How to motivate people to listen to your older tracks?

It’s natural for a song to lose traction over time, but that doesn’t mean it was bad or that people wouldn’t still enjoy it. Motivating listeners to revisit your older tracks might not be as hard as you’d think, and sometimes a solid track can prove even more successful over time when given the right attention. Do you have a song that you believe is great but never got the attention it deserves? Let’s explore some ways to refresh it in your audience’s mind.

Social media's your bestie

Social media is a powerful tool for keeping your music alive and top-of-mind. Sharing older tracks in your stories or as reminder posts is (almost) free and can really pay off – especially if the song fits the season, weather, or mood. Even better, if it complements a new video, pic, or selfie you’re posting, just add the song to your content, link to it in your stories, and voilà.

Every few days, remind your audience of a different track (how often depends on your level of activity on socials; you don’t want to only do that, of course), but make sure to keep it relevant. You can spice it up so it doesn’t feel repetitive and:

• Highlight a portion of the lyrics (“And if I wander into the dark – Will you turn the light on somehow? Listen to Paper Planes now!”)
• Share a fun fact about the writing, recording, or producing it (“Could you imagine we created the drums by tapping a spoon on our wooden table?”)
• Talk about the inspiration behind the song (“This one started very unexpectedly – I read a poem by Tomas Tranströmer, and by the time I was at the end, this song was almost done, just in my head. I just had to write it down. Inspiration is an incredible thing, really”)

And don’t forget to include a clickable link or a shortlink (that's easy to retype) so people can easily access the track.

From pretty much any point of view, one of the most effective and free ways to bring attention back to your older songs is through social media. Platforms like Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X, and more offer a wealth of opportunities to share your music and connect with fans. So make sure to include in your content plan some:

• Storytelling and reminiscing
• Sharing curated playlists, either ones you were featured in or ones you curate (and your music is on them)
• Engaging with fans by responding to comments and messages, elaborating, suggesting a song they might like next, or asking which are their favs

Pitching (and re-pitching) to curators and playlisters

Reaching out to curators and playlisters can be a great way to introduce your older songs to a new or wider audience. Submitting your older tracks to curators after some time can also help breathe new life into them. A good song can still catch the attention of playlisters, even if it’s been out for a while – most of them are more focused on the quality of the music than the release date (though bloggers might be stricter, so be warier with those).

When pitching an older tune, make your track stand out with the right quick pitch:

• Highlight recent achievements: If your song has recently received positive feedback or achieved a significant milestone, be sure to mention this in your pitch (“Since its release six months ago, the song was added to 3 Spotify editorials and garnered over 150k streams”)
• Tailor your pitch: Research the curator/playlist and tailor your pitch accordingly (“Hey! I just listened to your Dreamy Serenades playlist and felt my Autumn Leaves would sit perfectly near Hollow Coves and Gregory Alan Isakov”)

Feedback and community

If a song, on the other hand, didn’t get the attention you hoped for, or if you’re curious about how it’s being received, Reddit can be a goldmine for feedback as well as new connections. Look for communities that offer constructive criticism (like r/MusicFeedback), and ask for opinions, suggestions, and help.

You can also find subreddits focused on specific genres where you can share your music and start a conversation. This might not only bring your track to a new audience but also provide valuable insights for your future releases, as well as possible future collaborations.

For even more feedback, be sure to take advantage of SubmitHub's Hot or Not feature. You can gather insights on both the strengths (which you can use in your marketing) and weaknesses (which you can improve in future releases). Plus, listeners can easily add songs they like to their playlists directly from Hot or Not. There's also an option for them to check a box allowing communication, giving you a chance to network with those who connect with your music.

Ads for the win

If you’re looking to give your older songs a boost, consider using paid advertising, especially Meta ads. If you believe in your song and think it has the potential to connect with more listeners, consider investing in ads. A few dozen dollars can go a long way, especially so if you have solid video content to accompany the ads. 

Create variations like cuts from the lyrics or music video, snippets (even of random things with a similar mood or you searching for the song on Spotify), or slightly animated cover art (with noise, glitches, and similar effects).

Promote different content – sure, push the song itself, but also consider promoting your music video or a playlist you've curated (with your tracks or a mix that includes them) where your song is at or near the top. This can help boost your streaming numbers and potentially grow your following. Just don't forget to:

• Make your ads engaging: Go for video variations in square and/or 9:16 formats, trying out different visuals and colorways (pro tip: always have a few different song snippets as well as trying a black-and-white version).
• Analyze the results: There’s no point in running ads that just burn your money but don’t really help. Look at your Business Manager account’s results after a week at the latest, your SubmitHub Link (or other landing page service) analytics, and your song’s performance in Spotify for Artists. If it’s not doing much, experiment with different creatives and/or targeting and texts, or stop the ads if the song isn’t being received well enough.

To remind people of a song and give it another chance, you can also invest in promoting an older but still great music video on YouTube (more on that here).

___

Your older tracks can definitely benefit from some extra attention, but it does require putting in the work, whether that’s time, money, or both. You may end up “reviving” them and reaching listeners who didn’t catch them the first time. Don’t overthink it, though – some songs will prove worthy of more attention, and some won’t. It’s up to you to analyze and act upon the results.