There’s no doubt, voice activated smart speakers have become a major influence within the music consumption ecosystem. According to a recent study by AudienceNet, these smart speakers are the driving force behind many listener habits including overall service adoption.
A leader in the smart speaker scene, Amazon has recently launched a ‘New Release Notification’ feature for Echo devices in the US that will cause the speakers to light up when there is new content from an artist that a user follows. Increase awareness by bringing your music directly into the home of your fans.
Here is how it the new feature works…
- A user will will say “Alexa, Follow [ARTIST NAME].”
- The Alexa listener will then get a notification upon release date via their device that states “There’s a new album [ALBUM NAME] by [ARTIST NAME], to hear it just say ‘Alexa, play the new album by [ARTIST NAME]'”
- The user can then ask Alexa to play the album as desired!
This opportunity helps drive fans to your new music, but first you have to encourage your fans to follow! You can…
Create a 15 second Vertical Video (1080×1920 or 720×1280) with hardly any production required. Shoot on a mobile phone in selfie mode or on a video camera. Select videos will be featured on Amazon Music social channels.
Use Amazon’s recommended scripts based on your goals below:
Example Video Script
“Hey everyone! Amazon Music makes it easy to stay up to date on our new releases. Just ask Alexa, “Follow [ARTIST NAME] on Amazon Music,” and when we have new music, Alexa will let you know.”
“Want to know when we have new music coming out? Amazon Music is here to help. Grab your Echo and say, “Alexa, follow [ARTIST NAME] on Amazon Music” and get a notification when we release new tunes! Follow us today.”
Non-Video Social Post
“Hey, this is [ARTIST NAME]. Thanks for following me on Amazon Music, hope you enjoy my new album!”
“Stay up to date on our new releases! All you have to do is follow us on @amazonmusic. Just say, “Alexa, follow [ARTST NAME] on Amazon Music” and stay up to get notified when we have a new release.”
Artist without a new release on the way?
“Follow Amazon on @amazonmusic to stay up to date on our new releases. Grab your Echo and say “Alexa, follow [ARTIST NAME] on Amazon Music” and you’ll get a notification when our [Album/Single] is out. [insert link to: www.amazon.com/newreleasenotifications OR album/song url].”
Finally, create a branded Amazon social posts using their social toolkit inclusive of Photoshop files for:
- FB main feed – 1080×1080 / FB main feed – 1080×1350
- IG main feed – 1080×1080 / IG main feed – 1080×1350
- IG stories – 1080×1920
- Twitter – 917×512
Using these templates….
- Select one of the three headline styles, double-click and type in the artist name, then turn off the unused (2) headline styles.
- Double-click into the “Artist Image (insert here)” and then drag, drop, size and save your photo.
- Once you have your image and copy, move the headline style around to best work within the composition.
Promote your new releases and notify your fans where they listen most.
