Recent updates

Simplifying Influencer Submissions

For the past 6 months there have been two options to choose from when sending to influencers:

  1. Normal premium submissions
  2. Guaranteed shares

This week we're moving exclusively to the second option for the reasons outlined below.

Normal premium submissions and the problems they create

Normal influencer submissions work a lot like the premium submissions on the curator side. Influencers cost between 1 and 3 credits to submit to and there are no guarantees that they will share your song. From a submitter's standpoint these are fairly straightforward, though there's no way to know where the influencer will actually end up sharing (more often than not they choose to share to one of their smaller platforms).

On the influencer side the amount you can earn from normal submissions is based on your average approval rate. The goal of this system is to pay more for each approval, as one of the top complaints we heard when initially opening up to influencers was "you don't seriously expect me to share a song for $1.00 do you?"

This approval-based-payment approach caused a fair bit of confusion among influencers. This meant our internal team spent a lot of time explaining how it worked. Based on "exit surveys" (where we ask Influencers why they stopped using SubmitHub), inability to understand this payment method was one of the most-reported reasons for departing.

More recently we noticed another frequent problem with normal submissions and their link to approval percentages: influencers were denying songs not because they didn't like them, but simply because they were worried about impacting their approval percentage. In some cases they were then following up that denial with a message to the artist encouraging them to use a guaranteed submission instead. Understandably this led to complaints from artists.

Why we think guaranteed submissions are better for everyone

Guaranteed submissions cost more, but the submitter gets their credits back if the song is rejected. In the music industry this is called "payola." In this influencer industry this is the status quo / a standard form of paid promotion :)

The positives

Here are a few reasons why we think this approach to influencer submissions is superior:

  • It's easier for all parties to understand and lines up with standard industry practices in the influencer marketplace
  • Influencers can earn more money for each share
  • We're not limited by the 1/2/3 credit system of normal submission
  • Prices are linked to engagement rather than approval percentages
  • Artists get to control where and how their songs get shared
  • This is a super-important aspect of pulling off a successful influencer campaign

The possible negatives

There are a few possible downsides to this approach. Here are some of the concerns that have been brought up and how I think they'll play out:

  • "The 1/2/3 credit system allows small artists with low budgets to reach big influencers and possibly get shared"
  • Based on what we've seen, most big influencers end up sharing normal submissions to smaller channels instead of their main profile
  • There are still 300+ influencers who cost 5 credits or less
  • Under the old system and assuming an average 40% approval rate, 100 credits to 100 1-credit influencers would net you ~40 shares. Under the new system, 100 credits will net you 50 guaranteed shares if you target the folks with 2-credit guarantee prices
  • "Influencers will get fewer submissions"
  • This is possible. It's hard to know until we test it out
  • Our expectation is that we'll see a big rise in the number of guaranteed requests being sent out and those influencers who are able to deliver worthwhile shares will see more and more action
  • The more value artists see from submitting to influencers the more they'll want to submit, so we're hoping that by improving their experience it'll be a win-win for everyone
  • "Some influencers will be too expensive for the average artist"
  • Yep, it's true. Not an easy one to solve frankly
  • We need to respect the value that influencers place in their content
  • As mentioned above, there are still 300+ options that cost 5 credits or less, so if you're working with a smaller budget these are the ones to focus on

Pausing Complimentary Submissions

One major slightly-related item to mention is that for the past few months we've been experimenting with "complimentary influencer submissions." These are submissions that we pay for on behalf of artists as a way to raise awareness about influencer submissions, keep influencers engaged, and help share good music.

We have paused this complimentary influencer program, and as a result a number of influencers might see a fairly big drop in the volume of submissions received. While we'd love to keep songs coming their way, we have to face the reality that the artists may not be demanding shares from their region. Unfortunately it's become quite expensive for us to keep up ($500+ per day), so we've decided to hold off for now.

Looking Forward

An important thing for artists to realize is that in many cases influencer campaigns aren't going to move the needle unless you're willing to invest a ton of money and time into it (we're talking thousands of dollars). Ten or twenty random shares won't give you much. You're going to need a coordinated strategy and 100+ shares, and this new system will allow for that.

The artist ARIA is a good example of how to execute a strategy that leverages influencers. They've been using SubmitHub for their song "Pretty Little Thing" and the knock-on effect has been really positive (they even struck a partnership with the clothing brand Pretty Little Thing). Hopefully we'll be able to write up a case study on that once all the pieces are in place around this change.

We're excited that this new flexibility around pricing means we'll be able to bring on more top-tier accounts and agencies, opening the door for those with large budgets to leverage SubmitHub as a tool for executing their campaigns.

Still to come

Over the next week or so Dylan and I will be working to fine-tune the process of making special requests (eg, "do a funny dance" or "wear a pink hat" or "jump up and down"). Stay tuned!