We sat down with No Suits to talk about their latest release and how they used Laylo

Case Study: No Suits


We sat down with No Suits to talk about their latest release, [Leopards & Furs](https://open.spotify.com/album/7GUHinN5QfpwvHKJo8lHhI?si=3U83aoD2Rom-8zWSk0BX3A), and how they used Laylo to prepare for it.

### How do you prepare for your album release?

In an album release cycle, building hype in anticipation of individual releases is one of the most important and difficult tasks. In our upcoming album marketing plan, we have 4 singles, 4 videos, and finally the full album drop to promote.  

Prior to this album, our strategy was primarily teasing on social media that we have a song coming out “next month”, “next week”, “tomorrow” etc. The big problem here is that there’s no action a fan can take with that info, and they’re most likely to forget when the song comes out anyways.

### Have you used presaves before?

Spotify/Apple pre-saves recently became a solution to this issue. Many artists are now using a presave strategy to increase the marketing lifespan of release - creating a landing page with Spotify and Apple links to sign in and save the song early. In theory, it seems like a good strategy, but the friction for presaves is unreasonably high. First off, the fan can’t do anything if they don’t have Spotify or Apple Music, and second they have to go through a full sign in process and give the application full access to their account. Most artists, including us, are getting <5% conversion rates on presaves.

### How did you use Laylo?

When we saw Laylo, it seemed like a no-brainer for us because ANY fan can opt in regardless of what streaming service they use, and it doesn’t require any login information. We built landing pages on Laylo for our first 2 singles and linked to them via Instagram Story, Twitter, and Facebook about 3-4 days prior to release. We teased “New single on Friday, swipe up to get notified”. We saw 30%+ conversion rates on both drops, and the best part was being able to re-engage the fans who subscribed. Laylo sent a reminder to fans at midnight when the song was released on streaming services. Then, later that day when we pushed the music video live, we remessaged all our fans who subscribed - “Thanks for the love on ‘Ice Cold’, the music video is now live!”.

### What changes are you making going foward?

The feature set of Laylo has been great to us and we intend to use it for all our upcoming ‘drops’. Some ideas we wanted to play with going forward are

1.  Rewards for fans who subscribe early. For example, first 50 fans to RSVP get a sneak peak of the song or meet and greet etc.
    
2.  Use cases for Twitch Streams
    
3.  Use cases for podcasts
    
4.  Engaging fans who RSVP in a private chat/video 15 mins prior to a specific drop

As we continue to grow as musicians, we’re realizing content is king. The more content we have the better chances we have. More music, more videos, more tik toks, streams, podcasts, merch etc. As there become more and more drops there needs to be a consolidated way to engage fans and build community.

Get more listeners on Spotify with these 3 must have tips

3 Must-Have Tips To Get More Listeners on Your Spotify


As a musician, there’s one streaming service that you don’t want to overlook: Spotify. Not only is Spotify’s software top-notch in the industry, but there are 286 million active monthly users - meaning that the fans are there if you know how to reach them.

With such a large audience, that means that there is a saturation of artists using the service. The good news? If you know how to play the game, then you’ll naturally attract Spotify listeners to your account.

As you’re working on building your fan engagement, you’ll want to market yourself and connect with other artists, managers, agents, and companies that will support you. Dominating the music scene is vital to being a top artist! However, when it comes to the actual streaming service, some industry tips will help your streams automatically perform better.

We’ve put a list of our three favorite must-have tips to get more listeners on your Spotify:

### Submit your song at least 4 weeks before the release date  

Submitting your song before your official release date is an industry secret when it comes to a buzzing Spotify account. As you’re getting ready to celebrate your release date, you'll want a detailed to-do list leading up to the big day.

It’s normal for artists to set their sights on the buzz of the release date; However, it’s important to focus on other important factors weeks in advance. For example, you’ll want to distribute your track to Spotify before it’s available to your audience.

