9 Music Video Release Strategy Ideas: Increase Views, Revenue & Fans

It’s an exciting time: you’re planning to release a music video. You've found a talented director, built a narrative and visual image, shot the video — now, you just have to upload it to YouTube and watch millions of views stack up, right? 

Not quite. Millions of views don’t just happen: that kind of success is usually the product of a sophisticated strategy designed to build up hype and anticipation. Deciding which song from the album to make a video for, linking the video up to the context of your release cycle, unveiling teasers and behind the scenes videos: these are all tools in your music video promotion toolkit. You have to put them to work to maximize the impact of your investment. 

In this article, we tell you how to pull it all together and craft a winning music video release strategy. 

Why You Need to Strategize Your Music Video Release

Music videos are typically a considerable investment and a critical component of almost any album release cycle. If your clip gains traction, it can have a massive impact on the success of your song, your album — or even your career as a whole. If you manage to fall in favor of the YouTube algorithm, your music video can become an entry point into your artistic universe and introduce thousands of new fans to your music. Video release can turn into a major PR-event, help you develop your visual aesthetic, and take your brand to the next level — but only if you do it right. 

Take a look at the chart below:

This how successful music video release looks like — a robust, cross-channel impact on the artist’s career. A carefully planned music video release can benefit you in many ways — but you have to approach it strategically. 

1. Plan out Your Release Schedule

First, remember that music videos are just one component of your release cycle. So, you have to decide how your music video will fit into your overall release and marketing strategy. Do you want to drop the music video as a single from an upcoming album to build up anticipation? Or, do you want to drop it after the album release, editing in an upcoming tour announcement at the end of the video? 

There are a thousand and one ways you can go about it, but the most important thing is that you plan out every step with your eye on a specific end-goal, whether it’s promoting your album or tour. 

2. Build up The Hype

Out of the blue album release might work for Beyonce, but generally speaking, musicians want their fans to wait for — and hotly anticipate — their music. If your fans know that something is coming, eagerly waiting for what’s in the pipe, it can help you both generate listening across your back catalog, and make sure that when the release finally arrives, it makes a dent in the lives of your fans. You don’t have to be Triple-A to turn your music into a topic of conversation among your fans. 

Music videos are a great way to build the album anticipation. Besides, you can turn the music video itself into a mini-event. There’s another big implication of hyping up your music video release. The better your video does in the first few days, the better are your chances that it will be picked up by the YouTube algorithm — so the initial impact of your video is key. 

3. Leave Time for Edits

There are all kinds of hiccups and delays that can happen throughout the video production cycle: your artistic vision may change over time, the shoot can get delayed, or there may be problems with post-production. That’s why it’s critical to give yourself time for edits and keep your release date secret until you’re 101% sure that it WILL be released on that date. You might look at Kanye postponing his album release over and over, keeping the entire hip-hop community of the edge of their seats — but not everyone can be Kanye. 

4. Plan Content Around the Video

Want your music video release to be an event? Make sure to post about it on social media and let your fans know that something is coming. It doesn’t have to be super complex — in fact, keeping it simple and concentrating on the video itself is probably for the best. Artists commonly post screenshots, behind the scenes photos, produce teasers, and other types of content centered around music videos. All that will feeds into the idea of building up hype, continuously communicating with your fans, and maximizing the impact of the video. 

9 Music Video Strategies to Boost Viewership

We’re not here to tell you how to direct your music video, which angles to shoot from, or which outfit to wear in each scene — that’s on you — but leaving the creative part aside, here are some tips on how you can maximize the impact of your video. 

1. Release a Teaser

Give your fans a taste of your music video by releasing a teaser: even if it’s just a few seconds, it will help get fans excited and prompt them to check out the video when it’s first released. Keep the veil down, but choose a section that’s visually and emotionally enticing. Remember, the initial impact of your video is most important, so anything that will build anticipation is helpful.  

