Lyric Video Marketing: A Week-by-Week Release Plan
A lyric video is the one visual you can finish before release day, post on day one, and keep cutting into clips for months. That makes it the workhorse of a release plan. This post shows where it goes, week by week.
Want the bigger picture first? Read why lyric videos are still so popular. This post is the how.
The short answer: where a lyric video fits
Make the lyric video 3 to 4 weeks before release. Cut short teasers from it in the 2 weeks before. Post the full video on YouTube on release day. Then keep cutting clips from it for at least 2 months.
A music video is an event; a lyric video is a workhorse. A music video often gets one big premiere and a short burst of attention. A lyric video is cheaper and faster to make, so it can be done early and used everywhere. Labels worked this out years ago. In 2013, Billboard reported that a lyric video had become "a given" in a song's rollout, at major and indie labels alike. Our history of lyric videos covers how that happened.
| When | The lyric video's job | What happens on Spotify |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 3 weeks out | Make it. Check every word against the final mix. | Final master goes to your distributor. |
| 2 to 1 weeks out | Cut 5 to 10 second teasers from the hook. Schedule a YouTube Premiere. | Pitch the song at least 7 days out (Spotify suggests 2 weeks). |
| Release dayPost it | Premiere the full video on YouTube. Pin a comment with streaming links. | If you pitched 7+ days out, the song lands in your followers' Release Radar. |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Post clips: hook, favorite line, bridge, "sing the next line". | Your older songs get a bump from the new release. |
| Month 2 and after | Re-post clips. Add the video to playlists and end screens. | 75% of first-year streams are still to come. |
Sources: Spotify pitching guide, Spotify release guide, Spotify Fan Study, New Releases. Checked September 30, 2026.
What a lyric video does for a release (and what it doesn't)
A lyric video does four jobs in a release.
It catches "song + lyrics" searches.
People search the song name plus "lyrics" when a line sticks. An official lyric video on your channel gives them your version to land on, not a fan upload. It can catch those searches; nobody can promise a ranking.It gives fans something to sing along to on day one.
A new song has no fan-made content yet. The lyric video fills that gap from the first hour, and it teaches people the words.It feeds your short clips.
One full lyric video holds 10 or more short clips. Each one already has the words on screen, which matters when people scroll with the sound off.It costs far less than a shoot.
No crew, no location, no actors. Our guide to how much a lyric video costs compares every route.
4 to 3 weeks before release: make the video
Make the video now, while there's still time to fix it. The rule is simple: the lyric video should be finished before you pitch.
Final master is the finished, mixed and mastered audio file that goes to your distributor. Start the lyric video only when you have it. A video built on a rough mix drifts out of sync when the final version changes.
Two checks matter most:
- Check the words against the final mix. Singers change lines in the booth. Read the lyrics on screen while the final audio plays, word by word.
- Match the look to the cover art. Pull two or three colors from your artwork, so the video and the release look like one project. Our lyric video style ideas can help you pick a look.
You can preview yours free now with our maker. Upload the song, and the AI writes the lyrics from the audio and times them to the music. If you'd rather have a studio direct it, a done-for-you lyric video is delivered in time for your release, with a preview first. For the full walkthrough, see how to make a lyric video.
Checklist: what you need before you start
- The final master audio file (MP3 or WAV).
- The correct lyrics, typed out by the artist.
- The cover art, in high resolution.
- The release date, and the time it goes live.
- The exact title: artist name, song name and any "feat." credit.
Preview your lyric video free
Upload your song and watch a full-length designed lyric video render. Free at 720p, no account or card.
2 to 1 weeks before: pitch, pre-save, tease
This is the busiest stretch. You're asking people to care before the song exists.
Pitch the song on Spotify for Artists. Spotify's rule: pitch an unreleased song at least 7 days before release, and it goes into your followers' Release Radar playlists (Spotify support). Release Radar is Spotify's weekly playlist of new music from artists a listener follows. Spotify's own release guide says to pitch at least 2 weeks out to improve your chances with editors. A pitch doesn't guarantee a playlist spot.
Set up pre-saves. A pre-save lets a fan add your song to their library before it comes out. For an album or EP, Spotify has a Countdown Page for this. Its Fan Study says artists who publish a Countdown Page at least 7 days before an album nearly double their pre-saves.
Post short teasers cut from the lyric video. Take the hook, 5 to 10 seconds, and post it with your pre-save link. The words are already on screen, so fans learn the line before release day. Our maker exports wide 16:9 video. For TikTok, Reels and Shorts, crop a vertical cut in a phone editor, and keep the words in the middle of the frame.
Schedule the YouTube upload as a Premiere. A Premiere is a scheduled first showing. YouTube creates a public watch page ahead of time, so fans can set a reminder and chat. The page shows up in search like any upload, and the Premiere views stay on the video afterwards.
Release day: post the lyric video first
On release day, the lyric video is the first thing fans can watch. Post it on YouTube and do these five things:
Title it clearly.
Use "Artist - Song (Official Lyric Video)". It's the format our clients use, for example Paul Udarov & Jay Ray, "Heartless" (Official Lyric Video).Put the full lyrics in the description.
It helps fans, and it gives YouTube the words as text.Pin a comment with streaming links.
Spotify, Apple Music and any other store your song is on.Add an end screen.
YouTube lets you add one to the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video. Point it at your other songs.Share the YouTube link everywhere.
Stories, your bio link and your email list.