By submitting your song for distribution on Spotify before the release date, you’re allowing:

-   Spotify the time it needs to analyze and categorize your song    
-   Your team ample time to organize and market your release
-   The opportunity to be featured on a Spotify Playlist

Having a clear outline of tasks that need to be done and not rushing through different processes will pay off in the end. An organized artist is a successful artist, and when it comes to Spotify, that means submitting your song weeks before your actual release date.

### Submit your song to Spotify using the Spotify Playlist Pitching Tool via Spotify For Artists

Why? This allows your song to be vetted and approved to play on Spotify playlists. Should Spotify accept your music, you’ll have the opportunity to be added to their curated playlists. These playlists are played by millions of listeners every day, which means that you’ll get in their ears without lifting a finger.

During the submission process, Spotify will ask several questions about the genre, instruments, and mood of your song. Be specific and accurate as you answer these questions. This stage of the submission process will help Spotify pair your music to relevant playlists, so you land in the right hands.

You can ONLY submit unreleased music to Spotify playlists, so you have a limited window of when you can actually hit it big with the platform. Though you’ll still have to hustle once you’ve been added to the list, this presents a huge opportunity for musicians.

As an important note, you can only submit ONE song at a time. Because of this, we recommend choosing the song that you feel will be a hit with your audience. After your song gets accepted, you can proceed with another submission process.

### Build hype as much as you can before the release

Hype your music and get the people EXCITED! Whether you’re an e-Commerce business, musician, or artist, you should know that creating hype with your audience is the best way to sell your product.

Building hype builds exclusivity and creates a community surrounding your launch. It creates the buzz that you need to get people talking about the upcoming drop.

With platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, there are several opportunities to amp up the buzz. Use countdowns, teasers, and videos to get your audience excited. Encourage them to share and tag friends in your posts. If you have the money to invest, consider doing a giveaway (think merch or concert tickets) to encourage them to engage with their personal audience about your music.

We also recommend using email marketing to tease a launch. Create an email flow to give your audience more information about when your drop is about to come and why they’ll love it. Make sure to link your social media posts and newsletters back to your Spotify account to get people to visit and stream your music.

If you’re strategic about your launch and you put the effort, time, and planning into your organization, then you’ll reap the benefits. Of course, it never hurts to have people in the industry giving you tips and tricks to really reap the benefits of Spotify.

For more tips on a successful launch, visit [Laylo.com](https://laylo.com).

We've gathered tips and tricks from top music releases to make sure your next release is successful

9 Things to Do Before Your Release


So, you’re a creative person and you're building a music career from the ground up. Releasing new content is one of the most exhilarating experiences for an artist.

There’s no doubt that you sink dozens of hours into your merch, content, and event planning. If done properly, your release should be marketing itself before it’s even available to the public. By engaging your fans before your drop, you'll get them excited about what's to come and create the buzz you need.

After all, your fans' enthusiasm and support are the keys to your success (and sales). We’ve worked with brand new artists all the way up to superstars, and we’ve noticed some of the best ways to get your fans engaged before release day.

Here’s a list of ten of our favorite techniques to get your community ready to buy, share, and support your drop ahead of time.

### 1. Email Marketing

As you build your digital fan base, you want to be gathering the emails of your fans. You can easily collect email addresses on your website or landing page simply by telling your fans that they’ll be the first to know about new music, content, or merch. Email marketing is an efficient and easy way to make it into people’s inboxes at the click of a button.

Email marketing is an easy way to connect with your fans and get them excited about what’s ahead. Use software such as MailChimp or Klaviyo to organize contact information and send out mass emails. We recommend sending out a flow, or line, of emails to encourage your receivers to count down until the big release.

### 2. Text Marketing

Similarly to email marketing, you can use messaging marketing, or text marketing to reach out to your fan platform and enhance engagement. You can also leave a spot in your online form (through your website or landing page) that requests your fans fill out their mobile phone number as well. Tools such as Community can help you manage and message your SMS list.

