Here’s the scenario…

You are about to release a new single and start your Music PR Plug.

Three weeks before the release drops, you send the pre-release link to blogs, radio stations, magazines, playlist curators, and anyone and everyone who can help you gain traction to get your single out to the masses.

Still, you’re left with a burning question…

“After all of my hard work, is my music even being heard?”

Well, today, I have a top tip to help you to get an answer to that question.

Bitly.

Bitly is a site where you can add in the URL where your music is available to listen to (for example, a private Soundcloud, Spotify or even a google drive) and then create a shorter link.

The new shorter link is the one you want to send to press contacts.

Here’s the clever part…

The new shorter link you created on Bitly has excellent tracking stats, so you can see how many times the link has been clicked.

So you’ll know right away if the link to your music is being opened.

Even better, Bitly has a free plan where you can create up to 10 separate links a month. You shouldn’t need more than that. AND you can copy and send the link as many times as you like.

Here’s how it works in the real world…

Step one

Go to Bitly.com and create a free account

Step 2

Click the big blue ‘Create new’ button and then click ‘link.’

Step 3

In ‘Destination’, add the URL of where you want people to listen to your music.

Step 4

Click on ‘Create’ in the bottom right corner.

Step 5

Your new link will be available in orange and start bitly/

You want to include this orange link instead of the original URL in your emails to press contacts.

What comes next?

Send out a batch of 20-30 emails to curators, wait a few days and come back to bitly your stats.

See how many times your link has been clicked.

If it’s a lot of clicks, you know the copy in your emails is compelling and makes people want to click and hear your new music.

If you have a low number of clicks, you need to consider changing the wording in your emails and then send out another batch and revisit your stats to see if it has improved your numbers.

Wrap up

It’s always good to keep a check on your stats to know how your emails are being received and if there’s room for improvement on your end to make the links more attractive.

It’s trial and error, but once you get your formula right, there will be no stopping you!

FVMusicBlog March 2023