Promo to DJs · 4 min read
How to submit music to radio stations and online radio
For an independent artist, the radio that plays new tracks is mostly specialist shows: weekly genre shows on online and community stations, from house and techno to hip-hop and soul, often hosted by working DJs. Send each host a private link to your unreleased track with the genre, BPM and key up front, pick shows by what they actually play, and follow up once. The Promo pool holds 2,527 radio shows and hosts among its 5,900+ curators.
Six steps to radio play
- 1Aim at shows, not stationsA station’s daytime playlist is programmed centrally; specialist shows are where a new track gets played. Write to the host of the show, not to the station’s general inbox.
- 2Pick shows that play your genreListen to a few recent episodes or read their tracklists. A show that played three tracks like yours this month is worth more than a station with a big audience and the wrong sound.
- 3Send before the release dateHosts like to play music first. Two to four weeks before release gives them time to listen and fit it into an episode.
- 4A private link, with the facts up frontGenre, BPM, key, release date and label in the first lines, then one link to stream and download. If the original runs long, offer a radio edit.
- 5Make the name easy to read on airPut the artist and track name in the subject and in the file’s tags, exactly as you want them said. In NeedlePool, pick the artist before you upload a WAV: the MP3 it builds is tagged with the track title and that artist name.
- 6Follow up once, then say thanksOne short line a week or two later to the hosts who didn’t open it. Thank anyone who plays it: a host who played your last track is the first name for the next one.
Online radio, community stations and FM
Online and community stations carry most of the specialist shows, and they are the most open to new artists. National FM is a different job: its daytime rotation is decided by music directors and is usually reached through a radio plugger, a paid service. This guide is about the shows.
Sending to radio from NeedlePool
You choose radio shows the way you choose DJs, by genre first, then country, and NeedlePool sends the campaign; the addresses are never shown or exported.
Every host gets a personal link, so the report shows by name who opened the email, pressed play, downloaded and what they wrote. It can’t show whether the track went out on air; some hosts say so in their feedback.
On the free plan you send to your own contacts. The Promo pool opens with Starter, $14.99 a month.
Questions
Can I submit music to radio stations for free?
Yes. Emailing a show’s host costs nothing, and most specialist shows take submissions that way. Paid radio promotion usually means hiring a plugger to pitch stations for you.
What should I write to a radio host?
Three or four lines: who you are, the track, genre, BPM, key and release date, the private link, and why it fits their show, naming a recent episode. Leave out attachments.
How do I know if a show played my track?
A host’s listen shows up in the report by name; airplay itself doesn’t. Check the show’s tracklist, and thank the hosts who tell you they played it.
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
- How to send promo to DJsThe sending side: what to write, whom to pick, how to follow up.
- 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.
- NeedlePool for DJs and curatorsWhat the person receiving the promo sees.
- Promoly vs NeedlePoolDJ promo pools compared: free plan, prices, label pitching.
- PricingWhat each plan includes.
Send your track to radio
Send it to your own contacts and see by name who listened. No card. The Promo pool opens with Starter, $14.99 a month.