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A promotional recording, or promo (recently known as a radio single), is a recording issued on Vinyl, 8-track, Cassette, CD, MP3, VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. and distributed free in order to promote a commercial recording. Promos are usually sent out to music radio and television stations, music journalists and reviewers in advance of the official release date so that their reviews will appear in the current publications, and DJs. They are often distributed in plain white packaging, without the text or artwork that appears on the commercial version. Typically a promo is marked with some variation of the following text: "Licensed for promotional use only. Sale is prohibited." It may also state: "Item is to be returned to the distributor upon demand."

Before the advent of formats other than vinyl records, a type of promo surfaced known as an "acetate". These records were made of a cheaper and lower quality acetate vinyl. They were generally made in very low quantity and often had hand-written labels. Frequently they were only a test pressing, and thus were called "promo acetate test pressings". In modern usage the term "acetate" or "promo acetate" usually refers to a cheaply manufactured CD-R made up to efficiently promote the product with minimal expense.

Promos are distributed to expose a new product or release to those who are in a position to market it and entice the general public to purchase it. In very rare cases promotional items are recalled by the distributor. For example a promotional CD and cassette of the 1994 album Under the Pink, by Tori Amos, was recalled because Amos had not approved of the cover artwork. It was sent back with the cover art removed. Copies of the promo sell for hundreds of dollars as opposed to a commercially released copy which sells for ten.[citation needed] There is also an EP by Marilyn Manson, Smells Like Children, which was recalled because the music contained unauthorized spoken word and audio samples from various movies such as Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. The EP was re-edited and redistributed without the samples, making an original promo copy of the EP extremely rare and valuable.

Because promos are produced in smaller quantity than releases made available to the general public, they are considered valuable collector's items. Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to sell promotional recordings. Despite the recording industry's insistence that promos may not be sold, given away, or even discarded, the federal district court ruling in UMG v. Augusto affirms that ownership is transferred to the recipient under the First Sale Doctrine, regardless of any "not for resale" labels. (UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Augusto, No. CV 07-03106, slip op. (C.D. Cal. June 10, 2008).

A promo single (short for promotional single) is a single that is made available to nightclubs, radio stations, music publications, and other media outlets by a record label for the express purpose of promoting a new single or an entirely new album. While intended specifically for use by professional disc jockeys and not for resale, they are frequently sought out by music collectors nonetheless.

The promo single is usually recognized by its limited liner notes and cover artwork as well as its unique catalog number (or the occasional lack thereof). Quite often, vinyl records will be issued in a generic cardboard jacket or white paper sleeve while CDs will be issued in a slimline jewel case or cardboard sleeve. There may also be promotion-specific terms stamped on the disc or its cover, most notably "For Promotional Use Only."

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