Do you want to get more streams and fans by combining smart link webpages and digital advertising? Feature FM may have exactly what you need, so I’ve researched their offerings and wrote about my findings right here for you.
Feature FM is a music promotion tool that acts as a bridge between your current and potential fans and your music by offering advertising services and allowing you to create smart link landing pages to promote music on Spotify and other music streaming services.
Although their free smart links can be useful if you just need a webpage to add to your Instagram link in bio, you will need to pay $49 per month for their ‘Pro Artist’ plan and an add-on to be able to properly run Spotify conversion ads.
Ultimately, the limitations of Feature FM’s free music links and the high costs of using their paid plans make it hard to recommend Feature FM to music artists and musicians.
If you want to learn more about Feature FM, their pricing, and what other alternatives are out there, simply keep on reading, my friend. 🙂
Feature FM For Spotify
Feature FM can be used to grow Spotify streams and listeners by using their smart link landing pages and advertising services. However, the cost to use their services is quite high and the free features are too limited to be useful.
Even when paying for their higher-tier plans, their smart links have very limited customization options and most of the advertising can easily be done yourself for free using native ads managers such as the Facebook ads manager.
In response to Apple’s privacy changes in iOS, it is now highly recommended by Facebook to verify a custom domain in order to properly run Facebook Ads for musicians.
Feature FM makes it very difficult and costly to set this up as you need to be on their ‘Pro Artist’ plan that costs $39 per month, manually request this feature, and then pay an additional $10 per month if you are not paying annually:
I don’t want to be overly negative but this is kind of brutal for artists that want to get set up quickly and for as cheap as possible – I really hope they reconsider this.
With that said, let’s take a look at what Feature FM smart link pages look like, dive into their pricing, and ultimately find out if Feature FM is worth it or not.
Feature FM Examples
Here are some examples of what a Feature FM smart link can look like:
..but how much does it cost?
Feature FM Pricing
Feature FM’s pricing ranges from $19 USD per month for the Artist plan and $39 USD per month for the Pro Artist plan. Users can save 10% when paying annually instead of monthly.
Feature FM also has a ‘Free’ plan available that gives access to basic FeatureFM-branded smart links with very limited functionality.
…but is it really free?
I covered something similar in my previous article, Is Linktree Free? Hidden Costs Exposed!, but Feature FM uses a similar marketing tactic called the “Freemium” model.
Essentially, they give away “free” but limited services/features/products with the intent of hooking you on to their platform so that they can continue to entice you with paid monthly features.
If you are looking for a music link tool that can get the job done for free, check out this guide I made called: Free Music Links: Your Guide To Free Smart Links & URLs For Music.
Let’s take a look into some super basic features that Feature FM puts behind and paywall and see if it is worth it.
Feature FM Facebook Pixel
The ability to use a Facebook pixel with Feature FM is not included in the free Feature FM plan. To use a Facebook pixel with your smart links, you must pay $204 USD per year or $19 per month to be on their Artist plan.
Feature FM Custom Domain
The ability to have a custom domain using Feature FM is only possible if you are on the Artist Pro plan at $39 USD per month. If you are on a monthly plan it will cost you an additional $10 per month to have this feature (but is included if you are on an annual plan).
To set up a custom domain with Feature FM, you would need to follow these steps:
- Purchase a custom domain yourself
- Point your custom domains to Feature FM’s nameservers
- Manually submit a custom domain request to Feature FM
All in all, custom domains with Feature FM is straight-up ruthless in how complicated and expensive it is to get custom domains set up.
Ideally Feature.FM will reconsider how they are going custom domains in the future to make it more cost-effective, simple, and artist-friendly.
Is Feature FM Worth It?
Feature FM is not worth it because the free version is too limited and basic to be useful and because the ability to effectively run Facebook and Instagram ads and other useful music promotion strategies requires a paid subscription.
Ultimately, what you get for the price of any Feature FM subscription is too high compared to the features that you get.
Their smart links have very limited customization options and most of the advertising can easily be done yourself for free using native ads managers such as the Facebook ads manager.
Although Feature FM does have some interesting features, such as being able to pay to have your song listed as a Sponsored Song on music websites, the overall value they provide for some basic webpages and advertising is not worth the price they charge.
Is Feature FM Safe?
Feature FM is a safe and legit company that has been around since 2013. Their products and services are used by thousands of artists and their team has some history in the music industry by having created a playlisting service before founding Feature FM.
The Best Music Link Tools To Get More Streams
Although choosing the right music link service ultimately comes down to your budget, how you want your music links to look, and what extra features you might be interested in…
It’s absolutely critical that the music link that you use have the basic features needed to be able to effectively run Spotify conversion ads.
Just about any music link tool will work if you only want to use your music links to be used as “link in bio” pages or to be dropped in your social media profiles.
If you need help picking the right music link tool for you, check out this guide I made for you called: Music Links: The Best Smart Link Tools To Promote Your Music.
After researching most of the popular options out on the market today, I’ve dialed in your best choice if you are looking for premium music links or want to save a bit with the best budget option.
…and if you are looking for a music link tool that can get the job done for free, check out this guide I made called: Free Music Links: Your Guide To Free Smart Links & URLs For Music.
In that guide, I let you know the only free music link tool that you should be looking at if you want to properly run Spotify conversion ads and do reviews on the “free” offerings that most other music link companies have out there.
Because although a lot of music link tools have “free” versions, the truth is that they limit the features you get with the free version in hopes that you will fork up some of your hard-earned cash to unlock the features you need.
…So What Music Link Tool Should You Use?
There are an endless amount of music link tools and website builders out there, that can allow you to start building music landing pages.
