If you’re an independent artist or music marketer looking to grow Spotify pre-saves, you’ve likely encountered the frustrating reality: pre-save campaigns can be expensive, tricky to run, and often yield disappointing results when it comes to cost per pre-save. I’m Andrew Southworth, and in this article, I’m going to walk you through a powerful yet straightforward tweak that can help you double your Spotify pre-saves while drastically reducing your costs. This approach not only improves your marketing ROI but also provides genuine value to your fans—something that traditional pre-save campaigns often lack.
Understanding the Spotify Pre-Save Landscape
Before diving into the strategy, it’s essential to understand what a Spotify pre-save actually is—and why it’s more complicated than it seems.
The Myth: Spotify Pre-Saves Don’t Technically Exist
Contrary to popular belief, Spotify itself does not have an official “pre-save” feature in their system. Instead, what we call pre-saves are facilitated by third-party marketing platforms, such as Hypeddit, Feature.fm, or other smart link providers.
Here’s how it works: when a fan clicks your pre-save link and “pre-saves” your song, they are actually authorizing the third-party platform to save the track to their Spotify library on the release day. Spotify doesn’t know about this pre-save beforehand. The platform waits until your song launches, then automatically adds it to the user’s library. So, the pre-save is really a promise that the song will be saved on release day, not before.
“Spotify doesn’t see pre-saves before the song comes out. Your link partner does.”
Why Pre-Saves Are Valuable Despite This
Even though Spotify doesn’t technically recognize pre-saves, they still hold several important advantages for artists:
- More Saves on Day One: Pre-saves help you accumulate a higher number of saves immediately after release, which can boost your song’s early performance metrics.
- More Streams on Day One: With more people having the song in their libraries from day one, you increase the likelihood of streams early on.
- Increased Followers: Many pre-save campaigns encourage fans to follow your Spotify artist profile or playlists simultaneously, growing your audience.
- Email Collection: Smart pre-save campaigns capture fan email addresses, which is invaluable for building a direct marketing channel.
These benefits make pre-saves a critical component of a successful Spotify release strategy. However, the challenge lies in how costly and inefficient running paid ads on pre-save links can be.
Why Running Paid Ads for Spotify Pre-Saves Is So Expensive
When you run Facebook or Instagram ads to promote a pre-save link, the cost per pre-save can range from $3 to $10, sometimes even higher depending on your target country. This is a steep price compared to the cost per save or stream you might get after your release, which can be as low as 20 to 40 cents.
So, why is it so expensive to run pre-save ad campaigns? Here are the main reasons:
- No Direct Value to Fans: Pre-saving a song doesn’t give fans any immediate benefit. They don’t get early access, exclusive content, or anything tangible. The action primarily benefits the artist, not the listener.
- Complex User Action: To pre-save, fans must log into their Spotify account and authorize the third-party platform to save the song for them. This multi-step process creates friction and reduces conversion rates.
- High Funnel Drop-Off: Because fans have to log in and authorize access, many drop off before completing the pre-save, increasing your ad costs.
Given these challenges, simply throwing money at a pre-save campaign rarely results in a cost-effective marketing effort. But what if you could make the pre-save offer more attractive?
The Small Tweak That Can Double Your Spotify Pre-Saves
The key to growing Spotify pre-saves without breaking the bank lies in providing real value to your fans in exchange for their pre-save action.
From “Pre-Save for Nothing” to “Pre-Save for Value”
Instead of asking fans to pre-save your song and get nothing in return, offer them something exclusive and valuable. This could be:
- A free download of the song weeks before the official release.
- Exclusive bonus tracks or remixes.
- Early access to a private SoundCloud or Google Drive link.
- Additional content such as behind-the-scenes footage, artwork, or merchandise discounts.
This approach transforms your pre-save campaign into a win-win proposition. Fans get something tangible and exclusive, making them more willing to complete the pre-save action, and you grow your pre-save numbers at a much lower cost.
How to Implement This Strategy Using Download Gates or Link Gates
To deliver on this value exchange, you can use tools like Hypeddit’s download gates or link gates. Here’s how they work:
- Download Gate: Fans must pre-save your song and provide their email address to unlock an immediate download of the unreleased track or exclusive content.
- Link Gate: Fans pre-save your song and receive access to a private link (SoundCloud, Google Drive, etc.) with early or exclusive content.
Both methods require fans to complete the pre-save and share their email, allowing you to build your mailing list for future marketing. This not only increases the perceived value of the pre-save but also enables you to nurture your fanbase directly.
Step-by-Step Setup Example
Using Hypeddit as an example platform, here’s a simplified setup process:
- Create a download gate campaign and upload your unreleased song or exclusive content.
- Set the pre-save action as a prerequisite for unlocking the download or link.
- Collect fan email addresses and optionally their first names for personalized email marketing.
- Set up redirects after pre-save to your Spotify profile or desired playlist to encourage follows.
- Optionally add multiple follow options (up to five) such as your artist profile, playlists, or friends’ bands.
By bundling all these elements, the cost per pre-save becomes justifiable because you’re not just paying for a pre-save—you’re paying for a new fan, a follower, and an email subscriber all at once.
