” or “why I wrote this”)
- 1 lyric-focused clip (visual + lyric on screen)
- 1 launch-day announcement clip
Schedule the drops in a content calendar. Do not scramble at 11pm on release day.
Week 2 — Curator outreach
Independent curators, indie playlists, DJ contacts, blog editors — whoever fits your genre. Personalized outreach only (do not blast). Aim for 25 quality sends, not 200 spray-and-pray.
Template starts: “Hey [name], I’ve been listening to [specific song they placed]. Dropping [track title] on [date] — think it fits the [playlist name] energy. Presave here if you want a preview.” Attach the private stream, ask nothing more than a listen.
Week 1 — Amplify + confirm
Post your teaser daily. Confirm editorial slotting (Spotify shows you which playlists picked it up). Send your VIP list a “24 hours away” note — mailing list, close fans, curators who replied, family. Prime the release week.
Release day — Run the play
Post the release across every channel within the first two hours. Ask fans to save, add to playlists, share. Reply to every comment for the first 24 hours — the engagement signal matters.
Do not release and disappear. The next 72 hours are when the platforms decide whether to push you.
Week 7 — The push after the drop
Most artists stop working on release day. This is the mistake. The week AFTER release is when you consolidate:
- Post the strongest reaction video from launch weekend
- Send thank-you DMs to curators who supported
- Check your top 5 cities and boost content there
- Schedule the next asset (remix, video, acoustic version) 4-6 weeks out
Where DaPlug fits
DaPlug runs this exact rhythm with you — reminds you what week you’re in, drafts the outreach, tracks the editorial responses, and shows you what to double-down on when the data starts coming in. But even done manually, this framework beats anything you’re doing without one.