How To Sell Merch on Spotify
In the fast-paced world of music and digital distribution, artists and labels are constantly seeking innovative ways to promote their merchandise and engage with fans. As a leading digital distributor, we specialize in providing end-to-end services that not only help artists and labels get their merchandise on platforms like Spotify but also strategize to ensure those items sell. Here, we delve into best practices for leveraging your merch presence on Spotify, drawing from our experience and successful case studies.
Understanding the Challenge
When you post about a vinyl or piece of merchandise on social media, you may notice a surge of orders that dwindles almost immediately the next day. This phenomenon can be attributed to the nature of social media platforms, which do not show posts to all followers and rarely display them after the day they are posted. With thousands of followers, only a handful may see any single post. Moreover, many fans follow numerous accounts that post frequently, causing individual updates from artists to get lost in the scroll. Consequently, despite multiple posts about the same item, many followers might never see them.
Merchandise Best Practices
To combat the ephemeral nature of social media visibility, incorporating merchandise directly into your posts has proven to yield better results. Some effective examples include:
Short video clips featuring the artist wearing a hoodie, captured with a simple camera, including a casual prompt to order the hoodie.
Images of a T-shirt on a plush toy with a call to action to purchase the shirt.
Photos showcasing the artist holding a vinyl record in front of their face.
Each of these posts should include a link to the shop page, enhancing direct access to purchase.
Vinyl Release Best Practice Timeline
For vinyl releases, a structured timeline can significantly impact sales:
1.5 months before release:
Initial announcement post on Instagram/Facebook about the upcoming album and pre-order invitation.
1 month before:
Reminder post for the album's release next month with a pre-order prompt.
2 weeks before:
Countdown post highlighting the two-week mark until the album release and pre-order call.
Release week (five days before):
Final countdown post urging fans to pre-order before the Friday release.
On release day:
Post celebrating the album's availability, including links to both the shop for vinyl purchases and streaming platforms like Spotify.
Two weeks post-release:
Post featuring the vinyl, potentially with videos or images of it being played, thanking listeners and linking to streaming platforms.
Following this schema, an artist with over 10,000 followers can expect to sell between 150 to 500 copies. Without adhering to this timeline and only making one or two posts, sales might hover around 20 copies.
Merchandise on Demand: Best Practice Timeline
For on-demand merchandise, a more flexible approach is recommended:
Week 1 (Tuesday):
Post with merchandise image and shop link.
Week 2 (Wednesday):
Another merchandise post with shop and Spotify links.
Week 3 (Thursday):
Post featuring physical merchandise on the artist or an object with a shop link.
Week 4 (Friday):
Final post with merchandise image, shop, and Spotify links.
Merchandise can also be ordered directly through Spotify via the merch tab, though it's notable that click-through rates from Spotify to shop pages are typically lower than direct shop visits. Hence, including the shop link in all posts is crucial.
Conclusion
In today's digital landscape, visibility is both a challenge and an opportunity. By adopting a strategic approach to social media posts and leveraging platforms like Spotify for merchandise sales, artists and labels can significantly increase their reach and revenue. Remember, consistency in messaging, visual appeal, and direct links to purchase are key components of a successful merchandise strategy. With our expertise and services, we're here to ensure your merch not only makes it onto Spotify but also into the hands of your fans.