Your guide on how to make a hit song

Having a number one hit song is what every artist and songwriter dreams of. Not only for its financial success, but it is also a huge recognition for their career. What are the most similarities in top charting hit songs? What do they have in common? Let’s explore more. 

Essential Ingredients

A successful hit song usually captivates listeners’ attention in the first 10-15 seconds.

It is important to find the right melody and beat first. Tons of artists are producing their own instrumentals. This method is not only free but guarantees ownership! However, if producing is not your thing there are other methods.

Partner with a producer

Your best option is to partner with a producer. There are tons of local talent in your area. You can scour social media or attend a local showcase to find producers whom you can network with!

Online Instrumentals

There are also plenty of free instrumentals and beats accessible online. Some people go through platforms like Youtube and Soundcloud. There are many more places to research and check out. But be careful! Ownership is everything. Make sure you have exclusive rights to the instrumental you choose. Websites like Beatstars offer beats for free or for as little as $15. If you are a beatmaker yourself you can sell your beats here too. Freebeats offer free royalty beats. SoundClick and EpidemicSound are offering a great selection of beats and instrumentals also. SoundTrap by Spotify is another great platform for all music makers. With Soundtrap you can; create your own beats, collaborate with others, connect your instruments, as well as edit and record on the go!

Length

Choosing the right song length is very important when it comes to creating a successful hit song. The song shouldn’t be too long. Or too short. The average hit song length is around 3 minutes.

Chorus

Take a few moments and think about what the song should represent. Is there any message? Where can the song be played at? Is it for the radio? Maybe it’s a club banger? Who is your audience?

Once that is it is time to start writing. Many people make a mistake by not having a chorus come in sooner. On average the chorus should come in around 45 seconds. Or sometimes even at the start of the song. The chorus usually is the catchy, repetitive part of the song. Mostly easily remembered and easy to repeat. Something that sticks.

Mixing and mastering

It’s time to master the sound. Many songs that have the potential to be hit songs don’t ever get to that point. The reason is their song does not sound right. Modern-day listeners have very little attention span. If the sound experience is not great, you will not see them return. This part is probably the most expensive part. Finding the right person to do this can be an investment. But it is also worth it. However again research is needed for the right engineer. Some useful resources online are websites like Fiverr, MajorMixing, JonyStudios, and UpWork.

Marketing

Now that the song is done and perfected, it is time to share it with the world. Have a marketing strategy planned out for the song release. Posting it on all music platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. Creating hype online before the song comes out. 

Checking out music influencers who might be interested in promoting the song on their platforms at places like Music Breakr. Uploading your track on a platform like SoundOn. It helps to distribute music globally on Tik Tok and other music streaming services. Consider promoting and talking about the song live on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. This is a great way to connect to the fans and find new fans too. Connecting with and sending the song to club and radio DJs. Finding DJs who are always creating new mixes online and submitting the song to them. Mixcloud is a great platform to discover other DJs. You can filter by country and genre and it shows you the top 100 charting DJ mixes.

Visuals always add another edge too. Shooting a music video, depending on the budget, is always a great way to connect and share music with the listener. It brings a different layer of experience. Finding a few local venues or open mic nights where the song can be performed. Or even putting up together a small tour if there is another great material to perform and share. Promoting the song is crucial to find new fans and an audience. Exploring some or all of these options could be very beneficial.

There is no secret recipe to creating a hit song. However, using these useful tips might bring the song a lot more success and exposure. Either way, keep creating!