Why YouTube, and not Spotify's new video uploads? Because lyric videos aren't allowed there. In June 2026, Spotify opened a beta for full-length video uploads. It takes live performances, studio sessions, covers and official music videos. In Spotify's words: "Visualizers, lyric videos, multi-song concerts, and videos without music are not currently supported." Spotify is also ending new uploads to Clips, its older short-video feature.
Weeks 2 to 4: turn one video into 10 clips
The first week is loud. The next three weeks are where most artists go quiet, and where the lyric video earns its keep. Here are ten posts you can cut from one video.
| Clip | Length | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The hook | 10 to 15 s | The line people already know from the teasers. |
| Your favorite line | 5 to 10 s | Caption it with why you wrote it. |
| The bridge | 15 to 20 s | New to anyone who only heard the chorus. |
| "Sing the next line" | 5 to 8 s | Stop right before a line and ask fans to finish it. |
| The first verse | 20 to 30 s | For people who liked the hook and want more. |
| The drop or beat switch | 5 to 10 s | Words hitting on the beat look good on mute. |
| Behind the lyric | 15 to 30 s | You on camera, then cut to that line in the video. |
| Fan duet prompt | 10 to 15 s | Invite fans to sing or react over it. |
| Teaser, reused | 5 to 10 s | Re-post it with "out now" instead of "pre-save". |
| Full video link | Any | A story or post that sends people to YouTube. |
Lengths are our studio's working ranges, not platform rules. Crop each vertical cut in a phone editor, or have the studio make them through /pro.
Keep the lyrics in the middle of each vertical cut, away from the app buttons at the edges.
If you have a music video or a live version, post it in this stretch, after the lyric video has had a week of attention. Two videos spaced apart give you two moments instead of one.
And don't forget your older songs. Spotify's Fan Study says streams of an artist's past releases jump 15 to 20% on average when new music drops. Link one older song in each post's caption or comment.
Month 2 and after: the long tail
Most artists stop promoting after two weeks. The data says that's too early.
Spotify studied tracks released in February 2024. Only 25% of a release's first-year streams came in the first 28 days. The other 75% came after the first month. Most of your song's life is still ahead when the launch buzz fades.
Most first-year streams come after month one
Share of a new release's first-year streams on Spotify. Plan content for months, not days.
Source: Spotify Fan Study, New Releases (tracks released February 2024 with at least 1,000 streams in their first year, by artists with 1,000+ monthly listeners), checked September 30, 2026. Spotify publishes the 75%; the 25% is the rest.
Three things keep the lyric video working:
- Keep re-posting clips. One or two a week is enough. New followers haven't seen the old ones.
- Put it in playlists and end screens. Add the lyric video to a YouTube playlist of your songs, and point your next release's end screen back at it.
- Let it catch searches. People look up lyrics long after release day. Your official video can keep catching those searches.
Here is what Spotify measured around new music. Super listeners are the most loyal part of an artist's audience on Spotify.
Free, $29 or done-for-you: which fits this release?
Three questions pick the route: how much you can spend, how soon the release is, and whether this is a focus single (the song you're putting most of your push behind).
| What you get | Free maker | $29 upgrade | Done-for-you studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 720p | 1080p | 1080p |
| Watermark | On every frame | None | None |
| Monetizable on YouTube | No | Yes (commercial rights) | Yes (full rights) |
| Vertical clips | Crop them yourself | Crop them yourself | Included in packages |
| Who designs it | Our AI; you check the words | Our AI; you check the words | A creative director |
| Best for | Teasers, testing a look, non-monetized posts | Your release-day upload on a tight budget | Focus singles and label releases |
Free and $29 terms checked September 30, 2026. Studio packages and prices are on /pro; confirm them before you order.
The free maker makes unlimited full-length videos at 720p, with a watermark on every frame. You can post them, but you can't monetize them, and you don't need an account or card. $29 for 1080p with commercial rights removes the watermark and emails you the file.
If
It's a focus single, or a label release.
If
The release is soon and the budget is tight.
If
You're testing a look, or only need teasers.
If
It's a deep cut or a demo.
We'll concede the limit: a tool won't build a custom world around your song. That's what the studio is for.
Releasing soon? Start the video today.
Upload your song and get a full-length designed lyric video. Free at 720p, or $29 for 1080p with commercial rights.
FAQ
Should I release a lyric video or a music video first?
Release the lyric video first if you have both. It's ready sooner and gives fans the words on day one. Post the music video 1 to 3 weeks later as a second moment. Spotify's new video uploads accept official music videos but not lyric videos, so the music video can also go there while the beta is open to you.
When should I post my lyric video?
Post it on release day, on YouTube, ideally as a scheduled Premiere. Make it 3 to 4 weeks before, so it's finished before you pitch. Cut short teasers from it in the 2 weeks before release, and keep posting clips from it for at least 2 months after.
Can I upload a lyric video to Spotify?
No. Spotify's full-length video upload beta, launched in June 2026, says lyric videos and visualizers "are not currently supported". It accepts live performances, studio sessions, covers and official music videos. Post your lyric video on YouTube, and use Canvas, a 3 to 8 second loop, for Spotify.
How much does a professional lyric video cost?
It depends on the route. Our AI maker is free at 720p with a watermark, or $29 for 1080p with commercial rights. A studio-designed video costs more because a person designs it; see the Pro packages page for current options. Our lyric video cost guide compares every route.
Do lyric videos help a song get discovered?
They help people who already heard the song find it again and learn the words. An official lyric video can catch "song + lyrics" searches on YouTube, and short clips cut from it reach people on TikTok, Reels and Shorts. A lyric video won't replace pitching or promotion; it makes them go further.
