Welcome [back] to another week of your weekly dose 🎶

Every Tuesday, I’ll be sharing tips, updates, and must-know music marketing insights to help you get your music heard!

By Finch Bergling 🙂

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Your Weekly Reel Idea

When your content is clever, promotes your music, AND stays true to who you are - that's when the magic happens.

And that's exactly what this artist nailed.

📝 Content Summary: This video shows an artist using a transparent glass with "you are a 5" written in black marker - invisible until she pours liquid into it. As her love song plays, she spins the glass to reveal "out of 5" on the other side, creating a sweet twist that matches her romantic song. The caption reads "the person that sent you this wants you to know" - practically asking viewers to share it.

🎦 How to create a similar Reel:

1. Get a clear glass and a black permanent marker.
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2. Write the first part of your message on one side (make it slightly negative or mysterious).
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3. Write the twist/punchline on the opposite side.
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4. Film yourself pouring a dark liquid (coffee, juice, cola) while your song plays.
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5. Show the first message, pause for effect, then spin to reveal the full message.
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🤔 Why does it work so well?

1. The reveal creates a dopamine hit - viewers think they're seeing one thing, then get pleasantly surprised.
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2. Built-in virality - the caption literally tells people to share it. Combined with the sweet message, viewers want to send it to their crush, partner, or friends.
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3. Perfect song-to-content match - the romantic twist mirrors the love song, so viewers connect the feeling to the music.
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4. Zero budget, maximum creativity - just a glass and a marker. It proves you don't need expensive production to create something memorable.

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Your Weekly Tip

How to promote your music with $0, $250, or $500+ (the realistic guide)

Every week, musicians ask me: "I have [this and that budget], what should I do?"

So let's break it down - exactly what works at each budget level.

Because whether you're broke, have some savings, or ready to invest seriously, there's a strategy that works.
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Starting with $0 (Yes, it's possible)
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Playlists:

• Submit to Spotify editorial playlists via Spotify For Artists (free, but a low acceptance rate)
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• Find independent curators on Is it a good playlist - free tool to check playlist quality and find contact info of curators
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• Use my Trusted Curators list - some accept free submissions
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• Search "[your genre] playlist submissions" on Google, Instagram of Spotify - many curators accept free submissions
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Social Media:

• Post 3-4x weekly using Capcut (free) for video editing
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• Use Hashtags generator to find the right tags
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• Create eye-catching visuals with Canva (free version)
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Community Building:

• Reply to EVERY comment and DM (costs nothing but time)
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• Submit to Reddit communities (follow the 9:1 rule - give value first)
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• Join Discord servers and Facebook groups in your genre
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• Collaborate with other artists at your level
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The $0 Strategy That Actually Works: Focus on ONE platform, post consistently, and build real relationships. theoretically, you can grow from 0 to 1,000 engaged fans without spending a cent - it just takes longer.

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Working with $250 (The smart starter budget)

This is where things get interesting. $250 can create real momentum if you're strategic.
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Playlist Strategy ($50):

• SubmitHub - Use code 'finchbergling' for 10% off
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• Submit to 15 curators at $3 each
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• Expected results: 5-10 playlist placements, 500-2,000 streams
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Social Media Ads ($150):

• Run Instagram ads via Ads Manager​
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• Create a conversion campaign and target one audience from low-tier countries
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• Focus on one song, one campaign
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• Expected results: 300-500 song saves, and a minor algorithmic playlists push
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Tools & Analytics ($50):

• PlaylistSupply - Use code finch40 for 40% off first month
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• Find contact info for playlist curators and bloggers

Golden Tip: The Playlist Hack That 6X'd My Results

With a low budget, promote an artist playlist instead of a single song.

Why? Same ad spend = 6X more streams.

Proof: Recent campaign for "Burn" [started last Friday]

• 102 listeners → 652 streams
• That's 6.3 streams per listener
• But with a single song campaign, it would have only been 102 streams

The math:

• Song campaign: $50 = 100 streams
• Playlist campaign: $50 = 600+ streams

Plus, Spotify's algorithm rewards longer listening sessions.

Want to see exactly how I build and promote artist playlists from scratch? The complete system (including ad templates, playlist artwork, targeting strategies, and my exact campaign setup) is inside Your First Hit Song 2026 - secure your spot now!

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Investing $500+ (The growth accelerator)

With $500+, you can run multiple strategies simultaneously.
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Professional Playlist Campaign ($400):

• Playlist Push - Use code 'finch' for 7.5% discount
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• Reaches vetted curators with real listeners
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• Expected: 25-50 playlist placements, 5,000-10,000+ streams

Multi-Platform Ads ($500):

• $250 Instagram ads for tier-2 countries
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• $250 Instagram ads for tier-1 countries
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• Testing 4-8 different ad sets over 15-30 different ads
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Radio & PR Push ($250):

• RadioPromo.io - Use code finch40 for 40% off
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• Targets internet radio stations globally
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• Builds credibility for future opportunities
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Result: With $1,000-$1,500, you can get serious traction - even on your first release.

Here's the proven formula:

• Smart ads + playlist campaign = algorithmic playlist triggers
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• Add press coverage = social proof
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• Use that momentum = explosive social media growth

When these three elements work together, first-time artists regularly see:

• 100K+ streams in 90 days
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• Spotify editorial playlist consideration
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• Sustainable monthly listeners

The key? Sequencing. Ads first, playlists second, press third, social last. Each step amplifies the next.

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The Truth About Music Promotion Budgets:

1. Money amplifies what's already working - If your music isn't working at $0, throwing money won't fix it
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2. Start small, test everything - I wasted thousands before learning this
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3. Track every dollar - Use Notion (free) to log what works
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4. Reinvest your wins - Made $100 from streams? Put it back into promotion
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Your Action Plan:

No budget? Pick ONE free strategy and do it every day for 30 days

$250? Split between playlists and ads, track everything

$500+? Run simultaneous campaigns but keep 20% for testing new strategies
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Ready to turn your budget (whatever it is) into results?

Your First Hit Song 2026 shows you exactly how I've helped 500+ artists maximize every dollar.

The difference between artists who make it and those who don't?

Most of the times, it's not only the budget.

It's knowing exactly what to do with it.

I hope to see you inside my new program (launching November 3rd!), and I'm looking forward to being part of your growth! 😊

Finch

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Let's work together 🤝

• Submit your music to my Spotify Playlists. [2nd option - Submit via SubmitHub].
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• Join Your First Hit Song 2026 Waitlist (Coming Out November 3rd)
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• Get immediate and professional feedback on your content​
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• ​Book a 1-1 intensive meeting.
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• Hire me to run ads for you.​
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• Learn how to become a professional playlist curator and make a living from your Spotify playlists.

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Discounts & Links 🔗

• Get 10% off on SubmitHub​
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• Get ​7.5% off your first campaign on Playlist Push - use code finch
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• Get 40% off your first month on PlaylistSupply - use code finch40
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• Get 40% off your first month on Booking-Agent.io - use code finch40
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• Get 40% off your first month on RadioPromo.io - use code finch40​
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• Get 7% off on DistroKid​
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• Get 7-day free pro on Hypeddit

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That’s it for this week! Hope today’s email gave you something useful to work with.

Until next week, Finch 🎶

P.S. Newsletters aren’t social media - I can’t see what you’re enjoying unless you tell me. Hit reply and let me know what you liked (or didn’t) - I’d love to hear from you! 😊

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