For a new single, you get a Spotify pre-save link from your distributor or a pre-save service once the release has been delivered with a release date, not from Spotify itself. Spotify's own pre-save feature, Countdown Pages, covers albums and EPs only, and Spotify says singles aren't eligible. When a fan pre-saves, the page is set up to add the track to their Spotify library on release day.
This guide is for independent artists in the UK putting out a single. Spotify's rules come from Spotify for Artists Help, and Ditto's from its own tool page, all read on 29 October 2026. We don't have an affiliation with any distributor mentioned here. Digily Link is our product.
What is a Spotify pre-save?
A pre-save is a way for a fan to save a song before it comes out, so it lands in their library the day it's released. The fan opens your pre-save link, connects their Spotify account and approves the access the page asks for. For Spotify's own Countdown Pages, Spotify says it sends 'a push notification to all pre-savers' and adds the release to their library when it goes live (Spotify for Artists, Countdown Pages). Pre-save services run by distributors also ask fans to connect their Spotify account, and Ditto says the track is added to the fan's library on release.
Can you use Spotify's own pre-save for a single?
No. As of 29 October 2026, Spotify's Countdown Pages are limited to new, original albums and EPs, and the artist needs at least 3,000 monthly active listeners. Rereleases, deluxe editions, remasters and compilations aren't eligible either. When an album or EP qualifies, the option appears in Spotify for Artists under Music, then Upcoming, within 72 hours of your distributor delivering the release to Spotify.
So for a single, the pre-save link comes from somewhere else.
What do you need before you can get a pre-save link?
You need a distributor, a finished release with a date, and enough time before that date.
- A distributor, which delivers your music to Spotify and the other services.
- The release uploaded with its final artwork, track details and release date.
- Time. Spotify recommends delivering music and pitching an unreleased song to editors at least 7 days before release, so it can reach followers' Release Radar playlists (Spotify for Artists, pitching music). Ditto suggests giving yourself at least 3 to 4 weeks to promote a pre-save link, so upload well before release day.
- Your Spotify artist profile, so the pre-save points at the right artist. Some tools ask for your Spotify artist ID or link.
Where do you get a Spotify pre-save link for a single?
There are two usual sources, and the first is easier if it exists.
Your distributor's own pre-save page
Ditto, for example, describes its pre-save SmartLink as free for Ditto artists. It is generated after you upload a release with Ditto's release builder, becomes available 48 hours after the release passes Ditto's checks and store approval, and gathers pre-save and live links on one page (Ditto, pre-save links). Ditto's page also talks about Apple Music pre-adds, but Apple's Apple Music Specification says 'pre-add is not supported for singles', so for a single, expect the Spotify side only. Other distributors offer similar pages under their own names. Look in your distributor's dashboard or help centre for 'pre-save' or 'smart link'.
A separate pre-save or smart link service
If your distributor doesn't offer one, a smart link service can create the page from your release details. Check what it costs, which services it covers and what it does with fans' data before you sign up, because fans log in to Spotify through it.
Either way, open the finished link on your own phone and pre-save it yourself before you share it.
How do you share a pre-save link in your bio, stories and posters?
Put the pre-save link behind one short link that you control, then use that short link everywhere. Once your bio, story stickers, gig posters and flyers all point at the same address, you can change where it goes without reprinting anything.
- Create a short link in Digily Link with the pre-save page as the destination, and give it a name you can say out loud, such as your artist name plus the song.
- Put it in your Instagram and TikTok bios, or on your link in bio page as the top button.
- Add it to Instagram stories with the link sticker. Our guide to adding a link to your Instagram story has the steps.
- Make a QR code from the same short link for posters, merch tables and the screen behind you at gigs.
Choose the short link's name carefully at the start. Digily warns that if you change a short link's alias after making a QR code from it, the QR code stops working.
What should you change on release day?
On release day, fans need a listen link instead of the pre-save page. If your distributor's page also lists the streaming links once the song is out (Ditto says its SmartLink brings pre-save and live links together on one page), you can leave the short link alone. If it still shows only a pre-save button, change the destination.
- Open the short link in Digily Link and replace the Destination URL with your Spotify track link, or a page listing every service.
- Save, then scan your poster's QR code and tap your bio link to check both now open the released track.
- Update the words around it. 'Pre-save below' in your bio becomes 'Out now, listen below'.
The address on your posters, stories and bio stays the same. Words like 'Pre-save now' do date, though, so on anything printed, 'Listen to' plus the song title next to the code ages better. New short links on Digily Link use a 302 temporary redirect by default, which suits a link whose destination you plan to change. For opening released tracks straight in the Spotify app, see our Spotify link shortener guide.
Can a link in bio page be your release page?
Yes, and it saves you juggling links during a campaign. On Digily Link's free plan, a bio link page can hold link buttons, a Spotify player, a SoundCloud player and a YouTube video, so fans can play your last single while they pre-save the next one. The Apple Music block is on Pro and higher plans, and the countdown block, which shows the time left until release, needs the Starter or Pro plan (plan settings checked 29 October 2026). New to the idea? Start with what a link in bio is.
Common questions about Spotify pre-saves
Is a Spotify pre-save link free?
It can be. Ditto's pre-save link is free for its artists. Spotify's help article doesn't mention a fee for Countdown Pages, but they don't cover singles. Separate smart link services set their own prices.
How long does it take to get a pre-save link?
It depends on your distributor's checks. Ditto says its link becomes available 48 hours after the release passes checks and store approval. Build in a few weeks, not a few days.
Is an Apple Music pre-add the same thing?
It's Apple Music's version of the same idea, but only for albums. Apple's Music Specification says pre-add is set up by delivering an album as a pre-order with at least one track available straight away, and that pre-add is not supported for singles. For a single, your pre-save page will cover Spotify fans, and Apple Music listeners get the listen link on release day.
Planning your next single? Build a release page your bio link can point to on Digily Link, and swap the pre-save button for a listen button on the day.
