How can you effectively handle negative feedback on your song?

Don't release 'the song' yet. Store your first recordings in an observation box. Sacrifice time seeing how they travel with you as a "creative" & "fan". Repeat the process years in, years out. Sacrifice time from other activities. Probably is, you'll make songs greater than your last efforts. When confident in your growth, then release your efforts.

Sometimes, criticism can feel devastating. It's important to consider who the critics are. Develop internal systems to filter what is mere opinion from what could be genuinely beneficial feedback. Often, people criticize aspects based on their personal tastes, which might not align with the author's vision. Acknowledge your emotions but then ask yourself: who are the people whose opinions truly matter to your work? If they offer negative feedback, it's definitely an opportunity for learning. If the person isn't in that circle of trusted critics, move forward. Remember, it's easy to criticize, but creating is challenging. Use feedback constructively, and don't let it derail your creative process or self-esteem.

First of all, when you're looking for feedback try to involve these 3 categories of people: fellow musicians, music industry professionals and normal music fans. This way you should give you enough different point of views. Having said that, consider that feedbacks can vary A LOT. They can be very subjective so if you feel you gave your 100% on your song take criticism with a pinch of salt.

a) Consider the source of the feedback. If some random person doesn't like your music, who cares. If someone who is a tastemaker in your genre doesn't like your music, you need to care. b) Consider the content of the feedback. Is there something actionable? Can you improve your arrangement, mix quality, etc. something within your control? Then that's a great action to take. If the song is just... not a good song, you can still release it, but maybe take the note to not make it your lead single or send to critics. c) Consider the tone of the feedback. No matter how valid the feedback is, it is important to seek feedback from those who can help encourage a growth mindset, not bring you down. This will determine whether to go back to them.

Often, artists get tunnel-visioned on a certain idea that simply doesn't work. After receiving negative feedback, it's crucial to focus on what did work within the record. There's no harm in incorporating some of these elements into a future track further down the line.