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As a musician, you’re probably looking for ways to promote your music and connect with your fans! One effective way to do this is by using pre-save links and smart links, which are individual pages where your fans can find links to your music on different streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music etc.
Pro tip: Those links are integrated into MusicHub, which means that you’ll get a link for every release, helping you boost your reach.
What is the difference between pre-save links and smart links?
A pre-save link is a link that enables your fans to save your music in their Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer account before it’s released. This helps build hype around your upcoming release and ensures that your fans will be notified when it’s available, growing your fans’ loyalty even before your track is released.
Once someone pre-saves your music, it will automatically be added to their library and even appear in algorithmic playlists, such as their Release Radar on Spotify for example. Additionally, they become followers of your artist page. So the more pre-saves you get, the better!
Limitations:
It’s important to note that pre-save links are only supported by Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. If none of these platforms are selected for distribution, you will only receive a smart link on the release date.
A smart link is a link that directs fans to your music once it’s already released. If you’ve chosen to release your music on Spotify, for example, your pre-save link will automatically convert into a smart link on the date your music is released, so you don’t have to worry about anything else. The URL will stay exactly the same and directs your fans towards your new track.
Smart links generally detect the user’s location or device and directs them to the appropriate platform. This can be useful since different countries have different streaming platforms, and fans may be using different devices to listen to your music. By making it easier for fans to find your music, you can increase streams and reach a wider audience.
A smart way to use smart links
If you’ve defined your release plan, set the right timings, and planned out promo activities around your release date to build momentum, then it’s time to create a sense of anticipation and excitement among your fanbase by sharing your pre-save link. They’ll get hyped, save your track in advance and await the release date to be able to listen to your music. By doing this, you’ll have gained followers on your artist profiles on Spotify and other platforms automatically!
Smart links are a great way to share your music on social media, your website and other mediums, reuniting all platforms where your music can be found.
Paste your link in your Instagram bio for easy access, allowing anyone to access your latest track anytime and share it in your Feed and Stories to grab your followers’ attention.
Good to know
While pre-save links and smart links have been proven useful for many musicians, they might not be as effective, if you’re just starting out and have a small fanbase.
That’s why we’ve included the smart link functionality into MusicHub Essential, which allows you to minimize your costs, as third-party services charge an extra fee to create pre-saves and smart links.
How does it work with MusicHub?
As soon as your release is approved, we’ll send you your pre-save link/smart link via email and it will also be displayed under your release, once you’re logged in. Best to just test it and see how your fans react!
Dive deeper into MusicHub’s resources for DIY musicians
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Photo Credit blog cover: © unsplash/Wesley Tingey
