How much should I budget for marketing as a songwriter?

Start Where You Are

You don’t need a big budget to begin marketing your songwriting. You need:

• A clear brand
• A smartphone
• Time and consistency

But having a budget can speed things up and expand your reach.

 Starter Budget: $0–$200/month

This is the DIY phase, ideal for indie songwriters building from the ground up.

Item	Est. Monthly Cost	Purpose
Canva Pro or CapCut Pro	$10–$15	Lyric graphics, video editing
Domain + Link-in-bio tool	$5–$20	Professional presentation
Email platform (ConvertKit, Beehiiv)	Free–$20	Fanbase and networking
Submission platforms (Groover, SubmitHub)	$10–$50	Promote songs to curators or artists
Boosted posts or TikTok ads	$25–$100	Reach new audiences

You can swap money for time by doing outreach manually and posting consistently.

 Growth Budget: $200–$500+/month

Once you have traction or a little income, you can reinvest in:

• Better visuals (photo/video shoots)
• Help from freelancers (content editors, writers)
• Paid campaigns (ads for demos, emails, or sync reels)
• Subscriptions to tools like Epidemic Sound, Adobe Creative Suite

This is where you begin automating and scaling what’s already working.

 Smart Budgeting Tips

• Set a monthly cap and stick to it.
• Prioritize long-term tools (email list, brand content) over quick boosts.
• Track results (followers, saves, DMs, pitch replies).
• Don’t spend $ on ads until your brand and message are clear.

 Low-Cost, High-Impact Moves

• Film 10 demo reels on your phone in one day
• Batch lyric graphics using templates
• Post 3x/week with strong captions
• DM 5 artists per day with your top 3 songs

Marketing isn’t always about money—it’s about consistency and intentionality.

 Takeaway:

Start with what you can afford. Focus on tools that build assets, not just attention. Your best investment is in content, connections, and clarity.