Promo to DJs · 7 min read
How to send promo to DJs
Email each DJ a private link to your unreleased track, with the genre, BPM and key in the first lines and no attachments. Send it to DJs who play your sound, give each one a personal link so you can tell who listened, and follow up once. NeedlePool does the sending and the counting, and shows by name who pressed play, who downloaded and what each person wrote back.
How to get DJs to play your music: six steps
- 1Send the track before it’s outDJs play new music in sets and on the radio before it is released, and a promo only works while that is still possible. Once the track is on streaming platforms it is an announcement, not a promo.
- 2Send a private link, not a fileA link opens in one click on a phone and, unlike an attachment, tells you when it was opened. Keep the WAV for the DJ who asks for it.
- 3Put what they filter on in the first linesGenre, BPM, key, release date and one sentence on how it sounds. A DJ with a full inbox decides quickly whether to press play, and these are the facts the decision rests on.
- 4Pick DJs by what they playListen to a few recent mixes or read their tracklists. Ten DJs who already play your genre are a better list than a hundred who don’t.
- 5Give every DJ a link of their ownOne link per person means you know who listened. A shared link only gives you a total, and a total can’t tell you who to write to next. In NeedlePool every recipient gets a personal link, so plays and downloads are counted per person.
- 6Follow up onceA week or so later, write once more to the people who never opened it. More than one follow-up reads as pressure. From the Pro plan up, you can tick one box and NeedlePool sends one follow-up itself to the people who didn’t open or reply.
What is a promo pool?
The term covers two different things. A record pool, or DJ pool, is a subscription DJs pay for to download new music from many labels. A promo pool works from the other side: it is a way for an artist or label to put pre-release music in front of a curated list of DJs, radio hosts and playlist curators.
NeedlePool’s Promo pool is the second kind: 5,900+ curators whose promo addresses NeedlePool collected, checked and tagged by genre. It comes with a paid plan, in any genre.
NeedlePool never exports pool addresses or lists them on screen: you choose who to send to — DJs, radio or YouTube channels — by genre first, then country, and it sends for you. The pool takes Audio Promo, the campaign that carries the track itself. Link Promo, the page with your Spotify and Beatport links for a track that is already out, goes to your own lists.
Send music to DJs of your genre
The Promo pool by genre: how many DJs and radio shows play it, where they are, and how to send them a promo.
- House promo to DJs and radioThe house DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Tech house promo to DJs and radioThe tech house DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Deep house promo to DJs and radioThe deep house DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Techno promo to DJs and radioThe techno DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Melodic house and techno promo to DJs and radioThe melodic house and techno DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Progressive house promo to DJs and radioThe progressive house DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Afro house promo to DJs and radioThe afro house DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Hip-hop, rap and R&B promo to DJs and radioThe hip-hop, rap and R&B DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Dance pop promo to DJs and radioThe dance pop DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Pop promo to radio and DJsThe pop radio stations and DJs in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Soul, funk and jazz promo to DJs and radioThe soul, funk and jazz DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Nu disco and disco promo to DJs and radioThe nu disco and disco DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Drum and bass promo to DJs and radioThe drum and bass DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Rock and alternative promo to radio and DJsThe rock and alternative radio stations and DJs in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Indie dance promo to DJs and radioThe indie dance DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
- Trance promo to DJs and radioThe trance DJs and radio shows in the Promo pool, by number and country.
If you already have a list
Import it and send to your list and the pool at once; overlapping addresses are removed so nobody gets two copies. Your imported contacts stay in your account: other artists never see them, and your rows are never moved into the shared pool.
What you can know afterwards
Every recipient has their own link, so the campaign report names who opened the email, who pressed play, who downloaded and what each person rated and wrote.
It can’t tell you whether a DJ played the track in a set. Pressing play on your page is a listen, not support; some DJs mention a play in their written feedback, and for the rest a listen is the most you can see.
NeedlePool doesn’t guarantee placements, playlist adds or label signings.
Questions
What should I write in an email to a DJ?
Three or four lines: who you are, the track name, genre, BPM and key, the private link, and what you would like, which is usually just a listen. Leave out the life story and the attachment.
Should I attach the WAV?
No. Send a link to the player page. A DJ who wants the file can download the WAV, AIF or MP3 you uploaded, and every download is counted by name.
How many DJs should I send to?
As many as actually play your genre. The free plan covers 100 recipients a month to your own lists. The Promo pool opens with Starter, $14.99 a month.
How do I know a DJ listened?
Each DJ has a personal link, so the report shows who pressed play, by name. It can’t show whether the DJ played the track in a set.
Is a promo pool the same as a record pool?
No. A record pool is a subscription DJs pay for to download music. A promo pool is how an artist or label gets pre-release music to DJs and radio. NeedlePool’s Promo pool is the second kind.
What does it cost?
Starting is free, with no card and no time limit: you send to your own contacts. Paid plans open our Promo pool in any genre and start at $14.99 a month (Starter).
Keep reading
- DJ promo email templateThree promo emails to copy: to a DJ, to a radio host, and the follow-up.
- How to get DJ support for your trackWhat a DJ needs in order to play a track, and what you can see afterwards.
- Where to find DJs who take promosWhy bought lists fail and where working promo addresses come from.
- How to submit music to radio stationsSpecialist shows and online radio: what to send and to whom.
- How much does music promotion cost?Doing it yourself, paying per curator, agencies and pluggers, and a promo pool.
- How to send a demo to a record labelEight steps from a finished track to an A&R’s inbox.
- NeedlePool for artistsSend music to DJs, radio and labels and see who listened.
- PricingWhat each plan includes.
Send your first promo free
Send it to your own contacts and see by name who listened. No card. The Promo pool opens with Starter, $14.99 a month.