### 3. Facebook Messenger Marketing

The digital age is a beautiful time for budding artists and businesses alike! Enforcing a strong digital marketing strategy will be vital in taking your new release from drab to a hot seller. Digital marketing strategies should be done across all networks and platforms, but we’ve recently been loving Facebook Messenger.

Having a thriving Facebook page as an artist can be a huge component to your success. You can use your Facebook Group to market events and link to different products that are on sale.

Using Facebook Messenger is a perfect way to engage with fans in a way that seems more personal and laid back. You can directly message fans who are already following your Facebook account.

### 4. Analyze Fan Data

Knowing your fan base is ESSENTIAL. Your marketing plan will change largely if your primary demographic is high school students versus retired baby boomers. Use the analytics supplied by your website, social media accounts, and ad accounts to understand exactly who your fan base is.

Look into your competitors with similar fan bases and see how they are connecting with their fan platforms. Use language that will appeal to your demographic and place more emphasis on marketing strategies that will appeal to your age demographic.

By tracking fan behavior, you can put more manpower into marketing strategies that have a proven track record with your fan platform. This will also help you plan future releases based on what music, content, and merch that your fans interact with more.

### 5. Use Multiple Platforms

Get comfortable using multiple platforms to connect with your audience! This includes different social network platforms, email marketing, text message marketing, and traditional media. Not only will using several platforms ensure that you connect with more fans, but it allows you to remain at the forefront of your fans' minds as they go through their day-to-day life.

Be flexible in your marketing strategies and feel comfortable stepping outside of the box. You want to build your fan platform and remain relevant in the industry. This means using these platforms before a big release and throughout the remainder of the calendar year, so you don’t become washed away in the sea of other artists.

### 6. Connect Through Non-Musical Content

There’s more to your success than your art, and we highly suggest letting that shine through to your audience. You’ll want to touch base with non-musical content as well. This means getting comfortable sharing bits and pieces of your life online and reaching out through marketing strategies with other news such as merch lines, TV appearances, etc.

Connecting with your fan platform with content that is more raw and personal allows a more direct relationship and you’ll begin to build rapport with your audience. With an oversaturation of performers and incredible musicians, you want to stand out from the crowd by sharing your story and other parts of your life that make you relatable.

### 7. Use a Video-Drop to Promote

Here’s the secret to the industry: videos perform well. Not only do they boost the SEO of your website and landing page, but they engage true fans and help on hyping them up when required. With that being said, invest in a 15-second teaser video for Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and your website.

Ensure that this video provides enough information to get your audience excited about the upcoming drop while still withholding enough information that they have to wait until the drop to find out more.

When it comes to video, you’ll want to make sure it’s good quality so it stands out on your social media platform.

### 8. TEASE AND BUILD HYPE

The BEST way to have a successful release is to tease and build hype about the upcoming release. Use timers to countdown until the drop, tease bits of information on social media, and get your fans as excited as you are about what you’re about to drop!

Get comfortable reaching out to your audience frequently to let them know of an upcoming drop. You can do this organically through your Instagram feed or send a list of emails to them that reminds them that there is something excited to come!  

When you think of your fans, they are juggling their own lives and an onslaught of other information from their favorite brands, musicians, and artists. Use frequent reminders as a way to stay ahead of the game.

### 9. Use Laylo

At Laylo, we’ve built a simple way to let your fans RSVP to your new content, event, and merch drops. Messaging across Facebook, SMS and Email is all built-in and we handle all of the technical pieces so that you can focus on your fans.

So, what does this mean for you? Your reminders are set up automatically in Laylo, which simplifies your marketing plan. You can easily share your drops through a link that can be used on Instagram Stories, Facebook, email marketing, text marketing, and more.

Essentially, Laylo will help organize and combine different marketing strategies for a seamless drop.  

Oh, and it’s FREE, so you can invest more in your music.

To set up your drop and engage with your fan platform, [join Laylo now](https://laylo.com).