The truth is that you are free to use any tool that meets the conversion-focused requirements I mentioned in this article (and that you can follow along with in this free cheat sheet).
With that said…
Although it is a bit more advanced, I personally use and recommend hosting your own WordPress website and using a premium drag-and-drop plugin.
This combo allows you to create unlimited links and set up your links properly without having to upgrade or connect to another service.
It also allows you to future proof your web presence later since you can add an online shop, membership program, or whatever the next trend in online music marketing is after music links.
I’ve also created a free course (that I may have linked to like 100 times now hehe) that teaches you how to get set up with this combo and even includes the music and “link in bio” templates that I am currently using.
That free course will also go into the strategy of how to music links to grow your Spotify streams and how to optimize your music links so that they get you the most amount of streams possible.
Alternatively, if you already have a solution for a website or music links already just make sure your current solution meets these requirements first:
- You can install advertising pixels like the Facebook Pixel
- You have access to a domain (www.you.com) and its DNS so you can verify your website domain to Facebook
- You can create unlimited web pages and music links
- You can easily customize and modify your music links
The free course that I mentioned can also help you pick and optimize your music links regardless of which one you are using. 🙂
Custom Feature FM SmartLink Alternative
My preferred alternative to Feature FM and their smart links is to simply build your own custom smart links by using a WordPress or SquareSpace website.
I do this myself with my very own WordPress-based website (aka the one you are on right now) and find it to be way more flexible and effective, particularly if you want to do the Spotify algorithm hack by running Facebook and Instagram ads to your smart link pages.
The reasons I’d recommend doing this over using the Feature FM links are because:
- Without paying for these services, you can create smart links that are exactly in the style of Feature FM, Hypeddit, Linktree, Toneden, HyperFollow, etc.
- Get more streams to your music by using my highly tested and conversion-optimized smart link template
- Look more professional and credible by having a custom domain and no other company’s branding on them
- Get your brand and identity across by perfectly customizing your smart links to look exactly how you want them to
For a free step-by-step course on how to get started with this, check out my free course on smart links for music.
On top of this, you’d actually have a legit and professional full-blown website and not just some smart links for promoting your music.
The things you can do with a website are endless (ie: blogs to rank on Google like this post you are reading, create a Patreon-style membership, private webpages for your fans to create unique experiences, etc)
But, to start, how can you go about creating your own smart links for promoting your music in the style of Feature FM?
How To Make A Feature FM Style Website Yourself
To create your own smart links in the style of Feature FM, all you need is either a simple WordPress-based website or a Squarespace-based website.
If you already have a website solution in place, you may be able to create your own smart links at no extra cost to you.
To create your own smart links for marketing your music, the truth is that you can really use any website creator on the market today.
But, it is best if you have the ability to create pages that allow you to remove the header and footer menus like you can with WordPress or Squarespace.
Although both options are great, I use and recommend WordPress because:
- There are no (or very low) monthly fees
- More customization and flexibility because of the endless amount of WordPress plugins available
- The option to use pre-made templates already in the style of Linktree, Toneden, Hypeddit, etc.
To get started with your very own custom WordPress website, all you need to do is install WordPress and then create some “smart link”-style landing pages with the free built-in WordPress page editor.
To install WordPress as quickly and easily as possible, I’d recommend using a web hosting service like Bluehost that gives you web hosting, a website domain, and then instantly sets up WordPress on it for you, all in just a few simple clicks.
Then, when you want to take things to the next level, you can install a premium theme that allows you to perfectly reproduce the looks of other smart link pages and even download pre-made templates like Thrive Architect.
For a free step-by-step course on how to get started with this, check out my free course on smart links for music.
If you are just starting out, I’d recommend starting off with a simple WordPress-based website to keep your costs low and then upgrade to a premium theme when you feel ready to make the leap.
With that said, I’m personally using Bluehost to take care of all of my website needs and have also installed Thrive Architect to not only build smart links in the style of DistroKid HyperFollow but also to create the entire website that you are on right now. 🙂
Feature FM Alternatives
Alternatives to Feature FM include LinkTree, ToneDen, and DistroKid. However, the best Feature FM alternative is to create your own fully customizable WordPress website and run the digital ads yourself because it is cheaper and more flexible when marketing your music.
If you do not want to go the DIY approach, and instead want to look up some other smart link competitors, here is a list of companies like Feature FM that are worth checking out:
- ToneDen
- LinkTree
- Linkfire
- SmartLinks
- DistroKid Hyperfollow
Feature FM vs ToneDen
Feature FM and ToneDen are similar because they create website and advertising automation tools and services for artists, musicians, and producers.
The main difference between Feature FM and ToneDen is in the design of their automated landing pages (aka smart links) and the advertising platforms they focus on (ToneDen on Facebook and Feature FM on display ads).
Although these are great options for artists looking to save time, a more flexible and cost-effective alternative is to do it for yourself with your own website and advertising accounts.
Looking For A Better Music Distributor?
Although my top suggestion for a music distributor is definitely DistroKid, I’ve gone ahead and compared DK to other popular services in case you are in the market for a new digital distributor or are simply just curious.
Popular alternatives to a music distribution service like DistroKid include TuneCore, CdBaby, Ditto, and Amuse.
If you would like to see how DistroKid compares to these services, more closely check out this articles:
- DistroKid vs TuneCore
- DistroKid vs CdBaby
- DistroKid vs UnitedMasters
- DistroKid vs Ditto
- DistroKid vs Amuse
- DistroKid vs SoundCloud
Or, if you would like a more detailed look into what DistroKid has to offer, you can check out my big fat DistroKid review. 🙂
P.S. If you also want to learn about music publishing and make sure that you are not leaving any money on the table with your music distribution setup, I’d recommend checking out these 2 articles:
