Best Time to Send Promos to DJs: What 320,000 Sends Show

Most advice on the best time to send promos to DJs says the same thing: Tuesday to Thursday, in the morning. We looked at every promo sent to a label's own list on PromoLink, 321,959 times a DJ received a release, and the picture is different. The hour and the day of the week make a small difference, and not the one the advice predicts. What makes a big difference is how far before the release the promo goes out, and what happens in its first week. At IAMT we do not plan the hour of a send at all. Here is why, and what to plan instead.

A little. Promos sent on a Monday ended in a download most often, 7.1% of sends; Saturday sends did worst, 3.9%. The days between sit close together.

• Monday: 7.1%
• Wednesday: 6.0%
• Friday: 5.8%
• Thursday: 5.5%
• Tuesday: 5.1%
• Saturday: 3.9%

Sunday sends are too few to read. Read the rest with one caution: these are averages over different labels, and which labels send on which day shapes them as much as the day itself. The one clear lesson is to avoid Saturday, when most DJs are playing, not listening.

That also squares with what Inflyte found years ago on its own platform: in a 2017 post it called Friday the busiest day for DJs to check their promos. A promo sent early in the week is waiting for them when they sit down to dig.

Somewhat. Sends in the European afternoon did best: 7.6% of promos sent between 14:00 and 18:00 Madrid time ended in a download, against 5.4% for the morning sends that most labels choose.

• 06:00 to 10:00: 5.4%
• 10:00 to 14:00: 6.3%
• 14:00 to 18:00: 7.6%
• 18:00 to 22:00: 3.9%
• After 22:00 and overnight: under 5%

That fits when DJs download: the downloads themselves peak between 14:00 and 17:00 UTC, when DJs across Europe are awake and at their desks, and the Americas are coming online. A promo that lands then sits near the top of the inbox when it is read. Still, the spread is a couple of points. It is worth knowing, not worth building a release around.

The date of the send matters more than its hour. 78% of DJ promo downloads on PromoLink happen before the release day, and promos sent four or more weeks ahead converted best.

• Four or more weeks before release: 6.2%
• Two to four weeks before: 5.4%
• Less than two weeks before: 5.3%
• After the release: 4.9%

Send at least two to three weeks before release, and the top names earlier, around five weeks out, then a second wave that names the DJs who already support the track. At IAMT the promo goes out right after the release is sent to distribution, whatever the day or the hour. Our article on the best day to release music has the full timeline.

Most of a promo's downloads come in its first week. Of all the DJ downloads on PromoLink, 29% came within a day of the send, 49% within three days, and 71% within a week.

• Within an hour: 5%
• Within the first day: 29%
• Within three days: 49%
• Within a week: 71%
• In weeks two to four: 26%
• Later: 3%

So judge a wave after seven days, not after one. A promo with few downloads on the first evening is not a failed promo; it is a promo that DJs have not reached yet.

About a quarter of downloads arrive in weeks two to four. Those are DJs who were away, touring or behind on their promos, and they still came back for the track.

Two things bring that quarter in without nagging anyone:

• A digest of your recent releases. One email with the releases a DJ may have missed is easier to act on than a reminder about one. At IAMT we send one, though not after every release. On PromoLink a label can send a digest of its releases to its list.
• A second wave with support named. The DJs who downloaded and played the track in the first week are the reason to write again: "supported by" is news, "did you get my promo?" is not.

We plan the date, not the hour. The promo goes out as soon as the release is delivered to the distributor, top names first, and we give each wave its week before we judge it. The hour of the send is whatever it is.

If you want one rule from the numbers: avoid Saturday, prefer daylight in Europe, and above all send weeks before the release. Everything else is a small edge on top of a list of DJs who actually play your music. Our guide on how to get DJ support covers who to send to first.

What is the best day to send a promo to DJs? Early in the week. On PromoLink, Monday sends converted best (7.1% of sends ended in a download) and Saturday sends worst (3.9%). Avoid the weekend, when most DJs are playing.

What is the best time of day to send a DJ promo? The European afternoon did best: 7.6% for sends between 14:00 and 18:00 Madrid time, against 5.4% in the morning. The difference is small next to the timing of the release.

How far before release should I send a promo to DJs? At least two to three weeks, and the top names earlier, around five weeks. Promos sent four or more weeks ahead converted best (6.2%), and 78% of DJ downloads happen before the release day.

How long should I wait for DJs to download a promo? A week. 29% of downloads come in the first day and 71% within a week; about a quarter more arrive in weeks two to four.

Should I send a reminder to DJs who did not download? Send something useful instead: a digest of your recent releases, or a second wave that names the DJs who already support the track.

Is Friday a bad day to send promos? No. Friday sends converted 5.8% on PromoLink, close to the middle of the week. Saturday is the day to avoid.

Send your next release on PromoLink weeks before its Friday, to your own list, to the DJ pool, or both, and see by name who downloaded in the first week. Your first 20 releases go to the pool free, and the timing table from this article is below as a PDF.