2. Promote the Release Date

Promote the release date across your social media, CRM-base, and website. That should beyond just sending out a Tweet: change your bio to something like “Slow Dancing in the Dark: OUT Sept 12,” blast out emails to your fan-base as the release date approaches, mention the video if you’re doing an interview, and so on.

3. Release the Song Before the Video

That kinda goes without saying, but fans are far more likely to connect with a video for a song that they already know, than the one they’ve never heard before. Fans will have their own emotional meaning they attach to the song and their own feel for the song’s vibe — so they’ll be curious to see how you’ve visualized it. 

4. Use Data to Pick out A Song 

If you are making a music video for one song from an album that’s already out, don’t do it blindly! Most digital streaming platforms (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud) let you access first-party data detailing the views your songs are getting, and music data platforms like Soundcharts give you the 360° view of your performance across all mediums, from radio airplay, to playlist additions, media mentions, and more. 

Use this data to find the song that resonates best with your audience, and make a video for it. The more fans your song has before the music video is released, the more views it will get.

5. Distribute with A Partner

It’s always better to post your music videos on the channel(s) that will reach the widest audience, and sometimes that means distributing your video on a partner channel. Instead of uploading the video straight to your youtube channel, consider releasing it under the record label’s account, or partnering with a third-party. 

That said while distributing with a partner help you can drive some views, you also have to consider the long-term. It will be a bit harder for your potential fans to convert to your YouTube channel — and in case the video outgrows your distribution partner, re-uploading it on your page might be problematic. But if you think the extra clout you’d get by working with a partner is worth it, don’t pass up the opportunity to spread your video as wide as possible. 

6. Post BTS Videos and Photos

As we said earlier, anything you do to build anticipation and let people know the video is coming will boost it’s viewership and help gather early momentum. Posting behind the scene photos and videos before the music video drops keeps the video shrouded in mystery. You should give fans enough of a taste to let them know how dope it is, but keep the mystique up to make sure the video will still be surprising. 

7. Hire a Unique Director 

Remember: there are a ton of music videos released every day, and your fans probably have some of their other favorite artists dropping videos right around yours. You need to set yourself apart, and having a truly unique visual aesthetic can make all the difference. 

Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” was one of the most visually appealing music videos ever, Lil Tecca’s Ransom video shot him up from nowhere, and White Iverson’s music video turned Post Malone into one of the top rappers in the game. All of these videos were directed by famous music video directors who have been doing it for years. If you have the option, you should enlist a uniquely creative mind to make your music video. That doesn’t always mean shelling out a ton of money — you can pick someone local who has done videos that you resonate with. The important thing is that you should trust your director to make the visual and conceptual components of your video stand out (so your music can do the rest). 

8. Release a Lyric Video First

This is another way to build hype for your music video: lyric videos can sometimes garner huge amounts of views — and they are very easy to make. Release your lyric video strategically: make sure that the visual themes are consistent, blast it out on social media, and let your fans know that it’s just a taste of what’s to come.

9. Make a PR-event out of it

Start by contacting some members of the music media to set-up a video premier. If you already have some clout to your name, you can get press on the day of the release — and once again, the initial impact is key. 

Once you’ve released a song and it (hopefully) gathered a bunch of views in the first week or so, it might be a good time to launch a second wave of your PR campaign to give an extra boost to your video. Reach out to music media members over social media and email with a link: now, you will have the views to back up your pitch, and music journalists are much more likely to get on “the hot new video that got X thousands of views in the first week”.  

Conclusion 

If you’ve made a professional-quality music video, then you’ve already made it further in the music industry than most. And while that’s worth celebrating, now’s not the time to rest on your laurels or to lose sight of strategy. A well-made music video is a tremendously valuable commodity, don’t waste it with a quiet, unassuming release! Maximize the impact in every way possible, and make sure that every step you take — from the initial announcement to the teasers and behind-the-scenes goodies — is carefully considered with an end-goal in mind.