A Guide to Spotify Countdown Pages

Building hype before your release is crucial (not sure why? Read this).

And while having a pre-release social media plan, using your pre-save link, and making sure you’re pitching in plenty of time are all really important - making the most of Spotify’s Countdown Pages can be the icing on the pre-release-cake you’ve been looking for.

Here’s our guide to what Spotify Countdown Pages are, who can access them, how to set one up, and what difference a Countdown Page can make to your release week success.

What is a Spotify Countdown Page?

A Countdown Page on Spotify is similar to a pre-save link, in that it’s a place where you can send your fans to engage with your release before it’s officially live.

A Spotify Countdown Page lets you, as an artist, showcase your upcoming release in your own way. You can add Clips, a tracklist, and promote your merch, all in one place.

When a fan pre-saves your release from a Countdown Page, they’ll get notified when it goes live and it’ll be added straight to their library too, boosting your release day/week success immensely.

In fact, Spotify claims that nearly 70% of users who pre-save an album stream it in the first week - giving the algorithm all the evidence it needs that your release is worth spreading even further!

Who can make Spotify Countdown Pages?

Spotify Countdown Pages are available to users of Spotify for Artists who meet the following criteria:

• You have at least 5,000 monthly active listeners
• You’re releasing an album (singles and EPs are not eligible for Countdown Pages)
• You’re the first-named Main Primary Artist on your upcoming release
• Your album has been distributed to Spotify ahead of its release date

If you meet all those criteria, you should find the option to create a Countdown Page within your Spotify for Artists account. Log into your account, go to Music, then Upcoming, then click Get Started.

If you meet the criteria but you can’t see your release in your Upcoming section in Spotify for Artists, it’s possible that Spotify hasn’t finished fully ingesting your release yet. Releases are usually available in Spotify for Artists within 72 hours of being approved by your distributor.

How to build an engaging Countdown Page

Countdown Pages act as a hub to capture engagement from your fans. 

Not only can they pre-save your upcoming release from a Countdown Page but, if you utilise its features properly, your Countdown Page can also generate merch sales, cross-platform engagement, and more listens of your existing catalogue too.

Add Clips to your Countdown Page

Clips are short, vertical videos, much like Instagram Stories or Reels, that are your opportunity to engage more deeply with your fans.

The most effective Clips are those that offer something BTS or valuable to your audience, such as a quick run-through of the story behind your release or a peek at your recording setup.

You can upload Clips to your Countdown Page from within Spotify for Artists. They must be vertical video format and no more than 30 seconds in length.

Publish merch on your Countdown Page

If you’re not already selling merch to your fans, you’re missing out!

The global music merch industry is set to reach a huge $16.3 billion in sales by 2030. Your fans are actively looking for ways to more deeply engage with you and your support your career, and producing merch is one of the best ways to make the most of that eagerness.

🔗 How to Design, Make & Sell Custom Merch

To add your merch to your Countdown Page, you can connect your Shopify store (even a free version) to your Spotify for Artists account, following the instructions here.

Set your Countdown Page as your Artist Pick

Artist Picks are releases, concerts, merch, or podcasts that you can feature as highlighted at the top of your Spotify profile, making them super accessible to your fans.

If you’re building a Countdown Page to increase engagement for your upcoming release, why wouldn’t you want to highlight that on your Spotify profile?

To change your Artist Pick, head to the Profile area of your Spotify for Artists account, then click the ‘+’ under Artist Pick. You can also add an image to your Artist Pick for extra visibility.

How to make the most of your Spotify Countdown Page

Once your Spotify Countdown Page is live, adding it into your pre-release promotional plan is crucial.

Just like you’d share your pre-save link everywhere you can, do the same with your Countdown Page. 

If you have the option to use your Countdown Page as the Spotify link on your pre-save link, even better - the more visitors you get to your Countdown Page, the more pre-saves you’re likely to get, meaning the more first-day/week streams you’ll get.

You can continue to add new Clips to your Countdown Page in the run-up to release too, so consider sharing exclusive content in Clips shared only on your Countdown Page to boost engagement.

And don’t forget: just because your Countdown Page goes offline as soon as your release goes live doesn’t mean its utility ends too! Use your Spotify for Artists analytics to assess which pre-release strategies worked best in your campaign, so that you can repeat the successes for your next release.