Why Collecting Emails Is the Most Valuable Part of a Pre-Save Campaign
If you’re running pre-save campaigns without collecting emails, you’re missing out on the biggest opportunity to grow your fanbase sustainably.
An email address is worth several dollars alone in the music marketing world because it allows you to:
- Communicate directly with fans without relying on social media algorithms.
- Promote new releases, merchandise, shows, and exclusive offers.
- Build long-term relationships and increase fan loyalty.
- Segment your audience for targeted marketing campaigns.
When you combine email capture with a valuable pre-save offer, you create a powerful marketing funnel that maximizes every dollar spent on ads.
Additional Tips to Maximize Your Pre-Save Campaign Success
Use Smart Links Instead of Direct Spotify Links
Sending fans directly to Spotify from your ads is a common mistake. Instead, use smart links that act as landing pages, such as those provided by Hypeddit. Smart links allow you to:
- Track conversions and engagement through Facebook pixels and other analytics tools.
- Redirect fans to the appropriate streaming platform based on their location or device.
- Present your pre-save offer alongside bonus content and email capture forms.
Customize Your Smart Link Campaign
Within your smart link platform, customize the experience by:
- Adding your cover art and branding elements for a professional look.
- Including multiple platform options (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, etc.) to capture more fans.
- Hiding or showing platform logos like Hypeddit’s based on your preference.
- Setting up redirects to your Spotify artist profile or playlists after a fan completes the pre-save.
Offer Multiple Follow Options
Take advantage of the ability to have fans follow multiple profiles or playlists. This strategy can include:
- Your main artist profile.
- Key playlists where your music is featured.
- Collaborators, friends, or side projects to expand your network.
Limiting the number to around five ensures you don’t overwhelm fans but still maximize your reach.
Leverage Email Marketing Automation
Once you’ve collected emails, connect your smart link platform to your email marketing service using webhooks or Zapier integrations. This allows you to:
- Automatically add new fans to segmented lists.
- Trigger welcome sequences that nurture your relationship.
- Send timely reminders to fans who haven’t yet followed or streamed your release.
This automation saves you time and increases the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Why Hypeddit Is a Great Tool for Growing Spotify Pre-Saves
Over the years, I’ve used many smart link and pre-save platforms, and Hypeddit stands out for several reasons:
- Comprehensive Features: Hypeddit offers pre-save links, download gates, link gates, and smart links all in one platform.
- Cost-Effective: Plans start at just $9 per month, with unlimited links and campaigns.
- Easy Email Integration: You can sync collected emails automatically with any email service provider via webhooks.
- Custom Domains: Use your own domain to boost brand credibility and bypass iOS 14 tracking restrictions.
- Detailed Analytics: Track campaign performance, conversions, and optimize accordingly.
Using Hypeddit, you can set up a pre-save campaign that doubles your results by leveraging the download gate strategy and email capture all in one place.
Putting It All Together: A Proven Strategy to Grow Spotify Pre-Saves
Here’s a summary of the step-by-step strategy to grow your Spotify pre-saves while lowering your ad costs:
- Create a pre-save campaign using a smart link platform like Hypeddit.
- Instead of a plain pre-save, add a download gate or link gate offering exclusive early access or bonus content.
- Collect fan emails and optionally their first names to build your mailing list.
- Include multiple follow options for your Spotify artist profile and key playlists.
- Redirect fans to your Spotify profile or playlist after pre-saving to encourage ongoing engagement.
- Connect your collected emails to an email marketing platform and set up automated follow-up sequences.
- Run ads targeting your ideal audience, promoting the exclusive offer rather than just the pre-save.
- Analyze campaign data regularly and optimize for cost per conversion.
This method transforms your pre-save campaign from a costly, low-value action into a high-value marketing funnel that grows your Spotify presence and fanbase simultaneously.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Spotify Pre-Saves and Music Marketing
Spotify pre-saves are an important tool for artists, but they come with challenges. The key to success is to shift your mindset from simply asking fans to pre-save your music to offering them something they genuinely want in return.
By integrating download or link gates with email capture and multi-platform follows, you create a compelling offer that fans are excited to engage with. This not only doubles your pre-saves but also builds a foundation for long-term fan engagement through email marketing.
If you want to grow your Spotify pre-saves effectively, focus on delivering value, leveraging smart link platforms like Hypeddit, and building direct relationships with your audience. This small tweak can make a massive difference in your music marketing success.
Additional Resources to Amplify Your Music Marketing
- Spotify Growth Machine Course: Dive deeper into Spotify marketing strategies and learn how to grow your streams and followers effectively.
- Facebook Ads for Music: Learn how to set up Facebook ad campaigns that target your ideal audience and convert at a low cost.
- Email Marketing Tools: Explore platforms like Drip, Mailchimp, or any service that integrates with Zapier to automate your fan communications.
- Music Funnels: Create sales funnels for merchandise, concert tickets, and exclusive content to monetize your fanbase.
Remember, the key to successful music marketing is experimentation and iteration. Test different offers, tweak your campaigns, and keep providing value to your fans. When you do that, your Spotify pre-saves—and your career—will flourish.
