What is a pre-save campaign, and is it worth it?

A pre-save is a link that asks a fan to save your song on Spotify or Apple Music before it comes out, so it’s in their library on release day.

I don’t do pre-saves for the artists I work with.

For ads to work, the point where someone acts needs to be clear. You see an ad and you buy the record on Bandcamp, or you sign up to the newsletter, and it’s obvious. With streaming it’s not obvious.

So a pre-save isn’t going to move the needle, and on a small budget it’s the first thing I’m happy to cut, because we’re not going to see a return on it.

I wouldn’t prioritise pre-save links unless your audience are into that, or whatever the Bandcamp version of that is, something that gets them to do something. I’d get them to sign up instead, which means a landing page and a newsletter that’s set up properly.

Around a week out, put a post up that says new music next week.

Then check it. A pre-order is a real purchase, so you can count it and know the ad did that. A pre-save you can’t.